Drop Whitts..............

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Oldsparkey

Oldsparkey

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Jan 27, 2011
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Porthcawl Riviera
..........................if we're going to continue to play 4-4-2. He just doesn't cut it in a 4 man midfield.

No pace, is far too casual around the pitch and is living on past reputation. He can't just be selected for the occasional decent delivery from set plays and corner kicks - he was even poor at that yesterday. He's generally playing far too deep and we've others who are more suited to that role.

To get some pace in the middle of the park, I'd even consider Declan in at left back and move Fabio forward to left mid. Play Daehli in behind either Kenwyne, Macheda or I'd even give Guerra a shot at it. Hard on the two runners, Le Fondre and Maynard, but this is not working properly at all.
 
Oldsparkey said:
..........................if we're going to continue to play 4-4-2. He just doesn't cut it in a 4 man midfield.

No pace, is far too casual around the pitch and is living on past reputation. He can't just be selected for the occasional decent delivery from set plays and corner kicks - he was even poor at that yesterday. He's generally playing far too deep and we've others who are more suited to that role.

To get some pace in the middle of the park, I'd even consider Declan in at left back and move Fabio forward to left mid. Play Daehli in behind either Kenwyne, Macheda or I'd even give Guerra a shot at it. Hard on the two runners, Le Fondre and Maynard, but this is not working properly at all.
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Do we have the players and manager to play a 4-4-2 and go up.? I dont think so.

2 weeks to get Dikacoi fitter is hopefully a positive . I agree though id drop Whitts as well and play Ralls.

What would be ideal would be a few of our midfield leaving with some faces with pace and energy coming in. Very much doubt that will happen though.

Id also like to see the Macheda/Guerra partnership up front.
 
Joe Ralls has to get his chance now that the midfield clearly isn't functioning. He can tackle, pass and always makes himself available to receive the ball.
Noone should return on the right, Daehli to play on the left with Digkacoi or Adeyemi alongside Ralls.

With Pilkington and John available off the bench we must be able to control the midfield in most games.

The strikers should be Jones with either Macheda or Guerra.
 
Oldsparkey said:
..........................if we're going to continue to play 4-4-2. He just doesn't cut it in a 4 man midfield.

No pace, is far too casual around the pitch and is living on past reputation. He can't just be selected for the occasional decent delivery from set plays and corner kicks - he was even poor at that yesterday. He's generally playing far too deep and we've others who are more suited to that role.
To get some pace in the middle of the park, I'd even consider Declan in at left back and move Fabio forward to left mid. Play Daehli in behind either Kenwyne, Macheda or I'd even give Guerra a shot at it. Hard on the two runners, Le Fondre and Maynard, but this is not working properly at all.
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Whitts played well yesterday, but City fans quite often make him the scapegoat over recent seasons. He played deep (in the Medel role) and pretty well ran the game form there. As for casual, he often covers for gaps at the back and tracks players and does this really well. Fabio and Daehli are forming a good link and understanding. Agree Macheda must get a start.
 
I watched the game on the stream yesterday. Not ideal I know but you can gain an indication of how individuals perform. Whitts picked the ball from deep, he looks up and what does he see? No movement so his only options are to lob the ball forward, move sideways or backwards. What is he expected to do? Playing deep he is not going to attempt to beat players even if he could. In my view Whitts is the scapegoat for the inadequacies of others. The absence of movement is a major factor. His booking at the end of the game typified that. He attempted to take a throw in and there was nothing moving in front of him. That is the main cause of our problems which needs to be sorted by the manager in my view.
 
I'm not blaming Whitts for the team performance, just that his style does not suit the current gameplan. He is far too slow, and to suggest he's an adequate replacement in the Medel role is ludicrous.

He got caught again yesterday and lost the ball on the edge of our box and could easily have allowed them in for a goal like he did at Blackburn.

Whitts is skillful but he's being played in the wrong role and for what we know he's capable of rather than what he's actually doing at the moment - and that is very little.

If you thought Whitts played well yesterday, Daehli must have been in the Messi class.
 
The time has come for him to be dropped.
Whitts is to slow to play as a D/M, We now have Dicgakoi and Adeyemi that can play that role.

Would you put in out on the left instead of Daehli or even in the 10 role, When everybody is fitter i just cant see a position for him.

IMO we would shape up better with a, 5-3-2 formation, which would leave Whitts out again.
 
Oldsparkey said:
I'm not blaming Whitts for the team performance, just that his style does not suit the current gameplan. He is far too slow, and to suggest he's an adequate replacement in the Medel role is ludicrous.

He got caught again yesterday and lost the ball on the edge of our box and could easily have allowed them in for a goal like he did at Blackburn.

Whitts is skillful but he's being played in the wrong role and for what we know he's capable of rather than what he's actually doing at the moment - and that is very little.

If you thought Whitts played well yesterday, Daehli must have been in the Messi class.
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I didn't say he played well. No midfielder did although the bad performance was not solely down to Whitts as suggested in the heading. I agree Daehli was probably the best of a bad bunch. The problem is not the players but the system and for that the manager has to accept the blame. There is no pace in midfield, and little movement. ALF has been disappointing and Pilkington doesn't look any better than others at the club. I would rather see Harris play while Noone is unavailable. Still not convinced by Daehli in the Championship despite his better performance yesterday. He has plenty of skill but no pace and is predictable as he always cuts in onto his right foot. Perhaps he should always play on the right.
 
whoops - your first comment was posted just before mine and I hadn't seen it. I was referring to the poster prior to you - he said he thought Whitts played well.
 
whoops said:
I didn't say he played well. No midfielder did although the bad performance was not solely down to Whitts as suggested in the heading. I agree Daehli was probably the best of a bad bunch. The problem is not the players but the system and for that the manager has to accept the blame. There is no pace in midfield, and little movement. ALF has been disappointing and Pilkington doesn't look any better than others at the club. I would rather see Harris play while Noone is unavailable. Still not convinced by Daehli in the Championship despite his better performance yesterday. He has plenty of skill but no pace and is predictable as he always cuts in onto his right foot. Perhaps he should always play on the right.
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He is an inverted winger, its nothing to do with his right foot. As for pace, the other wingers available are pilkington and burgstaller, none of them are rapid. Harris is, but there is a reason neither malky nor ole starts him. His link up play, football intelligence isn't there yet. Harris should be used more as an impact sub though, as we lack pace in the team. Put him on when defenders are tiring. Or give Declan a go.

Matts creates more chances than any other city player from open play, i would say we look totally predictable without him in open play as was evident against wolves where we looked bereft of ideas and creativity.Yesterday he was at the heart of almost all the stuff we created.
Whitts is more of a set piece specialist. Matts has the most assists this season so i think he is coming along nicely, he the youngest player in citys team, we have to remember that. He is going to develop and get used to the physicality of the championship, and will get better and better in my opinion.
 
Terry Phillips in is "5 things you learned from Fulham game" today said Whittingham is an automatic start, yet gave him 6 saying "Whitts was far too anonymous."

He is just not at the races any more.

Joe Ralls for me every time. Unluckily he caught a sweet shot but went straight at the keeper; where was Whittingham - he's most dangerous ahead of the midfield near the the box but not in a 4 man midfield.

Le Fondre another for me who is anonymous. Granted he is not getting any chances, but he just does not look like he has any quality or at all.
 
ALF is a penalty area poacher. He works hard and closes down opponents but for him to succed we need the ball in the opponents box - and therein lies the problem. I hope we will see something different when Noonie returns.
 
BluefromBridgend said:
ALF is a penalty area poacher. He works hard and closes down opponents but for him to succed we need the ball in the opponents box - and therein lies the problem. I hope we will see something different when Noonie returns.
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I watched the pre-season game against Wolfsburg and was encouraged by the number of bodies we got in the box and the number of times the ball joined them. Since then we seem to have changed our approach to the extent that we seem to want the opposition to have the ball (certainly given the %age possession stats).
 
Spot on ccfc.

I said somewhere else that Ole seems to have forgotten that to win games you have to beat the opposition and that involves scoring goals - as many as you can. While it is exciting to score goals from distance most are scored from within the penalty area so it is important for the ball to be delivered there as often as possible.

We're not very good at that are we?
 
this is where OGS earns his keep!

so many quality players, i want to see macheda start, he looks top drawer to me. pilkington is an excellent wide player IMO, and he would start ahead of le fondre if it came to that. its a waste of ALF's talents to stick him wide. put him up front or bring him on at 60 mins.

pilkington adeyemi whitt noone
macheda jones

that would be my team, full of class and quality. dahlia got praise for the pass v fulham but was poor for most of the game, thats why i would definitely start pilkington ahead of him. people remember him by the odd flash of brilliance but not him losing the ball or getting shoved off which happens multiple times a match. the thing that frustrates me with dahli is that he dwells on the ball before playing the pass. he invariably makes the right decision but takes 2 or 3 touches which takes the edge off it, thats something he can certainly improve upon.
 
Personally i would never drop Whitts at this level and he remains one of the most gifted players at the club. I also would like to see Macheda start and i would also like to see OGS start with a team that he can stick with for a run of games, at the moment we are not holding onto possession, and we need more quality deliveries into the box, which will happen when El Noonio arrives back on the scene, the next to home games are defining in my humble opinion.
 
He's been hawked around half the clubs in the division.

On his day AND FIT a great aseset at this level but I believe he has serious fitness problems following a knee injury 4/5 years ago.

A great pity both for his previous clubs and wales.
 
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