2 wingers needing binned

[MacGruber]

Can't play 2 wingers until we have a defenceon form playing solid as the man less in midfield will test the back four more. The pay off is more attacks and goals when it works but have to get the back 4 sorted first

[Thecat23]

Can't play 2 wingers until we have a defenceon form playing solid as the man less in midfield will test the back four more. The pay off is more attacks and goals when it works but have to get the back 4 sorted first

I actually agree, more so when the full backs aren't that consistent. We were completely overrun in the midfield today and that's where all the problems Well caused us came from. We looked lost.

[S4uzee]

I actually agree, more so when the full backs aren't that consistent. We were completely overrun in the midfield today and that's where all the problems Well caused us came from. We looked lost.

I've always disliked playing 2 CMs against a 3 almost regardless of the opposition.

We have to have a 3 in there

[CMurdoch]

If Lennon wanted to play two wingers today he should have had Stevenson at left back and Big Dave at Centre Forward.
Stevenson would have defended whilst Barker did his thing and Big Dave would have provided a target man for the wingers to fire the ball at.

After an hour the tired wingers and Big Dave could have been pulled off and replaced by McGeough, Slivka and Murray

[Thecat23]

I've always disliked playing 2 CMs against a 3 almost regardless of the opposition.

We have to have a 3 in there

I agree, just wasn't working at all.

[Hibee Mac]

Agree with this. It also gives us the chance to get Slivka, Swanson and Dylan all more game time and get winning these midfield battles again.

[Winston Ingram]

I've always disliked playing 2 CMs against a 3 almost regardless of the opposition.

We have to have a 3 in there

We can still have 2 wingers with 3 in the middle

[blackpoolhibs]

We never played wingers/wide men when we had Gray and Stevenson doing the job. Now we have 2 specialist wide men.

Let defenders defend, and get the wide men to add the quality further up wide?

[MB62]

We never played wingers/wide men when we had Gray and Stevenson doing the job. Now we have 2 specialist wide men.

Let defenders defend, and get the wide men to add the quality further up wide?

Against 'Well we had two wingers, Bartley doing his usual covering job and SJM trying do everything else in midfield ON HIS OWN. Consequently, he was easily closed down by 2 or 3 'Well players.

Loads of things wrong with that team an performance today, from the keeper right through to the strikers. :fuming:

[angus hibby]

I was surprised to see Boyle and Barker both playing against St Johnstone last week. I think the fact McGinn was outstanding last week meant we got away with it, and to be fair the performance last week was very good, so can see why he went with the same team yesterday.

i expect changes now though, with McGeouch and Slivka featuring.

If we're to play both Boyle and Barker, has to 4-3-3.

[SeanWilson]

Can't play 2 wingers until we have a defenceon form playing solid as the man less in midfield will test the back four more. The pay off is more attacks and goals when it works but have to get the back 4 sorted first

For me, it's a pointless formation when you've Stokes who always wants to be in the wingers space and Whitaker at full back who seems to want to be the winger. Barker had a really good first half IMO, second half was anonymous. Boyle had one clear opportunity to run at the defence in the first half, shat himself and played a non ball to the Motherwell defence.

[MikeyS]

Last couple of years we've had more than a few experts on here tell us we need to play with 2 wingers.

No many teams do it successfully anymore and we are no finding out the hard way too.

[LaMotta]

Our two wingers got an assist each today that had us 2 nil up. :hmmm:

[Northernhibee]

Nothing wrong with two wingers if you play with one up front. Still leaves sufficient cover in the middle.

[NAE NOOKIE]

This was the first conversation we had on the way home yesterday. We just seemed so light in midfield and playing two wingers was clearly part of the problem, poor John McGinn was fighting a losing battle at times and ended up getting tied in knots trying to make things happen.

Bartley played just fine yesterday, but at times he was swamped.

[MWHIBBIES]

2 games, one which we play very well at St js, and another which we were 2-0 up and 2 wingers has already been deemed pish.

[Reaper]

Certainly needs to be one up front if two wingers. 433 with the ball,451 without. I said on another thread that I don't think Barker works on the left with Stokes playing. Stokes drifts left and Barker doesn't naturally fill in the gap in the centre. Boyle or Swanson would. I'd have swapped Boyle and Barker over yesterday.

[lucky]

Nothing wrong with two wingers if you play with one up front. Still leaves sufficient cover in the middle.

Spot on but what we can't do is play 4 up front as we get swamped in the midfield

[hibsdaft]

If Lennon wanted to play two wingers today he should have had Stevenson at left back and Big Dave at Centre Forward.
Stevenson would have defended whilst Barker did his thing and Big Dave would have provided a target man for the wingers to fire the ball at.

After an hour the tired wingers and Big Dave could have been pulled off and replaced by McGeough, Slivka and Murray

you've nailed it there imo.

[Stuart93]

The games I've seen us in this season we've looked overrun in the midfield, when other teams attack they have so much space and freedom

[Big L]

Barker is playing as an out and out winger, Boyle is playing more as an attacking wing back. Lennon said some weeks ago that he wanted more from Boyle and by that I took it he meant up and down the park. A lot of Boyle's runs are from deeper positions and consequently we lose the main thing Boyle has to offer, his pace! The move has also coincided with Murray's goals drying up, the two of them had formed a great attacking partnership, we don't see to much of that now. Totally surprised he took Boyle off yesterday.

[R'Albin]

Last couple of years we've had more than a few experts on here tell us we need to play with 2 wingers.

No many teams do it successfully anymore and we are no finding out the hard way too.

Loads of teams do it. The top two teams in this league have done it for several seasons to great effect.

The difference is they've sacrificed a striker as opposed to a midfielder. Rooney doesn't get into the Aberdeen side despite being a 20 a season striker and likewise Griffiths at Celtic. We need to drop Murray to get the extra midfielder in IMO. It suits us because we have plenty of quality in there.

[J-C]

If we play 2 wingers than we can only afford 1 up top as we need 3 in the middle, can Stokes play up top on his own? Where does that leave Big Davy and Murray. I'd play 4-3-3 with Murray and Boyle the wide forwards, not actually wingers but wide attacking forwards offering more than just width but also a goal threat.

[Big L]

I don't think Stokes is a number 9, he prefers to attack from left of centre.

[S4uzee]

We can still have 2 wingers with 3 in the middle

Agreed, however I feel Stokes is more effective in a 2 up front. Difficult decisions

[Stevie Reid]

Last season many on here criticised Lennon for being too negative, and believed that first and foremost his natural instinct was to make sure his team doesn't lose, rather than go out and try to win matches. I never believed it myself, I just think he was pragmatic enough to know that we didn't need to push too hard towards the end of last season when we had such a big lead.

Now he is being criticised (not necessarily by the same people) for being too gung ho with his team selection and forward players. I liked the look of our attacking line up yesterday and we caused Motherwell no end of problems in the first half. However, they were clever enough to exploit the spaces that were available as a result of that formation, and caused us problems too.

Many people are saying that Lennon doesn't know his best team, but at this stage of the season I think that is fine, I find it totally understandable actually, considering the amount of players recruited in the summer.

The Leugue Cup games have been used to give valuable game time to the younger members of our squad, and since the league campaign started we have been forced to make changes to the back four due to injuries and suspensions, and Boyle and Bartley were injured as well. I think this week was the first time he had the option of playing the same starting eleven and he took that opportunity.

How will he ever know his best team if he doesn't try different things? You can't work these things in training, it has to be in competitive matches. He's allowed to try things, and nothing he has done yet has been outrageous. We are scoring goals and creating chances, have been competitive in every game, and only lost once in eleven matches. But he will make mistakes as part of the process too.

I would definitely bring Lewis back in at LB though.

[Onion]

Agreed. We desperately needed 2 wingers to break down most of the 11 man defences we faced at ER in the Champ. Now we're in the Prem, we go with 2 wingers ?? Madness. We're being outnumbered and outgunned in midfield. Lennon needs to sort that out.

[erin go bragh]

Wonder if Barker and Boyle could play as wing backs . With Porteous ,Hanlon and Ambrrose CH's

[BoomtownHibees]

Wonder if Barker and Boyle could play as wing backs . With Porteous ,Hanlon and Ambrrose CH's

Attacking wise no issues, defensively would leave us far too exposed

[where'stheslope]

I was surprised to see Boyle and Barker both playing against St Johnstone last week. I think the fact McGinn was outstanding last week meant we got away with it, and to be fair the performance last week was very good, so can see why he went with the same team yesterday.

i expect changes now though, with McGeouch and Slivka featuring.

If we're to play both Boyle and Barker, has to 4-3-3.

This is why coaches are sent to spy on up coming opponents, they come back with a run down on our play and maybe how to stop it.
This is usually why many managers keep changing the team, trying to out fox opponents and freshen up the team play.
More so in this more professional league with full time teams, and better players!
Yesterday it took Motherwell longer to work out spoiling tactics, and although some of their tactics were brutal, it was totally effective in getting back at us.
I have said it on other threads before, this league is about manning up to opponents first, then go and win the game!!!

[DTS]

Before the game I was saying the exact thing, very surprised we didn't go 3-5-2 and also expected us to change it at half time as well but it never came, dominated us in the middle of the pitch and the pairing of McGinn and Bartley doesn't work, it didn't last year and it doesn't now. I think if fonts had been fit we would've seen 3-5-2 yesterday. I think we play our best football playing 3-5-2 and then people claim it's "five defenders" well that depends on who we start and the opposition. Having 3 in the middle of the park makes sense as the majority of our best players play centrally eg McGinn mcgeouch slivka Swanson bartley