3-5-2

[Brotus]

What going on!! Again last night Murphy decides to play the 3-5-2
formation. Did he he forget the way City played in the 2nd Half
against Rovers.

The Defence, Derek played a solid enough game, O'Rourke had a fine game and was always looking to lay the ball off to one of his own players, which leads me to Deccie the HOOF Daly who pumped balls into UCD's centre backs but I'll be honest he did past one ball over 20yrds to feet.

With the 5 across the middle there seems to be a lot of confusion,
The wing back Carey & Horgan don't know weather they should defend or attack and Ollie is a lost cause in the centre.

And to top it off there was another shocking performance by Morley. Can anyone honestly tell me what he offers the team???

Not a bad result but could have done better.

Brotus.

[Neil]

Last night I thought we were a mess. The same as we have been for most of the season. The first time I've seen them play well this season was the second half against Rovers. I don't think it's a coincidence that that second half performance coincided with the reverting back to 4-4-2.

That 3-5-2 system is rubbish, we don't have the players to play it. With all due respect to Hoggie (he's an outstanding player) but he's not a winger - esp. not a left winger - sure he's ****in right footed!

Having Ollie Cahill wandering up and down the middle of the pitch last night is no use to us. He's an old fashioned head down winger, nothing else. Gunther seems to want him to play a roving Figo kind of role (?), but for 90 minutes last night the left hand side of the pitch was wide open with everyone packed into the middle. It was crying out for Ollie to be out on the left touchline, but Gunther couldn't see it...

[city boy]

i agree completly, the 3-5-2 system rarely works consistently for any team and requires wing back specifically suited to the poisition with the right balance of attaching drive and knowing when to defence, a though blend to strike.

i hope that the 3-5-2 system isn't being used to accomadate deccie, but i think that it might be. he has given great service to the club and still brings great leadership but i think that his days might be coming to an end. i don't think anyone can claim that his use of the ball has been anything but infuriating for quite a while now.

also i know that morley hasn't been very affective lately but with a view to the future i think that colin p could still learn an awful lot of tricks from him and i wouldn't mind seeng them play together for even parts fo some matches. i know it would be hard on mulligan who works his ass off but i am not suggesting it as a long term pairing, just a way of helping bring colin p into the team as smoot as possible.

[Neil]

Originally posted by city boy
i hope that the 3-5-2 system isn't being used to accomadate deccie, but i think that it might be.

Good point, I agree it looks like that, and to make it worse we have Napier - the best of the lot - sitting on the bench.

[Brotus]

He's an old fashioned head down winger, nothing else.

The few times Ollie did move out to the wing last night he looked to cause some trouble, but I think Ollie himself is not happy in the centre. O'Grady is an outstanding player with some beautiful touches but has no room to move in the middle.

i hope that the 3-5-2 system isn't being used to accomadate deccie, but i think that it might be.

The only reason Deccie is still playing is cause he is the only one to organise the back line. His good to shout abuse.

[niamh]

I don't think that 3 5 2 ever worked for anyone. There is only one formation that works for City and that's 4 4 2. And why Morley still gets picked is a mystery to everyone except Gunther...

[Neil]

Originally posted by niamh
why Morley still gets picked is a mystery to everyone except Gunther...

Not a mystery to me.

Morley is head and shoulders above the rest. It's just a shame no-one has come along to give the guy a break. He's 36 and still giving his all...

[Brotus]

Morley is head and shoulders above the rest.

duno Neil,
There's no doubt Morley was a great player, but at the monent he is unfit. And noboby has answered my question. What does Morley offer the team.

[James]

someone who knows whats going on on the park.
he has a "great footballing head" or whatever the term is.
that team still needs some bit of leadership.

he's a great man for holding the ball up when necessary
his distribution is normally good enough

he's a recognised and feared goal scorer throughout the league.

alot of the time under murphy he isnt given either the right ball/service or isnt given the right support.
for example last night, we were hoofing long high balls up to him and jimmy mulligan.
not the 2 ucd centre halves were clive delaney and some other guy but both were towering over our 2 strikers.
when though the ball was played on the deck both morely and mulligan looked more threatening.

and anyway IMO with stevo flynn out of favour for whatever reason, i think skippy is a better bet for now over colin p.

long run though colin p is the future, but give him more time to get used to playing in the team first.

[pete]

I think Horgan & Ollie are definitely the players to suffer under the 3-5-2 system while Carey seems to thrive under it.

Morely is class still & ColinP had a poor enough 2nd half last night.

Whilst we dominated the game for the most part last night I think the players were maybe showing signs of playing 4 games in ten days?

4-4-2 would seem to be the best option but wouldn't rule out 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 for use on occasion...

[Neil]

Originally posted by Brotus
What does Morley offer the team.

exactly what James said.

Compare what Morley and Colin P "offered the team" last night...
Morley at least had a couple of shots on goal, was involved in Mulligans goal and did well to compete with a defender who was a foot taller than him. It's not his fault if Murphy instructs Dal and Coughlan to hoof every time.

I'm not trying to knock Colin P, I thought he did ok when he was thrown on, but he's only 18. He's not up to playing a full 90 and definitely not yet up to playing week-in-week-out. He shouldn't be asked to.

If our manager knew what he was doing, he wouldn't be relying on an 18 yr old to rescue a game which only needs a change of tactics.

[Brotus]

Maybe Morley could go to Leicester

[Jim Smith]

Originally posted by Brotus
Maybe Morley could go to Leicester

But then who would get the blame for everything?

[pete]

The people who criticise Morely are usually the younger supporters who never saw Johnny C & Skippy terrorise eL defenses throughout the 90's.

Skippy is 36 at least & can't be expected to run up 'n down the pitch as hes there to finish from 6 yearsd in!

[Brotus]

the younger supporters who never saw Johnny C & Skippy terrorise eL defenses throughout the 90's.

Everyone seem to be saying that Morley used to terrorise EL Defences in the 90's, but Morley was younger and a lot fitter then.
Just because he was once a great player should we keep playing him, if so why don't we play Johnny C with him.

Skippy is 36 at least & can't be expected to run up 'n down the pitch as his there to finish from 6 yearsd in!

That would be fine in City could get the ball in the 6yrd box.

[James]

That would be fine in City could get the ball in the 6yrd box

and thats the prob in a nutshell.
gunther is either telling deccie and coughland and devine to hoof high balls into the leagues smallest strike force or else he aint telling them not to do it. either way its gunthers fault.

you cant blame morely for the ****e supply he getting.
morely still is a great player, played very well all through preseason and then through the earlier parts of the league.

granted he has played a bit below par for the last 2 games but he'll be back again, as soon as he gets some decent support and supply of the ball

[pete]

I thnk Gunther clearly planned (if thats possible) to play Mulligan with one of the new forwards. However when he played Skippy he put in good performances & Gunther had to play him on merit.

[James]

agreed rebel, he was prob IMO planning to play the gnome with either hartigan or stevo flynn, but then skippy came in and did very well, BUT why continue with the hoof long high balls into 2 small strikers.

unless they know they are going to always lose the headers, but gunther is hoping that if they launch enough of them down field, then by the law of averages they will win some of the clearances and play from there!

[Brotus]

BUT why continue with the hoof long high balls into 2 small strikers.

I must be impossible for Deccie Daly to pass a ball, he always hooh's the ball. Hopefully the team will realise that the likes of O'Grady are well capable of playing with the ball in the middle of the park.

Against Rover on Sunday, City played great football especially in the second half and here are three reasons why.

1 They passed the ball to feet instead of hoofing it.
2 They switched to 4-4-2
3 Thet took Morley off.

City's three biggest problems solved in one match.