A quick assessment....

[JohnDenver]

Evans and Bogdanovic might as well be flogged!

To within an inch of their lives? I quite agree.

 

[Kenilworth]

The main tangible contribution that Britton has made this season was his neat assist against Cardiff when he was playing in an advanced position. We've all said for years that we need a midfielder who can play the "killer ball" and now we finally have one, we play him so deep that he never gets the chance to do it.

Agreed. Where the hell does this notion of a deep lying ball playing midfielder come from? Any ball playing midfielder needs to be up to support the forwards not pissing about protecting the back 4. That's a laugh as well, Britton protecting the back 4? The size of him, come on?

You need either an athletic box to box midfielder that can run all day and protect the back four when we don't have the ball or you need a sitting, defensive midfielder (maklele style) that sits and holds and is very imposing. Sure Britton is going to strike fear into some 6 foot plus oppo midfielder - I don't think so. It's like Fabregas, Modric or Wilshire sitting deep and never going forward beyind the half way line - what's the point? What effect can they have on the game from there? Speed should play Britton in an advanced role, pulling the strings, or drop him. If he has Reid in the side then I don't see a place for Britton. If you have a creative midfielder who is smaller and more light weight you should always balance this with a grafter and a getter, someone to hassle and harry the opposition and win the ball then play it off to the more composed and gifted partner. We fall short on so many levels and play people in a negative formation in positions they wouldn't normally paly - that's what's wrong.

We don't attack teams = no goals
We don't get in the opposition box = no penalties won - you have to be in the box to get a Pen Speedo!
We keep the ball in our own half and lose it in theirs = no chances created
If Yeates isn't on form we don't get any real width or have any pace out wide to expolit the space = no chances created
The tactics are desperately predictable = easy to counteract = no chances created
The 4-5-1 means we stay deep and don't start positively or start quickly = sluggish so we are likely to conceed the first goal
One man up front with no midfiled support = giving posession away

Why is it so hard to see?

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Agreed. Where the hell does this notion of a deep lying ball playing midfielder come from?

It comes from the fact that Swansea used him in this role to good effect and got the best out of him. I'm not at all suggesting that we should persist with this role.....I'm suggesting that we should either play him in his strongest position (i.e. in front of the back four) or dont play him at all.

You're both suggesting to play him out of position. He is what he is.....just because you want a ball playing midfielder further up the pitch, that doesnt mean Britton is the man to do it. With the abundance of defensively minded midfielders we have I'm sure Gary Speed (a top drawer midfielder himself) would have played Britton further up the pitch if thats where his strengths were.

I agree that we do need that sort of player (I think Andy Reid can do it while he's here) but to persistently claim that Britton can do it is clutching at straws IMHO.

 

[Bergen Blade]

It comes from the fact that Swansea used him in this role to good effect and got the best out of him. I'm not at all suggesting that we should persist with this role.....I'm suggesting that we should either play him in his strongest position (i.e. in front of the back four) or dont play him at all.

You're both suggesting to play him out of position. He is what he is.....just because you want a ball playing midfielder further up the pitch, that doesnt mean Britton is the man to do it. With the abundance of defensively minded midfielders we have I'm sure Gary Speed (a top drawer midfielder himself) would have played Britton further up the pitch if thats where his strengths were.

I agree that we do need that sort of player (I think Andy Reid can do it while he's here) but to persistently claim that Britton can do it is clutching at straws IMHO.

I agree with you on this one, SCB. A deep lying playmaker (like Xabi Alonso) can be effective, but he needs mobile players around him so that his clever little passes become effective and starts attack where we make a good attempt at scoring. If a player like Britton sits deep and passes to static players who don't know what to do with it, the same clever little passes are useless.

I think Sothall's team suggestion is better than anything we've tried this season, and with the formation change coupled with added creativity and mobility I think Britton could remain in his preferred role - playmaking from deep. Ideally we should have had a midfield partner who offers more going forward than Ertl, but we need him for his height and strength. Still, that team should be able to create chances at this level.

 

[raul]

We. Don't. Need. Ertl.For.His.Height.And.Strength.

 

[Bergen Blade]

We. Don't. Need. Ertl.For.His.Height.And.Strength.

In. Your. Opinion.

Take him out and there will be one obvious weakness in the team, we can't field a team of midgets in this divsion, and I want to see players fail in a balanced team before ruling them out.

 

[raul]

Knocker. I don't want to see our players fail at all...

But if it's height you want, sell him and invest the returns in a lamppost. It'll win just as much in the air and offer improved mobility and passing.

Height for height's sake from what I've seen sadly Bergo.

 

[bricktop]

Or better still, why don't we go out there and buy young british talent from the lower league and build a new side that way?

 

[Bergen Blade]

In that team he's probably the first player I'd look to get replaced, but if he can win a few headers, take some pressure off our centre halves, try to get stuck in and contribute at attacking and defensive set pieces, I think we can get away with his limitations, for now. Is it Monty or Quinn you're dying to see strutting their stuff in our midfield?

 

[Rudders]

Bergen,

I see your point re athleticism in midfield I also think that since Speed finished and possibly since McCall, we have lacked football 'nous' in the centre of midfield. Being able to control play, dictate and organise others would probably improve our style of play than 'trying to pass it all the time'. So we are looking for an athletic strong tall experienced good football brained central midfielder. Any ideas? Could we stretch Andy Reid on a rack to make him taller??

We also need to tighten up at the back as we have got sloppy recently. I think Ertl was good at CB earlier on in the season, looks much more comfortable heading and clearing (although no pace when turned) I think we could use him there and send back Nosworthy, who regularly costs goals.

Did you do goalwatch this week? For the Cov goal and some other chances in that game I think it was Taylor who was miles away from closing down the crosser. Also we were very weak at clearing our lines in the middle. You'd think Ellis or some other Prozone watching expert would pick this up and rectify it.

 

[JohnDenver]

I agree with you on this one, SCB. A deep lying playmaker (like Xabi Alonso) can be effective, but he needs mobile players around him so that his clever little passes become effective and starts attack where we make a good attempt at scoring. If a player like Britton sits deep and passes to static players who don't know what to do with it, the same clever little passes are useless.

I think Sothall's team suggestion is better than anything we've tried this season, and with the formation change coupled with added creativity and mobility I think Britton could remain in his preferred role - playmaking from deep. Ideally we should have had a midfield partner who offers more going forward than Ertl, but we need him for his height and strength. Still, that team should be able to create chances at this level.

With regard to Britton's role, he's doing what Stuart McCall used to do. But McCall had Tonge to his left, Nuddy to his right, Brown at his side... I'd mention the strikers but he hardly ever played directly to them.

Compare this to Britton who looks up to see Quinn (doesn't want it), Ertl or Monty (don't need it), and our wide men who are too far away playing in a 4-3-3.

It's no wonder Britton plays it to the fullbacks so often, only to find a dead end. Give Britton more options and we'll start to tick again.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Bergen,

I see your point re athleticism in midfield I also think that since Speed finished and possibly since McCall, we have lacked football 'nous' in the centre of midfield. Being able to control play, dictate and organise others would probably improve our style of play than 'trying to pass it all the time'. So we are looking for an athletic strong tall experienced good football brained central midfielder. Any ideas? Could we stretch Andy Reid on a rack to make him taller??

In January the Finnish U21 captain, a 6'4 midfielder, was available on a Bosman free transfer...

Did you do goalwatch this week? For the Cov goal and some other chances in that game I think it was Taylor who was miles away from closing down the crosser. Also we were very weak at clearing our lines in the middle. You'd think Ellis or some other Prozone watching expert would pick this up and rectify it.

First of all I think it was an excellent goal by Coventry, who showed good movement and positioning in the box. Looking at the first photo we look okay, Taylor is making the man on the ball go inside (red circle) where he has support in Britton and Morgan is
marking Gunnarson. The surprise is that the pass goes back out wide (yellow line), and Morgan hesitates before tracking Gunnarson. This makes him unable to get a tackle in, let alone beat him to the ball.

Impressing that Coventry also have their full back overlapping, forcing Morgan to back off even more. Gunnarson crosses, the big Platt wins the back post header (beating Nosworthy), and McSheffrey's clever positioning sees him head home relatively unchallenged as Bartley and Taylor doesn't get there.

A key question for me: Why does Morgan hesitate?

 

[Come from away]

he's injured and less mobile - should not be playing.