Ok first of all this is not a thread relating to Hughton; it purely concerns Tettey and secondly our season has hitherto obviously not been good thus when I talk about 'saving our season' I mean winning games, creating and scoring more goals, conceding less soft goals and ultimately getting some points so we can finish the season in a respectable position. As we all know Alex Tettey has not been the most consistent player since his arrival at Norwich. During his first season he didn't exactly set the world on fire and frequently suffered injuries. Having played his way into the team early this season he unfortunately suffered a serious injury, side-lining him for several months but I understand he has largely recovered, is training with the squad and could be playing matches in the near future. For the most part of this season our midfield has not been effective (let's just leave it that rather than debate and argue) but Alex Tettey could be the man we need in the team to allow us to assert ourselves in midfield. And the best thing is we already have him so we don't have to worry about signing a new player. I believe we played our best football this season when we played a 4-3-3 formation with a midfield consisting of Tettey, Howson and Fer with the Chelsea and Stoke games being highlights for me. My opinion of Tettey: - Passing isn't always there and consistency has been an issue for him in the past (but could he really be worse than Johnson?) - Tends to shoot from distance and miss the target (but again, Johnson?) - Seemingly very injury prone (not a problem of Johnson's) + Seems fairly athletic with regards to pace and power + When played as a holding midfielder is alert to stop counter-attacks, which has been a real problem for us this season + Can tackle successfully without giving away too many fouls (something Johnson and particularly Fer are very guilty of) + He can provide cover for the centre backs and makes us more defensively solid + A hard worker + His defending allows Howson and Fer to get forwards more Ok, so I'm not sure what everybody else thinks but if we could play Tettey as a deep sitting midfielder with Howson and fer ahead then we could play much better football and be more attacking but also not be so shaky at the back. What does everyone else think? OTBC
Fully agree that this is our best formation, although I'd argue Howson is more the key man. When Tettey first went out injured and Johnson came in, Johnson was a long, long way from his best, so the formation was less effective. I feel Tettey is better going forwards than Johnson (although arguably Johnson's remit has changed now we're moved more to a 4-4-2), and whilst he's not as good positionally as Johnson, his pace helps him recover. But we've got nobody who can play Howson's role. What I liked about the 4-3-3 was how fluid that midfield trio was, where anybody felt they could go forwards knowing someone would fill the gap they left. If Hoolahan or Elmander play, the other midfielders are more wary of going forwards as they know neither of them could fill the gap. It makes us a lot more rigid when attacking. Now Johnson is back to reasonable form, and Tettey back from injury, it might be worth trying a Tettey-Johnson-Fer midfield, giving Fer the license to go forwards that Howson had. Whilst I think it's got potential, I think it'll struggle to convince the fans to start with against Hull. 4-5-1 at home in a must win game, with 3 DM's does not sound like it'll make chances, but I actually think the three of them could dominate midfield. We'd be able to keep possession better in the midfield, even if we would still be reliant on the wings for creativity. That's less of a problem though if we're in possession further up the field, as it makes it easier for midfielders to make support runs into the box.
You could well be right Russ. As I have been saying since he arrived here he is a specialist defensive midfielder who can do that job on his own. Johnson needs somebody with him and neither Fer nor Howson perform that job very well. Tettey gives us the chance to push another centre midfielder forward which should help the cause.
4-3-3 was definitely the most effective formation this season. Tettey is easily the best at playing that screening role infront of the defence and when you have someone you can trust to cover for you you automatically feel better going forward. Also, I believe Tettey's all round game had really improved before his injury and gave him more assets than Johnson. Plus he isn't afraid of getting forward when the moment seems right. When we get Tettey, Howson and Pilkington back, we may find some form and some confidence.
It all hinges on how he comes back from the injury this time. Last season he was really coming into his own but wasn't the same player when he returned. I think to many people are banking to much on him just slipping back into it seamlessly ? IMO the biggest miss has been Howson, we were never prolifically attacking with him but without him we are completely toothless. His return cannot come soon enough.
I think the two big misses have been Pilkington and Tettey, I don't think Fer is as integral to success as he should be. When Pilkingtons played he's been our best player and had more influence than anyone in how we play going forward. He plays the wing how it should be played.
Both are back in contention, and I'd like to see both used this weekend assuming they're fit enough to start. For me: Ruddy Martin Bennett Bassong Olsson Tettey-Fer Snodgrass-Hoolahan-Pilkington RvW Martin and Snodgrass link up well, Pilkington will drift inside to support RvW, Olsson can provide the width. If we can't afford to use a creative spark like Hoolahan at home to reasonably weak opposition, then there's no point him being in the squad. I can't see why Hughton wouldn't use him midweek at all if he wasn't thinking of using him Saturday. RvW over Hooper for me as he deals with the long ball better, and his movement might get the most from Hoolahan. I suspect we're more likely to see a tactically naive 4-4-2, get swamped in the middle of the park by Hull playing 4-5-1 or 3-5-2, and never get on top of them. Oh well.
I'd like that line up too but would have Hooper up front instead of RVW as the former is sharper in front of goal at the moment and seems to link well with Hoolahan.
I can't argue with anything here. I like Pilkington a lot (up until RvW joined he was my favourite Norwich player). I honestly believe, however, that he would now be more use to us as an inside forward (where we don't have anyone good), than as a winger where we have some decent options in Gutierrez, Olsson, Redmond. A formation I would like to see one day is: ---------------------Ruddy ---------------Bassong Turner ----Whittaker------Tettey--------Olsson -----------------------Fer ----Redmond----Pilkington----Gutierrez ----------------------RvW The 3 behind RvW (with the exception, maybe, of Redmond) could move around fairly freely and Fer could contribute to the attacking/defending phases as required. The wing-backs give us more width, so we could even replace Howson with Redmond and push the attacking line narrower in certain circumstances! It would take a lot of confidence though
I'm still undecided on Tettey. He has had some decent games in the lead up to his most recent injury, but I'm still inclined to think he's slightly overrated by our fans. I know I've banged this drum before on here, but his positioning is sometimes woeful. His saving grace is that he is quick and has plenty of stamina so can in fact make up for his poor positioning/reading of the game. It's this, in my opinion, that makes it seem like he's being effective at putting in tackles and breaking up the opposition's play, when in fact he is sometimes making last ditch attempts at correcting his own errors. If he sorted out his positional errors (and probably his passing too, but I have to say it had started to improve) he would be a very competent defensive midfielder. Is Bradley Johnson a better option though? I'm not sure. I would say BJ's positioning is better than Tettey's, but he is significantly less mobile. Having said all this, I do agree with the general consensus that our best central midfield combination this season has been Tettey/Fer/Howson.
I agree with much of this, but think that Pilks and Tettey will start on the bench because of the lack of match-fitness. For that reason, I'd start with Wes behind either Hooper or RvW, with Gutierrez and Snods on either flank. Pilks could then replace either JG or Wes if either tires, and Tettey could replace Johnson to add pace later on. Alternatively, Redmond could come on on either flank to add pace if need be. IMO, it's great that we have so many alternatives again! OTBC!
