Howard, Leon and the formation that took us to the Premiership.

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All this Howard or Leon talk has got me wondering about a formation that accommodates both as attacking midfielders. I'm thinking about wing backs, three defenders, two attacking midfielders a free-range Higgy type supplying the forwards and two strikers. A 5-2-1-2 / 3-4-1-2/ 3-2-3-2 kind of thing. We could rotate the players comprising the midfield triangle and confuse the opposition like we used to. Key to all that is having two players capable of filling the roles of proper wing-backs. They need to be able to run for 90 minutes, tackle and block, cross a ball, and skin a man or two. Are Devaney and JCR up to it?Could we manage it?</p>

 

Much as I rate both Devaney and JCR, I don't think that they could ever terrorise full-backs in the way that Bully and Clint did in the promotion season. Some of our counter-attack play that year was breathtaking. Even I didn't expect them to pop up in half the positions that they ended up in. Defending against them must have been a nightmare.

 

But Bully and Clint didn't play as wingbacks.

JCR and Devaney would have to terrorise defences in the way Nicky Eaden and Neil Thompson did.

 

True - didn't read Windy's post that carefully as am rather hung over. JCR and Devaney are not really very similar to Eaden and Thompson to be honest. Could they play as wing backs? JCR has the pace but I think he would get caught out of position a lot after failing to release the ball early enough, which is where the covering player would come in, but I think it could leave us rather exposed. As for Devaney, can't really see him playing in that role, but then what do I know?

 

If we played JCR and Devaney as wing-backs we'd get beaten week in week out.

 

I could maybe see JCR as right wingback as i'm certain he used to play that role. But Devaney absoluitely no chance. Kozzy could on the left though I think.