City's long term inability to score goals made me think about the last time we scored freely. No-one needs reminding that it was in our first year in the Prem when Phil Brown played with two and sometimes even three strikers at home and away. I know his tactics were debunked on Match of the Day and after a couple of bad results he lost his nerve to continue with the experiment and our downward spiral began. But would those (or similar) tactics be more effective in the Championship than the Prem. due to the calibre of the opposition? There is also the issue that few teams set up (especially at home) to deal with such an attacking opposition formation hence the reason Brown's team got so many shock results. Bruce is the third manager to face our scoring problems and we all wish him luck, but I just wonder whether something totally different like Brown's tactics needs to be tried to kick-start the goals.
Wouldn't surprise me if we saw a really attacking line-up against Charlton, Bruce obviously wants to get this lack of goals issue off his back as early as possible. Which begs the question, why play 3 centre-backs? Brown played a 4-3-1-2 which on paper isn't that attacking. It tended to be something like: Myhill McShane Turner Zayatte Dawson Marney Ashbee Boateng Geovanni King Cousin If we played that now: Amos Rosenior Chester Faye Dudge Evans McKenna Cairney Koren Proschwitz Simpson Looking at that, I don't think it would work for us at the minute. I think we need to stick Stewart and Aluko on the wings, and Koren in attacking midfield. If Proschwitz starts looking half decent and Fryatts back soon, we'll be fine playing a 4-4-2 I think. Bruce should definitely start Simpson against Charlton though.
Forget signing another creative center mid, we need an energetic enforcer so we can play a diamond. Mikel or essien would be good signings
4312 could work but you can't drop Aluko. Play Aluko just behind the front two and drop Koren in to midfield with two of Evans/McKenna/Cairney
I thought about that, but then it wouldn't really be the same as Brownies formation, as it would be 2 holdiong and 2 attacking/creative rather than 3 holding, 1 attacking/creative. Personally if I had to drop one of those 3, it'd be Evans.
I was just thinking last night that we will probably never have as good a manager as Phil Brown ever again.
I think we were like most newly promoted teams, still on a high from being promoted, going hell for leather against everyone, then once we lost that idiot King, we failed to replace & then decided to go defence & couldn't cope, so for me our promotion year was the attacking year not the PL 1st year!
IMO, playing 3 centre backs works just as long SB plays Dudgeon and Rosenoir on the flanks as wing backs as they can get back to defend. Dawson needs a flat back 4 and cover ahead of him. But when everyone is fit and based on the squad we have NOW then my best City team / formation would be thus : - Amos Chester Faye Hobbs Rosenor McKenna Dudgeon Koren(c) Aluko Fryatt Proschwitz A 3 - 5 - 2 formation with McKenna as the sitting midfielder.
When King was shown the door Phil Brown should have gone for Marlon Harewood. He would have been the perfect replacement for King and would have also kept Daniel Cousin happier as well. Cousin fell out big time with Brown as he hated the lone striker role. Geovanni at the start had a free role just behind King and Cousin.
We need goals, the goalscorer was on the bench last night and the other one is injured. You can do something about one of those things if you are the manager. There is no point sticking rigidly to systems even if they look good on paper. **** the system and put a goalscorer in the team. With Brownie we had Frazier and Deano currently we have nobody in the side apart from perhaps Koren who isn't a miracle man all the time.
I hated three centre backs last night, it didn't result in having attacking wing backs(Rosie did a bit, but Dudgeon got forward less than he did against Brighton), it really just ended up a five man defence and it felt like we were a man down at times, particularly as we had Evans and McKenna in front of them. Koren, Prozzy and Aluko were our only attacking players and they were largely isolated, or dropping deep into midfield to collect the ball, then finding they had no-one ahead of them to create an attack.
agreed, playing so may defenders actually invited pressure on....blackburn werent as good as i was expecting and i actually think they where there for the taking if we had gone for it....tho if we had held out for 0-0 it would have seemed a good point and a decent strategy i suppose, thats the fine line...
It was a strange game last night and as OLM said we looked short in Midfield when defending. This left Evans especially exposed. McKenna seemed to cope better with the formation. I could see gaps opening up and it would have been interesting to maybe have had Stewart on for 15mins in the second half in Evans place. pushing play a little further wide and helping out Rosenior going forward. I see little in the two games to be concerned with. We look solid and are starting to carve out opportunities. Would be nice to find out why Simpson doesn't get a look in as he looks lively.
Why dont we bring Brownie back? He is by far our best ever manager and he would soon get us back up to the premiership. There must be a queue of clubs trying to sign him at this very moment. I say give Brucie another 2 games and then sign ol' Tango up again. It might cost the Allams a few bob mind....
Phil Brown is the pundit tonight on the Championship game on Sky between Bolton and Nottingham Forest.
