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Reply | Stumbling across Plan B
at 15:10 13 Jan 2021
Very true. Brings back memories of the few times we played Devon White up front with Les - happy (if sometimes comical) memories [Post edited 13 Jan 2021 21:52]
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Reply | Hold your horses.
at 14:58 13 Jan 2021
I agree entirely that we should not over-react to the win. Luton were poor, and there are still a lot of issues to resolve - I think most of us accept that and that our playing staff is not super blessed, reflecting our wage budget and financial situation. On top of this, the situation with Covid makes it really difficult to envisage what will happen going forwards — teams could have horrendous backlogs of fixtures, players missing — which could blow any well laid plans out of the water.
That said, Austin coming back has brought some positivity in what has felt a spiral of negativity in the last few weeks, and most importantly hopefully helps the team believe that they can score goals (confidence of which has been clearly missing). And, as ever in the Championship, if you can get organised, get players comfortable playing a system and knowing their jobs etc . then you can do well even with limited players and budget. Further, I really don’t think this is a very good Championship — you could envisage any side beating another on their day. Part of the key is trying to find a way to get the best out of the players that you have — it felt that the last few games have gone some way to doing this.
But, as of today, I would just take staying up, and I would throw in that I would hope not to go down to the wire to do it (not least if there is the remote chance that the season gets curtailed and we are going to have a point per game system). |
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Reply | Stumbling across Plan B
at 12:30 13 Jan 2021
Haha - I wish I was! I'll leave that to Twitter, WATRB and Tomcat. I only know that I am most certainly not ITK... |
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Reply | Stumbling across Plan B
at 12:02 13 Jan 2021
Thanks for the comments about the OP - and appreciate the cheese is possibly controversial!
Brian - I think you are right, 'stumbling' probably is a harsh description and the issue about not having training time to change tactics is totally valid. I do think one thing that has caught us out this season is Cameron not being able to play centre mid as well this year, and we tried quite a few solutions to amend it - for example having Amos playing the high press and providing energy further up the pitch (which unfortunately only got a game or two to be tested before Amos' very unfortunate injury) or by pairing Cameron and Ball together in midfield (which as we know doesn't work well!). However this new system does help put him in a position he can really contribute well to the team, as well as remaining his role as a leader on the park which is clearly valued. And agree there seems to have been a significant improvement in defending set-pieces over the last few weeks — I was almost certainly wrong in saying we don’t practice them (taking too seriously the comments of players who have previously worked with Warburton but who likely have some vested interest in being critical) — but certainly the way we were defending them up to a few weeks ago was just really painful to watch.
And to Steve C's comment on BOS - I think that is fair, he could end up being a really good wing-back (playing like Ashley *spits on the ground* Young or Victor Moses have done in that position). But sadly I think that needs a lot of coaching and I suspect we won't get to have the time for that to be fully developed here, as I would guess he will move on come the end of the season. But he can certainly do a decent job there for the rest of the season. |
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Thread | Stumbling across Plan B
at 08:03 13 Jan 2021
Hi everyone — first time poster (favourite cheese Camembert), but a (very!) long-time reader of this great site.
I know its only one win (although I think we had much improved performances against Norwich and Fulham), but it feels like we have come across, possibly stumbled across, a really effective formation for us and our players:
LTC — lovely footballer, but potentially fragile if swarmed by a more populated midfield oppositon, and really needs options ahead of him. This is significantly less exposed in a 3-5-2 with less populated centre field having Ball and Chair near as well as the protection of the three at the back behind.
Ball — lots of effort, seems a leader, never hides, but is clearly a bit limited. But there is a pivotal role for him in a 3-5-2 as a person to plug gaps, be a leader and help keep the team solid whilst forward players focus on trying to get us goals
Chair — gets the opportunity to develop in a central, more prominent role, rather than being stuck on the left and potentially out of the game. The more time we can give him in this role, the more he will develop and hopefully become the really consistent creative number 10 we would love and hope for him to become.
Cameron — his very apparent lack of mobility is not as exposed in a back three as it is in midfield.
Barbet — his sometimes psychotic defending is less exposed in a back three, and actually his distribution and predominantly left sided-ness provide better balance in 3-5-2
For both Dickie and Barbet — having three at the back helps them be able to bring the ball out from the back with less risk.
Charlie — well, previously our best goalscorer in a generation. But, despite being a 'big-lad', he really is a brilliant goalpoacher (much more akin to a Kevin Phillips type). I think many clubs have mis-used him, thinking of him as a target man (which he can do, but is not great at), when he is a great second striker to a workhorse (like Zamora when we were in the Premier league), which brings me onto…
Dykes — clearly he is very raw, but I think — if we use him right — he could be a right pain in backside for defenders to play against, especially if he really puts himself about. I don’t think he looks like he will be an effective golascorer, but used correctly could be a really effective player. He needs support and other players around him who will get goals.
In addition defensively — even if we don’t practice defending set-pieces (scratching my head on that one) — we are better set up defending them with 6 big players (three centre backs, Ball, and the two strikers), as well as Dieng who is certainly impressing.
The only clear immediate problem with this formation in my mind is the wing-backs — I actually think it also suits Kane compared to being a full-back, but he has still some improving to do - especially it clearly doesn't suit Bright (who is on his day possibly our best player) and I am not convinced Niko will be good enough. And we have Uncle and Willock who would need to find a role.
In some ways it reminds me (with a less good team than then) of the glorious 3 games under Jim Magilton in 2009, when we (because of injuries) stumbled across a way of playing with Taarabt, Buszaky, Simpson, Routledge in the same team and thumped Preston, Reading and Derby. I also recall Magilton scrapped the formation to return to a 4-4-2 at Doncaster, with disastrous consequences. I hope Warburton does not do something similar — plan B now seems better than plan A.
Still a lot of room for improvement - would like to see more goals from round the team, we are still a bit limited in quality and it feels we like we lack some depth in key positions - but I am hopeful today, which I certainly was not a couple of weeks ago (or even 24 hours ago!)
[Post edited 13 Jan 2021 8:06]
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