Just how much do you need it in the Championship as opposed to the Prem, and have we got enough in the squad? We've lacked true pace in the side running at defences for years since Burke "wanted to move closer to home", but we managed to get to the Prem despite it. Our promotion season was built through a slow but effective defence and midfield. With the likes of Connolly, Hudson, Turner and Taylor at the back, and moving forward with Whitts, Gunnar, Cowie and even Kimbo midfield, we were never going to "outpace" the opposition. Playing the likes of Conway and Smith out wide never made it any better, but Malky got the job done his way. Up front, not one player got into double figures for that season but we still made it - any lessons to be learnt from that? Maybe it was a bit dour on times, but should Ole just take every game on with his perceived attacking policy? To do that, he'll need to get the ball forward far more quickly, otherwise our front men will be sat on by defenders with plenty of time to organise themselves. Do we need more "pacey" players, or just a pacier attitude toward turning defence into attack with the ones we've already got? Got a feeling that Fabio could be a surprise success package on that front this season. Defensively he was found a bit lacking on times, but he put that right toward the end of the season and can certainly get forward very quickly. Still, it's a real worry that Ole could have a sharp learning curve in the facts of life at Championship level, though I'd love to watch a season of games going out to win them rather than just not lose the buggers. I suppose the bottom line is where we are come next May, not necessarily how we get there.
We have the players, that's for sure. Not a major change all be it a couple of new faces from our promotion winning team. Time will tell OS
Jay - apart from a few, I doubt our usual starting 11 will contain many of our regular promotion winning side. At the moment, I'd plump for Ole to go for basically a 4-4-2 with something like...... ................................Marshall........................... Fabio/Brayford.........AN Other CB.........Turner.............John Any 4 from Noone -Dikgacoi - Daehli - Burgstaller - Eikrem - Gunnar - Whitts (I think Mutch will have gone, Medel certainly will have) Up front, any 2 from Le Fondre, Guerra, Macheda and maybe Maynard (assuming Campbell does find a Prem club)
Your squad on paper looks good enough to come back up even with the odd loss that is bound to happen. But, I have no doubt tht the Wigans and the Readings and no doubt a lot of others thought their squads were good enough to get them straight back up. it is a hard league to get straight promotion, so if you are going to go straight back up. the players will have to grit and fight a bit as every side in that league will want you as a scalp.
Trundles - you are of course right about scrapping it out in the Championship as a route to success rather than just trying to wing it - that's exactly what I was suggesting. An out and out attacking policy, whilst being attrative to watch, can be undone by sides with a more gritty approach to the game. That's not saying Ole shouldn't be prepared to go for it more often than not, it just seems a bit radical to think you can blag your way through a season in the Championship by always being offensively minded. As you say, other sides will be looking to take "Ole and his boys" down a peg or two, and there's a definite need to balance our approach for each game. What works against one side may be just what another opposition side is set up to counter. Gung ho is always nice when it comes off - but "null point" is no compensation for playing attractively and losing.
Watching a number of games last year and thinking back to previous seasons, speed of thought is as much to do with speed over the ground. A number of times the opposition picked up the second ball because they read things better and moved on anticipation rather than reaction. The same thing can be said of tried trusted goal scorers. They get into goal scoring positions in anticipation of a cross or a through ball not trying to get to pass that has already been made. I'm in favour of attacking football but its getting the ball forward quickly as much as players running quickly that does it for me. The ball will always travel faster than the man. On too many occasions we've had no one in the box when a ball is played in. OGS needs to do some work on the top 3 inches.
I think there are much better sides than cardiff in the championship this season and are better prepared. I can only give my honest opinion here and i don't think with ole cardiff will make the playoffs even....
We'll attack. Tan wants attacking football, Ole was brought here and the players have been bought to play that style. I agree about Fabio, I think he could cause all sorts of trouble for defences in the Championship. John and Brayford are both very forward thinking too. Noone and Daehli are class acts at this level and Witts was regarded as one of the stars of the division a couple of seasons a go. La fondre and Guerra are both proven goal scorers. I think there's an argument that Dikacoi is a better DM than Medel especially for English football. Medel has been class at CB for Chile and was brilliant at times but he rarely got past 70 minutes and was very average in some other matches as a midfielder.
................................Marshall........................... Brayford.........Hudson.........Cala.............Fabio Noone ...........Daehli........Burgstaller .......Kim Le Fondre ......Maynard
Marshall Brayford - Huds - Turner - John Fabio - Mutch - Dikgacoi - Dhaeli LaFondre - Guerra (we had an easier team to spell last season) Lewis, Kev, Noone, Burgstaller, Kim, Macheda, Maynard Still leaves a lot of spares for cup games and changes when the games come thick and fast. Wonder who the 2 or 3 players were who came back with less than expected fitness levels?
If we play 4-4-2 then we will be looking at mid table at best. We need pace and we need to be far better organised defensively. Three central midfielders is a must. I cant believe we will line up 442. We wont. After a slow start we will pick up and walk this league.!!!!!!!!! If we line up 442 v Blackburn then I give Ole until October.
"Got a feeling that Fabio could be a surprise success package on that front this season". Targetted by Carmarthen as a weakness according to the Wales Online blog.
The squad we have is currently better than what we had when we up last time. Marshall will be the one player that we will have to get a very good replacement for. I still think the key to getting out of the Championship is commitment and determination week in and week out. Tactics and such are not as important in the Champ as the Prem. Malky had that drive (but little else), so the crunch will be if Ole has that drive and can get the players to give it their all for 46 matches. I thought Dai had his own wum thread?
Don't see anything wrong in playing a conventional 4-4-2 at Championship level as long as it's flexible with the right mix of players out there. One thing's for sure, there is no way Ole is going to start many games with just one up. He'll always look to play two at the sharp end and let the midfield sort out the supply. One wide man like Noone switching sides if necessary, with some decent overlapping from either Fabio, Brayford or John on the other side will do the job. That still leaves three in the middle of the park. One defensive minded like Dikgacoi sitting in front of the back 4, and a couple of creative guys to pick up, carry and set the play. The other option would be to play someone like Mason, Berget or even Burgstaller sitting just behind a lone front runner, but by bringing in Guerra, Le Fondre and Macheda to add to Maynard in the pack, Ole has got us far too heavily stacked with proven goal scorers to play just one at a time and let the others just bench sit (or worse). The secret may be just how good Ole is at changing systems during a game rather that the one he sets out with.
We will definitely be looking to play 2 up front more often than not, our signings so far and the desire to keep FC mean there can't be any question of that.
Don't see it, unless it's more a 4-5-1 with one playing a deeper role off a lone striker. None of the forwards we've got in to me scream an ideal partnership. Campbell works hard, isn't a natural scorer. Guerra seems to get stuck in, gets goals. Maynard has had several knee injuries, career in my opinion has already peaked. Mason lacks pace, has the intelligence to play off a striker - which is more of a position for Daehli, if Burgstaller and Noone are first choice wingers. Kenwyn is just Leo without the comedy value Le Fondre offers little to nothing for the team, is a goal poacher. Macheda? The wild card for me. Has the ability, potential, size. Will he achieve it? Berget? Suspect will be at best a squad player, able to play the odd game in multiple positions. Looking through the permutations, struggling to find a permutation there that would work, especially given it would weaken our central midfield as a whole. Playing four centrally, assuming Dikagcoi holds in front of the defence, would then mean three narrow ahead or we'd get overrun. I'd suspect Guerra would start as a lone striker with Le Fondre and Macheda on the bench.
Rumours are that Guerra was one of the two or three that were said to be "unfit" on return and Ole was not best pleased. Disagree about your assessment of Le Fondre. As a potent goal threat in the box, he offers a lot to the team.
Always rumours. Mostly from message boards that are "ITK" - though this place would be different. Le Fondre needs service. No service, you're playing with ten men. Useful as a sub when you need a goal, you'd be throwing people forward anyway, if there's a chance you'd back him to take it. For all his goal scoring, Reading sold him fairly cheaply, no Prem interest. Getting back to my point, none permutation imo of those forwards I listed give my confidence in being a natural partnership - either too similar or the styles won't mesh imo.
