What do we need to change?

[hfcnic]

Apart from the obvious and score more goals what do we need to do to change this around?

Something needs to happen we cannot go from winning a few weeks in a row to draws and losing. What is the one chance you think we need?

I think benching Cummings for a bit might help, others need to realise its not all down to him to score. Keatings would be a perfect replacement to start each week. I know taking the top scorer off seems daft but we need to try something. Maybe a major shake up in the midfield would be helpful right about now.

[JDHibs]

Formation and tempo.

The diamond doesnt work in this division, Stubbs proved that.

Get back to basics, 4-4-2 with wingers.

Marciano
Gray McGregor Hanlon Crane
Boyle McGinn McGeough Harris/Shinnie
Holt Keatings

Crane will make overlapping runs as will Gray. We dont have any pace other than Boyle, but Shinnie brings a bit of skill and can beat a man. We dont need defensive players in this league in the midfield, MeGeough would hang back and dictate which would free up McGinn to get forward and support. Cummings has been vcrap the last 3 games other than his goal against Ayr and doesnt offer enough when we are struggling. Keatings played well on Sat and took his chance well.

Hate the diamond with a passion. There is a reason no one else in the world uses it successfully.

[Waxy]

Winning teams get almost everyone chipping in with goals. We need to go on the rampage.

[Smartie]

Change of formation so we can get wingers in the team.

Midfielders breaking their necks to get in the box instead of being content that their work is done 30+ yards from goal.

If we're going to go for zonal defending at corner kicks, do it right instead of flogging a goal every other game with it.

Going hell for leather for a second goal when we are 1-0 up to give us a cushion.

Done.

[Bostonhibby]

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Change of formation so we can get wingers in the team.

Midfielders breaking their necks to get in the box instead of being content that their work is done 30+ yards from goal.

If we're going to go for zonal defending at corner kicks, do it right instead of flogging a goal every other game with it.

Going hell for leather for a second goal when we are 1-0 up to give us a cushion.

Done.

plus, as the poster above says, Stubbs established the diamond doesn't work in this division. Wingers, wingers please!!!!! nae point in Holt and Graham being here if we are not getting more and better balls in. Ironically Keatings supplied a few yesterday but no one there to get on the end of them.

We have failed to kill teams off when we are on top at home for the last three seasons.

[number9dream]

Problem is the wingers we have are not very good...
Lennon will be reluctant to put in Boyle or Harris ahead of the other guys but then we are left with 4 out of our 5 central midfielders crowbarred into the team...
The manager is yet to settle on his best XI since so many players have been inconsistent.
How about a bold 3-4-3 at home to St Mirren in the daft cup?
Cummings & Keatings either side of Holt or Graham, one going wide, the other tucking in when play is on opposite flank.
If that's not the answer then how about just working harder to get up the pitch quicker? If teams sit back then you have to batter them into submission, run them ragged and the openings will come.

[hfcnic]

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Problem is the wingers we have are not very good...
Lennon will be reluctant to put in Boyle or Harris ahead of the other guys but then we are left with 4 out of our 5 central midfielders crowbarred into the team...
The manager is yet to settle on his best XI since so many players have been inconsistent.
How about a bold 3-4-3 at home to St Mirren in the daft cup?
Cummings & Keatings either side of Holt or Graham, one going wide, the other tucking in when play is on opposite flank.
If that's not the answer then how about just working harder to get up the pitch quicker? If teams sit back then you have to batter them into submission, run them ragged and the openings will come.

I think that would be worth a shot

[Since90+2]

Pace and width. The same thing we have needed for the past 3 years atleast.

If the wingers at the club are not deemed good enough then its Lennon's responsbility to bring in the correct players.

[ancient hibee]

As long as we have a system of playing 30 yard passes through the middle to strikers with their back to goal instead of constantly doing what Shinnie did yesterday for the goal with a quick pass in the box we will find scoring hard.

[J-C]

It doesn't always have to be wingers needed, play 4-3-3.

The 3 front men should all be able to play wide or through the middle and swap positions all the time so defenders are kept on their toes. 1 deep playmaking midfielder and the other 2 being given the freedom to roam and create, defenders to defend and fullbacks to support rather than being the main outlet for width.

My team would look like this

Marciano

Gray
McGregor
Hanlon
Stevenson

McGeouch/Shinnie
Fyvie/McGeouch
McGinn/Fyvie

Boyle/Keatings
Cummings/Holt
Keatings/Cummings

High tempo is a must to get at teams like Dundee U etc, both Hearts and Rangers played a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with wingers and pace to success.

[Hermit Crab]

Get rid of the zonal marking pish and play with pace and go for broke every game. Teams should not be able to handle us with the quality we've got, we make it too easy for the opposition.

[Jones28]

Every game should be played as if it were a cup final. Go for broke and rattle in a few goals.

The formation needs changed desperately. Mcginn and Cummings need a spell on the bench.

Oh, and the zonal marking is chronic.

[Hermit Crab]

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Every game should be played as if it were a cup final. Go for broke and rattle in a few goals.

The formation needs changed desperately. Mcginn and Cummings need a spell on the bench.

Oh, and the zonal marking is chronic.

442, stretch teams and get balls into the box.

[matty_f]

Nothing wrong with the diamond, we have a lot of the ball and we give up relatively few attacks against.

We need more desire to get into the box when we have the ball - look at Ayr's second goal against us as an example of what I mean, boy broke down the right, their forward made a near post run and took our defence with him, and they had another player bursting a guy to get into the box to score.

Contrast that with Sunday, Hanlon burst down the left, Cummings makes a run to the near post and takes their defence with him, Hanlon skelps a cross over and there is the sum total of nobody there to capitalise. That wasn't the only time either, nobody makes runs into the box, sometimes not even our strikers. No wonder we don't score goals.

We also need to concentrate when we defend. The amount of ridiculously easy goals we concede is criminal. Nothing to do with zonal marking, it's basic players-not-doing-their-jobs that costs us.

Finally, it would be good if the manager made changes in the game to try and win it. McKinnon earned United a point yesterday with his changes. Lennon did nothing other than an enforced change until he was trying to chase it in the last 10 minutes or so. If Lennon had made changes to either counter United's changes, or to force the issue ourselves, we may well have had a different outcome. Instead he waited for the inevitable sucker punch before doing anything. Same can be said for the Ayr game, where a failure to adequately cover Bartley's loss cost us three points.

[BlackSheep]

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It doesn't always have to be wingers needed, play 4-3-3.

The 3 front men should all be able to play wide or through the middle and swap positions all the time so defenders are kept on their toes. 1 deep playmaking midfielder and the other 2 being given the freedom to roam and create, defenders to defend and fullbacks to support rather than being the main outlet for width.

My team would look like this

Marciano

Gray
McGregor
Hanlon
Stevenson

McGeouch/Shinnie
Fyvie/McGeouch
McGinn/Fyvie

Boyle/Keatings
Cummings/Holt
Keatings/Cummings

High tempo is a must to get at teams like Dundee U etc, both Hearts and Rangers played a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with wingers and pace to success.

This has been my first choice team for weeks... Boyle and Keatings will supply the pace and take players away from Cummings in the middle.

Cummings is a poacher so needs more space to get his feet sorted and get a shot away.

The 3 in midfield would do the job they have been doing all season, disrupting the play and supplying balls forward for the attackers and hopefully chipping in themselves.

The full backs can still bomb forward but would potentially have 3 in the box to hit instead of 2/1 that we currently have... one of the midfielders can then drop back to cover when one or both of the full backs bomb forward... 3 defensive players should suffice against most in this league. When these plays present themselves.

It's a flexible system that should cover both attacking play and defensive play when needed...

I think a system like this is only around the corner from Lennon, the fact he has given Keatings a start shows he is thinking more about pace than holding the ball up now... I just hope he perseveres with it.

[Onion]

Holt gave us a much needed physical presence up front, which Champ defenders struggle to handle. We need to get him back in now and leave him there. Cummings and Keatings was a mistake that Lennon won't make again.

[The_Horde]

Back at it. I'd like to see us do this

Ofir

Gray McGregor Hanlon Stevenson

Fyvie Mcgeouch

Keatings McGinn Shinnie

Holt

[BlackSheep]

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Holt gave us a much needed physical presence up front, which Champ defenders struggle to handle. We need to get him back in now and leave him there. Cummings and Keatings was a mistake that Lennon won't make again.

I think the Keatings/Cummings combo can work in a 3... whether it's Boyle for pace or Holt for strength.

JC hasn't had the best games for the past few weeks and his frustration is apparent on the pitch... when he gets like that he plays even worse.

I think Keatings is a better all round striker than JC at the moment, but given time JC will add to his game and get better, but I think Keatings deserves a run in the team... up top and not as a supporting forward/attacking midfielder.

[BlackSheep]

I also hear lots of calls for wingers... which I have always been a am of... but the most important parts of a wingers game are pace and delivery... none of current crop of MFs have both of these...

Boyle on the right and Keatings in the left and now you are talking.

[greenlex]

Start scoring more and stop losing avoidable ones. It's as simple as that. Every player we have would walk into every championship team and most would walk into a premiership one. Belief and composure.

[The_Horde]

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I also hear lots of calls for wingers... which I have always been a am of... but the most important parts of a wingers game are pace and delivery... none of current crop of MFs have both of these...

Boyle on the right and Keatings in the left and now you are talking.

Keatings as a wide but slightly central attacking midfielder gives us the option of both his delivery and long range shooting ability.

[jacomo]

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It doesn't always have to be wingers needed, play 4-3-3.

The 3 front men should all be able to play wide or through the middle and swap positions all the time so defenders are kept on their toes. 1 deep playmaking midfielder and the other 2 being given the freedom to roam and create, defenders to defend and fullbacks to support rather than being the main outlet for width.

My team would look like this

Marciano

Gray
McGregor
Hanlon
Stevenson

McGeouch/Shinnie
Fyvie/McGeouch
McGinn/Fyvie

Boyle/Keatings
Cummings/Holt
Keatings/Cummings

High tempo is a must to get at teams like Dundee U etc, both Hearts and Rangers played a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with wingers and pace to success.

This might work if at least one midfielder was told to get up behind the central striker, more like a no.10. Shinnie could do that, no?

[J-C]

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This might work if at least one midfielder was told to get up behind the central striker, more like a no.10. Shinnie could do that, no?

Exactly and why his name is there but also feel McGeouch can do the same, we need our midfielders to get forward more.

[southern hibby]

Tin hat firmly on here....

Let's start with the basics, players talking to one another. Number of times we loose the ball because there's a player on our player with the ball is unreal. First touch of certain players need worked apon.
Basic passing ability is sometimes shocking we loose the ball far to easily and also when we pass the ball out wide it always seems to go behind our players which slows us down even more.
Desire to win second balls is basically a joke.
Speed is non existent.
Formation in certain games is bewildering.
Zonal marking ( enough said).
Now before anyone asks me how we improve on this I'm not a coach with badges but I notice these things week in week out and since the season we went down nothing has been different except Zonial marking.
And one other thing. The fans have been outstanding our support this season amazing and surely this should make players at least try and win the second ball.
GGTTH

[hibbydog]

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Tin hat firmly on here....

Let's start with the basics, players talking to one another. Number of times we loose the ball because there's a player on our player with the ball is unreal. First touch of certain players need worked apon.
Basic passing ability is sometimes shocking we loose the ball far to easily and also when we pass the ball out wide it always seems to go behind our players which slows us down even more.
Desire to win second balls is basically a joke.
Speed is non existent.
Formation in certain games is bewildering.
Zonal marking ( enough said).
Now before anyone asks me how we improve on this I'm not a coach with badges but I notice these things week in week out and since the season we went down nothing has been different except Zonial marking.
And one other thing. The fans have been outstanding our support this season amazing and surely this should make players at least try and win the second ball.
GGTTH

Completely agree with the bit in bold. Even Stevie Wonder could see that's our problem. We have players what can run fast but we're too ponderous when we have the ball in the final third. It gives the opposition plenty time to get men back and into shape, then we're back scratching our heads and complaining about teams with defensive tactics. We should be moving the ball quickly and pulling their players out of position. Mair running off the ball too.

I think we're great right up until the final third, which is basically nae use.

Woof Woof

[ancient hibee]

One of the reasons we look so slow is a failure to get the ball behind a retreating defence making them turn which slows them and we look quicker.We did it twice yesterday and Keatings scored and Hanlon should have.I mean this sort of stuff is really basic-make the ball do the work.

[Waxy]

Teams defend in numbers against us and we usually have the lions share of possesion so most of the time we cant use speed as a weapon.

[ancient hibee]

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Teams defend in numbers against us and we usually have the lions share of possesion so most of the time we cant use speed as a weapon.

In that case perhaps we should be speedier between the ears.

[Eyrie]

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It doesn't always have to be wingers needed, play 4-3-3.

The 3 front men should all be able to play wide or through the middle and swap positions all the time so defenders are kept on their toes. 1 deep playmaking midfielder and the other 2 being given the freedom to roam and create, defenders to defend and fullbacks to support rather than being the main outlet for width.

My team would look like this

Marciano

Gray
McGregor
Hanlon
Stevenson

McGeouch/Shinnie
Fyvie/McGeouch
McGinn/Fyvie

Boyle/Keatings
Cummings/Holt
Keatings/Cummings

High tempo is a must to get at teams like Dundee U etc, both Hearts and Rangers played a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with wingers and pace to success.

I've read this twice and can't find a single thing wrong with it.

[overdrive]

Urgency. Pace would be nice but even without pacey players we could be showing way more urgency when the midfield get the ball. Instead we take it nice and leisurely looking round for 30 seconds for a world cup pass. Run with the bloody ball.