Woodwardfan
Woodwardfan
- Banned
- #1
Days like tomorrow are chapters in the club's history. Our manager has to make some big decisions about team selection, formation and tactics.
From those players available last Thursday it's clear Scougall is out, Brayford too probably and we saw Flynn and Davies pick up knocks. Hopefully Baxter will have recovered from his illness. Campbell-Ryce hasn't played since early March. Collins is match fit after half a dozen games at Port Vale where he played well. Kennedy is unfit presumably. Done's condition is mysterious, I would presume it's a condition which does not permit a starting berth otherwise surely he would have been picked for the home leg, in fact if he starts tomorrow I'll be gobsmacked.
What are our manager's options?
Team selection - players to consider who didn't start last Thursday - Reed, Alcock, Baxter, Doyle, Adams, Diego, McNulty, Turner, Done, Collins. Therefore there are plenty of options.
Formation: 4-5-1 seems cast in stone. In special circumstances, crisis circumstances even, does it have to be? Swindon play 3-5-2 we could match up to that. We could go 4-4-2, which can be every bit as safe a formation as 4-5-1 and can be fluid depending on the state of the game. So we can play 2 up front if we so wish.
Tactics: Our usual away tactics with 4-5-1 are to start cautious and wait for the game to unfold. If the opponents start on the front foot we wait for them to run out of steam. If the opponents are cagey we will take the game to them without fully committing to all out attack. In either scenario if we go one up then we pull everybody back and defend with the idea of swift counter-attacks which often do not materialise. We do not defend well enough to guarantee the tactic working.
Today is the day for bold decisions which will write another chapter in the club's history. Without bold decisions we will likely go out with a whimper as we are in a rut.
I know what I would do but that's irrelevant, though I can't resist saying Collins should start even if Brayford is fit. We have the players to play both 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 as well as 4-51. We have good enough players to win through tomorrow.
All I'd say is that we are least likely to win through if Clough picks some of the players who started on Thursday and if he adopts the same tactics as per usual. To win through we have to be bold but not stupid of course. I would also observe that eight of the players named above who didn't start on Thursday could be interchanged with a significant number of those who started and do at least as well. We have a number of options and to change nothing much is the least favourable in my eyes.
From those players available last Thursday it's clear Scougall is out, Brayford too probably and we saw Flynn and Davies pick up knocks. Hopefully Baxter will have recovered from his illness. Campbell-Ryce hasn't played since early March. Collins is match fit after half a dozen games at Port Vale where he played well. Kennedy is unfit presumably. Done's condition is mysterious, I would presume it's a condition which does not permit a starting berth otherwise surely he would have been picked for the home leg, in fact if he starts tomorrow I'll be gobsmacked.
What are our manager's options?
Team selection - players to consider who didn't start last Thursday - Reed, Alcock, Baxter, Doyle, Adams, Diego, McNulty, Turner, Done, Collins. Therefore there are plenty of options.
Formation: 4-5-1 seems cast in stone. In special circumstances, crisis circumstances even, does it have to be? Swindon play 3-5-2 we could match up to that. We could go 4-4-2, which can be every bit as safe a formation as 4-5-1 and can be fluid depending on the state of the game. So we can play 2 up front if we so wish.
Tactics: Our usual away tactics with 4-5-1 are to start cautious and wait for the game to unfold. If the opponents start on the front foot we wait for them to run out of steam. If the opponents are cagey we will take the game to them without fully committing to all out attack. In either scenario if we go one up then we pull everybody back and defend with the idea of swift counter-attacks which often do not materialise. We do not defend well enough to guarantee the tactic working.
Today is the day for bold decisions which will write another chapter in the club's history. Without bold decisions we will likely go out with a whimper as we are in a rut.
I know what I would do but that's irrelevant, though I can't resist saying Collins should start even if Brayford is fit. We have the players to play both 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 as well as 4-51. We have good enough players to win through tomorrow.
All I'd say is that we are least likely to win through if Clough picks some of the players who started on Thursday and if he adopts the same tactics as per usual. To win through we have to be bold but not stupid of course. I would also observe that eight of the players named above who didn't start on Thursday could be interchanged with a significant number of those who started and do at least as well. We have a number of options and to change nothing much is the least favourable in my eyes.
the trouble is for the areas of the team that are critical we have few to zero options, we don't have a decent shot stopper at the club and we only have one recognised CB Collins who I can't imagine Clough picking anyway. That leaves us with either playing a back line made up of fullbacks or moving Basham to CB and we all know what that does to our midfield, not enough fitness in Coutts, Doyle or Baxter, the alternatives are Holt, Adams or Reed, I think without Basham in midfield we will be overun
I'd play 4-5-1 for half an hour switching to 4-4-2 that early.
