will we now sign wide midfielders??

[Hibeescott]

start of rant....

ok, before someone corrects me, we have two, galbraith and zemmama, one injured, the other started on the bench.

Of our 6 attacking players, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers, that we played tonight, every single one of them played through the middle of the park! De graaf was meant to be playing right mid, deeks left mid, but having looked at both of their positions for most of the game they were behind stokes and nish.

That IMO was thee main reason why I personally and I am sure others didnt get the performance I was hoping for. Every time our defence got the ball, when they lifted their head they saw 6 players in the centre, in no space, and crowded out by the Maribor midfield, because it is so easy to defend against. So they looked to hart and murray, played them the ball. They look up.......they see a huge big space in front of them, with no green shirt in it, because we decided that our 4-4-2 system has no wide players and there is no need to stretch them. (by the way what on earth was the point in widening the pitch when we dont play ******i*g wide players!!) So murray and hart lump in forward to nish, who to be fair won the majority of balls up to him.

It was at this point I realised........not as a football manager of course.........that if nish is winning most of the headers, wouldnt it make sense to get the ball wide, get crosses into the box and let him win the headers in a position he can do some damage. But maybe that was just me.

Towards the end of the game, we decided to put on two midfielders (including our only fit wide player, thank god!), at full back. and hey presto we have width! and hey presto, we get the ball wide, cross into the box, nish (as i thought he might) won the header, knock down to de graaf and we score.

So....three solutions, we either sign wide midfielders, play the one (two when zemmama comes back) that we have, or the players that we put there can start playing as wide players and not in the centre.

Let me know if you agree or not.

End of rant........

oh and their number 27 up front....ilicic i think.....was outstanding.

[Emerald]

My post is as far down the pecking order as yours, seems no one else noticed the huge spaces on the wing either in attack or defebnce. :dunno:

[Hibby Bairn]

At last some rational sense. Yogi's crime is making things overly complicated. FWIW I think 3-5-2 is the way to go. And Hogg shouldn't be one of the 3.

[Hibeescott]

At last some rational sense. Yogi's crime is making things overly complicated. FWIW I think 3-5-2 is the way to go. And Hogg shouldn't be one of the 3.


Yeah I might well agree with that. who would be your two wing backs then?

[Hibby Bairn]

Galbraith and Wotherspoon/Zemmama. Get on the touchline and don't move off it. And please, please, please take defenders on.

[Del Boy]

Yogi will probably sign another goalkeeper

[proud_and_green]

Yeah I might well agree with that. who would be your two wing backs then?

Laursen and de la Cruz obviously!!!!

It was incredible as well when the ball went out to hart he had no where to go whilst out to murray Riordan was generally available - well more so in the second but nine times out of ten it went to hart who was on a hiding to nothing.

[Thecat23]

start of rant....

ok, before someone corrects me, we have two, galbraith and zemmama, one injured, the other started on the bench.

Of our 6 attacking players, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers, that we played tonight, every single one of them played through the middle of the park! De graaf was meant to be playing right mid, deeks left mid, but having looked at both of their positions for most of the game they were behind stokes and nish.

That IMO was thee main reason why I personally and I am sure others didnt get the performance I was hoping for. Every time our defence got the ball, when they lifted their head they saw 6 players in the centre, in no space, and crowded out by the Maribor midfield, because it is so easy to defend against. So they looked to hart and murray, played them the ball. They look up.......they see a huge big space in front of them, with no green shirt in it, because we decided that our 4-4-2 system has no wide players and there is no need to stretch them. (by the way what on earth was the point in widening the pitch when we dont play ******i*g wide players!!) So murray and hart lump in forward to nish, who to be fair won the majority of balls up to him.

It was at this point I realised........not as a football manager of course.........that if nish is winning most of the headers, wouldnt it make sense to get the ball wide, get crosses into the box and let him win the headers in a position he can do some damage. But maybe that was just me.

Towards the end of the game, we decided to put on two midfielders (including our only fit wide player, thank god!), at full back. and hey presto we have width! and hey presto, we get the ball wide, cross into the box, nish (as i thought he might) won the header, knock down to de graaf and we score.

So....three solutions, we either sign wide midfielders, play the one (two when zemmama comes back) that we have, or the players that we put there can start playing as wide players and not in the centre.

Let me know if you agree or not.

End of rant........

oh and their number 27 up front....ilicic i think.....was outstanding.


:top marks Cracking post and agree with everything you have just said mate.

[ForeverHibs93]

I noticed it early on when there RB got the ball and he had time and space too drive down the line for what seems like ages before being presured

[Hibeescott]

Laursen and de la Cruz obviously!!!!

It was incredible as well when the ball went out to hart he had no where to go whilst out to murray Riordan was generally available - well more so in the second but nine times out of ten it went to hart who was on a hiding to nothing.


I noticed that as well, first half murray and hart had no where to go, second half riordan was hugging the touchline more, probably through him seeing the problem as opposed to our manager mind due.

What then frustrates me is folk get on the back of hogg/murray/hart for lumping the ball forward......but what else are they meant to do.

[ShanksSaidNo]

start of rant....

ok, before someone corrects me, we have two, galbraith and zemmama, one injured, the other started on the bench.

Of our 6 attacking players, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers, that we played tonight, every single one of them played through the middle of the park! De graaf was meant to be playing right mid, deeks left mid, but having looked at both of their positions for most of the game they were behind stokes and nish.

That IMO was thee main reason why I personally and I am sure others didnt get the performance I was hoping for. Every time our defence got the ball, when they lifted their head they saw 6 players in the centre, in no space, and crowded out by the Maribor midfield, because it is so easy to defend against. So they looked to hart and murray, played them the ball. They look up.......they see a huge big space in front of them, with no green shirt in it, because we decided that our 4-4-2 system has no wide players and there is no need to stretch them. (by the way what on earth was the point in widening the pitch when we dont play ******i*g wide players!!) So murray and hart lump in forward to nish, who to be fair won the majority of balls up to him.

It was at this point I realised........not as a football manager of course.........that if nish is winning most of the headers, wouldnt it make sense to get the ball wide, get crosses into the box and let him win the headers in a position he can do some damage. But maybe that was just me.

Towards the end of the game, we decided to put on two midfielders (including our only fit wide player, thank god!), at full back. and hey presto we have width! and hey presto, we get the ball wide, cross into the box, nish (as i thought he might) won the header, knock down to de graaf and we score.

So....three solutions, we either sign wide midfielders, play the one (two when zemmama comes back) that we have, or the players that we put there can start playing as wide players and not in the centre.

Let me know if you agree or not.

End of rant........

oh and their number 27 up front....ilicic i think.....was outstanding.

I was reading your post with great interest until I got to the bit that i've highlighted. Nish won less than 50% of the balls that were lumped forward to him and of the small percentage that he did win he very rarely got a meaningful contact on the ball. His lack of awareness of how to play as a target man is unbelevable. not once did he take a long ball in and bounce it off to a man in a green shirt. thats because he is incapable.
As for getting the ball to the byline and crossing it in for Nish 'to do some damage' - prime example that he is also incapable of that was when Riordan beat his man, stood it up to the far post and Nish rose only to glance a header harmlessly wide - A Brewster or a Mixu would have attacked that and bulleted a header home.

[yekimevol]

mate we have two gd ones but the blank will not play them ie danny galbraith and wortherspoon

[delbert]

Have to say I agree with the post, but in my opinion our problems are absolutely at the back. No surprise we lost (yet) another goal from a corner kick, how many is that this pre-season alone? It's a cliche but it's utterly true, good teams build from the back and at the back just now we are, quite frankly, abysmal, It is going to be open season against us unless we can get a big strong experienced centre half in there and I believe also a left back, as Murray's lack of pace has already been exposed, he would be a far better option just now as a sitting midfielder, because unlike McBride, Murray never hides. Pacy wide midfielders, yes please, but after we have addressed a defence who shipped shedloads at the end of last season, and look like they have learned absolutely nothing about how to do things back there any better. If they just don't have it Yogi, either deal with it or get out and let someone in who will.

[Hibeescott]

Have to say I agree with the post, but in my opinion our problems are absolutely at the back. No surprise we lost (yet) another goal from a corner kick, how many is that this pre-season alone? It's a cliche but it's utterly true, good teams build from the back and at the back just now we are, quite frankly, abysmal, It is going to be open season against us unless we can get a big strong experienced centre half in there and I believe also a left back, as Murray's lack of pace has already been exposed, he would be a far better option just now as a sitting midfielder, because unlike McBride, Murray never hides. Pacy wide midfielders, yes please, but after we have addressed a defence who shipped shedloads at the end of last season, and look like they have learned absolutely nothing about how to do things back there any better. If they just don't have it Yogi, either deal with it or get out and let someone in who will.


I agree that the basis of any good team comes from a solid defence. But IMO I believe alot of the reason for the defence being so shaky is that when they get the ball they are expected to play their way out, and with no width what so ever, they at times try passes into midfield and end up surrendering possession in dangerous areas. I also agree that I think Murray's lack of pace is being exposed at left back, but I wouldn't play him as the sitting midfielder. IMO we need someone in there like Mcbride who is comfortable on the ball, and murray is not.

[PISTOL1875]

mate we have two gd ones but the blank will not play them ie danny galbraith and wortherspoon

Danny Galbraith looked pretty good when he manged to get into the final 1/3 last night...

[lyonhibs]

let's start by hoping that Yogi starts off by playing the 2 natural wide men we DO hav at the club in their natural positions. He cud sign a reincarnated Marc Overmars, it wud make hee-haw difference if Yogi then played him, say, at full back a la Galbraith. Yogi's whole tactical outlook needs to change b4 we see any meaningful width in the starting 11

[Kato]

Hughes talks about an expansive game, which means making use of the whole pitch.

However he doesn't have a scooby how to put it into practice.

Talks a good game but he lacks the tactical nous.

[HibeeB]

mate we have two gd ones but the blank will not play them ie danny galbraith and wortherspoon

Spot on :agree:

Nuff said.

[erin go bragh]

start of rant....

ok, before someone corrects me, we have two, galbraith and zemmama, one injured, the other started on the bench.

Of our 6 attacking players, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers, that we played tonight, every single one of them played through the middle of the park! De graaf was meant to be playing right mid, deeks left mid, but having looked at both of their positions for most of the game they were behind stokes and nish.

That IMO was thee main reason why I personally and I am sure others didnt get the performance I was hoping for. Every time our defence got the ball, when they lifted their head they saw 6 players in the centre, in no space, and crowded out by the Maribor midfield, because it is so easy to defend against. So they looked to hart and murray, played them the ball. They look up.......they see a huge big space in front of them, with no green shirt in it, because we decided that our 4-4-2 system has no wide players and there is no need to stretch them. (by the way what on earth was the point in widening the pitch when we dont play ******i*g wide players!!) So murray and hart lump in forward to nish, who to be fair won the majority of balls up to him.

It was at this point I realised........not as a football manager of course.........that if nish is winning most of the headers, wouldnt it make sense to get the ball wide, get crosses into the box and let him win the headers in a position he can do some damage. But maybe that was just me.

Towards the end of the game, we decided to put on two midfielders (including our only fit wide player, thank god!), at full back. and hey presto we have width! and hey presto, we get the ball wide, cross into the box, nish (as i thought he might) won the header, knock down to de graaf and we score.

So....three solutions, we either sign wide midfielders, play the one (two when zemmama comes back) that we have, or the players that we put there can start playing as wide players and not in the centre.

Let me know if you agree or not.

End of rant........

oh and their number 27 up front....ilicic i think.....was outstanding.

agree 1000/1 :top marks

[calumb]

Of course we won't sign any wide midfielders, we will just continue with our narrow 3 man midfield as we have since mixu's days.

Then we hope and pray that it does not get over run and that our 2 full backs can cover the vast amount of open space in front of them without getting pulled out of position.

We all must know nothing about football as the tatical genius's of both Hughes and Mixu have never felt the need to compete the midfield battle.

[Hibeescott]

Of course we won't sign any wide midfielders, we will just continue with our narrow 3 man midfield as we have since mixu's days.

Then we hope and pray that it does not get over run and that our 2 full backs can cover the vast amount of open space in front of them without getting pulled out of position.

We all must know nothing about football as the tatical genius's of both Hughes and Mixu have never felt the need to compete the midfield battle.


Yup, all these people that agree that lack of width and the structure we set up with is the problem, clearly know nothing. I find it staggering that a professional football manager, who was a player himself for however many years, cannot see what we all can. Mixu before him made some incredible decisions. And don't get me started on Collins with his 4 centre midfielders playing across midfield, and the shambles of a selection against celtic with boozy at CB, murphy at CM and others all over the place.

FWIW I am not calling for Hughes' head at the moment, but look forward to the day when we have a manager that I can look at how he sets the team up and at least understand his reasons for doing so.