Briefly skimmed through peoples views from the other article. First off, which of you actually watched the game? Who listened to it on the radio? I would like to know this! Today was quite simply one of them horrible days when we couldn't put the ball in the net/ gave away two very very soft goals. We were very decent first 20. Murphy wasting an absolute sitter after 25 seconds, blazing over well placed from a corner. By quite some margin the better team - out the blue, Derbyshire goal. Couldn't believe it! Rest of the first half was a non-affair. Rotherham were more in the game, definitely 50-50. Until Sammon scored completely out the blue, we absolutely MURDERED Rotherham when we brought Sears/Bishop on. Linking up all over the place, surprise surprise play passing attack minded players we flow, triangles come. At this point I would have been angry should the game have ended 1-1 let alone us losing. We wasted three pretty guilt edge chances during this spell, Rotherham offering absolutely nothing. Sucker punch 2-0 game over goodnight. Rotherham then started to play some decent stuff, confidence evaporated and they finally started to link up. I cannot pretend I'm happy to lose 2-0 to a very poor side. Really should have won today. Was unhappy how we lined up 4-4-2, fair play for bringing Sears/ Bishop on second half and giving it a go. Start with this team, play for 90 minutes how we started the second half and we'll put Sheffield Wednesday to the sword no problem Tuesday. PLEASE play the below- Bialokowski Parr/ berra/ Chambers/ Mings Skuse Bru Sears Bishop McGoldrick Murphy We would still be playing now and have not scored. One of them days I'm afraid.
Thing is Westy, why can't MM see what we all can, we need to play a more open attacking game, our regimental 442 is to easy to defend against, we have been worked out, listened to it on the radio...when we swapped things about just after h/t you could hear the difference, we had as you say Rotherham on the back foot...MM has to start with a similar team and formation on Tuesday night, he has to stop the slide!
I do Warky, we have played poorly since the end of last year, so far MM has made a hash of our potentially decent run of games for Feb, March looks a very difficult month, the form we are showing ATM is not going to keep us in the top six!
We showed our best form this season when we went 433, generally with no specific DM,so were far more dynamic in midfield.But the big thing for me in a 442 is Mick plays defensive wingers (Tabb was great as DM a couple of months ago, far better than Skuse IMO) and we are far too rigid with just Murphy and McGoldrick upfront, McGoldrick plays too deep and Murphy is just a target to aim at. They both looked at their best when they played in a 3 upfront and had willing runners to go beyond them, it creates far more space, in a 442 we are far too rigid
I certainly did Rotheram away Welly. I write my thoughts after ever game I go to We took great numbers which was fantastic to see. Ah the radio............ I give a fook Warkie, I paid money and did a 350 mile around trip to watch and we weren't terrible by any means. Some great spells with some very good football. Some dross also of course. Hoppers - agree, I'd like to see Mick go 4-3-3 with the team above I've mentioned. However in our one loss in 20 I don't think many would have picked Tabb/Skuse/ Anderson and I didn't hear too many complaints when we were winning. Tuesdays important, 1 win in 7 is curtailing our season. Lets take the game to Sheff Weds, react, and get three points back on the board.
For me we looked best this season when we played 433 with Tabb as the DM. Not a big fan of Skuse or Anderson as they don't do enough when we're in possession
Agree with the side we have lets go 4-3-3 please, with two attacking fullbacks in Mings/ Parr. Defence picks itself. Skuse is very underrated - off the ball he's superb but he could do with doing more on it.
I know you're a big fan of him. He's possibly the most frustrating player I've ever seen at PR, yes he has talent and does a good job off the ball (when he's not rash) but the lack of intent when we're on the ball is soooooooooooooooooooo annoying. Think he's make a good sweeper in a 3 at the back. He definitely is Micks love child, he epitomises everything about him
Skuse does a lot of stuff people miss off the ball but agree on the ball he could do with being a bit more clever and add a few goals to his game definitely. Needs competition for his position too.
I don't really care too much about him adding goals although that would be a bonus, just some urgency in his play. He has the ability to control the pace of the game but he doesn't, it's just sideways and backwards. I've supported so many players who are criticised for passing sideways and backwards like Leadbitter and Magilton, as there is merit in it to keep the ball but I just cannot defend Skuse sometimes. Tabb played the position very well a couple of months back, he doesn't have the ability of Skuse but he showed some urgency in his play and offered support when we were attacking rather than just giving the ball and letting the team get on with it. Hyam can also play there, unfortunately I think Mick has tried to make him into something he's not, if you want to play to Hyams strength get him to sit, break play up and keep it simple. If Skuse stepped up to the plate a bit more he could really be the player we need to slow the game down for us and play a bit of keep ball to take the pressure off us sometimes but he shys away when we're on the ball. Mick has been very good at getting us to defend as a team but up until a few games this season we don't attack as a team and we need to.
Unfortunately I wasn't at the game yesterday, and I didn't listen to the match on the radio, so I can only go by match reports and the highlights package. Judging by other comments though, it should be becoming rather apparent to Mick, and hopefully the board, that we need to bring in somebody to play wide, especially if we're going to use a formation with wingers. Our 2015 has been pretty poor, certainly in comparison to the first half of the season, and we are in real danger of slipping out of the play off places. We have a buffer of four points from seventh, and we're seven points off the top. However, we are still in with a decent shout of making the play offs. Mick has come out and said he knows something needs to change on the pitch, hopefully he's alluding to starting Bishop and Sears, something I think we all agree on needs to happen. They are footballers that provide a natural inclination to get forward and they have that spark of creativity that we lack. The match against Sheffield Wednesday will be difficult, but it's winnable. I like the look of Westy's formation and starting eleven, I think a 4-2-3-1 is the way to go, personally. However, I'd replace Skuse with Tabb, McGoldrick behind Murphy and Sears and Bishop occupying the wider positions, yet still remaining fairly central.
Exactly Hoppers. We have the players to play a variety of formations and enough numbers in the squad that people shouldn't be tired if rested at intervals.
We have wingers, yes. But it's an area of the team that, with the right use of the loan market, can be strengthened considerably. Especially bearing in mind a lack of creativity coming down our flanks is a direct factor in our recent poor form. Change needs to happen to arrest this problem. Do you seriously think we possess good enough wide players? There is the argument that, with the current squad, we have done well thus far in obtaining a play off place with a decent buffer of points (unfortunately being whittled away every week recently), but I think the need for a creative wide player is paramount to continuing our progress and ensuring we finish in the top six. It's pretty obvious teams are beginning to figure us out, and our threat from out wide has been diminished accordingly of late. Cameron Stewart has made only a handful of appearances this season and is struggling for fitness, Paul Anderson is inconsistent, Stephen Hunt lacks the pace and fitness to complete a full game (let alone three in a week), and Jay Tabb, who is currently a first-choice wide midfielder, looks more comfortable in the middle. If we persist with this scarcity of options we have out wide, then we're going to continue our slide down the table. Best bring somebody in on a short-term deal, if only for the fact there'll be some competition down the flanks. Switching to a formation that doesn't use wingers will benefit the current form and availability of our current squad, yet will leave us without the possibility of reverting to a formation with wide players, simply because we lack players with the natural ability and positioning to play there.
I am struggling to see this point, we have the wide men out our club that we are able to attract, if you could point out a wide man better than what we have that is going to come here, baring in mind our strict wage policy etc then I will concede!
S Hunts attacking contributions for the time he is on the pitch outweigh what Tabb does in a full ninety when played wide. Do we possess enough good wide players??..............Who knows...the ones we have never get a run of games to find out. We keep hearing from the players how competition for places is good etc but there are more than a few who pretty much know they will be starting anyway so are they really pushing themselves/being pushed by others?
