TheFamous1875
13-03-2014, 05:19 PM
I'm taking a look at our squad and thinking from an uneducated outsider's view (like most of us) about what can be done with he boys we have? What needs changed? What can we do with an unbalanced squad like ours?
Our best players are currently Sam Stanton, Paul Hanlon, Tom Taiwo and Duncan Watmore. A box-to-box midfielder, a composed and intelligent centre half who likes to play it out from the back, a 'terrier-esque' defensive midfielder, and a pacey, tricky winger who likes to go at full backs. These are our best players right now, hands down.
When looking at our squad, the immediate concern arises that we've got an abundance of un-dynamic midfielders. The 'cloggers', the 'crabs', so to speak. Say what you like about these guys, the Tom Taiwos, the Lewis Stevensons - but they're grafters. They hassle and nip at the opposing midfielders for 90mins+. You need that in your team. Maybe not in the abundance that Pat Fenlon believed, but you need that engine room, that dogged tenacity in the middle of the park that protects the centre backs.
In Watmore, Harris and Haynes we have 3 players with pace and the ability to take the ball past a full back. I've not yet seen Haynes as a winger, but I've been told he's more than adept on the flank. I think it would be worth investigating, as I'm sure his pace could be used well from the side of the park.
The thing about a 4-3-3 formation is you have to have full-backs able to get up and down on the wing as an attacking threat. McGivern likes to get forward, and from what I've seen from Forster he seems comfortable getting forward too. With help covering from Taiwo and Stevenson, it can give the full backs the freedom to get forward. I think we could safely trust that TT and LS would be able to do this with success. As a squad, everyone would have to work extremely hard, but that should go without saying.
The reason I've came to this conclusion is because I think you need your players to play in the position/set up that suits their style, and, I think this could be ideal for our current starting XI. I think this is worth a go, especially if we miss the top 6 which is looking increasingly likely. If it was me, I'd pick the following:
Williams.
Forster. Nelson. Hanlon. McGivern.
Taiwo. Stanton. Stevenson.
Haynes. Collins/Heff. Watmore.
Our best players are currently Sam Stanton, Paul Hanlon, Tom Taiwo and Duncan Watmore. A box-to-box midfielder, a composed and intelligent centre half who likes to play it out from the back, a 'terrier-esque' defensive midfielder, and a pacey, tricky winger who likes to go at full backs. These are our best players right now, hands down.
When looking at our squad, the immediate concern arises that we've got an abundance of un-dynamic midfielders. The 'cloggers', the 'crabs', so to speak. Say what you like about these guys, the Tom Taiwos, the Lewis Stevensons - but they're grafters. They hassle and nip at the opposing midfielders for 90mins+. You need that in your team. Maybe not in the abundance that Pat Fenlon believed, but you need that engine room, that dogged tenacity in the middle of the park that protects the centre backs.
In Watmore, Harris and Haynes we have 3 players with pace and the ability to take the ball past a full back. I've not yet seen Haynes as a winger, but I've been told he's more than adept on the flank. I think it would be worth investigating, as I'm sure his pace could be used well from the side of the park.
The thing about a 4-3-3 formation is you have to have full-backs able to get up and down on the wing as an attacking threat. McGivern likes to get forward, and from what I've seen from Forster he seems comfortable getting forward too. With help covering from Taiwo and Stevenson, it can give the full backs the freedom to get forward. I think we could safely trust that TT and LS would be able to do this with success. As a squad, everyone would have to work extremely hard, but that should go without saying.
The reason I've came to this conclusion is because I think you need your players to play in the position/set up that suits their style, and, I think this could be ideal for our current starting XI. I think this is worth a go, especially if we miss the top 6 which is looking increasingly likely. If it was me, I'd pick the following:
Williams.
Forster. Nelson. Hanlon. McGivern.
Taiwo. Stanton. Stevenson.
Haynes. Collins/Heff. Watmore.