Next years formation

[Johnny Bravo]

I might be putting two and two together and getting 43 here but I was just thinking... Billy has said he wants two players for every position and has also said he wants six strikers. Does this imply we might play 4-3-3 or similar next year in a high volume of games? I know it's unlikely but hopefully someone can see my logic on this. Could we be in for a season of open attacking football?

 

[forestfan92]

I think he will carry on using the 4-4-2 formation like he has been doing over the last few games.

 

[thesquareone]

i think he will play 4 4 2 unless he feels the opposition may give us a hard time, billy is tactically very astute in my opinion.

 

[It's Baggio]

He's a 4-4-2 man, he's said that a few times. I don't doubt that he'll mix it up occasionally though.

Besides, when you play 4-3-3, it's normally one striker and two 'wingers' anyway.

 

[Darth Pierre]

4-4 f***ing 2

 

[Cooky]

The formation will be whatever Billy thinks will be the most effective against whoever we are playing. He has said before that he wants a team that can change with the game, players who are versatile and can perhaps move between a 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 throughout the course of the match. Players like McSheffery will be more effective in 4-3-3, but you'd look at Anderson and, say, McCleary as wingers in a 4-4-2.

It will be interesting to see what happens though, especially if we can land all of our targets.

 

[wemaybefamousagain]

I think it will be 4-4-2 and its a good job too.

4-3-3 does not work unless you have a team full of stars or a shit hot defence. We have neither.

 

[adam09]

What he said ^^^

4-4-2 - but with two wide midfielders, and Cohen in the middle, rather than having him drifting in from wide and creating problems for our defence all the time.

 

[Strummer]

Billy will probably start with 4-4-2, but who knows; we could even adopt the famous Ajax "total football" option - we've already in recent seasons seen Wes up front and Brecks in midfield!

I've confidence that Billy will pick the right formation and tactics for whichever game we happen to be playing (either that, or its back to 2-3-5, which we did in my opinion introduce and popularise!)

 

[RRRREDUN]

The trouble with 443 is that it can very soon become 451 and that can be disastrous.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

4-4-2?

 

[I Hate Derby]

2-2-6

 

[The Vicar]

Agreed. 4 3 3 is an awful formation for players of our quality......forwards=isolated
Midfield=overun+outnumbered
fullbacks= exposed
Clueless played this formation quite a lot[ grant Holt on the wing anyone? ;D]
It also failed for Billy in the last 20 mins at Blackpoo...we had 3 strikers on but no service from midfield.

 

[Anatoli]

Agreed. 4 3 3 is an awful formation for players of our quality......forwards=isolated
Midfield=overun+outnumbered
fullbacks= exposed
Clueless played this formation quite a lot[ grant Holt on the wing anyone? ;D]
It also failed for Billy in the last 20 mins at Blackpoo...we had 3 strikers on but no service from midfield.

It's also a typical Calderwood formation and we no longer like him. He got too orange for us.

 

[cknu]

I think we should have a Goalkeeper, some defenders, some midfielders and then some attacking/forward players..!

 

[mouldy]

4-4-2 will be played.

 

[Jonathan]

Like many others, I believe we'll play 4-4-2 with switches to 4-5-1, 4-3-3 and 5-3-2 at times, depending on the opponents and how each match is progressing.

 

[KirkbyRed80]

6 - 5 - 4
to give us a much needed advantage

 

[Anatoli]

I think we should have a Goalkeeper, some defenders, some midfielders and then some attacking/forward players..!

At last, someone on here who talks good footballing sense.

Although he missed out the fact that we should name some substitutes

 

[Ravi]

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

I call it 'The Snake Formation' ;D

 

[TheStorm101]

4-4-2 - but with two wide midfielders, and Cohen in the middle, rather than having him drifting in from wide and creating problems for our defence all the time.

I made a post sometime during last season about the dilemma we had with fitting Clignan, Cohen and McGugan into the midfield and believe my logic still holds some weight, although you can now replace Clignan with either Perch, Moose, Osbourne, Yaya Toure or whoever we have playing the much-lauded "defensive/holding midfielder" role. Basically, someone who will offer protection to the defence and not bomb forward as much as the other 3.

My issue stems from the fact that Cohen and McGugan were and still are IMO, our best midfielders. They both should play centrally. However, neither are naturally very disciplined at holding one particular position or are defensive in their mentality. Playing a flat 4-4-2 with them centrally would leave us open against all but the poorest of sides who sit back against us (ie. not many).

My proposal: 4-4-2 diamond.

We're obviously gonna sign a few players in the summer, but for argument's sake let's have Moose as the 1st choice defensive midfielder. I would play:


Moose

McGugan - Cohen

[Attacking midfielder]


I would consider McGugan for the attacking midfielder role, but think him and Cohen could form a great partnership in the middle.

This whole approach is based on one thing we don't currently have (unless Gunter signs, then we're half-way there) - ATTACKING FULL-BACKS WHO ARE COMFORTABLE ON THE BALL AND WHO CAN PROVIDE WIDTH.

Without these, the whole formation falls down cos you become too narrow.

Anyway, that's my 2 pennies worth about how we could arrange ourselves to get the most out of our 2 best players (OK, Earnie might be a shout for 2nd, but it's close IMO).

 

[TOMBARNESFORESTFAN]

use 4-4-2 its all round a better formation and it suits us

 

[Senior Flange Technician]

the diamond will not work, it will leave our full backs exposed as soon as we lose the ball, 4-4-2 will suffice unless we are either needing a goal 4-3-3 or trying to defend a lead 4-5-1, mcgugan i'd put on the right unless we get ando or another right winger, use mcleary as an impact sub, i'd go
smith/?
perch/gunter-morgan-?/chambers-bennet/lynch
mcgugan/?-cohen-moussi-tyson/?
earnie-blackstock
hopefully get a good left winger and use tyson from the bench

 

[Tutts]

--------------------------------------------Smith----------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------Wilson-----------------------------------------------

--------------Wes------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------Bennett----------------------

-----------------------Gunter------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cohen--------

------------------------------------------McGugan---------------------------------------------

-McCleary--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------Tyson-----------------------------

-----------------Earnshaw---------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------Garner-------------------------------------------------------

 

[TheStorm101]

the diamond will not work, it will leave our full backs exposed as soon as we lose the ball, 4-4-2 will suffice unless we are either needing a goal 4-3-3 or trying to defend a lead 4-5-1, mcgugan i'd put on the right unless we get ando or another right winger, use mcleary as an impact sub, i'd go
smith/?
perch/gunter-morgan-?/chambers-bennet/lynch
mcgugan/?-cohen-moussi-tyson/?
earnie-blackstock
hopefully get a good left winger and use tyson from the bench

I take your point about the full-backs's being exposed, but in your formation how much defensive cover/tackling are McGugan and Tyson really going to offer? If the full-backs are mobile enough (ie. not just sitting back like Chambers does), then the space in front of them can be reduced.

Also, do you really see McGugan being effective on the wing? OK, he can sometimes go past players with strength/tricks, but he's just not quick enough for me (same goes for Cohen) to be really effective out wide.

I think my viewpoint about the Diamond is based on us now only having McCleary as a genuine wide man. Arron Davies is on borrowed time and unless he has an amazing pre-season, he's gotta be gone surely. If we go out and sign 2/3 wingers, then I'm more open to playing a standard flat 4-4-2, but you'd still have the problem of accommodating Cohen and McGugan IMO.