It will at least give us another song to sing and I'm balled off with 532 Roberts Williams De Givegny Lopata Dodgson Jalo Russell Styles Cadden Cosgrove Cole Any other 442 suggestions Killip McCart McCarthy Shepherd O Keefe Cotter Phillips Kane Benson Mcatee Watters Connell Cundy Marsh
It's not the modern way but I'm not sure we have the squad to play it as well you would be playing too many square pegs in round holes. At our level though it's the way I would go let defenders defend and the flair Players attack the players that can do both at league 1 are few and far between and if they can it's not long as there off to a higher level.
It'd be simpler just to play Styles and Cotter as wide midefielders. Cadden and O'Keefe on the overlap, or Dodgson and Williams if you wanted to be more defensively minded. McCart and Lopata as the centrebacks. It'd be an interesting option, but all our scouting and recruitment (including the manager) has been based around 5-3-2.
The 532 doesnt seem to work at home against the better teams in this league and to be honest its a bit predictable and im bored of it. Obviously i dont know the answer. Val played a 433 and before that when we had 442 with Hammill and Potsy on the wing, it wasnt that long ago and looking at our list of players plenty of choice if Collins was brave enough to start a game pushing forward quickly with a bit of high pressing.
4-4-2 isn’t the answer with our squad. We don’t have two centre halves I’d trust in a two, and a suggestion that Jon Russell could perform in a midfield two I find as ridiculous as I do terrifying. It isn’t the shape and formation that’s the issue. Playing 4-4-2 won’t change Collins’ passive approach and general negativity.
what about this troff cotter and cadden on wing williams and dodgson at full back phillips and kane in middle cosgrove cole up top i think it could work bring back stendel
The thing is we have a lot of options but not when the manager refuses to even try anything except 5-3-2 tippy tappy at the back football which apart from port vale he's done practically every week at home.
I don't think the formation is the problem at all, but the key in a 5-3-2/3-5-2 is the ability to break lines. Last season we were really effective in this formation because we had so many ways to do that. Our centre backs could step into midfield, our central midfielders knew that when Connell had the ball they could gamble, and our wing backs could push high and wide knowing they were unlikely to be caught too high. They're feeling their way this year, but I hope they can learn from Saturday. The reason we were so side-to-side at the back was a lack of options ahead of the ball. I see Kane get so much stick on here, but watch the highlights - the two moves that created chances came when he got decent balls in from the back to allow him to turn. He doesn't play sideways and back as a first option, he does it when the balls into him are too slow. I'd like to see Collins stick a marker out and set the team up to hurt the opposition. For me at the moment, that needs a proper number 10 in behind a front two of Cole plus Cosgrove or Watters (preferably Cosgrove). Someone staying much higher up the pitch than the other two midfielders. That gives options for breaking lines. So next up for me: Roberts Williams, De Givegney, Shepherd O'Keefe, Kane, Russell, Styles Phillips or McAtee Cole, Cosgrove Close call on the left, I love Cadden but he's not at the top of his game right now. I'd move Styles out to the left to allow Russell to come back in and provide some protection to Phillips or McAtee playing in support of the front two. Picking Shepherd ahead of McCart because he seems to look for a forward pass more often.
3-5-2 / 5-3-2 worked pretty well for us last season. It's not the formation but the coaches instructions which is the problem. The styles of Duff / Collins are night and day.
Phillips and Kane as a two? Not sure there’s enough there when out of possession. You also don’t mention which two centre backs you’d play as a two. Like I say, the performances have been crap but I’m not convinced changing to 4-4-2 improves anything. It isn’t the formation that’s the problem.
We have Cosgrove and Cole up top. We need to get the ball into them from wide areas. Cadden Cotter Styles O Keefe Williams Dodgson can all cross a decent ball in. I also think Jalo would make a great winger trickery and pace. 442 with Jalo on the wing.
