Someone should explain this 442 to me

Height has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's the balls played up to Bradshaw that's the problem. If he's constantly receiving high balls then yes there is no point playing him up there. But that doesn't mean the formations wrong. If we play balls in behind for him to chase then he's going to have more luck.

It worked for Doncaster with Billy Sharp as a lone striker. It has worked countless times for Manchester City with Sergio Aguero.

It was an issue yesterday because of the balls played up to Bradshaw, the issue wasn't Bradshaw himself in my opinion.

 

Good job really. If comments were based on employment, you’d be screwed.

 

There are two major points that I think have been overlooked in this thread.

We absolutely had to make a change due to Potts being injured. After his knock he was completely ineffectual and sort of wandered around between midfield and Bradshaw neither offering an outlet when we had the ball nor shutting down play when we didn't. I like potts btw, he does a specific job that I don't think anyone else can do at the moment. Anyway, with Bradshaw getting no change from their defence or help from the inept ref we needed a body closer to him. Thiam did that and looked a threat.

Secondly, we kept getting caught out by the same ball. From the middle of the park, in behind Pearson. Pearson gives his all and has the heart of a lion, but he needs to work on his positional play and anticipation as he's not got the speed to get him out of trouble. McCarthy or Yiadom may not have struggled so much.

Let's have it right. Offensively Boro were by far and away the best team I've seen this season. Very impressed with braithwaite and Downing. Defensively they were as bang average as every other side we've played this season.

In summary. Good point. Nowt to do with 442.

 

I thought Bradshaw won more than his fair share in the air yesterday against two strong centre halves in Davies and Ayala. I'm sure I recall 6-10 flick ons? The problem was when the ball was into feet or his chest but that was because he got no protection from the referee and was fouled again and again. I've always thought that Bradshaw couldn't play a Winnall type role but saw glimpses of it yesterday. Maybe working with him on the training ground is developing that side of his game. Hope so....

 

This has to be the best quote ever on the BBS.

 

Different team

 

Irrelevant. We still played 442 and the waste of snap claimed we never win games playing it

 

Its not Irrelevant at all, as we don't with this team

 

We were playing crap in the 4411 formation, playing very deep in the 2nd half and Boro were always going to get the 2nd goal.

When we changed to 442 with Thiam and Bradshaw upfront we created more chances and should have won.

 

You care where they come from to prefer players from premiership academies. The difference with the guys you named was they weren't expected to play straight away as first team regulars and when they did it wasn't in a side full of people in the same boat as all playing lower league football and trying to get up to speed together.

 

You've had a bit if a 'mare there, Marra!

 

No point debating further with you. Good night vienna

 

Really really sorry for.clouding the.issue's qith facts

 

Had the original poster had quite correctly pointed out the.442 formation does currently suit our squad

 

What facts did you quote? The OP said we never win with 442, it was pointed out that we won a lot of matches with it in 2016, which is a FACT. He never said with this team either. I'm sure we will win games with 442 with this team. We also did not lose playing it yesterday either. No matter what way you look at it, we created more playing 442 yesterday as it allowed us to have Thiam and Bradshaw playing together rather than being isolated.

BTW, the wate o snap doesn't need you to defend him, unless you like Hecky being slagged off all the time for no reason other than he's popular and the waste o snap can't compute anything popular and is programmed to take the opposite view.

 

Meaningless mumbo-jumbo as per

 

Stop talking ********

We have to play to our current strength snot those of two years ago

 

Great come back.

Would you say it is a strength in getting Thiam on the pitch with Bradshaw? On yesterday's showing I woudl say yes. Did it help bring the flow of the game back to us when we actually gave Boro something to think about rather than sitting back and letting them have the ball?

 

Of course it’s irrelevant. The OP stated that we never won games playing 442.