Football is a really simple game.

No really, it is. Danny grasped that when he was here first time round. You simply don't have to over-complicate things. If you're some Euro-coaching wizard, with every badge under the sun, tactics flipcharts, plans A B C D and more, formation flexibility, bringing a real science to it, then fine, but even then you need really clever players....players who understand your plans and can adapt when things need to change. Very few managers have those skills; and even fewer teams have the abilities to reflect their manager's talents on the pitch. Danny knew that back in 1995. He knew that at its heart, football is a really simple game. You play a system YOUR players can understand....not one that all them big mesters at big clubs could cope with. You play a formation YOUR players can understand.....not one that needs explaining to them before each and every game. You ask your players to pass the ball to a team-mate in space, and when they've done it, to find some space of their own to give the recipient of their pass some options himself - whether that's a return pass or just occupying the attentions of an opposition player to give your team-mate a little more time and space. Pass and move. Give and go. Pass the ball, find space, make space, force the opposition to work at getting the ball back. Do that without straying too far from your initial, simple and understandable formation. It works. Danny knew that 20 years ago and used it with great effect.

So what has happened in the intervening couple of decades? Why does he think that this bunch of players (and I think they are players, with no little ability) can decipher and put to use his baffling ideas. There is a probably a team out there, some cosmic set of uber-galacticos that could possibly turn Wilson's witheringly confusing system into positive results on the pitch, but I suspect even then he'd meddle with a winning side just because he can.

For phuck's sake, Danny, sort this out. Strip things right back to basics. Play 4-4-2. There is no other system. The players understand it. Two banks of four, a big lad up front, with a pacy, annoying little **** running off him. The midfield get back and help defend when needed, or support the front two likewise. If we get some momentum, then the fullbacks can have the odd mad dash up the wing to flood the opposition defence....the holding midfielder of the four dropping back to cover their absence. IT IS NOT ******* ROCKET-SCIENCE! Most of us have been watching football for long enough to know that whatever this current plan is, it's NOT WORKING. Nobody, and I really do mean NOBODY, understands what the phuck is going on. The players seem at a loss as to where they should be and any semblance of a 'plan' goes up in smoke once we go a goal behind. You might well understand what you're trying to achieve - in your head - but the team don't. Simple as that.

I watched Bradford's game last night and they do everything right, to the same degree that Wilson's side do it wrong. It was positive, pacy...passes were snappy and direct. Every pass led to more options and it was all working towards getting the ball quickly and efficiently into dangerous areas of the pitch. It is a SIMPLE GAME. Danny knew that 20 years ago, so why the phuck can't he see it now?

 

Oh, and in all my life, I've never asked anything of a Barnsley team other than 'put in a shift', please. If every player can look at himself at the final whistle and think that he gave it a reight go, then win,lose or draw I'll not ask for anything more. But they don't.....and they can't, Danny, because they're baffled from the first whistle about what they're supposed to be doing. Take the shackles off, ffs - let them play football, in all its simple, uncomplicated beauty.

 

I don't know if what all you are saying is right or not, I'm not a football coach. Also, I'm not defending how we played last night or Danny's tactics. We were rubbish and I believe the tactics we employed worked against us. However, more teams lose every week and more teams are relegated playing 4-4-2 than any other formation. I've only seen Bradford play once this season. It was at Oakwell. I think they played 4-4-2, but I know we certainly didn't. We played them to death, completely destroyed them and won 3-1. It should really have been about six.

 

Hurray...........excellent post.
We have the personnel to do this sort it Danny

 

I agree with some of the sentiments of the post though in all fairness Danny never played 4-4-2 when he managed us the first time. He should go back to wing backs - Smith has the makings of an excellent one as does Bree when fit. It worked once when played consistemntly and can again. Long ball ******** like last night to an isolated figure is no way to move forwards

 

I couldn't agree more. passion, commitment and desire all sadly lacking recently. That must change.

 

Really? Big call that. There's also plenty of teams have won stuff with it down the years.

We need to get back to the basics of playing football. Hence 4-4-2 - it's what kids are brought up on. Players understand it. It's uncomplicated, flexible.....new players can drop into it without needing a science degree. It's the basic, building block of football - something a shitehouse team like ours can build with. Get some solid foundations built using it, then once the house is built again, you can start adding your kitchen extensions.

 

But this clearly isn't the Danny from 20 years ago. He might not have done, but he could do worse than start from absolute scratch with it now.

 

It's the most oft used formation. Stands to reason that as many teams lose when playing it as win. When both teams are playing 4-4-2, unless all we ever get are draws, one of them is going to lose.

I'm not against 4-4-2 per se, but I don't think it's the be all and end all that it's made out to be on here. For instance, what do we do with Hourihane in that formation? He's our top scorer, arguably our most creative player and he has uggins of assists. Wilson, rightly in my opinion, wants him on the pitch. I don't think he's yet strong enough and hard enough to play as one of the central two in a 4-4-2. Wilson doesn't seem to think so either. So what do we do? Put our most dangerous player out on the wing taking away all the assets that you put him in the team for in the first place? Or do we drop our top scorer and the guy who creates the majority of our goals just so we can play a certain formation?

Who do we play on the wings in a 4-4-2 if not Hourihane? Lalkovic looks like a shoe in, although he's still a long way from being able to last 90 minutes at full pace. What about the other wing? Jennings? He looks like he can't be arsed 90% of the time. For the few genuine pieces of skill we've seen this season we've seen dozens of examples where he's been a disgrace to his profession to be honest. Berry? When Wilson did that he got dogs abuse for putting a central midfield player out wide and the lad didn't perform how he has when moved further inside.

Maybe we should have signed more wingers, but we had to replace the entire squad this summer and you can't necessarily bring in all the players you want in just two transfer windows.

If 4--4-2 suits the players we've got the best then yes, let's play that every week. But if it doesn't, and I'm not sure that it does, then let's pick the formation that does and not shoe horn our players in to a system because the perceived wisdom is that's the way to go.

I don't know what formation suits this team best, but I do know I've seen us rip teams to shreds this season when we haven't played 4-4-2 and look completely lost when we have. I think that's more to do with the inconsistency of the players than the formation they're in, although I do concede that whatever we played last night didn't do us any favours.

 

There's more passion in this post than I've seen in the team all season

 

Strange I was only thinking back to how simple it was when Danny was here last time as I was walking away from Oakwell last night. We had our system 5-3-2/3-5-2 with the options that the wing backs gave us and we stuck with that week in and week out it seemed. The players knew where they were and the lads bought in from the reserves and the juniors had that familarity too.