We've tried all of the above, with limited success. Should we change the formation according to the opposition, which is what The Doctor appears to be doing, or just stick to whatever suits our players best? The diamond seems best to me, since we don't have wingers who can consistently put over quality crosses, or beat the full-back. It seemed to get the best out the players we have.
Most top teams are playing the 4-3-3 formation, a problem when Kermit is fully fit again but at present it would be very attacking.... .....................Hamer..................... Wilson.....Morrow.....Wood.....Wiggins ......Cousins....Stephens....Jackson.... Stewart................................the Harriotts ...................Church........................
To adapt an Oscar Wilde line: "To start with one winger may be regarded as a misfortune; to start with two looks like carelessness". Apart from McCormack having a dream day, that was the main reason we could not compete. With Pritchard and Evina wide we might have snatched a point, even though they are both limited away from their best positions. This is not a criticism of the Good Doctor. He gave it a go to try and do better for the home fans than most of our bore draws, and was partially successful in that it was a more entertaining match.
Unfortunately wing-play seems to be a dying , if not dead, art. When the late Davie Cooper retired Jock Stein said he was the last of a breed. Top-class wingers like Jimmy Johnstone were a nightmare to play against and I'd love someone like that in the team, if there were any around. Paddy Powell is the best Charlton one I can think of. But Stewart's crossing is woeful, and sadly Harriott's has not come on the way I'd hoped. In fact the best crosser we have is Michael Smith, and unless he plays under Nathan Jones I expect he will always be played as a centre-forward because he's built like one. So any decent crosses will have to come from the full-backs, and in a diamond formation Harriott or Stewart could play just behind the front 2 when Jacko's injured, or when he needs a rest.
Not really players who would hug the touchline, which is the type of old-fashioned winger I'm talking about. Either of them would walk into our present team though.
They were wide midfielders (and sometimes not even played wide) not real wingers. They were always involved in the game. They are exactly what we need, not the Harriott or Stewart type, and certainly not both at the same time. if the latter are on form they can be used as impact subs if we are chasing the game, but playing them throughout gives the central midfielders too much work to do. Of course, if you have a genius winger like Jimmie Johnstone or Davie Cooper, you play him, even in the modern game, but they are few and far between. Those that start to emerge, like Adam Johnson, tend to flicker and fade in modern football.
The old-fashioned wingers often only had the full-back to beat before getting in a cross. These duels were a feature I used to enjoy as a spectator. If a defender was up against a winger who could beat him at will it was not a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes. On the other hand, a winger who was up against a full-back like Danny McGrain probably wouldn't enjoy his afternoon either. Steve Coppell was the first winger I can remember who added tracking back to the normal wingers' game, and he would also come inside and score a few as well. At one time this sort of thread just would not exist, all teams played the "W" formation. If you go back even further players wouldn't even pass the ball, whoever got it would just run and shoot when they got near goal, like Bouazza for example, who was a bit of an anachronism.
I suppose it depends on to what degree, but both Kiernan and Kinsey used to defend a lot, sometimes as far back as our own goal-line, and both converted to full-backs when they slowed down. Coppell played when, late seventies? I am sure it dates further back, but my memory is too shot to give an example.
Maybe the art of dribbling is coached out of kids these days. Nearly always when a wide player is confronted by a defender he'll pass the ball backwards or sideways.
It is testament to John Robinsons ability to go past a man that he always had enough time to check back onto his right foot before delivering a cross
