4-5-1 Formation

[Zemamma10]

We clearly don't have the players currently to play 4-5-1 which seems to be Fenlon's preferred formation.

Its offers us very little going forward, Griffiths is isolated up front, Doyle isn't a winger and Sproule is past it.

Surely in the short term until we've signed players that can play this formation we need to change the system.

The argument will be it doesn't matter what formation we play (which is fair enough!) but if I was Fenlon I'd look at going
with a 3-5-2 based on the current squad.

-------------------Williams-----------------

---------Clancy------McPake--------Hanlon-------------

Wotherspoon---------------------------------------Booth

--------------Deegan-----------Claros/Stevenson (there's nobody else just now unfortunately)

------------------------Cairney----------------------------

---------------Griffiths----------------Doyle-----------------


Not many teams play it nowadays however it would certainly suit us better than 4-5-1 currently where we are badly exposed in all areas of the pitch.

[California-Hibs]

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We clearly don't have the players currently to play 4-5-1 which seems to be Fenlon's preferred formation.

Its offers us very little going forward, Griffiths is isolated up front, Doyle isn't a winger and Sproule is past it.

Surely in the short term until we've signed players that can play this formation we need to change the system.

The argument will be it doesn't matter what formation we play (which is fair enough!) but if I was Fenlon I'd look at going
with a 3-5-2 based on the current squad.

-------------------Williams-----------------

---------Clancy------McPake--------Hanlon-------------

Wotherspoon---------------------------------------Booth

--------------Deegan-----------Claros/Stevenson (there's nobody else just now unfortunately)

------------------------Cairney----------------------------

---------------Griffiths----------------Doyle-----------------


Not many teams play it nowadays however it would certainly suit us better than 4-5-1 currently where we are badly exposed in all areas of the pitch.

I actually don't really mind the look of that team and would be happy to go into the derby like that. Of course i hope that we have acouple more signings that can go straight in, a striker and winger would be great!

[ionahibby]

I say we go back to the diamond formation that worked........




Well it didn't but could be any worse!!!

[Zemamma10]

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I actually don't really mind the look of that team and would be happy to go into the derby like that. Of course i hope that we have acouple more signings that can go straight in, a striker and winger would be great!

Agree another striker and one with a physical presence is a must (Along with a good few more). Every team in scotland has one apart from us: Motherwell - Higdon, Dundee United - Daly, Hearts - Sutton, Aberdeen - Vernon, St Mirren - Thompson etc etc etc

[Craig_in_Prague]

any formation that means Sproule, Wotherspoon, Stevenson and Stephens dont feature - is fine by me :-))

[hibs supporter]

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We clearly don't have the players currently to play 4-5-1 which seems to be Fenlon's preferred formation.

Its offers us very little going forward, Griffiths is isolated up front, Doyle isn't a winger and Sproule is past it.

Surely in the short term until we've signed players that can play this formation we need to change the system.

The argument will be it doesn't matter what formation we play (which is fair enough!) but if I was Fenlon I'd look at going
with a 3-5-2 based on the current squad.

-------------------Williams-----------------

---------Clancy------McPake--------Hanlon-------------

Wotherspoon---------------------------------------Booth

--------------Deegan-----------Claros/Stevenson (there's nobody else just now unfortunately)

------------------------Cairney----------------------------

---------------Griffiths----------------Doyle-----------------


Not many teams play it nowadays however it would certainly suit us better than 4-5-1 currently where we are badly exposed in all areas of the pitch.

If wotherspoon and booth are wing backs that would be a good team wotherspoon played his best football for hibs at right back

[PISTOL1875]

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We clearly don't have the players currently to play 4-5-1 which seems to be Fenlon's preferred formation.

Its offers us very little going forward, Griffiths is isolated up front, Doyle isn't a winger and Sproule is past it.

Surely in the short term until we've signed players that can play this formation we need to change the system.

The argument will be it doesn't matter what formation we play (which is fair enough!) but if I was Fenlon I'd look at going
with a 3-5-2 based on the current squad.

-------------------Williams-----------------

---------Clancy------McPake--------Hanlon-------------

Wotherspoon---------------------------------------Booth

--------------Deegan-----------Claros/Stevenson (there's nobody else just now unfortunately)

------------------------Cairney----------------------------

---------------Griffiths----------------Doyle-----------------


Not many teams play it nowadays however it would certainly suit us better than 4-5-1 currently where we are badly exposed in all areas of the pitch.

it was 4231 and not 451..

It couldve been more playable if Doyle has played up front and griffiths had played on the left for starters..

[blackpoolhibs]

We dont have enough good players to play any formation in my opinion, we could try 1-1-8, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 5-5-0 we'd still struggle whatever side and formation we played. Thank you STF and Rod for providing this shambles, i hope you are proud?

[Piqué]

The switch to 3-5-2 last season for Wigan worked well and was probably what saved them from relegation. Worth a try anyway, it can't make us any worse.

[Eyrie]

We need to play with two forwards, but the problem is that I don't think Doyle and Griffiths are a good combination and we lack a physical striker. I'm all for giving Caldwell opportunities, but I don't want to rely on him until he has shown he can take them.

[J-C]

It's all very well suggesting these formations, but is Pat clever enough to use them, I have a feeling he's a bit stuck in his ways and will play the only system he knows what worked for him in LOI. I'd go for a 4-1-3-2 formation, having the holding MF gives the 4 in midfield but allows the AM to link up with the forwards.

I think buying Maybury is needed now, he's got bags of experience and can play on either side of defence.

[delbert]

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any formation that means Sproule, Wotherspoon, Stevenson and Stephens dont feature - is fine by me :-))

You are absolutely spot on, these 4 players have been a liability for the whole of last season and look like being the same. If anything proved that being able to run around in circles and yet not make a tackle does NOT make a POTY, then Saturdays game proved it, I actually did not realise Stevenson was playing for about 20 minutes. I await for the guys to come on and tell me 3 of them are young and need time, sorry we have'nt got time, we are 9 months away from being relegated, we won't win many games with players who have consistently proved their main contribution to our team is as passengers.


Just to drag the thread back to 4-5-1, is anybody else concerned that we are trying to play this formation without a target man, we have a willing worker and talented goalscorer up there, but he is in no way a target man, so what the hell is Fenlon up to? Why can't he see that with the players at our disposal just now, this formation is part of the problem, the ball gets hoofed up to Griffiths who, surprise ,surprise loses out in a challenge to guys a foot taller, and within 10 seconds, the ball is coming back at us, through a midfield who are posted missing more often than not ( I excuse Cairney, he is just in the door, and has so far looked promising, no mean feat with little or nothing beside him). This is Fenlon's second transfer window, he moaned in the paper about about people complaining about the amount of loan signings, fair enough, he had a point, I'm complaining about the quality of the loan signings, and I think many were complaining at the lack of commitment many of these signings showed, and I think they also had a point.


We need more players in, we all know it, Fenlon also says he knows it, but did he also notice that the season has actually started, these new players should have been in weeks ago, we are effectively about to have another pre-season using SPL games as our proving ground, this is nuts, we could be isolated at the bottom by the end of august, take a look at the fixtures. Sorry, this sounds simplistic but sometimes the answer is as plain as the nose on your face, and if Fenlon wasn't getting the backing to get players in, he should have taken the same action Pat Stanton did as manager nearly 30 years ago and called the chairmans bluff and resigned, thereby putting the blame firmly where it belonged (Pat was reinstated within 48 hours, but at least he had the guts to stand up for himself) I don't care if they are loan signings or permanent signings, a little quality is what we need and we need it fast (Christ, I forgot we are still looking at Mark Kerr!!). Before the Hearts game we need at least 3 new players in, minimum one up front and 2 in midfield, or THEY will ream us again by at least 4 clear goals, they have lost players too, but are still far better (and far more professional and committed on the field) than any we had on Sunday.

[Gala Foxes]

horrible to watch on Sunday, we win the ball, we punt it forward to Griffiths in the air, United win it and head it back - dire to watch and easy to defend

Utd keeper didn't have a save to make all game