Right, who abducted the real Clough?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

blader

blader

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Messages
2,536
Reaction score
3,923
Location
West Yorks
That's what we want Nigel!!!

So much different tonight, and it has paid off.

Firstly, the team selection. Keep it like that FFS.
  • Basham is a Centre Half. Not only that, but Basham is an EXCELLENT centre half. PLAY HIM THERE.
  • Which brings be to my second point... Play Louis Reed!!! 2 Birds, 1 stone and all that. The young man was superb. Assured, composed, classy played the ball to feet, everything we have so desperately needed in the middle.
  • Marc McNulty - Well, Nigel, if he does not play every game for the foreseeable future, you are not the manager I think you are. This guy is class. He works harder than any striker we've had in recent time, holds the ball up excellently, wins his fair share of headers considering his size, and scores goals. Yes, Yes and more Yes to McNulty.
Now Cuvelier played very well, but then Baxter also showed his class when he came on I thought. Would love to see Cuvelier in and around the team as he looks very useful, but it may not be time for him to take Jose's place just yet.

Anyway, continuing my praise for Clough tonight - substitutions. I have criticised Clough often for his timing and personnel of substitutions. He never makes subs before 75 minutes in the league, and is always reactive, and often brings the wrong person on anyway! Tonight he was spot on, and showed what a difference PROACTIVE substitutions can make.Much more of that please Nige!

Now, Mr Clough has a HUGE team selection to make vs Walsall to set down a president of where he sees our side going this season. He simply has to keep it the same. I will be very sad to see, in particular, Higdon or McCarthy play for us again really, as tonight has proven we have better and younger replacements waiting in the wings. Adams and Wallace look excellent acquisitions long-term and would be great to see more of them in the coming weeks, particularly with the heavy schedule. More of that team selection, more pro-activity from the benches and a much more "up and at 'em" approach to games and all of a sudden look what happens. I don't know if Clough finally saw what many of us have previously seen tonight, or he just stumbled across a successful formula, but this is the way to go from here. We had a young, dynamic, fast and exciting side out tonight for the first time all season. It is no coincidence, and I hope we all agree that to see youth playing with pace and class is a world apart from what we have been viewing in the last month.

Over and out.

UTB
 

blader said:
That's what we want Nigel!!!

So much different tonight, and it has paid off.

Firstly, the team selection. Keep it like that FFS.
  • Basham is a Centre Half. Not only that, but Basham is an EXCELLENT centre half. PLAY HIM THERE.
  • Which brings be to my second point... Play Louis Reed!!! 2 Birds, 1 stone and all that. The young man was superb. Assured, composed, classy played the ball to feet, everything we have so desperately needed in the middle.
  • Marc McNulty - Well, Nigel, if he does not play every game for the foreseeable future, you are not the manager I think you are. This guy is class. He works harder than any striker we've had in recent time, holds the ball up excellently, wins his fair share of headers considering his size, and scores goals. Yes, Yes and more Yes to McNulty.
Now Cuvelier played very well, but then Baxter also showed his class when he came on I thought. Would love to see Cuvelier in and around the team as he looks very useful, but it may not be time for him to take Jose's place just yet.

Anyway, continuing my praise for Clough tonight - substitutions. I have criticised Clough often for his timing and personnel of substitutions. He never makes subs before 75 minutes in the league, and is always reactive, and often brings the wrong person on anyway! Tonight he was spot on, and showed what a difference PROACTIVE substitutions can make.Much more of that please Nige!

Now, Mr Clough has a HUGE team selection to make vs Walsall to set down a president of where he sees our side going this season. He simply has to keep it the same. I will be very sad to see, in particular, Higdon or McCarthy play for us again really, as tonight has proven we have better and younger replacements waiting in the wings. Adams and Wallace look excellent acquisitions long-term and would be great to see more of them in the coming weeks, particularly with the heavy schedule. More of that team selection, more pro-activity from the benches and a much more "up and at 'em" approach to games and all of a sudden look what happens. I don't know if Clough finally saw what many of us have previously seen tonight, or he just stumbled across a successful formula, but this is the way to go from here. We had a young, dynamic, fast and exciting side out tonight for the first time all season. It is no coincidence, and I hope we all agree that to see youth playing with pace and class is a world apart from what we have been viewing in the last month.

Over and out.

UTB
Click to expand...
Reed was hobbling at the end of the end and was Flo,McEverely,Harris and McNulty. I think there will be some forced changes this weekend
 
boo radley said:
Maybe he just knows a little better than you. Was it 'his team, with his players'? what was the formation?
Click to expand...

Well, maybe he doesn't, or didn't, is my point. As soon as he plays the players I (and many others) have said should be playing, we go and beat Southampton!!

Flynn Basham McEveley Harris
Doyle Reed
JCR Cuvelier Murphy
McNulty

Everyone knows Bash and Mceveley is our best CB pairing, which naturally frees up a position for Reed. Everyone also is aware McNulty is a better striker than Higdon (or at least they will be now). I think if Clough had noticed this a few weeks ago, we'd be sitting prettier in the league. As my post infers, I'm hoping he now continues with this much improved side.
 
blader said:
Well, maybe he doesn't, or didn't, is my point. As soon as he plays the players I (and many others) have said should be playing, we go and beat Southampton!!

Flynn Basham McEveley Harris
Doyle Reed
JCR Cuvelier Murphy
McNulty

Everyone knows Bash and Mceveley is our best CB pairing, which naturally frees up a position for Reed. Everyone also is aware McNulty is a better striker than Higdon (or at least they will be now). I think if Clough had noticed this a few weeks ago, we'd be sitting prettier in the league. As my post infers, I'm hoping he now continues with this much improved side.
Click to expand...
Perhaps he would have played players like McN earlier had he not got smashed in the face. he was just starting to play both strikers before they both got injured. I may agree a little about Higdon. So no Wallace replacing Doyle then ? I'd be happier with Bash in CM like you said;). bash would add even more to the attacking from there and we have CBs coming through. We have so many options is is almost unbelievable.
Whilst very frustrated about results, not so about performances. and those who are reasonably happy about performances have not voiced off as much as those who are not happy with performances. I think there are more in the silent majority in the happy with performances than in yours. People are quite welcome to vote with their feet.
Anyone want to sell what remains of their season ticket to me making a slight loss then they are quite welcome. That way they won't have to suffer any longer.
 
bartman said:
Reed was hobbling at the end of the end and was Flo,McEverely,Harris and McNulty. I think there will be some forced changes this weekend
Click to expand...

....All of whom were great tonight. Bob Harris is becoming a real favourite and rightly so.

Let's not forget Flynny who was so good I thought I saw a beard on the end of his chin?....

Well done to Flo as well. A remarkable show after so long out. Good lad!
 
Pinchy said:
....All of whom were great tonight. Bob Harris is becoming a real favourite and rightly so.

Let's not forget Flynny who was so good I thought I saw a beard on the end of his chin?....

Well done to Flo as well. A remarkable show after so long out. Good lad!
Click to expand...
I miss Matt Hill so badly.
 
After recent performances, it's so obvious that we play better with Basham back there. Surely we must keep that back 4 in place for the foreseeable future and forget McCarthy.

At home in the league I still think we need more firepower up front, we don't have enough goals in us with 4-5-1 at home, but we can learn a few things from the tempo last night.

McNulty HAS to have earned himself the starting place after that, I think him and COG at home and go 4-4-2 and use 4-5-1 away.
 

Last night goes to show it's not about formations and having 2 up top. It's all about going out with intent and breaking from midfield. Cuvellier did what we haven't had since Coady. Stick your two upfront up your arse!

I wasn't looking forward to last night and didn't really want to go. When I saw the team sheet I knew we would win and really hope Nigel goes with a similar looking side from here forward. Probably best game I can remember at the Lane since the Premier League/
 
Pinchy said:
....All of whom were great tonight. Bob Harris is becoming a real favourite and rightly so.

Let's not forget Flynny who was so good I thought I saw a beard on the end of his chin?....

Well done to Flo as well. A remarkable show after so long out. Good lad!
Click to expand...

"My old mate Bobby 'arris" according to Kevin Phillips on 5LSE many times last night.
 
Basham was excellent at centre half again. Surely he has got to play there from now on? Unfortunately, I have a feeling he will be back in midfield on Saturday.
 
I think we'll be lucky to come out of that with no injuries for Saturday to be honest. Bit brutal for a top level team I thought.

Taking Basham out from CB and putting him in CM would weaken both areas significantly in my view, increasing the likelyhood of conceding at one end and decreasing our attacking prowess at the other. Shouldn't even be contemplated if it can be helped.
 
Grecian2000 said:
I think we'll be lucky to come out of that with no injuries for Saturday to be honest. Bit brutal for a top level team I thought.

Taking Basham out from CB and putting him in CM would weaken both areas significantly in my view, increasing the likelyhood of conceding at one end and decreasing our attacking prowess at the other. Shouldn't even be contemplated if it can be helped.
Click to expand...
Agree,but we all know it will be contemplated,lets hope he proves us all wrong.
 
I'm loving the thought process of some people. Clough apparently is blundering around randomly selecting players and he happens to have tripped over the right formula. Or perhaps he tactically got is bang on and while he isn't beyond critisism he pretty much knows what he is doing. Thats in spite of what some on here may think.

These people get paid to do this job and have been doing it for a while, I think its a little insulting to insinuate that the bloke doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. He does. He did for over half a season last season and while this season is frustrating thus far I have belief that it will come good with Clough in charge.

Clough and the team should take massive credit for last night. One of the countries best teams came to us last night and we made them look shit.
 
Bladesway said:
I'm loving the thought process of some people. Clough apparently is blundering around randomly selecting players and he happens to have tripped over the right formula. Or perhaps he tactically got is bang on and while he isn't beyond critisism he pretty much knows what he is doing. Thats in spite of what some on here may think.

These people get paid to do this job and have been doing it for a while, I think its a little insulting to insinuate that the bloke doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. He does. He did for over half a season last season and while this season is frustrating thus far I have belief that it will come good with Clough in charge.

Clough and the team should take massive credit for last night. One of the countries best teams came to us last night and we made them look shit.
Click to expand...

Are you saying Clough is right to play McCarthy in central defence & Basham in midfield?

Clough played Basham in central defence last night because McCarthy was cup tied. It wasn't tactical. From what I've seen and heard, most fans, like me, would play Basham in central defence and leave McCarthy out. Basham was awesome last night - and was very good last time he played in central defence.
 
Deano said:
Are you saying Clough is right to play McCarthy in central defence & Basham in midfield?

Clough played Basham in central defence last night because McCarthy was cup tied. It wasn't tactical. From what I've seen and heard, most fans, like me, would play Basham in central defence and leave McCarthy out. Basham was awesome last night - and was very good last time he played in central defence.
Click to expand...
But if Flo and Reed aren't fit(which seems possible at the moment), surely Basham is a better option in there than Kieran Wallace
 
bartman said:
But if Flo and Reed aren't fit(which seems possible at the moment), surely Basham is a better option in there than Kieran Wallace
Click to expand...

I disagree. We need to stop conceding silly goals and Basham has looked our best central defender.

And the fact is Clough has been playing McCarthy in central defence & Basham in midfield anyway - it's nothing to do with injuries.
 
Bergen Blade said:
Many will find it uninteresting, but that's not quite the formation we played yesterday.
Click to expand...
I didn't like it when he changed to 4-1-4-1 after half time but that is what won the game ,they couldn't get through or round us and Doyle plays that role very well. The other difference was all the players put a full shift in and played well ,although I think Murphy is still off his game ,I wish he would just leave him on the left wing.
 
Deano said:
Are you saying Clough is right to play McCarthy in central defence & Basham in midfield?

Clough played Basham in central defence last night because McCarthy was cup tied. It wasn't tactical. From what I've seen and heard, most fans, like me, would play Basham in central defence and leave McCarthy out. Basham was awesome last night - and was very good last time he played in central defence.
Click to expand...

I'm saying there is a pyramid of knowledge of which Clough sits at the top of and we sit somewhere near the bottom of. Who knows genuinley why he plays players in or out of position and we guess. Injury? Form? Tactics? Yet you look on here and some people make out they are the font of all footballing knowledge.
 
sitwell said:
I didn't like it when he changed to 4-1-4-1 after half time but that is what won the game ,they couldn't get through or round us and Doyle plays that role very well. The other difference was all the players put a full shift in and played well ,although I think Murphy is still off his game ,I wish he would just leave him on the left wing.
Click to expand...

At times first half it was so fluent that it was hard to assess which of the two variations we were playing. Even Doyle took turns in closing down their players down high up the pitch, and we were clearly more determined to close down Schneiderlin than Wanyama. I think Clough likes us to swap between the two, even if it's just for a few minutes, and Doyle also instructs the other two when a tweak, a momentary role change, is needed. Nevertheless, as I saw it, 4-1-4-1 was the formation we used most of the time, even in the first half.
 
There was certainly more fluency in the first half and youre right the formation was similar with more discipline and rigidity in the second half, Basham Murphy and Cuvelier all strayed quite a lot in the first half. Adams played to instructions very unselfishly and did well once he got up with the pace of the game ,he got great support from Harris Doyle and the 2 centre halves . I feared for us when Baxter came on because we were relying on the pace and tempo of the game but to be fair to him he got with it after a few minutes and did well.
 
Bladesway said:
I'm saying there is a pyramid of knowledge of which Clough sits at the top of and we sit somewhere near the bottom of. Who knows genuinley why he plays players in or out of position and we guess. Injury? Form? Tactics? Yet you look on here and some people make out they are the font of all footballing knowledge.
Click to expand...

Hilarious. You might sit near the bottom of this so called pyramid, I don't.....
 

Finally having a striker who presses their back four when they had the ball was the highlight for me.
No better feeling than going to work finally being proud of your team again
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom