Good to see Gardner get a goal

I know he's not everyone's favourite, and even though I rate him, I'll quickly admit he's had a very inconsistent season, but these last few games I think he's been excellent.

I'd play him and Potts in the centre of a midfield four on Tuesday. They looked good together for the last 20 minutes yesterday, even with Potts tiring having run himself into the ground. Maybe that's the central midfield combination that allows us to have two strikers.

The switch to 4-4-2 saved the game. We were getting destroyed. Hammill's introduction gave Yiadom and then Fryers the cover they so desperately needed, halting the onslaught. And without playing all that well going forward, he still created the goal for McBurnie.

Moncur played well again first half, but we cannot afford to start players who have nothing left after 55 minutes. Isgrove and Moncur were done well before the hour mark, so two substitutions had to be used. In the last 10 minutes when the likes of McBurnie, Potts and Moore were understandably tiring after giving their all, we couldn't bring on fresh legs because our options had already been used. We have to start with players who can last the 90 minutes or at least look good for 75 of those minutes. Get a couple of injuries, meaning we have to give Isgrove and Moncur the full game, and we'll be playing with 9 men for the majority of the second half.

I lost count of the number of flick-ons and knock-downs Moore won with no one within 20 yards of him. He needs someone near him. McBurnie can do a job out on the left, but he looks OK at best. In the centre he looks a bloody good player. Let's get the best out of him. We're asking Isgove and McBurnie to be on the end of Moore's flicks and give cover to our fullbacks. It cannot be done. You can't be in two places at once and they end up caught between, unable to profit from Moore winning the ball and too far up-field to provide cover for the full backs.

Having said all that, if we play 4-4-2, I have no idea who should play left back and who should be on the opposite wing to Hammill.

 

He’s a much better play when Williams isn’t in the side.

 

So are moncur and Potts. He's a weak link that's held us back all season.

 

Rubbish , no one player has held us back this season , the fact is that the squad lacks quality collectively & to say that one player is a root cause of the problem is bunkem

 

He has been a big cause of the midfield problem as while he is a good player himself others don't seem able to play with him. It isn't rubbish it is my opinion

 

Can I start by saying I don’t think we will change from our current starting formation to 442 even though personnel may be tweaked for Tuesday.
What I do think is that 442 doesn’t necessarily mean playing two wingers. Don’t think it would be Moncur or Potts strength playing wider with an ability to move inside if the situation dictates but Scowen did that role effectively so Hammill on one side and maybe Mallan on the other could see us working that system - don’t think that Izzy is firing on all systems a the moment.
The other option I thought of was possibly Williams having the energy to work in a wider position.
As I first stated I don’t think there will be a change for Tuesday.

 

Watched Gardner shooting pre match and he was drilling em into net, head over the ball and am thinking why dont yer do that int games cos he`s forever leaning back when shooting and most of his shots end up in row z.

Moore he is the best signing we have made in my opinion, yes someone who is still raw with a lot to learn but someone who at last is giving centre backs something to think abart. He looks to have bedded in now.

Potts has to be most improved player this season, but Hecky helped that a lot by playing him straight after signing him when he was no where near ready fitness wise and hadn`t had time to gel with his new team mates.

 

Agree with the OP. Gardiner much better with Potts in the middle. Take Potts off after 70 minutes & put Moncur on.
That sounds like a game plan to me.

 

So many opinions stated as facts.

 

I'm sure players can interchange throughout a game between 433 and 442 and like Atyke1 says you don't have to play out and out wingers to play 442. Basically Hammill can join as a front 3 or drop back a mid 4 as required and one of the midfield 3 cover the left side as necessary the mcburnie pushes up with Moore, its not rocket science and they should be competent enough to adapt during a match, it just needs a leader in the team to organise it

 

You said that he has held us back , that is totally unfair on the lad

 

Morais works with the squad day in day out and has identified the current system as that which he feels gives us the best possible chance of getting a positive result and retaining our Championship status based on the players at his disposal. Has anyone actually considered that if it was “so simple” as people suggest and that 4-4-2 with McBurnie and Moore playing centrally was the best system for us that Morais would play that way? As he doesn’t, up to press, then it’s clear that it simply isn’t the system that he feels best suits us.

 

If he did freeze players out then maybe he didn`t pick the best that was at his disposal.

Anyway nice to see em all pulling int same direction narr.

 

Don’t think we have the players for 4-4-2. I think Morais system suits us. We just have to get Mcburnie to get into the box a little more.

 

Bang on.

 

I like Gardner. I've always thought he looked a good player but struggling for form, and he's improved as the season has progressed.

He makes mistakes, and his shooting has been off the mark apart from yesterday and at Boro, when he created a goal, but his willingness to shoot tells me that it's something he has in his locker and has the confidence to take pot shots.

I'd like to keep him beyond the end of this season. Think he could change some fans opinions.

 

I’m quite a fan of Gardner as I am of Williams. Together they are a disaster area as they highlight each other’s weaknesses and limit the team. I hope we sign him.

 

Good shout.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Gardner signed on a permanent deal this Summer, either.

 

Me neither although I wouldn’t even know where to start in terms of estimating his weekly wage as I assume that Villa are contributing a significant proportion of the same.