Seriously? We were under the cosh constantly before the change, barely had the ball and created nothing. After going to 4-4-2 Boro had less of the ball, didn't create anything and Thiam and Barnes should have buried the chances they got. The change in formation was not our downfall today (not that a point at home to a promotion favourite could be considered a downfall)
I'll have a go 442 , 4 defenders 4 in midfield and 2 forwards but we also have a goal keeper so really it's 1442 .
Tee hee, HT talks some ******** doesn't he! At the end of the day, the substitution gave us the chance to win an enjoyable game that we would otherwise almost certainly have lost had we remained as we were. (Wonder if there's some mad hombre on an Atletico Madrid forum tonight flapping away counterfactually about Simeone switching from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 and throwing away two points against Barca?)
Having thought about it I agree with the op Can we not **** Hecky off and get Johnno back. What's Hecky really done for BFC when you think abart it?
I would have expected us to create more against Millwall when you compare their team to Boro. Our CBs before joining us their main experience was at Partick Thistle and Hartlepool United. Today they were marking 22 million quid of strikers. Our full back who was playing for Accrington Stanley in division four last season was marking a former England international with loads of premiership experience. Friend, Howson and Bamford on the bench shows a strength in depth we can only dream about. Yes we had faults today but it could have been a lot worse so let's be grateful with a point.
I'm on the fence with this one. I'm not a fan of 1 up front, but today I thought a straight swap of Bradshaw for Thiam and replace Pott's who was carrying a knock would have been the better option. As soon as we changed, we conceded. Having said that, Thiam and Bradshaw did link up well together, and with a bit more care we could have had the points. To summarise, yes we conceded but the game also opened up and we looked better going forward. Fine lines.
Who cares where they've come from. Never do I think well this player signed from this club. Gomez played for Liverpool today, signed from Charlton. Dele Ali signed from Mk Dons. Mawson signed from Barnsley. Hart signed for Manchester city from Shrewsbury. Fulham signed for Smalling from non league and with 13 league apprences he was in the manchester United team. I could go on and on. They are in the team. They perform and that's that. This actually isn't down to the quality of the players. The players are good players. I'd prefer not to see Person, Potts and Jackson but they are been picked so I don't vocally voice my opinion via boo's and whatever. Sometimes you have to sit in. Any good team will do this. It's not a crime. Mouriniho will do it 5/6 times a season at least. Some games we will look good. Sometimes we have to take a blow on the chin and stay stood with the fact we have a couple of knock downs early like today.
Finally got in after a great afternoon's entertainment at Oakwell, then further mirth and merriment in my local pub and curry house. Feeling positive about a good performance which could have gone either way, because - guess what? The other team want to win too. Then I came on here and read criticism of a tactical change which could have won us a game which looked lost. I'd had a great day until I clicked on this mound of ******. Hic!
'Boro are a seriously good team when they are on song. I was at the Macron Stadium when they spanked Bolton earlier in the season, and there was quality all over the pitch so I knew what to expect from them. I said to my mate earlier in the week that I'd take a point, but a lot would hinge on what system Lord Hecking of Bottom goes with... The 4-5-1 or 4-3-3(or whatever the kids are calling it these days) was the right system to start with, but once they got into their stride it was obvious to me(and a few other by the looks of the posts in this thread) that things needed to be changed to get the ball to stick when cleared up the pitch. When playing the 451, it was like an attack v defence training games at times. Now, if we had a proper old school battering ram of a striker who could win and hold up the ball, then that would be a different matter altogether...
I know you think you know more about footy than anyone else in the forum, but to me you posts in this thread show the complete opposite. From the moment we scored the second goal were on the back foot. Wave after wave of attack came at us. Only poor finishing and last ditch defending stopped the from equalising. The second half was even worse and I felt they were gonna score any minute. Something needed doing. Hecky made the change to enable to get back into the game and try to stop the inevitable equaliser. Yes sometimes you have to sit in. But not for 80 fecking minutes. You can’t expect to camp in your own half and win games. Yes they scored while we were 442 but You don’t mession the equally as clear chances they missed while we were 1 up front. This year you have decided not to bother hating the fans favourite players but just go for the massively popular head coach to get your kicks. Had we stayed 1 upfront and drew or lost you would be moaning that he didn’t change owt and tried to hang on for 80 mins
What a load of utter sense. Just shows how valuable Hecky is even though he's banned from the dugout. Great performance today against a better team, with a point gained by the astute change to 442 at just the right time.
I quite like 4-4-2. However, I don't think we have the personnel to play it. But today, we were much better once we stuck 2 up front. The fact that we conceded a goal when we went 4-4-2 is a bit of a red herring. We were bloody lucky to still be in the game at that point and I thought we were going to go on and get murdered. Didn't pan out that way at all. The rest of the second half we probably had the better chances and the game was much more even, which I put down to the change of formation. Thiam, who was very good when he came on, really should have passed a couple of times which may have led to goals.
Thiam's games nothing to do with the formation. We weren't going to loses with the game going the same way. They had scored from a throw in? upto that point only. We weren't set for that either with there CB's going up late. Leave it another 10 and they would have risked more men forward which would have made the counter easier. Also did there goalkeeper Randolph have a save to make in the last 30 minutes of the game? It's not a red herring at all. The facts are i've seen 14 games for Barnsley this season and the formation that loses every time (league games) that. 442. Look at our Wins. Sunderland and Millwall both played it.
Contradictions yet again. Who got excited when we signed former Spurs man Zeki Fryers? Who often uses former Stoke keeper Jack Butland as an example? And former Manchester United man Ashley Fletcher? Make your mind up.