If you were our manager, who would you have played today?

Just read post after post that Mellon is ***** and hasn't a clue, but what would you have done differently?

All everyone has complained about this season is that we've played too many cloggers/toilers in midfield and not enough players with skill. Today we started with Mellis, McCourt and Cywka. Isn't that what everyone wanted? When McCourt was injured we didn't bring on Dawson, Fox or Etuhu, we brought on O'Brien.

What exactly did you want Mellon to do, magic up 11 brilliant players out of thin air? He played the most attacking line up we've got, just like everyone wanted.

The formation was wrong as well apparently. So was 4-4-2 like when Flicker played that. That's for dinosaurs. Which formation is acceptable? Not 4-4-2, not 4-2-3-1 like we started with today, not 4 at the back with a diamond in midfield that we went with after McCourt was injured, so what then?

'Kennedy is *****.' Well, he's not the greatest, but what options have we got? There isn't another left back at the club. There's Bobby Hassell, but then the biggest complaint most people have with managers is that they play people out of position.

We weren't much good today, no arguments from me there, but I don't understand what you expect the manager to do about that. The players he's got just aren't that great. Personally, I'd play M'Voto rather than Ramage, who for me hasn't done a thing since he got here, but a lot of people think M'Voto is crap. Other than that, which players that were available are an improvement on the team that started? I can't see any.

 

Personally I found it frustrating that we started with Pedersen (striker) on the wing, McCourt (winger) in attacking central midfield, Cywka (attacking central midfielder) on the left wing. Kennedy (best position - bench) also out of position. I'd say Hassell would be better suited to that position than Kennedy.

From a defensive point of view, bearing in mind how awful the majority have been, I'm staggered that I still haven't seen Nyatanga.

More concerning for me though was that we felt just as flat as we did under Flitcroft. Mellon couldn't get the reaction out of the players that he needed for his first home game In a must-win type scenario. As much as I attribute significant blame for that to the players also, my opinion hasn't changed - we need a complete clean break from the old regime and someone to look at these players objectively as there's quite a few living on past (and I use this term very loosely) 'glories'.

 

butland

wiseman - hassell - cranie - kennedy (unfortunately)
o'brien - dawson - mellis - cywka
pedersen - tudgay

subs:
dibble
nyatanga
m'voto
perkins
mccourt
scotland
rose

 

If we're going strictly on personnel, I'd have played 4-2-3-1

Butland,

Wiseman, Cranie, Nyatanga, Hassell

Mellis, Dawson/Etuhu

McCourt, Cywka, RNL (sure there was a recall after 28 days clause)

Pedersen

 

I wouldn't say that Cywka is any more an attacking central midfield player than McCourt or that McCourt is more suited to the wing than Cwyka. They're both attacking midfield players who can play either role.

Pedersen is a striker, but this forum has made it clear that 4-4-2 isn't the way to go, or isn't a system they approve of at any rate. Mellon wanted a more attacking player than Etuhu so went with Pedersen. Not a lot of options really, it was Pedersen or O'Brien. It's a toss of the coin who is the better option. Both or neither depending on the day.

 

Nyatanga is comfortable at left back

Folk seem to forget that. He'd surely do a better job than Kennedy, plus it'd stop TK being able to monopolise and wasting all our free kicks.

 

Do you think either of those selections would play much better than what we put out today? A significant improvement? Or is it just another option that could quite easily have performed worse?

From where I'm sitting neither look any better.

 

Pedersen looked lost from the word go. He's probably never played that position in his life. He is the first choice centre forward for his national team, yet he's playing for a currently garbage Championship side and they're lumping him out wide. Even when he played upfront under Flitcroft, he was expected to spend more time stuck out on the wing tracking back for people than playing upfront.

As for the last question, I think Hassell would make the left back position a lot more secure. For one thing, our left back wouldn't be running across to the right wing to take terrible set-pieces leaving us to be caught out every time on the break. Whether thats down to him or Mellon, its ridiculous.

My honest opinion is that until someone fresh comes into his group and shakes it up, you're probably right - it wouldn't have changed things much. But until we actually do put a fresh perspective into that manager's seat rather than the old bosses best mate, we're probably not going to see too much change on a long term basis.

 

personally don't get this strict 442's **** etc, surely it's all about horses for courses and being adaptable, different formations will work better in some scenarios and against different teams!

 

I didn't go yesterday but I said something similar on Twitter.

For weeks we've said that the players are ****. Mellon changes things, puts players who can do something in the right positions and still loses because some of our players arent very good. What did folk want from 3 games? Considering thr opposition 4 points is reasonable.

I still want Danny back like but folk are just mental if they expected those lauded as ***** under Flitcroft to suddenly become world beaters 2 weeks later.

 

What happened v Brighton ?

 

I still want Danny Wilson. If I were in charge, I'd have phoned him the morning after Flicker was sacked. But that doesn't mean I think it should be open season on Micky Mellon.

Earlier in the season, when Fox, Perkins and Dawson were all in the team and Mellis was stuck out on the wing, I could understand the criticism, but yesterday we did pretty much what everyone wanted and the manager is still pilloried. The only contentious decision was playing Pedersen wide, but that lasted half an hour before he was moved up front. And what did he do in his favourite position? Bugger all.

Mellon can't bring any more players in, the transfer window and the loan window are both shut. This is what we've got. What do people think a new manager will do with this set of players? You can't suddenly turn them in to world beaters. Anyway, a win, a draw and a loss from three games is hardly a disaster. Produce that form over a season and you end up in the top half.

There was one piece of managerial brilliance yesterday. Some will call it an act of desperation, but it wasn't. We were getting loads of balls in to the box, but winning nothing. Yeovil were clearing it every time, often unchallenged. So, Mellon stuck M'Voto up front. Exactly what he planned to happen, happened. Ball in from our left, M'Voto out jumps the defence, plants a firm, well directed header in to the bottom corner. Goal every time. Unfortunately, the Yeovil 'keeper is having one those games that come around once a season and he produces another world class save...

 

Most of them were more than capable last year when we went on that run. Ok, some changes in personnel, but i get the impressions the team are vastly underperforming more tha anything. Player form, wrong formations, bad tactics - whatever. They could and should be doing better, no?

 

Butland
Mvoto
Wiseman
Crainie
Rnl
Job
Hassell
Sniffer
Melis
Peds
Tudgay

 

I think we were contractually obliged to play Yeovil.

 

I was quite happy with the team he picked yesterday. In fact, it's probably the exact same starting 11 I would have picked. I wasn't sure about playing Pedersen on the wing but then I don't think there's anything wrong with 4-4-2.

I think the front two under performed today and had O'Grady played we'd have won that match.

Some of the criticism is just completely over the top and frankly idiotic.

 

I didn't have an issue with the starting line up and formation and I thought we started brightly. McCourt exploited the central space to nearly score and for all the criticism of Pedersen out wide it was clearly a plan that nearly paid off twice - Pedersen running infield from wide and McCourt's passes just failing to find him. There goal was completely out of the blue after a horrible mix up between Butland and the very poor Ramage. We then lost all confidence and started giving the ball away.

My issue with Mellon was after McCourt got injured. We had obviously worked on that formation all week. All that was needed was Etuhu on for McCourt to play alongside Perkins and Mellis pushed forward to play attacking midfield. What we ended up with for the rest of the first half was a 2-1-5-2 formation. Luckily they were unable to exploit it on the attack and we got a soft penalty.

I have some sympathy with Mellon. We had to win (for the club and his own sake), it nearly worked (in we created lots of chances), and the players went to pieces after the first goal. But I just thought today was indicative of the lack of playing strategy we've exhibited all season. If the formation that was selected at the start of the game was deemed the right one then why completely change it because of an injury after 25 minutes?

 

I'd have loved to have seen Big f.cking John up front.

 

I guess he wanted a ball player along side Perkins. Move Mellis forward and you've lost the only one we've got. As many people have pointed out on here, Fox and Dawson play it backwards not forwards. I assume Mellon didn't think the system would work with either of those in the team and he didn't want to bring on a defensive player for an attacking one. If he had done he would have been slaughtered for it. Etuhu was originally named as one of the subs, but then replaced, so I assume he was injured in warm up. Maybe, if he had been available, he would have brought Etuhu on like you suggested. Once McCourt was injured and Etuhu unavailable, the system was shot.

Anyway, as you pointed out, after a bright start, the goal caused us to fall apart, so maybe Mellon was adapting to the situation and decided to shake things up after McCourt was injured. Let's be reight, we finished the first half a lot stronger once O'Brien came on than we'd faired for the previous 20 minutes.

 

Re: Nyatanga is comfortable at left back

I would personally stop him trying to impersonate being a footballer