On way home - my take 17:18 - Jan 6 with 4959 views | Dando | Really frustrating Cousins at wing back again?! What exactly does a central player offer in that position ? Waste of time expecting him to perform any differently there Bidwell - solid but again he is not a wing back. Slows down our attacks. Really wish we would scrap this system. First half we were slow, backwards sideways passing then hoof to Smith. It's awful to watch. Upped our game second half when pav came on to give us some width (surprise surprise) but conceded a goal due to a scowen error which put their bloke through and took one of their only chances well. We put on pressure but it felt like as soon as the ball got in the box we would never score. Smyth was one of the only players who looked lively but unfortunately typical rangers style we starved him of the ball and he had to feed on scraps. The ref was shocking too, I lost count of the times Matt Smith was fouled. MK Dons were poor and it's worrying we couldn't at least equalise. Time to get some pace and width into the side imo [Post edited 6 Jan 2018 17:24]
| ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 17:21 - Jan 6 with 4915 views | WestbourneR | Dando - started a whole thread about how wrong the three at the back system is bearing in mind our lack of specialist wing backs. Keep being told I'm wrong but I'm really not. Any system that puts the onus on Bidwell to deliver the final ball is not a good system. | ![](/images/avatars/1429.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 17:27 - Jan 6 with 4856 views | Dando |
On way home - my take on 17:21 - Jan 6 by WestbourneR | Dando - started a whole thread about how wrong the three at the back system is bearing in mind our lack of specialist wing backs. Keep being told I'm wrong but I'm really not. Any system that puts the onus on Bidwell to deliver the final ball is not a good system. |
Completely agree. I get the whole luongo Freeman scowen thing but the whole side suffers as a result and it's not working. Needs to be tinkered a bit. Our wing backs slow the team down dreadfully, it's painful | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 00:42 - Jan 7 with 4259 views | qpr1976 | Wasn’t their only chance, Smithies made at least 2 (easyish) saves and they hit the post ! But we still shouldn’t have lost. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 01:28 - Jan 7 with 4189 views | Hooped_Pullie | The biggest takeaway by far today was a stark illustration that contrary to some thoughts, relegation to League 1 would not have some kind of 'silver lining', allowing us to be more consistently winning games and therefore build momentum again. In 2001/02, we had a third-tier squad thrown together on the eve of the season with free transfers and other club's scraps. We comfortably finished 8th, and over the next two seasons moderate improvements saw us reach the play-off final and then go up automatically as league runners-up. But now... The third tier is a COMPLETELY different place, as evidenced today by MKD, who are not even having a good season themselves (in fact, a pretty rubbish one) but still turned us over - quite comfortably. Sure, there was timewasting and gamesmanship, but they never looked in much danger from our first team. Drop out of the Championship, and this is what we see most weeks - not the good old days of planting four or five past Port Vale and the like. Should be a good reason (though not needed) to ensure we have enough in our locker to get those seven or eight wins we'll need over the next four months. [Post edited 7 Jan 2018 1:30]
| ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 13:12 - Jan 7 with 3694 views | DWQPR | Can’t understand what IH is doing with persisting with a system that clearly isn’t working. He’s had 14 months to perfect this and it still looks slow and cumbersome. Go back to 4-4-2 with Freeman and Pav on the wings. I’d have Furlong at right back and Robinson at left back. Smyth I really do like and either Smith or Sylla could be a good link for him. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 13:32 - Jan 7 with 3666 views | Match82 |
On way home - my take on 13:12 - Jan 7 by DWQPR | Can’t understand what IH is doing with persisting with a system that clearly isn’t working. He’s had 14 months to perfect this and it still looks slow and cumbersome. Go back to 4-4-2 with Freeman and Pav on the wings. I’d have Furlong at right back and Robinson at left back. Smyth I really do like and either Smith or Sylla could be a good link for him. |
Didn't work yesterday or hasn't been working? Our last six games we've won two drawn two and lost two. Not exactly playoff form but pretty much what we expected surely? | ![](/images/avatars/1392.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 16:12 - Jan 7 with 3524 views | ridethewave |
On way home - my take on 13:12 - Jan 7 by DWQPR | Can’t understand what IH is doing with persisting with a system that clearly isn’t working. He’s had 14 months to perfect this and it still looks slow and cumbersome. Go back to 4-4-2 with Freeman and Pav on the wings. I’d have Furlong at right back and Robinson at left back. Smyth I really do like and either Smith or Sylla could be a good link for him. |
It's comments like this that demonstrate us fans know even less than we like to think. Freeman isn't a winger - just because he's got a (little) pace and a left foot doesn't mean he has to be played on the left wing. There are other systems that can retain the middle three whilst dropping the wing backs, and I'd like to see Holloway try that, without playing yet more players out of position, as you suggest. [Post edited 7 Jan 2018 16:44]
| ![](/images/avatars/23215.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 17:16 - Jan 7 with 3415 views | Rangersw12 | 433 for me Furlong rb Bidwell lb Ned CB Robinson CB Luongo cm Scowen CM Freeman CM Pav rw Bright lw Sylla striker Allows us to be solid in the middle but Pav & Bright have to stay wide trying to beat the fullback and crosses for Sylla | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) | Login to get fewer ads
On way home - my take on 00:09 - Jan 8 with 3136 views | Jigsore | We need a different formation for when teams aren't trying to take the game to us. I think the scalps we've claimed at LR this season show us 3-5-2 is fine for the larger teams but we look aimless during most of the 6 pointers (Birmingham aside, they're just fcking sht) | ![](/images/avatars/7549.gif) |
| “The thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football.†|
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 09:48 - Jan 8 with 2921 views | WestbourneR |
On way home - my take on 17:16 - Jan 7 by Rangersw12 | 433 for me Furlong rb Bidwell lb Ned CB Robinson CB Luongo cm Scowen CM Freeman CM Pav rw Bright lw Sylla striker Allows us to be solid in the middle but Pav & Bright have to stay wide trying to beat the fullback and crosses for Sylla |
Yeah been saying the same. I'd tweak it a little and pull Scowen back into a defensive midfield and push Freeman forward a bit to support the striker. | ![](/images/avatars/1429.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 10:22 - Jan 8 with 2877 views | oldmisery |
On way home - my take on 17:16 - Jan 7 by Rangersw12 | 433 for me Furlong rb Bidwell lb Ned CB Robinson CB Luongo cm Scowen CM Freeman CM Pav rw Bright lw Sylla striker Allows us to be solid in the middle but Pav & Bright have to stay wide trying to beat the fullback and crosses for Sylla |
I'd be very surprised if Darnell Furlong is selected much/again this season. Ollie seems stuck on his three at the back system irrespective of whether it works against all opposition and I would be more than a little surprised if DF doesn't go out on loan again this month. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 11:04 - Jan 8 with 2843 views | BromleyHoop |
On way home - my take on 09:48 - Jan 8 by WestbourneR | Yeah been saying the same. I'd tweak it a little and pull Scowen back into a defensive midfield and push Freeman forward a bit to support the striker. |
That would be a 4-1-4-1 Bidwell Robinson Onouha Furlong Scowen BOS Luongo Freeman Pav/Wheeler Sylla | ![](/images/avatars/1301.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
On way home - my take on 11:09 - Jan 8 with 2830 views | TacticalR | Is BOS Bank of Scotland, or is that something completely different? | ![](/images/avatars/7026.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
| |