barmy Pat

[SSS]

OK, first off, this is not the beginning of a Dolan out campaign - far from it - but I have to let off steam on what I consider a worrying and inexplicable trait of King Pat. It is hard to bring these things up when the team is doing quite well, but I raise the issue in the context of how much better the team could be doing if the issue didn't arise at all.

Dolan has rightly experimented a little so far in attempt to find players who could play in areas where the squad may be weak, but I think he has gone a bit too far.

Last night he played U21 star centre back Kevin Murray on the wing. For the last few weeks he has played centre back / left back Hedderman on the wing. Neither player has been effective in this position. You can argue that there are no better alternatives in the squad, but I don't think this argument would stack up:

To play on the left we have Woods, Warren, Doyle
To play on the right we have Colin T, Doyle, Greg, Warren, Mucka.

The likes of Warren and Mucka may not be considered preferred First 11 players, but they have to be better wide players than any of our centre backs. If Dolan was impressed with 11 centre backs in training, would he play them all!?!

So why are lumbering, immobile giants playing out there? They offer nothing in attack and I'm not sure that they have the postional awareness to track back properly. Hedderman is like a dazzled rabbit when he gets the ball with some space ahead of him.

What makes this even worse is that Dolan has left Greg O'Halloran on the bench for the last two games - in both instances even using Murray and Hedderman ahead of him as subs. I can just about buy the loyalty argument about Colin T and Conor keeping Greg out of cente midfield for a couple of games, but dropping Hedderman and replacing him with Murray instead of Greg makes NO sense. A while back Michael Buckley was the answer to our prayers, now it's supposedly K Murray...

I was not at the game last night, but by all accounts City should have won it over the 120 minutes. But they didn't. Against a mostly second stream St Pats team. Murray had a poor game according to my "man in the ground" and I'm not surprised given the position he was asked to play in. At the very least, why wasn't Colin T out wide and Murray in the middle??

I would say that CCFC are underperforming opposite their real potential due to these poor selection choices. The team is not being played to its strengths. This could become the difference between winning the league and coming second or between qualifying for Europe and missing out. It may already have cost us a place in the league cup final - more attacking options out wide last night could only have increased the chances of breaking Pats down.

Overall, of course, I'm very happy with the progress under PD, but this obsession of his will cost us on the pitch. The superb performances of a core number of players have covered most of the self-imposed cracks, but that can't continue indefinitely.

[SÓC]

League Cup is a chance to give players a run out, see who works in what position, especially now that Greg will be out for a while.

Hedderman has done ok on the left, not great but not bad. Murray got good experience.

[Éanna]

Originally posted by SSS
What makes this even worse is that Dolan has left Greg O'Halloran on the bench for the last two
he's injured, thats why he hasn't played. I take your point, it concerns me too, but I can only assume that Dolan is looking to do things his way, and if that means success-fine. If we win the league playing 11 centre backs- i certainly won't be complaining! Also, AFAIK, K Murray is a midfielder not a defender.

[patsh]

I pretty much agree with everything you say, SSS, particularly playing Hedderman out wide instead of Warren, who would at least try to run with the ball, but I've listened to what Dolan has to say and am going along with him for a season at least. If the same sort of bizarre choices are being made next season, then I will get very worried.

[tiktok]

can't fault the logic SSS,
we have ready made cover for the wings in warren and mucky
you should play your players in their best positions. having said that, he seems to have been spot on with woods at left back.

but since the league cup is such a good place to experiment and give lads a run out, why not give warren and mucky the chance.

[Neil]

Originally posted by tiktok
we have ready made cover for the wings in warren and mucky

Neither are left wingers.
Neither are left footed.

I'd agree with giving Warren a chance on the left but Mucka is a central midfielder or right sided.

[Troy.McClure]

Originally posted by tiktok
having said that, he seems to have been spot on with woods at left back.

Actually our good friend Rico was the first person to put Billy at LB when he was at Rovers.

Warren IN!

[The Donie Forde]

Originally posted by Troy.McClure
Actually our good friend Rico was the first person to put Billy at LB when he was at Rovers.

I think Maurice Setters might claim to have done that first, playing Billy at LB a couple of years before Rico. Well, he can claim to have done little else with Ireland's U21s anyway...! :)

Donie

[SSS]

Originally posted by Éanna
he's injured, thats why he hasn't played. I take your point, it concerns me too, but I can only assume that Dolan is looking to do things his way, and if that means success-fine. If we win the league playing 11 centre backs- i certainly won't be complaining! Also, AFAIK, K Murray is a midfielder not a defender.

Eanna,
Murray was centre back alongside Andrews in the U21's all last season and only a few weeks ago Dolan admitted on the BRB that his best position was centre half.

In relation to greg being injured - that raises another question - what the hell was he doing on the bench at all???!
{question for Dolan not Eanna}

As for Warren being a righted player, that's true, but he has played on the left (Shels 3-0) and IS a wide, attacking, player.

[pete]

AFAIK Greg was on the bench for Longford game but was in the stand for Pats game.

[Éanna]

Originally posted by SSS
In relation to greg being injured - that raises another question - what the hell was he doing on the bench at all???!

I know the question was for Pat but: he's been carrying the injury for quite a while (I think he said 18 months) and playing on regardless, I guess the last few games he's realised he needed the surgery on it. So its not like the injury is preventing him playing, its just a risk and it needs sorting out.

[foureyes]

Originally posted by Troy.McClure
Actually our good friend Rico was the first person to put Billy at LB when he was at Rovers.

Warren IN!

If I recall correctly he played left back for the u-21s (irish) back in the day and played in the same position during his ill-fated Tranmere days.

[Cityace]

I admit that he has made some strange desicions but what you have done SSS is list all the strange things and left out the other stuff.He is Training a young team for the Future which will take time and patience,He has put Woods as a back which seemed very strange but that is turning out very well(i dont just mean the goals,looking at him since the switch,he has been playing very well)he has signed alot of players,the players we have are playing better-they are more fit and more productive with the ball.he has worked alot with dead ball situations and its showing.I was talking to the players not so long ago(Greg,Flynn,O Callaghan,Murray,O Grady) and they said that there have been huge changes with regards to training, objectives and the general atmosphere at the club.Murray said that he wouldn't dream of going back to England(as did O Flynn) because he said that he loves it and he has "Never seen anything like it anywhere Before"(talking about the relationships between the players and the passion at the club which obviosly hasn't been there before).


Put that in your pipe and smoke it.;)

[SSS]

Originally posted by Cityace
I admit that he has made some strange desicions but what you have done SSS is list all the strange things and left out the other stuff.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.;)


Emm... no that isn't what I've done.
My sole focus in this thread was that I felt that the team were underperforming versus their potential ( a potential no doubt increased by PD's presence) because of one issue - selection of players out of position. I think I made it fairly obvious that PD has been a positive influence overall.