4-5-1 has never ever been popular with Charlton fans, but I wonder whether it is an option we should be prepared to turn to. There are too many games where we are second best in midfield, and yesterday we had 3 attacking midfield players on the bench and no strikers. I know the fans wouldn't stand for us playing 4-5-1 at home, but I feel something has to be done to make our midfield more competitive. Listening to the commentary yesterday it sounded like we were lumping long balls up to Kermo far too much to no avail. Another thing he commented on was that we were second to the ball too many times, and it's possible that playing 4-5-1 wouldn't help this at all. It would enable us to find a place for Pritchard though, and I think we are a better team when he plays because of his hunger for the ball. OK it would mean dropping Kermit or BWP but we're not getting the best out of them as it is. I wouldn't like us to start with 4-5-1 but it's something I'd like us to be able to switch to.
I thinks it more an issue of balance. We had 3 midfielders who are prepared to sit deep (JJ, Hollands and Russell), with one winger who will like to push forward. If you play with two generic centre midfielders, you usually have two out and out wingers to be your creative spark. If you play Hollands or Russell, you need a Stephens to partner. Playing together means you invite pressure as both like to soak up the play.
Might be worth a try Bill. What we are doing at the moment clearly isn't working. I'd try: Hughes (holding) Stephens. ( free role to spray it about) Hollands (told to get forward) Green (told to stay on the wing and cause mayhem) Hayes. (gets us playing to feet) BWP Wiggins would need to deal with the left wing duties but he does anyway. This is rough on kermit and Jacko but the latter needs a rest and the former, despite being a candidate for POTY,is actually part of the problem by being so good at what he does. Could probably do with a rest too. An alternative is to go with Morro Cort and Taylor with Solly and wiggins playing as wing backs. But I wouldn't favour that. The problem to me is the system rather than the personnel. I don't think there is much doubt that the "regular" starting 11 are our best 11 players. We can have debates to our hearts are content about the respective merits of Waggy and green but that is avoiding the blatant issue that there is a massive gap between midfield and attack and a combination of that and kermit aerial prowess means that he plays deep and we resort to hoof ball.
Danny Green versus Brentford, ironically though Kermit actually didn't win the ball but it ran through and Green finished it off. I take your point though, we do not need to play long ball when we have such quality in the side.
I still think Kermit could play in a free role on the left wing an Jacko could play as the third man in the middle, as I said a week or so back...
4-5-1 wouldn't work I feel. The lone striker up front would have to be either Kermorgant or Bradley Wright-Phillips. We can't rely on Kermorgant to score regularly enough to play up front by himself, as for BWP, a lone strikers job in a 4-5-1 is to choose all balls up that end of the pitch, yet BWP is useful loitering around the box, not running around like a headless chicken. I feel that with Stephens given the creative midfielder role again (and thus Hollands doing his defensive duties/Hughes coming in to the starting 11), as well as bringing Hayes back and giving him a chance alongside BWP (as much as I love Kermorgant...), we will be back to winning by a good margin every game.
Prehaps play a diamond 4 - 1 - 2 - 1 -2 Formation, this enables us to have both one extra in attack and defence. Although it does leave a lot of space open in the middle of the park.
I've suggested these numerous times before, but it would be interesting to see: ------------Hamer(?)------------- Solly---Taylor---Morrison---Wiggins ------Stephens-Hughes-Jackson------ ------BWP-Kermorgant-Haynes------ Thats with both the three strikers and three midfielders playing as CM's and CF's rather than anyone being on the wing - Solly and Wiggins can go forward if needed, with Stephens, Hughes and Jackson all capable of covering defensively. or else quite simply: -------Hamer(?)------- Solly-Taylor-Morrison-Wiggins Green-Stephens-Hughes-Jackson -------Haynes-BWP-------- That way there's no temptation for the rest of the team to hoof the ball, as neither BWP or Haynes are aerial target men, whilst Haynes pace and BWP's predatory goal scoring instinct will confuse defences and make doubling-up really risky for the other team.
