Team selections from Danny

I am beginning to worry, one up front against Coventry? Flitcroft wouldn't have even been so bloody stupid.I just don't get it at all.

 

Of course he would,its the future apparently

 

I'm going to bore people to death with this counter argument. I've already used it once, but I think it needs repeating. We were playing absolutely fine with one up front, much less so when Pedersen replaced O'Grady, but we were still winning 1-0. The first half was probably the most accomplished performance of the season. We completely dominated the game. I've not seen us look so comfortable for a long, long time. That pretty much continued until we replaced O'Grady. Pedersen did nothing in his half an hour on the pitch, but it wasn't until we brought on a second striker that we completely fell apart.

In the 77th minute Jason Scotland replaced David Perkins. We changed from 1 up top to 2 strikers. At that time we were beating Coventry 1-0. Within a minute or two Coventry equalised. 10 minutes later they got their second and the winner. That final 15 to 20 minutes was as bad as we ever get. Run ragged by a team in a lower division.

We started the game with the same formation and personnel as the Birmingham match (Cywka replacing Shea being the only change), where we'd earned a decent point and by all accounts done enough to win. It worked at Birmingham and it was working again against Coventry. It stated going wrong when we subbed a vital player in that system and completely fell apart when we changed the formation. The odd thing for me is that a lot of people seem to want the formation that finished the game, the one that was run ragged, and not the one that dominated the first half.

 

Jay, so im clear, are you saying you advocate playing the formation we did yesterday, the same we played against Derby, at Home? My view is we could see the tide turn yesterday before any changes were made, they found us out. Derby looked like they were gonna run us ragged till we changed formation. Personally i think the tactics yesterday are ok for away games where teams have to come at us. We simply dont have the forward or midfield players to succeed in this formation, hence we havent won many of late.

 

Absolutely bang on!!

 

Sorry mate

But all I saw was two pieces of skill from Cywka (one which produced a brilliant save from the goalie, the other hitting the woodwork) and a very well taken goal from O'Brien. Other than that we created nothing. Perkins & Dawson especially seemed incapable of forward passing. It either went sideways, backwards or to a Coventry player. O'Grady was becoming more and more isolated as the game progressed. Our midfield appeared either reluctant or incapable of making the necessary runs to get up and support him. I don't recall Murphy in the Coventry goal having to make any worthwhile save after we hit the woodwork. Coventry may not have caused us many problems in the first half, but they were beginning to build up a level of pressure in the second. That's why, in my opinion, Wilson tried to wrestle the initiative back by going with two up front. Coventry's equaliser was not against the run of play and once it went in, if there was going to be a winner it was always going to be them.
Just my view of a poor game, topped off by an appalling second half display from us.

 

I have no problem with that formation. I have a problem with a number of the players in it, I don't think they're good enough, but they'll not be good enough whatever system we play. That's the hand that Wilson was dealt.

I don't think we've got the strikers to play two up front. We were all impressed with Pedersen in the Huddersfield game. He looked a class act. He scored a fantastic goal in the Wednesday game too. Apart from that he's done precisely nothing. Often it's like playing with 10 men he's so ineffectual. I realise he's not getting the service, but he never will with the players we've got, particularly if we don't select McCourt, so he's got to offer something else and he doesn't. Jason Scotland was a good player and I still think he's got something to offer coming off the bench, but he's no longer got it for a full 90 minutes, or even 60 minutes.

I don't think we've got the personnel in midfield to allow us to play 2 up front. When they play as a 4 they are completely overrun. We need 5 of 'em in there or we need to replace them with much better quality, but I don't think we've got the funds to do that.

The formation that started against Coventry dominated them. The formation with two up front that ended the game was swept aside like it wasn't there.

 

only good thing from dannys team selections so far , is that he will play bobby when fit , apart from that its been no different to a flitcroft team . we are still playing long ball upto ogrady , slow in midfield and at the back , our attacking build up is slow and predictable . and our strikers cant score . major operation to sort it out needed

 

Danny is stuck with these players and I don't expect much action in the transfer window (would love to be wrong). He sees these players on the training pitch as well as on match day and I am sure he did some homework before accepting the post. I feel Danny should have taken the job (apparently not offered) when Hill got the position - it is very brave to take this on in our current position.

There are too many players not up to it - whether this is because the Championship is above their level or they haven't got it in them to battle I do not know. The past 2 seasons have seen us stay up due to a 10 points deduction for Portsmouth and Crystal Palace scoring at Peterborough on the last day. I am hoping that Danny has some assurances that he will have leverage in the transfer window and can bring in some of his own backroom staff. If neither happens then we are set for League 1 and everything that means.

There has been no new manager "honeymoon" - something I have not witnessed before because it is the usual scenario that results improve. I feel this is far more telling on the players rather than the manager.

 

Fully agree with that but i prefer to see O'Grady with Pederson. I think we have looked more dangerous with 2 up front and more balanced in Midfield. It looked like a switch was thrown in our organisation when we changed it vs Derby. I think either Pederson or O'Grady need someone to play off and arent at their best as lone strikers. To compound it we don't have a midfield that can get beyond the forwards or even close enough to support (we often have no more than 2 in the box, and 6 on the edge of the periphery of the area. I think some people are a little dilusional regarding the lower league player argument. For the last few weeks we have had no more that 3 players in the team that havent played in the championship other than with us. The fact as you state is that the majority of players, irrespective of where their from, arent good enough in our league or our formation.

 

Thats because it is a flitcroft team mate and with the exception of a couple of loan signing additions will continue to be so till most of em go at the end of the season. Your right, a major operation is needed but we simply don't have the funds for a overnight fix.
I posted yesterday that i thought anybody who played yesterday should throw there shirts in a bin bag and never be given them back and while that may have been a bit extreme i still believe that many of those players yesterday should never play for us again. Get the young uns in and lets go down with some heart and fight

 

The Scotland substitution was bewildering and cost us the game . At a time when they were about the chuck the kitchen sink at us to get something DW goes two up front which weakens the midfield formation that prior to that had nullified Coventry completely.. We went to pieces as soon as this change was made.
On the other hand the one up front formation is a negative set up for home games especially against lower league opposition. We didn't really create much yesterday.There were many occasions where we simply had no-one in or around the box to take advantage of promising wide positions or to use an early ball.. If we are to play this way then the midfield have to quicker getting forward to support O' Grady , who is an excellent target men but is frequently dragged wide and needs others to play off him up front. As it is he is flogging a dead horse .

 

If Pedersen regularly played like he did in the Huddersfield game it would be a no brainer to pick him. I don't think any manager in his right mind would leave that kind of quality out of their team. Trouble is, none of us know if that was the real Pedersen and he's been out of form pretty much ever since, or if he really is as bad as he's been playing recently and that one game was a flash in the pan, one of those times we all get in our lives when we can't do anything wrong and we surprise even ourselves.

It would be nice to think it was the former and we'll get the same sort of performances out of him again, but I don't think we can afford to carry him and wait for those performances to come along if he continues to play how he has done recently. You're right that he's certainly not suited to playing up front on his own, but I don't think he's producing when partnered with another striker either.

 

4-5-1 isn't a negative formation, certainly not when played properly. Are Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal all negative?

 

I dont think we have that many alternatives. In my mind, we go for it , the two best strikers we have, and play themselves into form. We know, when in form, they can both find the net. The alternative is we play a defensive style with one up front, destroy the confidence of our strikers even more, when our defensive tactics dont work either. No answers with this players, but 'Hope' seems to be our only game plan left. The next 28 days are our seasons decider, tactics, managerial skills, player commitment, transfer window luck etc etc etc.

 

Need to go 3-5-2 for me

 

The formation isn't wrong but half the team don't have the ability to play that or any other formation. Pedersen is a conundrum. Clearly has a lot of ability. His goal scoring record with us and with his other teams is poor to average. His parent club clearly want shut. I don't see CoG as an effective loan striker myself. Our midfield doesn't create many chances for a poacher like Pedersen. So basically chuff me I don't know.

 

Are they the teams top of the Premiership with players that cost millions and gell as a team by any chance?

 

He HAD to take Perkins off. He was doing nothing. But then he looks at the bench and sees his only option is the pathetic Tutu. So then he tried to change the tide by throwing Scotland on. Sadly, he's a busted flush.

 

I don't know Jimmy, I though COG was pretty effective when on loan sorry....