3-5-2 is the only time we are solid at the back and have an attacking threat. I'm not saying we haven't been bad when playing that formation but it's down to individual mistakes and poor form.
You are quite right, of course that was in league one, and he hasn't the legs or the skills to take on a man to be effective in that role at this level. His biggest asset to us is his attitude and his hard work making us tick over in the middle. Always there for a simple pass, never giving the enemy a moments rest. He was ****e today with the ball, great at harrying and winning it back though.
He's looked best for us playing centrally behind a striker. We played 4-4-2 today, but with two central midfielders on the wings, our right winger was playing at right back, while our right back was playing left back and both our left backs/winger were sat watching with us. Bonkers.
Out of our entire starting 11, 5 were playing their natural positions today, and one of those was the goalkeeper. Bruce deserves the 'square peg' moniker I awarded him. ****ing ridiculous. He's turning into browny mark 2 in every respect.
That was in a 3-5-2. Again, no. He's a wide midfield player. you dont have to have pace to play wide, make room and whip the cross in. But to who? One man in the box and your two CM's 30 yards away from the edge of the box. Our whole problem is we dont have a front man without Jelavic. There is no one to pass to. Aluko drops deep then instead of receiving the ball and turning he knocks it straight back to our defender. Hernandez is physically weak and cant do the job asked.
To be honest this is beyond reasonable understanding. I've seldom seen such a cluster-**** team selection in my life.this has less to do with ability and more to do with attitudes. The manager, the players and their relationships. This is ****e, we are worthy of better. I'm becoming pissed with the formation and selection.
Rosy at left back makes no sense, when there are two much better options on the bench, but that's not the reason we missed out today. Total lack of penetration through the middle. Too much playing the ball square. Ponderous, laborious build up. No creative movement up top. Poor choice of pass in the final third. Forwards getting infront of crosses. Inability to hit the target with head or foot. Basic,basic stuff that should be sorted on the training field. Today was just 14 people not doing their jobs properly.
Brucey was guilty of rewarding those who finished the game at Everton....No sentiment in football Steve.. You play your best 11 at home and with all due respect it didn't work today... Robbo would have given them plenty to think about bombing down on the left..I might have even gone with Sagbo playing up top as their back two were having Abel and Aluko for breakfast, dinner and tea.
I enjoyed the game today and thought we played well considering how the games went since the draw at Liverpool.
This 'being sussed out' thing is one of my pet hates in football. Like it took teams a year to figure out how we play, and suddenly now it's affecting results. As if one formation iust automatically trumps another and knowing the oppositions formation means victory. Football isn't rock paper scissors, we can play any formation and still win, or indeed lose.
Yep. It's like Brucey is really saying, Hudd you're one of the sweetest strikers of a ball i've ever seen so if you sight goal lay it off. And Jake please dont have a shot when its the best option, do your damnedest to pass the buck onto someone else, preferably passing to one of their players instead. Or Robbie please never hit a corner above their first defender.
What's even more funny about this is some managers in the game believe it is Rock Paper Scissors and willingly change their formation at the drop of a hat to use whatever is the flavour of the month. Remember the start of the season when QPR, Liverpool and Man Utd started using 3-5-2 before each of them changing not long in to something else.
It was indeed, that's why I wouldn't have picked him for a home game where we went 4-4-2. He did a good job at Everton, as did Meyler, but they weren't right for today's game. I don't blame Bruce for sticking with them, but when it didn't work it should have been changed, there's no way we should have started the second half with Rosie at left back. It was so obvious that switching Rosie to right back back and sticking Brady or Robertson at left back would have made us far more attacking. There's no doubt that without Jelavic up front we look impotent, but Aluko had a decent first half and with a bit more service we'd at least have put them under some pressure, Foster barely had a save to make.
--------------------McGregor -----Chester------Dawson-----Davies Elmo---------------------------------Robertson ------------------Livermore ---------Diame------------Huddlestone ----------Jelavic--------Hernandez I would also like to see Ben Arfa or/and Ramieriez actually get an extended run in the team
Stoke V the Arse. first minute cross comes in and Stoke have 4 men in the box. 2nd goal 3 men coming in on the cross. We have Hernandez on his Jack Jones and our CM's 30 yards away. Any midfield line up would have made no difference today. We have no one with a ****ing scooby anywhere near the oppo's goal.
Bruce ****ed up today with the starting lineup. I mean, Meyler as a right midfielder? Talk about square pegs in round holes... He could have played Rosie at right-back (his natural position), Elmo on the right wing and Robertson at left-back. As a manager, he's getting the basics wrong and it's ****ing frustrating to watch.
Bruce's show of loyalty to those players who were instrumental in the improved second half display at Everton would be admirable other than for the fact that we really needed 3 points at home to WBA and that was a team set up to try and get a result away from home. The decision to play Rosie at Left Back when we had two players on the bench who are better equipped for the role when you need someone to get forward and put crosses in seems crazy. Rosie is a very good right back and a capable left back when needed but that wasn't the case today. Again Meyler was ok but surely if we're going to play 4-4-2 at home, we need wide men who can attack at pace and get crosses in, not someone who keeps coming inside into an already packed midfield. The most annoying thing was that there was a perfect opportunity to change both of those issues with one substitution by taking off Meyler, bringing on either Brady or Robertson, moving Rosie to right back and Elmo into right midfield.
