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Formation v Bob

TrickyTart

TrickyTart

Viv Anderson
It seems to me our best formation is 4-5-1, especially away from home. It gives us more control in midfield and an extra passing option to exploit. However Bob is clearly our best player but I don't believe he can lead the line as well as Dex. In which case do you go for formation or bob?
 
0898-Bod.jpg
 
Bob, the man is the best finisher at the club and one of (if not) the best in the Division.

We could possibly use Bob in a 4-5-1, Barcelona have played Lionel Messi through the middle in a 4-5-1-come-4-3-3 formation (which is also something we could do, as we do have speed from the flanks...)
 
Bob?
 
I'm not sure why we can't play 4-4-2 like we do at home when we go away, it's one of those inexplicable football things! But 4-5-1 was fine last year until we changed it.

If it gets us points away, I have no problem leaving Earnie on the bench and bringing him on if needed.
 
I do think having the extra man in midfield (moose) adds a bit of extra steel to our side... why we changed it last year at Derby away I have no idea.
 
Jon NFFC said:
I do think having the extra man in midfield (moose) adds a bit of extra steel to our side... why we changed it last year at Derby away I have no idea.
Click to expand...

We got cocky as they were on a shit run and we were unbeaten in ages...
 
Bob alone with Dex out. 5 man midfield which is virtually a 4-3-3 anyway. Dex as a lone striker will be lucky to get more than 2 shots all game. Sorry but Dex has been average at best this season. Yes, he can hold the ball up and bring others into play but that doesnt really work too well if you're the front man

CAMP
GUNTER WES KELV BERTY
MCKENNA
ANDO RADDY COHEN
MCGUGAN
ALIEN

Mcgugan playing just off Earnie. In fact anywhere in the last third of the pitch.
 
dbarraclough said:
Dex... Yes, he can hold the ball up and bring others into play .
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Which is exactly what you want from a lone front man infront of a 5. Bob on the bench on away days is going to get us more points.
 
Ravi said:
Which is exactly what you want from a lone front man infront of a 5. Bob on the bench on away days is going to get us more points.
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I take your point, but unfortunately who is he bringing into play? The prolific Tyson, the wasteful Moose, goal scoring machine Mckenna, the marginally less wasteful Ando and Raddy who provides service and clever passes to the front and wide men.
The only way I can see this system working is with an on fire Mcgugan. I'd love it to work but the jury is still out on whether Lewis can perform on a consistent level.... Lets hope. If so, it will be like a new 3 million pound signing. Maybe this is his season. I wasnt there last night but I saw 20 minutes of some of his magic as a sub against Norwich.
 
How come Ando and Tyson can't shoot for toffee? How did we manage to get so many forward thinking players with no shot on them in one place?
 
chriscl said:
Bob, the man is the best finisher at the club and one of (if not) the best in the Division.

We could possibly use Bob in a 4-5-1, Barcelona have played Lionel Messi through the middle in a 4-5-1-come-4-3-3 formation (which is also something we could do, as we do have speed from the flanks...)
Click to expand...

Agreed. It might even induce some carpet football which we know we are capable of, which isn't always what we see with Dex up front on his own.
 
earthworm said:
How come Ando and Tyson can't shoot for toffee? How did we manage to get so many forward thinking players with no shot on them in one place?
Click to expand...

I often wonder the same thing. And the only player who can cross a decent ball is our right back!
 
Playing Bob up front on his own could work, but only if we play progressive football. By that I mean on the ground and with a positive approach from the whole team. Support to the front man from Raddy / McGoogle down the centre and Tyson / Cohen / Ando from out wide. Not all at the same time, but with options.

If we played him on his own up front with one player getting up to support and continually hit long balls from a deep-lying midfield then he would be totally ineffective and we might as well stick Dele up there.
 
andover red said:
Playing Bob up front on his own could work, but only if we play progressive football. By that I mean on the ground and with a positive approach from the whole team. Support to the front man from Raddy / McGoogle down the centre and Tyson / Cohen / Ando from out wide. Not all at the same time, but with options.

If we played him on his own up front with one player getting up to support and continually hit long balls from a deep-lying midfield then he would be totally ineffective and we might as well stick Dele up there.
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Exactly. We'd need a rethink to our away strategy to have Earnie as a lone striker.

I'm not opposed to it at all, most of the defenders in this league are talentless lugs who don't like quick passes being played across the deck.

Unfortunately most of the thinking in this country is to use a lone front man as a human trampoline to flick on long balls.
 
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lard said:
0898-Bod.jpg
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Ha ha. Haven't seen that for ages. A little known fact is that BOD was the childhood nickname of a poster on here who I won't embarrass by mentioning. :rofl:
 
Do you think earnie has the awareness and strength to hold up the ball? I worry he'd just get eaten up by the thugs in this league. It would also give us no real crossing options (not that we cross very well) in the middle unless it was pinpoint. Coupled with the distribution from the back being aimless at time, especially from Wes it just isn't good enough. If we were under the cosh too, there are times you need to lump it forward and without somebody to scrap and hold up balls it would just come back at us
 
Earnie is one of the best strikers in this league. There is no doubt he could easily do a job up front on his own if necessary. But as Andover Red said, the ball needs to be played on the floor to him. If he has the ball to feet, he can outplay and out manouver near all players in this league.
He really is a quality striker.
 
I've become more and more convinced playing Earnie up top on his own might work.

The midfield five have to be able to pass and dominate possession and at least one has to break from midfield to support Earnie when we break. Against taller, more physical teams this may even be the best way of going. Last season we tried matching these teams (like Preston) away from home for height and strength but we just don't have enough of these players to do so. Blackstock gets dominated when the two centre backs are brutes.

Contrast this with a midfield five of say;
Ando, Raddy, McKenna, McGugan and Cohen - all of which are good passers of the ball which would allow us to keep the ball. With McGugan pushing forward and running from deep, Raddy pulling the strings and slicing the opposition, McKenna clearing up the counter attacks and Cohen and Ando providing a bit of extra width, we could easily out-do cumberson opponents.

I'd like to see us try it at least. Teams we could look to try it against are the Preston's, Sheff Utd's, Millwall's of the league.

We just need to be a bit more adventurous away from home. I'd rather risk going for the win and losing than playing a tight game which'll probably result in a draw.
 
RobbieLePop said:
Ando, Raddy, McKenna, McGugan and Cohen - all of which are good passers of the ball ...
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Hmm. On their day. We've seen some shocking passing from all of them this season though. Hopefully its just a confidence thing, which last night will have helped put behind us.

That last sentence reads a bit :hey: but you know what I mean lol
 
Sheff Utd are a different type of side this year - they're actually trying to play a bit of football!!!!!

I agree with TrickyTart - We aren't Spain and can't play our way out of trouble - there are always going to be times when you just need to get rid and lump it down the pitch. Earnie up top on his own means its right back at ya.

McGugan is good in the air so if he's pushing on (why when we're under the cosh?), he can be as good a "hold up merchant" as Dex.
 
GrumpyRed said:
Sheff Utd are a different type of side this year - they're actually trying to play a bit of football!!!!!
Click to expand...

Maybe that's the reason they got done 4-0 last night to S****horpe. Bad memories of S****horpe coming to our place in L1 and dicking us without us really having sniff.
 
As long as, if we play Earnie up front on his own, we don't waste 90 minutes hoofing high balls to him, given that he's smaller than me (no, really!) and will generally be marked by 2 defenders who are about a foot-and-a-half taller than he is.

Whatever formation we use, any ball hoofed to Earnie in this way - and god knows there are dozens in a game - is a complete and utter waste of time.

Slide the ball through the defence for him to run on to - a pass which I wager Majewski could do with his eyes closed - and away we shall jolly well go.

Is this rocket science?
 
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