4-4-2

I’d like to see Wright given a go in some games. He has great promise - is quick, skilful and can cross and shoot. I also think we need to score more goals and Hanson and Green quite obviously thrive on crosses, so, if we are not playing 4-4-2 we need to ensure that whatever system we do play makes the most of this asset by good set piece delivery and central midfielders and wing backs getting into wide areas and getting the ball into the box.

Jolley knows his stats and he knows that the vast majority of goals are scored from crosses and set pieces. However we play, we’ve got to set up with this in mind.

4-3-3 works well for us. It probably kept us up. I’m all for it.

I like 4-3-3 and 4-3-1-2 if played well but you kind of make the salient point. ‘We stayed up playing 4-3-3’ you say, but, for me, that’s the problem. Since we returned to the league we’ve been all about ‘staying up’. At the same time our goals scored totals have been rubbish. We can’t go on doing that. We have to have more ambition and strive to be a top half team at least. Therefore, for me, we need better players, and more flexible/effective tactics. Saying 4-3-3 has kept us up so let’s go on with that is flawed.

i just hope that for what would seem like the first time in years we actually start a season with the system we have been preparing for in signings and pre season formations instead of scrapping it either just before we kick off or after a game or two.

The problem with 4-4-2 is that very few other teams play it!

So if we were to adopt it, we would more than likely get out-numbered in central midfield, in most games.

Jolley to me looks set on 4-3-3. From what I've seen so far a lot of work has gone into the system so cant see it changing too much now.

Worked pretty well yesterday against a decent side, expect us to be fairly direct though

Quoted from jimgtfc

Completely agree. It seems Jolley doesn’t like playing with out and out wingers, or he certainly hasn’t set us up like that recently.

One of the reasons managers nowadays do not favour 4-4-2 is that it has just 2 in centre midfield. When we have set up that way we have not had good enough players to win the midfield and that puts pressure on the centre backs. Collins was very often getting skinned by somebody running through the middle so MJ fixed that by playing the diamond 4 in the middle that can easily be switched to a 4-3-3.  These days some variation of that is what you see in almost every side.

We will have to wait and see how it sets up but I would like to see either Rose or Wright used as the pacy player who switches around and gets down the wings and cuts inside as well as getting some crosses in.

Quoted from rancido

I seem to recall either Bill Shankley or Brian Clough said it but hey ho what would they know.

Regardless of who said it, it doesn't make it right. The year we were promoted from the National League, are you telling me that Danny Cowley had better players at his disposal than Paul Hurst did? Not even close, he just set them up better. And before you say but Hurst beat them in the play offs, he may have done but he also finished below them in the league and only won one of the four games against them.

I like the idea of that too RRFC.  Obviously, all games are different - you probably won’t play the same way away at Bradford as you would at home to Port Vale, for example, but I think we need to be able to seize the initiative and take the game to teams, make best use of our assets and switch our system or our players. I think, at present, we are better equipped to do this than last year, but I still think we are lacking a player or two that will give us the potential to get at the top 10.

Quoted from mariner91

Regardless of who said it, it doesn't make it right. The year we were promoted from the National League, are you telling me that Danny Cowley had better players at his disposal than Paul Hurst did? Not even close, he just set them up better. And before you say but Hurst beat them in the play offs, he may have done but he also finished below them in the league and only won one of the four games against them.

Whether Shankly or Clough said it, they didn’t mean it. They both set up their sides in a certain way so all players knew exactly what their job was. For instance, Forest in the 80s was a solid defensive minded unit that had the simple instruction of “keep it on the floor and give it to Robertson’s feet.”

Quoted from Rasen 17

With no Whitehouse  or Ogbu I don't think much of your team Oly but fortunately you are not picking the team!!

Well you could swap out Hess or Clifton for Whitehouse. Not much place for Ogbu but like I said this is a plan b to bring in some width