Trying players in new positions.

[Smartie]

It has been another very disappointing transfer window and has left us short of quality and quantity with glaring weaknesses throughout the squad and positions that really lack cover.

But we are where we are and the games are going to keep on coming.

Previous managers have been lambasted for playing players out of position but is there anyone in the squad who could potentially play in another position?

I think we are short up front and cannot see the Heff getting goals for us or anyone else. He's finished. Harris doesn't seem to have the bottle or desire to run at fullbacks down the line.

Could Harris be a pacy striker, running onto balls played by, say, Allan?

Could Forster be a makeshift target man? He has often looked to be our biggest threat in the opposition box. Who else in our squad could score Farid's second against Dumbarton? Forster could.

Who can play RB if Gray is missing?

[Billychaotic182]

I said it last year and I will say again why not try big Jordon up front? Last year he scored most our goals. He is big strong and knows where the back of the net is. When Hanlon is back though don't want to leave our back four short

[worcesterhibby]

We need someone in the middle of the park with arrogance and huge amounts of self confidence. Someone who will just ignore the boo boys and dictate exactly what will happens…Someone who will ignore defeats as if they didn't happen.




how about Rod Petrie ?

[spike220]

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I said it last year and I will say again why not try big Jordon up front? Last year he scored most our goals. He is big strong and knows where the back of the net is. When Hanlon is back though don't want to leave our back four short

Not a bad idea, could mix it around imho, keep switching Harris for Jordan, that would keep them on their toes.

[Spike Mandela]

Desperate stuff indeed.

[Keith_M]

Does the Thread title qualify as the Gayest Ever on DotNet?

[worcesterhibby]

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Does the Thread title qualify as the Gayest Ever on DotNet?

very good..actually did laugh out loud.

[GreenLake]

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I said it last year and I will say again why not try big Jordon up front? Last year he scored most our goals. He is big strong and knows where the back of the net is. When Hanlon is back though don't want to leave our back four short

Good shout.

[WeeRussell]

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I said it last year and I will say again why not try big Jordon up front? Last year he scored most our goals. He is big strong and knows where the back of the net is. When Hanlon is back though don't want to leave our back four short

Because, for me, Jordan hasn't proved he has the forward ability or control to even be a good-quality full-back yet, never mind striker. He'd score the odd header from set pieces (like he does now) but I don't envisage him holding the ball up/linking well with a strike partner or making intelligent runs/cooly slotting the ball past the keeper.

Only my opinion but would much prefer to see us work on the young lad at centre half... at least in defence where he belongs.

In general response to the thread: we're 4 games into the season.. I don't see any reason to chuck the base that Stubbs has built.. play everyone out of position and really turn things t1ts-up.

[The_Exile]

Think Kennedy would make a very good striker, he's quick, wants to run at players and has the ability to beat a man. Sure there was a half decent player that Arsenal stuck up front having bought him as a winger...........(yep, I just compared Kennedy with Thierry Henry, 'ave it.)

[SlickShoes]

The fact that this thread even exists is depressing beyond belief. We are that bad we are trying to think of ANYTHING that will make us slightly less garbage.

[Colr]

I suggest that next time they play they do not adopt positions with their tailpipes up in the air.

[BH Hibs]

Is this for real? We need players who are tried and tested in their positions, proven players not the time for experiments.

[db03]

I have always said Callum Booth is not a left back, he is in a similar situation as Bale was. A player with loads of energy, quick and good onhe ball but in my opinion cant defend.

I would move Kennedy out to the right and move Booth up to left midfield.

[jacomo]

Oxley at Centre Forward, obviously. He's scored more than Heff this season.

STF to step in as keeper. As Paul Kane will testify, nothing gets past him.

[NAE NOOKIE]

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Does the Thread title qualify as the Gayest Ever on DotNet?

Brilliant ........

[NAE NOOKIE]

Jordan Forster at centre forward ..... has a great habit of getting on the end of corners, whose to say he cant do the same with crosses?

Does anybody remember Amstrad's World soccer league game? If you bought a left back with a rating of 3 for example but moved him to midfield after a few games he could turn into a 7

Loved that game ......... happy days.

[TheFamous1875]

Stevenson.

Forster. Fontaine. Craig.

Stanton. Hanlon.

Gray. Allan. Booth.

Harris.

WINNING THE LEAGUE AT A CANTER.

[Smartie]

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Stevenson.

Forster. Fontaine. Craig.

Stanton. Hanlon.

Gray. Allan. Booth.

Harris.

WINNING THE LEAGUE AT A CANTER.

Hi Pat. How is Shamrock Rovers working out for you?


I kind of wish I hadn't asked the original question now, and certainly not in such a brokeback mountain-esque fashion.

But with players like Paul Hartley, Gordon Rae and Kevin Harper going on to do well in positions different to those where they made their breakthrough I thought it worth asking if anyone thought we had something similar under our noses given the position we've found ourselves in.

Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.

[Aldo]

How's about starting Craig in the stand from now on??

[HFC 0-7]

If stubbs started playing defenders upfront and we didnt win this place would go into meltdown. No thanks!

I just want hibs to try out one of the positions further up the league.

[Weststandwanab]

Seriously who came up with this idea ?

[Not In The Know]

Was it the killie game last year he played there. Actually read the game really well.

[ancient hibee]

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Stevenson.

Forster. Fontaine. Craig.

Stanton. Hanlon.

Gray. Allan. Booth.

Harris.

WINNING THE LEAGUE AT A CANTER.

Pretty confident to only go out with 10.

[GreenArmyyy!]

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I said it last year and I will say again why not try big Jordon up front? Last year he scored most our goals. He is big strong and knows where the back of the net is. When Hanlon is back though don't want to leave our back four short

Dundee Utd used to do that with Daly which worked well. Certainly not the worst idea I have ever heard. Mind you that is not difficult considering somebody mentioned trying James Collins at centre back last season.

[Bruceb1875]

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How's about starting Craig in the stand from now on??

Well said Aldo.... Craig is DEFINETLY the Weak Link in The Whole team.

[TheFamous1875]

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Pretty confident to only go out with 10.

Pretty drunk, maire like! haha

[TheFamous1875]

If all seriousness, I don't see it as a bad thing IF they can do the job. For example, you'd imagine Sparky could play on the wing due to his pace, but really it takes him out of the game and he's much more suited to the middle. We're seeing that now at Celtic and we saw it two years ago up at Pittodrie when Fenlon put him on the right with KUQI up top with David Wotherspoon behind him.

Again, Wotherspoon's ideal position is probably behind the striker, but he rarely got the chance to play there and on the occasion that he did he was ineffectual (to be fair, he was consistently inconsistent in every position he played) as were Sparky and Kuqi and we draw 0-0 in one of the most boring matches I have ever had to endure.

Alternatively, Thierry Henry when he was moved into the centre in front of Bergkamp, he went from a good winger into one of the best finishers the modern game has ever seen (up there with Riordan imo), or better yet, the Welsh Callum Booth, Gareth Bale, going from a suspect left-back, to cutting in from the right-wing or playing behind the striker, an now he's one of the world's best players.

Some players can adapt and some can't to new roles, Liam Craig being another example of someone being played out of position and looking a far poorer player than he is.

It's a matter of tactics and the players approach to playing and his ability; you can't just assume Sparky can play on the wing because he has tricks and pace - his football brain works as simply as "THERE'S THE GOAL, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME WHERE IT ALWAYS IS, SHOOT." I can't think of anything worse than coaching that out of him which is the risk Celtic are taking (I don't think it'll work as he seems too single minded and he's more likely to just fail as a winger).

Lewis Stevenson as a holding mid? You betcha. Composure, passing, tenacity, tackling, unrelenting effort - does the jobs Liam Craig hates.

Stanton on the wing? Nah. Too cultured for that. Needs to be immersed in the game, use his brain, passes, drive, skill. Get him in the centre.

Craig as holding mid? Not a chance and he knows it. He can shoot and pass and attack, that's about all we know. Get him in a free role, let him express himself and see what he comes up with. If not, he's not got what we thought he had.

I think managers sometimes look at things such as a player's position from an idyllic perspective rather than a realistic standpoint. You assume Lewis can't go in the middle because he's small. You assume the captain who's big and good with the ball can do a job in the middle and you assume that a young up and comer can do a job on the wing because he's got pace and tricks.

It doesn't always work that way as we know. We need to manage our players based on what they CAN do, rather gain what we feel they SHOULD be able to do.