So we used a different Centre Half at rightback yesterday then !

Good to see a manager that does not like having to play Centre Halves at full back !

I know Cranie is better at right back. I am just pointing out the strange things that are happening !

 

Cranie is probably the best centre half technically we've had for a long time. I think LJ was referring to a Nyatanga or Ramage playing full back.

 

He said he does not like playing Centre halves out of position at full back, that covers all centre halves including Holgate and Cranie,not just the ones you want it to cover. If he meant Nyatanga and Ramage then he should have stated that, but to continue to play a centre half at full back when you say you dont like it is just contradicting yourself!

 

Especially when we've got the Williams lad in the squad. Seems weird.

 

Bearing in mind Williams came from non league and in DW opinion, was bought " for the future", maybe he isn't considered ready yet. I have stated all season though that I don't think we have ever solved the RB and LB positions. We have relied too much on youngsters and out of position players. As a squad I think we started the season 4-5 first team players short and never solved it throughout hence now having so many loanees.

 

Also, why just bring in a left back on loan, when we had one already, but not a right back on loan ?

 

That's because we had to work hard to sort the 6 or 7 spots out too.

Said all along you're never going to get a full squad, built from scratch, in 1 & a bit windows. Johnson got a much better base to build on & for me only needs a couple of tweaks.

 

Recruitment is never 100% successful. Did well to move some one I.e. Lita, Treacy as well as letting some of the Young Uns like Reuben and Danny Rose go. We need to clear the way with some fringe players and strengthen first team and the squad in general. Jennings, Hemmings, Mvoto might be candidates.

 

Centre halves as right backs, centre forwards as wingers, wingers as left backs. All managers at league 1 level have to do it just made himself look a bit daft by saying one thing and doing another.

 

Don't think he did. He said he didn't like to do it, not that he wouldn't.

 

He said he does not like centre half playing at full back.that is why he brought in John on loan , so Nyatanga would not have to play there if anything happened to smith. Yet he did not bring in a right back and continues to play not 1, but 2 centre halves in that position. So either he does not like them at left back,but is OK with them at right back or he was not telling the truth in as to why he brought in John ?
If he does not think Smith is up to the job yet, then why not just say so?
LJ has talked a good talk so far , but his tactical nous is lacking a little !

 

He has maxed out on loanees so unless he got shut during the window, which LJ didn't have too long to manoeuvre then his only option would have been Williams. By all accounts Bree is a midfielder naturally so until Williams was signed we must have had no RB at the club at all. I can't see how tactical nous is responsible for that unless you know the solution?

 

In all seriousness I think Cranie is the best right back at the club.

 

Danny Wilson made some strange team selections with players out of positions and negative selections.
Was his tactical nous also lacking, after over 1000 games as manager .

 

Building at a lower level, and without your top earners pissing about with your budget, upto the season starting.

 

Granted he did say that he doesn't like it, but it's not really his fault that he has played centre halves at full back. We have very few full backs. That's not something he's caused, but it's something he's having to deal with. The only lad we have that plays there naturally is Williams, who is untested, and for all we know not up to scratch yet. Neither DW nor LJ have picked him regularly.

He came in after the January window, and not long before the end of the loan window. We were one short of max loans in a squad if I remember correctly, and we needed a winger and a couple of full backs ideally, and that was before O'Sullivan was called back.
LJ got John in to help out at left back, which was probably the full back position that needed patching up the most, if we could only pick one. We only had Smith, who has shown great quality, but is young and has a couple of injuries to his name already, and Nyatanga as cover.
In terms of right back, we had Cranie and Holgate, who have both shown they can do a job there, with Bree and Williams for cover.

Only signing John in terms of fullbacks wasn't ideal, but he was simply trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Compounded with the fact that John has played on the wing at times meant that he was probably a decent shout.

 

In order to get a right back in too we'd have had to sacrifice one of our other loan players. Which one would you suggest?

 

Cameron Stewart?

 

I'm not convinced. We had JOS. That showed how much we needed a wide player. At the time we lost o'sullivan would you have said the priority for another loan was another winger or a right back?

 

A good one yes that one no. Not sure about the need for Ibhere given Winnall's return. Less said about John the better.