A constructive flaw in our gaffer

Is he just will not ditch this 352 will he ?

We Play or have played our best football when not using it , you have to judge this season on an overall and we will survive but have never looked good apart from these freak runs we went on .

I like jolley but my god has he got to ditch this 352 he is obsessed with it but it just will not work , he should know he has spent a full season trying it and the only thing it shows us is it is too inconsistent and too negative, some of the stuff we have seen has been so poor.

He thinks by having 2 strikers on the pitch we are somehow an attacking force , well he should and he probably will look at it and notice in most games we cant even get a shot off..

Scrap it.

5 strikers on the pitch at one time-barmy. Doesn't he realise that if you had 10 strikers you wouldn't score goals if they didn't get any service. Most chances are created by a good midfield-especially an attacking one. We are not creating enough chances for our forwards with this system. Jolly must know it so why why why wont he try something else. He can talk a good talk but talking is not enough. Is he too pig headed to admit his system isn't working.?

MJ is fast running out of options as further injuries and contract negotiations start to influence selections. How long does he continue to select players who will not be here next year? Is he shackled to a bonus triggering 50 points target? etc. etc.
He is trying to pilot a badly listing ship back to safer waters, the scallywag skipper has walked the plank and old sawbones Moore is struggling to patch up the crew.

If he starts with any four out of Hendrie, RHJ, Davis, Ohman and Whitmore in a back four, a central midfield pairing of Hess and Clifton and play Dennis, Vernam, A Rose and Thomas in front of them, that's the best he can do with what's left of our thin and very unbalanced squad. Possibly a 4-2-3-1 or something similar. As Golfer and others have said, this insistence of playing 3-5-2 has killed our season off, maybe going to damage Ring's confidence for good and more importantly maybe damage the squad's confidence in the manager as much as it is doing the fans. Yet again the frailties of GTFC as a club are laid bare well before the end of any season in Division Four over the past twenty years. The flaw may be in the club as much as it is in the manager..

Quoted from Bigdog

If he starts with any four out of Hendrie, RHJ, Davis, Ohman and Whitmore in a back four, a central midfield pairing of Hess and Clifton and play Dennis, Vernam, A Rose and Thomas in front of them, that's the best he can do with what's left of our thin and very unbalanced squad. Possibly a 4-2-3-1 or something similar. As Golfer and others have said, this insistence of playing 3-5-2 has killed our season off, maybe going to damage Ring's confidence for good and more importantly maybe damage the squad's confidence in the manager as much as it is doing the fans. Yet again the frailties of GTFC as a club are laid bare well before the end of any season in Division Four over the past twenty years. The flaw may be in the club as much as it is in the manager..

Ain't that the truth. Deja vu all over again as someone once said.

I think we just don't have enough good players to make any impact on the top end of the league, whatever the system. We have a "just good enough" budget, which should see us clear of danger given a half decent manager, but if we want more, we need investment in better quality. It's the repeated cycle of fans getting bored with the same old same old, drifting away, less income from match days and on it goes. Somehow, we need to break this year on year malaise, but another season comes and goes, and nothing much changes, except the players, and occasionally the manager. I can only see a change of regime, and/or a new ground making things any better.

Ginnywings is spot on IMO
if you have a 'modest' budget then you pretty much assemble a modest squad
We don't get 'top shelf' players - it's almost impossible to compete with the top half in terms of budget and I would say geography

Lincoln, Mansfield, MK all have either generated income (Gimps) or wealthy backers (MK and Stags); and Bury have a fantastic location to attract players

16 games where we haven't scored - whatever system you play that is clearly not going to get you challenging (I'm sounding like MJ)

I have felt all season that the back five is as good as most in this league - they are under pressure in most games to keep a clean sheet cos there's a fair chance we won't score... the pressure just builds week in and week out

Big fan of Hess and Clifton but they are more 'workhorse' type midfielders - busy, energetic, grafters - and what we need is a Danny Meyer... or an Embleton on top form. At any level you need that 'creative spark' or it just becomes a struggle on a consistent basis

Strikers are the biggest worry and unless MJ plucks a gem or two from reserves at other clubs (Amond) or a non league predator (Omar) then we will struggle like hell to make progress

I read the other day Blackburn (Championship) are sniffing around a striker from Nuneaton (bottom of Conf North) - that's what GTFC need to be doing; thinking outside the box and getting a non league striker with potential to the club

Once a goalscorer always a goalscorer IMO - then you need to get the service to him

Not a huge amount wrong IMO but it is really lacking in the key areas - creativity and goal scoring

If you haven't got the quality then the system is irrelevant IMO

Until it's sorted or we get lucky then mid table is perhaps all we can expect?

It looks like regime change is something that in reality isn’t going to happen any time soon despite rumour after rumour.

The catalyst to any change will be a fully confirmed new ground project then people with some cash might get involved.

Unless you where a Town made multi millionaire(s). For purely commercial reasons you’d not throw money at GTFC at the moment as there is no possibility of a ROI. Even with a new home what’s the reality of having a season ticket fan base of over say 7500? Season ticket revenue we’re told is a big driver of the playing budget.

This is definitely a workman like squad, a squad that feels like it’s pulled together using opta stats rather than a good scouting network and relationships in the game.

Credit though to MJ he’s recognised we need a supply chain and Embleton’s time at GTFC Indicates to other bigger clubs that we’ll look after their unutilised talent.

Next season is pivotal for this manager and group, I’m not expecting promotion or play offs but unless we achieve a greater level of consistency we’ll always be toiling in the bottom third and in danger of the trap door.

All that said I’m still really optimistic about MJ & AL and ultimately believe they’ll make us better.

If you are going to play 3-5-2 then you need very fit, strong, quick players with brains who can and will run all day because success depends on all of the 5 and both of the 2 covering a hell of a lot of ground. That is why the Hursts of this world who play the percentages will stick to a 4-4-2. The players find it easier, positions are simpler to stick to and everyone knows where everyone else should be.

This has always been the case. You can tinker with it a bit but basically success depends on a good back 4, a decent central midfield, some pace up front and on the wings. At our level it is the safe way to play and the most likely to get results. I bet the players would be delighted if MJ turned up on Monday morning and said we were changing to 4-4-2 for the rest of the season.

All said and done our meek budget means we'll always be shopping in the bargain basement of available players,  hoping to land an out of favour Dennis is about all we can expect to buy...
This 3-5-2 system requires quality ball players with quick feet and quick brains, something we just do not have the funds for...so, for as much as I like MJ & AL if they cannot see we'll never have the squad to play 3-5-2 successfully and are determined to keep going with it, maybe this club isn't for them ..
In no way do I think they are bad managers, but I do wonder if they need some guidance from an older more experienced manager/coach...
And on a foot note, would love to know exactly what Dave Moore thinks about the situation...could he not point out the error of their ways??!

The whole point of soaking up pressure and hitting on the break (dope on the rope in boxing) is you are not going to make many chances but when you do you need pace to hurt the other side and finishing to punish your opponent.

We have neither to be brutally honest.

We have a gaffer with a super brain,

Sadly we have players who do not,

If we can get a few of them in we will have a super team,

Until then we win a few we lose a few more.

At least we don't have to go to Braintree.

Quoted from devs

I read the other day Blackburn (Championship) are sniffing around a striker from Nuneaton (bottom of Conf North) - that's what GTFC need to be doing; thinking outside the box and getting a non league striker with potential to the club

It makes no sense that we've not attempted (or appeared to at least) to do this, seeing as Bogle scored a load of goals and was sold for a healthy profit.

Quoted from Abdul19

It makes no sense that we've not attempted (or appeared to at least) to do this, seeing as Bogle scored a load of goals and was sold for a healthy profit.

Liam Hearn springs to mind.

Bignot actually gave it a shot to be fair, could've worked out under different circumstances (not being managed by Slades, being arsed, not living in Birmingham, not being made of glass, that sort of thing)

Quoted from Abdul19

It makes no sense that we've not attempted (or appeared to at least) to do this, seeing as Bogle scored a load of goals and was sold for a healthy profit.

And the Anthony Limbrick has managed at that level

[quote=672

We have a gaffer with a super brain,

.[/quote]

Unfortunately not necessarily a football one Pete

Quoted from Abdul19

It makes no sense that we've not attempted (or appeared to at least) to do this, seeing as Bogle scored a load of goals and was sold for a healthy profit.

I wouldn't expect them to pubilicise it

Quoted from grimsby pete

We have a gaffer with a super brain,

Sadly we have players who do not,

If we can get a few of them in we will have a super team,

Until then we win a few we lose a few more.

At least we don't have to go to Braintree.

Maybe the manager is a clever chap but the people above him seem determined to carry on running a regressive football club.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

I wouldn't expect them to pubilicise it

Yeah but all attempted transfers appear on twitter these days, innit.

Quoted from Abdul19

Yeah but all attempted transfers appear on twitter these days, innit.

I dunno.  Is that what folk do these days?

I think every manager over the last twenty years, bar Sir Buckley, have tried 352 and it never works. With the right players it's very effective, but at our level and with our budget getting the players that can make it work is nigh on impossible. Every manager that we've seen try it always ends up going to back to 442

AB played 3 at the back for a big chunk of 07/08 (I think Jamie Clarke played at right wing back at wembley!)

Armchair manager

You're not going to turn the clubs worst squad for many, many years, into a promotion chasing team in 2 transfer windows....

In fact, we was discussing this 6 weeks ago, which was very optimistic rather than a possibility.

It took Hurst 5/6 seasons? to get us promoted from a division when we usually had one of the biggest budget. We stuck with him, and got it in the end.

This squad has improved massively in a year, and will get better this time next year, but still, IMO, would be a big ask to be challenging for the play-offs.

30th March, 2018 starting 11:
Macca, Fox, Collins, Clarke, Mills, Summerfield, Rose, McSheffrey, Dembele, Wilks, Hooper

Fox, Dembele, and Wilks... the only players on there that would get in this starting 11 IMO

Ohman > Clarke
Hendrie > Mills (I was a fan of Mills, but Hendrie is a better option)
Hess > Rose
Clifton > Summerfield
Thomas > Hooper

Improvements have been made, and still need making.

We still have squad players who are not any better, than being in a bottom half team

We should continue the theme of 'better players' in the summer, regardless of the system. Quality and flexibility rather than a rigid approach will make us harder to beat.
Signing unfit, game starved 'names' ahead of up and coming regular performers hindered our start last term. Flogging players in pre season boot camps in a heatwave should also be reviewed.
Spend most on a goalscorer and pacey winger.

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

You're not going to turn the clubs worst squad for many, many years, into a promotion chasing team in 2 transfer windows....

In fact, we was discussing this 6 weeks ago, which was very optimistic rather than a possibility.

It took Hurst 5/6 seasons? to get us promoted from a division when we usually had one of the biggest budget. We stuck with him, and got it in the end.

This squad has improved massively in a year, and will get better this time next year, but still, IMO, would be a big ask to be challenging for the play-offs.

30th March, 2018 starting 11:
Macca, Fox, Collins, Clarke, Mills, Summerfield, Rose, McSheffrey, Dembele, Wilks, Hooper

Fox, Dembele, and Wilks... the only players on there that would get in this starting 11 IMO

Ohman > Clarke
Hendrie > Mills (I was a fan of Mills, but Hendrie is a better option)
Hess > Rose
Clifton > Summerfield
Thomas > Hooper

Improvements have been made, and still need making.

We still have squad players who are not any better, than being in a bottom half team

Not sure you can say that, being beaten by some of the poorer teams in this league and we still haven't reached last seasons points total yet.

Gregor Robertson’s piece in the Times this week is about Tranmere. I don’t know what their budget is but they signed on 6 in January and currently have won 7 on the bounce. They have a proven striker they signed in non-league in Norwood but otherwise their squad looks no better than ours really except they play with two wingers. Almost certain of a play off place and could even be top 3 if they keep going.

Why them and not us?

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Why them and not us?

The manager maybe?

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Gregor Robertson’s piece in the Times this week is about Tranmere. I don’t know what their budget is but they signed on 6 in January and currently have won 7 on the bounce. They have a proven striker they signed in non-league in Norwood but otherwise their squad looks no better than ours really except they play with two wingers. Almost certain of a play off place and could even be top 3 if they keep going.

Why them and not us?

They get bigger crowds, plus when they were in non-League they had bigger parachute payments which helped them bounce back quicker. Plus when they got back up they managed to retain their top striker.

We've had some rotten luck this year, starting with Whitehouse. I also don't think it should be underestimated what a mess we were in 15 months ago.

I expected a lot more from Welsh, who I am guessing was expensive. Mistakes have been made (WTF was the Pringle thing all about?), but nothing that can't be fixed.

I think Jolley will have a much better idea generally this close season and I expect better signings.

Ditch 3-5-2 though. 4-3-3 seemed to suit us.  

Quoted from KingstonMariner

They get bigger crowds, plus when they were in non-League they had bigger parachute payments which helped them bounce back quicker. Plus when they got back up they managed to retain their top striker.

I accept some of that though the bigger attendances are boosted by being surrounded but other L2 clubs in the NW. Their squad does not look really better on paper than ours other than that striker. They were well off the playoffs in January, they lost 3 on the bounce and also got whopped 7-0 by Spurs, no disgrace there though. We were about level with them at that stage and now look at the difference. I cannot see this being all down to money and attendances.

According to Gregor they achieved it by signing 6 in January, not superstars just to fit what they needed, and worked like mad on the training ground with extra sessions.

MJ and company have done ok this season, but thats it ok,  if you want to compare then compare with the brothers at Lincoln who made a decent start and never looked back, Regarding Whitehouse dont bank on him back from a bad injury to work wonders, after all he has been rejected as not good enough by the Imps

I think, given our budget, that we have to accept incremental improvements rather than some form of step change.

Personally I'd give him 5 seasons to get us to league one, same as Hurst. During those 5 seasons I'd expect to see some year on year improvement.

Obviously I want better I think we've massively undrachieved for far too long but hey-ho we are where we are and new ownership doesn't seem any nearer than it did five years ago.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

I think, given our budget, that we have to accept incremental improvements rather than some form of step change.

Personally I'd give him 5 seasons to get us to league one, same as Hurst. During those 5 seasons I'd expect to see some year on year improvement.

Obviously I want better I think we've massively undrachieved for far too long but hey-ho we are where we are and new ownership doesn't seem any nearer than it did five years ago.

Did we get incremental improvements under Hurst? It didn’t seem like that. I understand the thinking but bit by bit improvement just doesn’t work. It never has and never will. In 5 years there is more chance of being back in non-league than L1.

I would point at Lincoln and Tranmere for example. I would point at Buckley Mk1 &2 and Newman/Kerr/Booth. The common link is rapid progress despite  a limited budget. The key is momentum and keeping it going. The only sympathy I have for Hurst is that he did not get the backing to do this though personally I doubt if he could have done anything like the Cowleys or Buckley anyway.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I accept some of that though the bigger attendances are boosted by being surrounded but other L2 clubs in the NW. Their squad does not look really better on paper than ours other than that striker. They were well off the playoffs in January, they lost 3 on the bounce and also got whopped 7-0 by Spurs, no disgrace there though. We were about level with them at that stage and now look at the difference. I cannot see this being all down to money and attendances.

According to Gregor they achieved it by signing 6 in January, not superstars just to fit what they needed, and worked like mad on the training ground with extra sessions.

But prior to that they were doing better than we were but fell slightly whilst we had a purple patch. Their bigger crowds enabled them to spend a bit more than us. You say their quality isn't better than ours on paper other than the striker, well one, there's the old cliche about being better on the pitch, and two, a good striker makes all the difference. Minor improvements in other positions around the pitch would mean the striker has more service.

But the basic point is bigger budget means a better squad, unless the management are crap.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

I think, given our budget, that we have to accept incremental improvements rather than some form of step change.

Personally I'd give him 5 seasons to get us to league one, same as Hurst. During those 5 seasons I'd expect to see some year on year improvement.

Obviously I want better I think we've massively undrachieved for far too long but hey-ho we are where we are and new ownership doesn't seem any nearer than it did five years ago.

And wave goodbye to twenty different clubs who get promoted in the meantime? Bury, MK Dons, Colchester, Tranmere, Carlisle weren't that good this season and we had two close games with the champions elect Lincoln while FGR and Mansfield are the only teams that have really impressed me and seemed a cut above. F me, we're becoming so self-doubting over the years and over egging how difficult it is to get out of this division. We're barely scraping 3.5k fans at home, how many do you think would be patient enough to see those five years out? And if they don't, the jobs going to be so much harder to make those incremental steps you're talking about. Eight seasons to get out of League Two is ok.. many of the remaining diehards may not have the patience..

Quoted from KingstonMariner

They get bigger crowds, plus when they were in non-League they had bigger parachute payments which helped them bounce back quicker. Plus when they got back up they managed to retain their top striker.

having a goal scorer obviously helps...from alot of the goals i have seen Norwood score he needs the service as plenty of them seem to be attacking crosses 7-10 yds out....i honestly think Dennis is capable of similar but as we know, we just dont give any of the front line decent service.

Quoted from Garth

MJ and company have done ok this season, but thats it ok,  if you want to compare then compare with the brothers at Lincoln who made a decent start and never looked back, Regarding Whitehouse dont bank on him back from a bad injury to work wonders, after all he has been rejected as not good enough by the Imps

They did offer him a contract though, didn't they?

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

I think, given our budget, that we have to accept incremental improvements rather than some form of step change.

Personally I'd give him 5 seasons to get us to league one, same as Hurst. During those 5 seasons I'd expect to see some year on year improvement.

Obviously I want better I think we've massively undrachieved for far too long but hey-ho we are where we are and new ownership doesn't seem any nearer than it did five years ago.

In terms of finishing league position, weren't we going backwards with Hurst?

Quoted from Abdul19

They did offer him a contract though, didn't they?

I believe so.

They offered him one year, we offered him two.

Quoted from Bigdog

And wave goodbye to twenty different clubs who get promoted in the meantime? Bury, MK Dons, Colchester, Tranmere, Carlisle weren't that good this season and we had two close games with the champions elect Lincoln while FGR and Mansfield are the only teams that have really impressed me and seemed a cut above. F me, we're becoming so self-doubting over the years and over egging how difficult it is to get out of this division. We're barely scraping 3.5k fans at home, how many do you think would be patient enough to see those five years out? And if they don't, the jobs going to be so much harder to make those incremental steps you're talking about. Eight seasons to get out of League Two is ok.. christ on a bike..

Although I don't disagree that it isn't as hard to get out of this division as most of them, let's not forget that it is now 16 years since we played at a higher level than this one. We're not the only team trying to win promotion. The fact that the teams who get promoted are, in general, those who spend the most money is just a fact of life these days. If you don't have a top 7 budget in this division, it is an inescapable fact that you have to build more slowly with incremental changes to the team. I'm disappointed that progress this year hasn't been better but I think we're improved in some areas compared to last season. Just not enough of them.

I think there is no doubt that Jolley has made some errors in his signings and the way he has gone about things this season. The signing of Welsh, though it looked good on paper, was obviously a big gamble and one which has failed badly leaving us short in the middle. The two Swedish signings had obviously been planned in advance and, for me, it is a big gamble to play half the season without players who you intend to be regulars. I think the defensive signings have been mostly decent though Ring still has a lot to prove, but, as so often, we've failed to get the attackers and goal threat we require. Thomas has done a decent job in general with little support but I do hope that we'll see a settled forward line in pre-season with one or two more options up front. We're heading for a goal a game this season which is just not nearly good enough and we're going to be miles away from a positive goal difference once again. We're set up to defend in depth and then break but the defensive record shows that we're not even very good at this.

A change of approach required for next year, though not necessarily anything too major. If we're going to continue with 3-5-2 then Jolley needs to make sure he's got the players capable of playing wing-back, the central midfielders with the legs to play the formation and the forwards with the presence or ability to make the ball stick so support can catch up.

I think many sides in this division are just a few decent players away from being promotion contenders so I just hope that we can fill the gaps and target a play-off place next year. It would be helpful if the current moneybags of the division won promotion so we didn't have to compete against them next year though it's looks like Salford (with their Singaporean billionaire owner) might well be playing against us. Which is flipping ridiculous.

Quoted from devs

Ginnywings is spot on IMO

I read the other day Blackburn (Championship) are sniffing around a striker from Nuneaton (bottom of Conf North) - that's what GTFC need to be doing; thinking outside the box and getting a non league striker with potential to the club

There's that JJ Hooper bloke .........

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Did we get incremental improvements under Hurst? It didn’t seem like that. I understand the thinking but bit by bit improvement just doesn’t work. It never has and never will. In 5 years there is more chance of being back in non-league than L1.

I would point at Lincoln and Tranmere for example. I would point at Buckley Mk1 &2 and Newman/Kerr/Booth. The common link is rapid progress despite  a limited budget. The key is momentum and keeping it going. The only sympathy I have for Hurst is that he did not get the backing to do this though personally I doubt if he could have done anything like the Cowleys or Buckley anyway.

The point about AB Mk1 was that he appeared to use his playing experience and relatively short management career to identify players that could play the syestem he wanted. This resulted in a combination of non-league ( Tilson, Alexander, Cockerill ) with experience ( Stout and O'Kelly ). MJ hasn't had that " luxury " so far but this last year will have gone a long way in addressing that..

Quoted from rancido

The point about AB Mk1 was that he appeared to use his playing experience and relatively short management career to identify players that could play the syestem he wanted. This resulted in a combination of non-league ( Tilson, Alexander, Cockerill ) with experience ( Stout and O'Kelly ). MJ hasn't had that " luxury " so far but this last year will have gone a long way in addressing that..

That is true but the point I was making is different. Buckley led the side to two successive promotions with much the same basic squad and adding to it by developing and selling players and as the income increased. His basic budget from Furneaux was not great.

There are lots of other examples - Watford, Wimbledon, Doncaster who went under and resurrected.

We could add Luton to the list in a way although their budget has been pretty reasonable under the latest ownership. But again the point is about keeping momentum going by knowing what works at a given level and sticking to it. Even now with a "caretaker" manager Luton are still winning.

MJ's problem this year is that he does not know this league, he has been on a learning curve and at the same time he was trying to be too clever with his 3-5-2. Players at this level need a system they can work with their eyes shut and adjust it slightly to suit the opposition. MJ is being too stubborn. He should copy what other sides have done to get promotion but try to do it better. Accrington would be a good model of a low budget success story for him.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

MJ's problem this year is that he does not know this league, he has been on a learning curve and at the same time he was trying to be too clever with his 3-5-2. Players at this level need a system they can work with their eyes shut and adjust it slightly to suit the opposition. MJ is being too stubborn. He should copy what other sides have done to get promotion but try to do it better. Accrington would be a good model of a low budget success story for him.

Interesting that a few people use this phrase of trying to be too clever. I know sometimes people can overthink things or make needless changes, so I get what you probably mean. But is a formation that's just not "the norm" really trying to be too clever? Besides, there are a few sides in this division that use 3-5-2.

I'm not chained to the idea that we have to play 4-4-2 but the one quality that system has over every other going is partnerships.

There are partnerships throughout. Think of our 97/98 squad... Macca and Donovan. Gally and Smith/Black. Handyside and Lever. Groves and Burnett. Nogan and Lester.

4-4-2 allows you to build up a deep understanding with your fellow players. Some positive off-the-field squad bonding, trust exercises, etc, and you're halfway there.

I agree with Buckley in that you shouldn't worry too much about the opposition. It's prudent to do your homework and be mindful of their threats but ultimately you have to be arrogant enough to believe that your way of playing is ultimately going to be a bigger threat to the opposition than the opposition are to you.

There have been times this season when Jolley has identified a flaw in our system and made changes early. He's not daft. But clearly, his ambition from the start was to build a squad that can play 3-5-2 (hence having about six central defenders) but once again, when we're struggling, we don't have options to switch it.

Right now we don't have the pace or personnel to play 4-4-2. We don't really have the 'big man' to play up top, as I don't see Thomas or Dennis as hold-up strikers; we don't have any out-and-out wingers, unless you count Max Wright, and we're really struggling for pace.

Too many players fall between positions. Where would the likes of a fit Embleton or Vernam fit in a 4-4-2? I don't think they have a natural place in that system.

It's a tricky conundrum, and I'm sure Jolley is intelligent enough to know that he may need to evolve this 3-5-2 system given its meagre returns. But that's what he's paid for.

Quoted from jonnyboy82

He thinks by having 2 strikers on the pitch we are somehow an attacking force , well he should and he probably will look at it and notice in most games we cant even get a shot off..

Absolutely correct to point out that 2 strikers doesn't automatically mean you are more attacking.

Flip the around though and it also doesn't mean that only playing with one striker is any less attacking. And the breakdowns many people have on here sometimes when we play a variation of 4-5-1/4-3-3, particularly at home are always misplaced and OTT.

Funny how the people complaining loudest at 3-5-2 are the ones who spent years screaming at Hurst to “change it”.

It seems to me , looking from afar and mainly watching the away games, is that he has more or less got the defensive 'stuff' sorted out. It seems like most of our best performances have been against the better teams when we have planned, or had , to play more defensively. The motivation and fitness problems also seem to have been solved.
it's all the 'positive' aspects that remains fixing - the skill, the inventiveness, the pace , the creativity and the goal scoring

Quoted from ska face

Funny how the people complaining loudest at 3-5-2 are the ones who spent years screaming at Hurst to “change it”.

Hurst played 4-4-1-1 more than anything. Think back to the times the Fishy was full of complaints about Town  having a lone striker miles apart from everyone else. Even when we had Podge and Bogle he seemed to prefer to play a loanee instead.

What Bignot was trying to play is anyone’s guess.

Personally I like 4-3-3 because it gives options that lead to more of a passing game and still lets you have attacking full backs. But 4-4-2 is the easiest to play and get results with at our level and that is what matters most.

Quoted from ska face

Funny how the people complaining loudest at 3-5-2 are the ones who spent years screaming at Hurst to “change it”.

I don't think it's the system that's the problem, it's having the players to fit in it!

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I don't think it's the system that's the problem, it's having the players to fit in it!

Jolley shouldn't be trying to play it then until he has

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I don't think it's the system that's the problem, it's having the players to fit in it!

Agree with that. Based on what we currently have I think we are suited to 4-3-3 given that the only winger on the books plays for Boston.

McKeown
Hendrie Davis Öhman Ring
Clifton Hess Embleton
Vernam Dennis Thomas

Rome wasn't built in a day and one more win would ensure we have made marginal progress from a points perspective.  By the time next season starts, MJ will have been manager for 17 months and 56 League 2 games so he should have a much better understanding of what is required to progress this team. If we start next season similar to how we started this season, he will be lucky to see 10 games.

It appears that his comment on Saturday about needing to be ruthless was about Thomas (and maybe others but I wasn't there).

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Agree with that. Based on what we currently have I think we are suited to 4-3-3 given that the only winger on the books plays for Boston.

McKeown
Hendrie Davis Öhman Ring
Clifton Hess Embleton
Vernam Dennis Thomas

Rome wasn't built in a day and one more win would ensure we have made marginal progress from a points perspective.  By the time next season starts, MJ will have been manager for 17 months and 56 League 2 games so he should have a much better understanding of what is required to progress this team. If we start next season similar to how we started this season, he will be lucky to see 10 games.

It appears that his comment on Saturday about needing to be ruthless was about Thomas (and maybe others but I wasn't there).

I'd consider taking Thomas out of your team if I were you!

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Even when we had Podge and Bogle he seemed to prefer to play a loanee instead.

NL starts by a loanee striker: 16
NL starts by Bogle and Amond: 72

Quoted from Abdul19

NL starts by a loanee striker: 16
NL starts by Bogle and Amond: 72

The question is - why did he play any? Cow’s posterior and banjo spring to mind.

Well that's a different matter and one I have no idea of - those 16 starts yielded 0 goals