04/03/2003

Quoted from Biccys

Cos he's by far and away our best player. He's been top scorer for his team for the past 2 seasons. Need I go on?

Crazy talk. Blimey! Of course Liam Hearn needs to start when he is anywhere near fit! Southwell is potential and a kid, Liam is 27, in his prime and bagged us 30 goals last season!

I don't like to see him out wide in a 4-3-3 but whatever formation you pick, Liam should be the first name on the team sheet.

Over the last two seasons, Liam has 72 goals in 118 games. A strike rate any forward would be rightly proud of.

Quoted from 75

Over the last two seasons, Liam has 72 goals in 118 games. A strike rate any forward would be rightly proud of.

Apart from Lionel Messi.  

Quoted from Maringer

Apart from Lionel Messi.  

I did think that when I typed it! Messi is playing on his own though is mate Christiano's strike rate isn't bad either.

Quoted from Biccys

I think most of the better teams last year were playing the modified version of 4-3-3 by playing a deeper 4-5-1. They had the players capable of dropping into the midfield from being further forwards quickly and well drilled in doing so. We ain't yet and judging by all the reports from last night, the drills the managers have put them through ain't worked yet!!! Stick to what you know best I reckon. We've talented enough players to play anyone at 4-4-2. The issue comes when the midfield are being over run by a trio. The managers and players then have the responsibility to identify it and adapt accordingly.

Agree with all of that except maybe the last sentence.

Are you effectively saying don't try 4-3-3 until we need to?
Not sure I fancy that - think it's safer to work on it in pre-season just in case.

Just wondering if 4-3-3 doubters(I'm not convinced yet either) are wrongly assuming cos we start with it in pre-season, we'll be starting with it come the league ?

Early days but right now I doubt we'll use 4-4-3 much at home.
Didn't Scott say in the interview we're gonna need to go to places and play 4-3-3 ?
I'd guess this fits in with your 4-5-1 theory Biccys (and BP Vicar's too. i.e. stop being outnumbered in midifeld)
Like you say Biccys we're not there yet but judging by Scott's olympic athelete anology, I'd hope we should be come kick off whatever system we play.

Interesting views 80's. I wasn't there last night so cannot comment other than to wonder if they aren't going to start with 433 why are we wasting valuable pre-season time going with it?

The problem with a defensive-minded 4-3-3 (i.e. a 4-5-1 in all but name) is that it negates the threat of Hearn if he's going to be played as the forward on the left. He really needs to be playing on the shoulder of the defenders to show his best and doesn't have the game to play as the lone striker.

For a 4-5-1, you'd play have to play Cook up front on his own, probably supported by Colbeck on the right and A.N. Other (Soares?) on the left.

calm down, like i said its my opinions. not saying this for every game but at present id pick that team.

Quoted from 1600

Agree with all of that except maybe the last sentence.

So you don't think the players and management DON'T have the responsibility to identify they're being overrun in midfield and change it....?

Quoted from 1600

Are you effectively saying don't try 4-3-3 until we need to?
Not sure I fancy that - think it's safer to work on it in pre-season just in case.

No, we tried it and it didn't work against both lower and higher league opposition. Pretty damning in my view. We can't do it yet. Not saying we won't ever be able to, but for now, it looks like a dead duck.

Quoted from 1600

Just wondering if 4-3-3 doubters(I'm not convinced yet either) are wrongly assuming cos we start with it in pre-season, we'll be starting with it come the league ?

Early days but right now I doubt we'll use 4-4-3 much at home.

That's cheating... But yes, I doubt there'll be much 4-3-3 at home either.

Quoted from 1600

Didn't Scott say in the interview we're gonna need to go to places and play 4-3-3 ?
I'd guess this fits in with your 4-5-1 theory Biccys (and BP Vicar's too. i.e. stop being outnumbered in midifeld)
Like you say Biccys we're not there yet but judging by Scott's olympic athelete anology, I'd hope we should be come kick off whatever system we play.

True but by then we should have a settled 1st choice and play the full 90 minutes with them with probably both formations in the last PSF.

Quoted from barralad

Interesting views 80's. I wasn't there last night so cannot comment other than to wonder if they aren't going to start with 433 why are we wasting valuable pre-season time going with it?

My GUESS is they're concerned about the posiibility of being overrun in midfield away from home.
This could be e.g. when they're trying to hang on to a lead or trying to pick up a point.

If true then I completely understand the reasoning but it would concern me again slightly.
Suppose I take the general view (and it's only mine) that the best form of "attack is defence", "it's best to fight fire with fire" etc

Judging by Luton last season we kept things tight for a long while before going behind but then started to play and fought back.
Sure Hurst said something like "Well we could have been 3 down by then" but who knows maybe we could have been 3 up too ?
Swings and roundabouts and depends on your view I suppose.

If you've got gaps in the middle then you need to address them but is formation the only solution ?

Maringer's point could prove to be a fair one too, but perhaps Hearn will be in the middle of a 4-3-3 ?
Who knows but not sure why Cook has to be up front on his own.
Can he not play out wide in a 4-3-3 ? (seemed to work the left channels well enought last night). Will he definitely be playing anyway ?

Who knows maybe S&H have got completely different ideas to what we're seeing and we're ALL reading too much into things...

Quoted from Biccys

So you don't think the players and management DON'T have the responsibility to identify they're being overrun in midfield and change it....?

Sorry I mean it's better if they can identify the wheels falling off in pre-season than in the league.

Don't get me wrong obviously I don't WANT them to ever fall off(though in a way I do in pre-season if we're gonna ultimately go with it), but I think it's worth having a look if only to cross it off the list so to speak.

It's all a catch 22 really - unless things go wrong, you can't fix to improve them but you don't want anything to go wrong !

Quoted from Biccys

True but by then we should have a settled 1st choice and play the full 90 minutes with them with probably both formations in the last PSF.

Same team different formations ?
Blimey that's another question and haven't given it much thought.
Right now I don't want to go there !