When is it going to be scrapped? We look completely uncomfortable in it. Our centerbacks gets isolated against wingers to often. Why play it when we have a perfect set of players to play four at the back and a 4-2-3-1 formation? Implementing a new system as a newly promoted club is highly risky. Keep it solid, keep it simple I say.
What a dreadful first half. One of the most one sided games ive seen for a long time. If this is whats to come it going to be a long long painful season.
BBC radio 5 live commentators saying tactics all wrong no-one knows what to do and no-one from the bench is telling the players what to do. What's going on - too many new additions at once coupled with a slow clumsy defence??
You also need to factor in that we are playing a top four or five team at their place. It's an old saying of course but there are no easy games in this division and spuds away is nearly as hard as it gets. Keep it real. To see if things work you have to try. We have the players now for this system we just need to continue to work at it.
Nuts - I actually agree we need to ride out a few defeats BUT to have rings run around the defence because we are too old/slow when we have Chief sat on the bench is frustrating - but then I'm not a manager and only look on as a fan. Always a Ranger though - COYR'S.
We looked every bit as shady at the back against a ordinary Hull side a week ago. It's a ridiculous choice of formation/tactics, and it was doomed to fail from the off. That is keeping it real mate.
Don't panic. It's not ideal, but we have time and a specialist coach in Hoddle to make this work. We will never score goals with 4-5-1. That's right. No we didn't, we looked good - the goal was poor set piece defending, nothing to do with team shape, chances after that were chasing the game.
That is your opinion mate, which is your prerogative. I disagree. Not for one second did we look good against Hull. Unless if you count when they didn't pressure us and Rio, Caulker and Dunne passed it between themselves. That has nothing to do with looking good imo. Everytime they came at us we looked shaky. We have defenders that have always played in a back four, they have been raised with it and played it from childhood. Why do you think it's a good idea to try and reschool them into a back three when we are newly promoted?
It has nothing to do with panic mate. I facepalmed myself so hard a got a black eye when I heard we were going to play it this season.
We have based our transfer policy this summer on buying players to suit this system. It would be ridiculous IMO to not at least give it a few games. No panic needed.
I was concerned when I saw the team for today............not the formation, but the fact that Dunne was retained and more importantly, that we didn't have a natural holding midfielder on the pitch. When you play 3-5-2 the two central midfield players are crucial to making the system work. They are the ones who have to shuffle across into the spaces where the fullbacks usually are and when the wing-backs haven't got back to cover. So, if we are exposed down our left for instance, the left sided central midfielder goes across, the other central midfielder shuffles over a little and the right wing-back gets back into a right back or right side of midfield position. We need to learn this formation if we are to continue with it and learn it FAST!!
I'm not panicking, see my last post. Only signing made that is directly suited to this system is Isla. I have problem giving it games, I just think it's pointless. Rendering those games void and no points, which can't be a good thing. The fact Harry has already changed to a back four would hopefully bring an end to this hopeless experiment. And with people like Rio around will probably have a say as well. When we reach 40 points, that's the time to try new things.
I suspect you are right. We haven't really got time to continue with an experiment. Arry looked like he had bitten that bullet.
Our problem today was, as Jason Roberts said on the radio, not running around and challenging for the ball, fiddling with the shape won't change that. Plus Spurs are a much, much better team. Actually I think its kind of pathetic that Redknapp switched to a back four at the first sign of trouble, no faith in his own judgement. As for Rio, I strongly suspect we are playing this system to accommodate him. What we need is a fat Geordie motivational guru.........
Not know for his in depth understanding of tactics I suspect. We would have been better off playing Henry and Faurlin as the two central midfielders today. We had no holding players in midfield. Terrible selection.
Rio was also bought for this system. With three CBs, the central one (Rio) generally sits slightly deeper and sweeps. Rio isn't as fast as he was but with his reading of the game he is perfect for this. Fer and Mutch were bought as 'engines' IMO to play on the outside of a central midfield three to run box to box and cover the wing backs when they're caught out of position. I also agree with Col that perhaps the single biggest mistake we have made so far was not yet buying a dedicated DCM. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but not having one in out team is a massive mistake IMO. Henry is the only one in the squad and he's not good enough for this level.
The other night Gary Neville alluded to the fact that we didnt have the players for this system especially Dunne, Judo mentioned it in a post, if we are to continue in this formation then I am afraid its curtains for Dunne and we need to sign another CB.
