Formation

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

We can urine and moan all week long about what needs doing, what formation is needed, who is or isnt playing well etc etc but none of this gets back to the people who it is aimed at.

If we need to get our true feelings across, and guarantee that at least some of those up top see what we want to get across, messages on banners attached to bridges over the M180/A180. Something like that would probably get the local rag reporting on it, and possibly social media. Something needs to be done, short of protests at the ground

Quoted from mariner91

I think there are other areas that are very weak and some glaring weaknesses in the squad but I would agree that centre mid is where the bulk of the problems stem from. Hurst set out this season with the plan to try and play more possession based football but forget to sign enough central midfielders capable of doing this. Conteh is a fantastic addition with bags of potential who at his best has the power, intelligence and technical ability to pick the ball up under pressure and make quick, consistently accurate passes. But even he has regressed recently, likely as a consequence of the incompetence around him.

Hunt - I don't have a strong opinion either way on Hunt. He is undoubtedly better on the ball than all of the other central midfielders still here from last season. He has also not been given enough chances. Yes he gives the ball away sometimes but Clifton gives the ball away far more but keeps getting picked. I don't see the point in paying a fee for him and giving him a three year contract to not even include him in the match day squads or to drop him every time he makes a mistake.

Holohan - bags of effort, all action and good at breaking up play. Pops up with the odd great goal as well. But his passing is inconsistent at best and he's not good in tight situations where his ball control is often found wanting. He's not a bad player at all and he's a top bloke but there's a reason he's spent most of his career in the League of Ireland or non league. He wouldn't be a starter in a team troubling the play offs.

Green - has been injured but is nowhere near good enough on the ball for a team looking to play through the thirds. Great battler and offers a lot of fighting spirit but an exceptionally limited footballer. Again, he's 26 but has only spent one season in the FL and there's a reason for this.

Clifton - I'm going to get pelters for this but I think Clifton is actually a fairly rubbish central midfielder for L2. Or at least I'll qualify that and say he's nowhere near good enough to be starting in centre mid in a team looking to play possession based, progressive football. He's fantastic when the game is in transition, has a wonderful work rate and a top class engine. He's also clearly a fantastic young man with an amazing attitude. BUT he isn't actually very good with a football at all. If you're looking to play as a hard working, counter attacking team then he can do okay but a lot of his better performances have come out wide. Personally I don't think he has the awareness to play centrally and is better out wide where the game is nearly always in front of him. His passing is poor and he gives the ball away countless times and his footwork and ball control are nowhere near good enough to play on the half turn in tight areas. Essentially, he isn't any good at the critical parts of the game for a central midfielder in a possession based team. And that isn't his fault, it's the management's fault for keeping playing him when his form has been very poor and for trying to shoe horn him in to a system and playing style that doesn't suit him at all. Having said that, he was absolutely abysmal yesterday.

Andrews and Khouri - can't blame Andrews too much. He's a young lad who's done okay at times but is still learning the game. And we've barely seen anything of Khouri for whatever reason.

I think the squad needs at least four quality additions to be good. A goalkeeper as neither of ours are any good, Eastwood is a definite downgrade on Crocombe. A competent left back. A striker who can offer a bit more physical presence and hold up play to either help Rose out or give us another option. And the crucial one is a central midfielder who can actually play through the thirds. The gap between the back five outfield players and the more forward players is huge every time we have the ball. None of our midfielders find space between the lines to link up play and we end up just lumping it aimlessly forward. It'll be the easiest game the opposing centre mids have all season at the minute.