MJ interview

Quoted from headingly_mariner

I hope you’re right and we see a more settled team for the last 7 games. I still think it’s a bit naive if that is the case as all games in this league are winnable.

So what he was supposed to do headingly? Keep playing rose n berrett in midfield,keep ignoring the fringe players,keep playing Clarke when the status quo patently hasn't worked? Damned if he does,damned if he doesn't.......

What do people want from interviews? Do you want someone to ask straight questions to get answers or do you want statement type ‘questions’? Do you want the interviewer to lead the interviewee into positive answers or do you want them to put them under pressure to get honest answers? Burns is brilliant at what he does and should definitely mediate the next FF or preside over Fenty’s trial for crimes against football and treason against the town.

Quoted from forza ivano

So what he was supposed to do headingly? Keep playing rose n berrett in midfield,keep ignoring the fringe players,keep playing Clarke when the status quo patently hasn't worked? Damned if he does,damned if he doesn't.......

If you look at the majority of games we’ve won this season, they have probably been the pairing in the middle (not that I’m advocating playing them both). I accept he has to make changes, but wholesale changes every game and a different formation every game doesn’t strike me as the best way to get out of this pickle.  

Quoted from Pouton4ever

He's nobody's fool and I just wonder if he's looked at the fixtures and decided what's potentially winnable and what's not and decided to spend a bit of time finding out his best team in a match environment. But that's just my opinion.

That’s a good call actually

A bit risky in some ways but he seems the type to calculate the risk and then try it out - maybe got that from his trading days

Just hoping he can utilise his assets to get maximum returns in the time we have left to us

Quoted from Cloudy

Thought he was a coach at Scunny??

Only recently, last year or two. 14 years at Town previously from memory..

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

I agree. Part of me thinks we should be going for simplicity - 442, man-to man etc but I guess he's trying to find a formation to disguise the huge weaknesses in the squad. One thing I did think today was how little we looked compared to them.

I think we've got to dispense with the theory that players don't understand anything other than 4-4-2. They're used to playing all kinds of formations..

It's written about more on here because of the Buckley legacy and GTFC fans understanding it more than other systems. For some Town fans, getting their heads around anything other than 4-4-2 is akin to my dear old nana trying to get her head around decimalisation in the early seventies. I seriously can't remember as a manager or player at semi-pro level that I've been involved in a team that regularly played 4-4-2 for about 13 years..

The long and the short of it is that the squad lacks talent, it lacks pace and it lacks physical presence. add to it a massive lack of confidence and we are where we are. At the minute it doesn't really matter what formation we put out and the situation certainly doesn't make me reach out for 4-4-2 as if it's a comfort blanket and a proven remedy to losing games..

One question. If as you suggest you go 4-4-2, how do you go man to man against a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2, 4-3-1-2 or even a 3-4-3?

MJ well within his comfort zone to handle old fatso!

I was talking about man-marking at set-pieces as we were so shambolic today at them.

4-4-2 clearly has its limitations but I don't think playing a different formation every week necessarily helps a squad of kids, loanees, newcomers etc. As I said in my post though, I understand MJ is desperately searching for something that hides some of our weaknesses. My post wasn't intended as some big promotion of 4-4-2.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

I was talking about man-marking at set-pieces as we were so shambolic today at them.

4-4-2 clearly has its limitations but I don't think playing a different formation every week necessarily helps a squad of kids, loanees, newcomers etc. As I said in my post though, I understand MJ is desperately searching for something that hides some of our weaknesses. My post wasn't intended as some big promotion of 4-4-2.

Sorry mate. I'm a bit narky tonight..

I actually think that the whole set piece defending problem is more about our confidence levels, lack of concentration, lack of physicality and lack of how much we really want to win the ball and put our bodies on the line.. Zonal or man mark the result's the same..

Quoted from Bigdog

Sorry mate. I'm a bit narky tonight..

You not had a good day? 😉