Minority Report - Preston North End

Another thing a bit controversial, I've never seen anyone throw themselves on the floor more than Klinsmann (pre Spurs) than O'Sullivan and Declan John has the same man marking coach as Tom Kennedy...

 

I think that 3-5-2 can work, but it has to be much more flexible than the system that Danny Wilson used when we were promoted to the Premiership. Once there, we found teams played 4-5-1/4-3-3 against it. The two wingers were used to occupy both wing backs which left 3 defenders marking just 1 forward. This left us weak elsewhere and we were regularly out manned in central midfield.

In order to make it work, our centre backs need to have the flexibility to step into midfield in order to contribute to our under strength midfielders as the game ebbs and flows and particularly against 4-5-1/4-3-3. I have always been in favour of playing proper footballers in the centre of our defence, as against old fashioned ball winners like Mvoto and Ramage. I think that in Cranie, Nyatanga and Holgate we potentially have a back three who can read the game well enough to run the system. The first problem though is that they will need the time to understand the demands of the system and this will mean that we will lose games. The second problem is that the wing back position is now played by natural wingers rather than natural full backs because tackling is no longer part of our game. We do not have any stand out candidates for that role currently at the club. There has to be a commitment at the top to play that way, and to acquire the players capable of playing that way, and frankly, it would be quicker and easier to cash in on either Winnall or Hourihane.

 

Scowen does it n all. It's not football is it?