Starting 11?

Quoted from Ollie

                   McKeown

Hatton     Miller         Pearson   Thomas

                      Niven
            Thanoj          Artus

Pearson           Cook           Hearn

Thats a quality team IMO, add to that players such as Disley,Elds,Colbeck,Woods on the bench that can all change a game in an instant. Would love to see that compared to the team that played opening day vs. Fleetwood last year - Credit to HandS

Quoted from ginnywings

The problem last year though was that when we put Hearn at the left of a front three (not out wide as some people are saying) it left us short in the middle. In effect, we needed Hearn centrally because Elding, Duffy and Coulson were nowhere near prolific enough. We have far better options up front now and will maybe not need as many goals from Hearn to carry the team. He is just as capable of beating the full back and whipping over a cross for someone else to score as he is cutting inside and scoring himself. When he played left for Alfreton, they were successful and got promoted with that system.

I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility with the players we have now. I also expect (hope for) more goals from midfield this season.

There we go again with Alfreton FFS dont you think that it may just have been the fact that he was a very good player in a excrement league and he would have had a lot of goals whatever his position. He plays for TOWN in a better league with better players so again I say its irrelevant what he did there.  

"He is just as capable of beating the full back and whipping over a cross" okay I'm willing to listen to that argument when you tell me when and in what games last season he did this? I didn't see him do it once.

These people who want him wasted out wide. Did you ever go to the games last season??????????

Quoted from forza ivano

J McKeown, L Ridley, G Silk (B Wood , 43), S Garner, C I'Anson, S Makofo, C Disley, A Thanoj (D Spencer , 70), A Elding (F Artus, 70), M Coulson, L Hearn     

this is the team from 1st game last year - would suggest that already we are looking much stronger  - mckeown ,thanoj and hearn are all much improved players with 12 months bsp/full time footie behind them. think hatton and thomas are 2 much better, athletic full backs than silk and ridley. perason and miller is a far stronger centre back pairing. colbeck is light years ahead of makofo whilst i suspect niven will be a better 'fit' for the team than coulson. the strength of the bench also looks an improvement and the managers have 12 monthe more experience to throw into the mix

here you are bradzmilne!!!

Quoted from TAGG

There we go again with Alfreton FFS dont you think that it may just have been the fact that he was a very good player in a excrement league and he would have had a lot of goals whatever his position. He plays for TOWN in a better league with better players so again I say its irrelevant what he did there.  

"He is just as capable of beating the full back and whipping over a cross" okay I'm willing to listen to that argument when you tell me when and in what games last season he did this? I didn't see him do it once.

These people who want him wasted out wide. Did you ever go to the games last season??????????

I've got to agree with the sentiment of this. Hearn is almost certainly the best finisher in the league and excelled in a 442 playing centrally. Of all the things that could perhaps be tinkered with from last season, Hearn's role as our central striker with A.N.Other was not one of them. Having said that, there's no harm in having a look at other systems. Leaving Hearn out altogether is just stupid though!

                    McKeown

Hatton     Miller         Pearson   Thomas

                      Niven
            Disley          Artus

Colbeck           Hearn           Pearson

                     McKeown

Hatton     Miller         Pearson   Thomas

                      Niven
            Disley          Artus

Hearn           Cook           Pearson

As far as the Hearn argument goes, surely he would be employed to play differently depending on who we are up against. Last season, we struggled without a target man against teams that played two brutes in the centre of defence who aren't particularly skillful but get the job done. I presume this was why Cook was signed. When we play teams like that this season, put Cook in the middle to battle with the brutes and to draw their attention away from Hearn and hopefully Cook will be able to flick it on or knock it down into Hearn's path. Putting Hearn just out of the way of the centre backs will mean he can pick the ball up away from them and run at them and they will not like that at all, giving Hearn more chance of beating them and scoring. Last season, with them right on top of him, they were able to bully him and Elding/Duffy and didn't give them the chance to run at them with a bit of speed, they were always too tight and physical.

When we play teams with defenders who aren't so agricultural then Hearn could be employed through the middle with any two from Soares, Pearson, Colbeck, Southwell playing either side of him. This way we'll see Hearn being dangerous through the middle against the opposition who will allow him to be.

Equally, we might just end up playing 4-4-2 when he will almost certainly be one of the two strikers.

Quoted from TAGG

What is it with people on here. What is the obsession with playing Hearn out wide???? These people cant have seen him wasted in that position at the back end of last season.
He scored all his goals playing up top and was our best player last season because he was in that position.
Before any one brings up his playing days at other clubs just fook off because it is irrelevant that's in the past, the point is what he has done and will continue to do in a Town shirt.
Play Hearn wide and it will end in tears.
As for 80s who has left him out of his starting 11           get a grip man.

Calm down, I said thats what I think it will be, not what it should be.
If I was Manager Id go for..


                  McKeown
Hatton   Miller         Pearson   Thomas

Colbeck   Niven     Thanoj     Artus

             Hearn      and 1 other, honestly couldn't pick between Cook/Elds/Pearson at the minute.

Quoted from TAGG

Before any one brings up his playing days at other clubs just fook off because it is irrelevant that's in the past, the point is what he has done and will continue to do in a Town shirt.
Play Hearn wide and it will end in tears.

You're right it's about the future at GTFC.
So if you're right about Hearn in a 4-3-3, that's exactly why we need to give it a go pre-season - to see if it works or not.
I'm not convinced by Hearn on the left myself, but then again I don't know enough yet.
Ok you might have seen it last season but there's new strikers to complement now - as you say past is past !

You're suggesting we never try it but if we never try it for free, you've lost the plot IMO.

All I can say is thank god you're not the manager cos you'd have probably already chosen your best team, forrmation and tactics without seeing any new players or watching any pre-season games at all.

Quoted from TAGG

As for 80s who has left him out of his starting 11           get a grip man.

It's all about information gathering.
You can't play 4-3-3 AND another formation at the same time so I'm going for the latter.

My own team is a test to see whether
- the centre 3 can gain some control in a 5 man midfield
- Soares cuts it on the left side.  
- Disley can show any promise in an advanced midfield role
- whether Cook can hold the ball up effectively alone up top.

What's yours ? To see whether we win ?  

I can understand some are in a "I want to win everything NOW" mindset (obviously we all would but it's not the top priority at this stage IMO) but let's face facts, Hearn in a 4-4-2 will likely tell us sod all we didn't already know !

The only reason would be to see how we perform at full strength.
But since it's all up in the air what the full strength TEAM (inlcuding formation) is anyway, it's about working it out first. (for me anyway)

The only real argument I half see is this "winnings a habit" thing but I'm even not convinced it's a major priority in pre-season.
In any case it will be a tough ask tonight.

tonight will examine our defensive and ball winning qualities. If we play Miller and Pearson together for an hour then the last 30 mins will show up some holes.