Half biscuit?
Half-Man !Originally Posted by Crosby87
Half biscuit?
See biscuit, Eat biscuit !
"1, 2, 3, 4... John O'Shea knows the score.... Jack gave us life"
Last edited by texidub; 15/03/2024 at 8:51 AM.
That's crying out to be tried all right. I think we might struggle to find the combination of midfielders and full backs to make it work against good teams though.
Someone called for Ogbene at right wing back, where he's been playing at least some of the time for Luton. That might make sense, especially as it gives us a third body at centre half.
Last edited by John83; 15/03/2024 at 2:35 AM.
You can't spell failure without FAI
the more you look at the midfield options the worse they look!! god above.
Ogbene is way more convincing going forward than he is defending (although the France game showed he can do both). He has to play though. Formations are beyond my pay grade but I'm warming to the idea of trying Collins as a defensive midfielder with strict instructions to only beat one player/line before releasing the ball and focusing on defensive duties. Not sure what impact if any that would have on Ogbene's position though...
Last edited by texidub; 15/03/2024 at 8:53 AM.
For me Collins is having enough issues learning his main position right now without lumbering him with a new one.
The smartest thing we can do right now is deal with our midfield weakness by packing it out i.e. put two holding mids in front of the defence to take the pressure off Cullen. I still think he's a good player, he's just been let down a bit by his manager(s) by not being supported enough in the part of the field he plays in. I'd be putting Smallbone or Knight alongside him with an instruction to be more of a box to box midfielder than Cullen, but also to drop back alongside him to help protect the defence when we're out of possession.
This would also give us the option to switch to a back four, though you could do it through keeping a back 3/5 also if you wanted to.
I don't. Omobamidele is comfortable on the ball, has a turn of pace, is playing in the Premiership, and looks at ease at this level. Obafemi has lost his way recently but we know he is capable of scoring at this level - the goal against Armenia being particularly impressive. I personally don't think Keane is good enough but regardless he doesn't have that explosive burst Obafemi has and arguably is too similar in style to others picked in the forward positions. Ideally the squad picked should be complementary with each individual offering something different.
The LB/LWB position has long been a problem position and doesn't look like it will be resolved soon - but my feeling is reverting to a flat 4 will help shore up that weakness. I'd have gone for Manning ahead of Brady (although sounds like O'Shea would have too if Manning wasn't half injured).
Haven't seen enough of Azaz but a bit too hot and cold for my liking from what I have seen. Has a tendency to do the hard things well, but can be sloppy on stuff that should be relatively simple for his ability.
There's some serious pace in this team/squad if we can harness it: Festy, Obafemi, Ogbene. I wouldn't have Obafemi as a starter and I quite like the idea of Ogbene wide right in a 433, though consensus seems to be he has to play RWB.
Is Mikey J a nailed on starter on current form?
How do we accomodate Ferguson and Szmodics (and maybe less so Idah)? 3-5-2? Is Ferguson's lack of form favouring Idah?
this is the type of thing i have been thinking about if we go with a back 4
baz/kells
doherty collins o'shea scales
cullen knight
ogbene szmodics johnston
Ferguson(Idah)
in a 5-3-2 it becomes more difficult to fit in the attacking/form players (i.e. szmodics, ogbene and johnston).
baz/kells
doherty collins obam o'shea scales
ogbene cullen knight
szmodics/smallbone/johnston
Ferguson(Idah)
I think reverting to a back 4 might make sense though the opposition is pretty decent. It may be the case that O'Shea is better suited to LB than scales at this point?
oshea over scales all day for me. also a midfield of cullen knight szmodics will get easily overrun IMO. only way i see szmodics starting is if hes off the striker in a 3-5-2. could be well off though.
I don't think we'll be considering Szmodics as a midfielder, going up front has been the making of him. Can he lead the line in a 4-3-3/4-5-1 is probably a relevant question that we might hopefully get an answer to over the next few months.
Think O'Shea is better suited to LB than Scales. While Scales impressed at LWB with Rovers playing LB for us would be like playing LB for Finn Harps rather than Rovers. Also wouldn't be a fan of Doherty at RB but Coleman isn't getting minutes and O'Shea would already be playing LB. It is where we are given our poor options at FB. Collins too has played there when he broke into senior football. Do a Man City and play with four CBs in defence.
.....................Keeper
Doherty Collins Scales O'Shea
..........Midfielder Cullen
....Ogbene Szmodics Johnston
..................Ferguson
.........................Keeper
.............O'Shea Collins Scales
Ebosele Midfielder Cullen Ogbene
..............Midfielder Szmodics
.......................Ferguson
Not 100% sure who I would want supporting Cullen in that midfield two and for the 3421 I think you could choose between Knight, Johnston, and Azaz as the other attacking midfielder depending on how you want the team to set up.
I would go with Ebosele and Ogbene if we're playing WBs to give us pace out wide to pose a threat.
Yeah I would see him as the furthest forward midfielder / playing off Ferguson/Idah. I don't know if he could lead the line - he is only 5'6" so I think he would need a physical presence to play off.
Yes and no
We need a player (or 2... or 11) with the intelligence and confidence to try different things. He is that player for now.
I started watching Brighton when Evan came through... they have really gone off the boil since Mitoma got injured. Ferguson wasn't great last night, but still held up the ball well a few times and got his passes away. With the right service (see MJ above) he still has the ability to cause trouble. For the friendlies, I'd give Idah some time in recognition of his past contributions and current form.
Last edited by texidub; 15/03/2024 at 11:04 AM.
For us I doubt it because we play a different style to Blackburn. They can actually provide decent service into their forwards. Big issue for them is keeping the ball out of their own net.
Think if we want Szmodics to play at his best in a green shirt it's gotta be playing a bit deeper supporting a CF rather than being the one leading the line. Even for Blackburn he normally plays behind a CF and when they had no recognised CF fit their front four was somewhat interchangeable that Szmodics could move around so he constantly wasn't the one leading the line doing the grunt work.
With Burnley, Brentford, Luton, Notts Forest and 22 Championship clubs playing tomorrow, let's wait and see who are actually available for the two friendlies.
I'm a fan of Scales but 100% only if he's a left sided CB
Dan McDonnell's weekly newsletter says Hodge & Moran to join squad for Swiss game. Sorry if already mentioned.
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