Formation change works, as long as...

[jono_t2000]

Mcburnie is on the pitch.

Having him playing slightly deeper than Archer holding the ball up and flicking it on as well as having extra body in midfield worked well.

For once the loose 2nd balls were dropping to us.

 

[Slim Man]

Mcburnie is on the pitch.

Having him playing slightly deeper than Archer holding the ball up and flicking it on as well as having extra body in midfield worked well.

For once the loose 2nd balls were dropping to us.

What a style of play.

 

[Gimli]

What a style of play.

It’s better than nothing.

We have to work with what we’ve got

 

[Ludgblade64]

What's the point of Mcburnie is useless, in front of goal, he's supposed to be a striker, he scored from a penalty, but what else.

What about passing football to feet, Heckingbottom can only play one way with a hopefully target man, when he goes off, nothing, I'm sick of Heckingbottom one dimensional tactic, we need to get rid NOW, all we do is sit back and try to defend, he's clueless, basic football is passing to your team mates, with pace and movement, we are too static.

 

[Slim Man]

It’s better than nothing.

We have to work with what we’ve got

Is it?

 

[Gimli]

What's the point of Mcburnie is useless, in front of goal, he's supposed to be a striker, he scored from a penalty, but what else.

What about passing football to feet, Heckingbottom can only play one way with a hopefully target man, when he goes off, nothing, I'm sick of Heckingbottom one dimensional tactic, we need to get rid NOW, all we do is sit back and try to defend, he's clueless, basic football is passing to your team mates, with pace and movement, we are too static.

Did you notice what happened when McBurnie went off…?

 

[10-0 win]

The opposition decides what style we.ll approached. As we.re second best in most departments its clearances more than long balls forward.

 

[Wards]

Tonight wasn't bad. However, how can we not have a discernable way of playing when McBurnie isn't on the pitch? We insisted on kicking it long down the channels and probably managed to play less football with him off the pitch when the correct thing to do was to play a bit shorter with a more measured approach. This is my main criticism of the manager - we look fucked without Ndiaye to play through and we look even more fucked without McBurnie to play up to. Why do we look so frightened in possession? Why can't we keep the ball for any length of time?

 

[Slim Man]

Tonight wasn't bad. However, how can we not have a discernable way of playing when McBurnie isn't on the pitch? We insisted on kicking it long down the channels and probably managed to play less football with him off the pitch when the correct thing to do was to play a bit shorter with a more measured approach. This is my main criticism of the manager - we look fucked without Ndiaye to play through and we look even more fucked without McBurnie to play up to. Why do we look so frightened in possession? Why can't we keep the ball for any length of time?

Yeah. This. It was absolutely pathetic after he went off. And given his injury record… how was it even conceivable to not sign a likeminded replacement in the summer?

 

[Blademan89]

What's the point of Mcburnie is useless, in front of goal, he's supposed to be a striker, he scored from a penalty, but what else.

What about passing football to feet, Heckingbottom can only play one way with a hopefully target man, when he goes off, nothing, I'm sick of Heckingbottom one dimensional tactic, we need to get rid NOW, all we do is sit back and try to defend, he's clueless, basic football is passing to your team mates, with pace and movement, we are too static.

Plays one way and doesn't even sign another big unit striker to compete with mcburnie.. so when he goes off or is injured we have to watch us lump it up to benny and Archer who are about 5ft

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

Wes

Bogle Trusty Robinson Thomas

Slimane Souza Hamer

Mcatee

Brewster Archer


My side for Arsenal.

 

[Ludgblade64]

Did you notice what happened when McBurnie went off…?

Did you notice the sitter he missed, he's powder puff, we are in trouble relying on Mcburnie. That's we can't retain the ball because it's hopefully football, which teams play with a target man in the premiership

 

[Gimli]

Did you notice the sitter he missed, he's powder puff, we are in trouble relying on Mcburnie. That's we can't retain the ball because it's hopefully football, which teams play with a target man in the premiership

For someone who is clearly very observant, you missed the fact that he was also clearly offside so it made no difference whether he scored that or not.

 

[bakeblade]

For someone who is clearly very observant, you missed the fact that he was also clearly offside so it made no difference whether he scored that or not.

Doesn't matter he should have put it away and then worried about offside afterwards.

 

[NateDogg]

Yeah. This. It was absolutely pathetic after he went off. And given his injury record… how was it even conceivable to not sign a likeminded replacement in the summer?

Because all our left backs got injured so we had to sign luke thomas (who looks crap for the record) instead, with the paltry budget.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Yeah. This. It was absolutely pathetic after he went off. And given his injury record… how was it even conceivable to not sign a likeminded replacement in the summer?

We expected Jebbison & Osula to be fit, kicking on & increasingly getting minutes.

 

[Slim Man]

We expected Jebbison & Osula to be fit, kicking on & increasingly getting minutes.

Well that’s just mental. They weren’t making an impact at championship level last season.

 

[Rudders]

Well that’s just mental. They weren’t making an impact at championship level last season.

And also mental because they both had overly lengthy injured periods last season and have had the same again this season. Expecting them to be fit flies in the face of the facts of the Hecky regime.

 

[Champagneblade]

Yeah. This. It was absolutely pathetic after he went off. And given his injury record… how was it even conceivable to not sign a likeminded replacement in the summer?

On a basic level, we have no McBurnie, and given the absence of someone good in the air, I'd consider playing with no centre forward down the middle.

I'd be asking the quicker forward options to hog the touchline and overload out wide with a view that the forward on the other side can drift in and one of the midfielders can move up.

But you also need some intelligence on the field. Still booting it for McBurnie to hold up when he had already gone off made no sense. There was one time when Rhian got fouled by Evans I think, and that was the sort of approach is what we should have been pushing. Ball out wide, down the touchline, worse scenario a throw in and yardage gained, best scenario a mobile forward cutting inside at pace against a slow centre back with another forward cutting in from the other side and a midfielder adding to numbers.

Football is a relatively simple game where common sense isn't that hard to apply. Yet we often end up in a situation of repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The definition of insanity, as Einstein one said. What a player he was

 

[Melbourne Blade]

Agree we were 'better' with Mcburnie on the pitch, but fuck me, if he had pace and could dribble past players he'd be a much better player. Good hold up play but I'd bet Ryan One could also head the ball, hold it and make slightly above average passes just as well as Mcburnie could.

Him looking our best player in the first half is testament to how average everyone else is unfortunately.

 

[scouseblade]

Did you notice the sitter he missed, he's powder puff, we are in trouble relying on Mcburnie. That's we can't retain the ball because it's hopefully football, which teams play with a target man in the premiership

Deffo offside.

 

[ancientblade]

our first half tactics were spot on for once pressing man utd high with 5 players thus not allowing them to play out from the back and we were able to do that because we played a back 4 and had an extra body in midfield i really hope hecky sticks to this system just a pity we hadnt the energy to keep it going in the 2nd half

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Wes

Bogle Trusty Robinson Thomas

Slimane Souza Hamer

Mcatee

Brewster Archer


My side for Arsenal.

My choice too.

 

[Champagneblade]

Wes

Bogle Trusty Robinson Thomas

Slimane Souza Hamer

Mcatee

Brewster Archer


My side for Arsenal.

I just don’t know anymore.

Maybe I’d play 4-5-1.

Norwood in for either Brewster or Archer. Perhaps McAtee just off one of them.

I don’t see Arsenal being an overly physical team and playing to frustrate them with the hope that Brewster or Archer can lash one in from nowhere or McAtee can do something special.

We have so few options which makes it both hard and easy at the same time!

Wes

Bogle Trusty Robinson Thomas*

Souza Norwood

Slimane Hamer

Mcatee

Brewster

* I thought Thomas was awful against Man U and should have ended up more heavily punished. Not sure if Larouci deserves a second go due to his superior athleticism but Thomas really showed his limitations. I also thought Bogle needs an absolute rocket (and Wes) for how they stupidly coughed up possession by poorly executing simples passes that weren’t on. Both of them could have cost us goals and in games of fine margins we can seldom afford such unprofessionalism.

Either way, with no Anel, Egan and Basham, we’ll have a long run at seeing how we can manage with a back 4.

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

I saw that Ryan One was one of the substitutes for the Blades against Man U,if Hecky had got a little more bottle when McBurnie went off he would have brought him on.
And fairy tales do happen,read below.

Last night i saw the Barca v Athletico game on ITV and it was 0-0 with about 10 mins left......Xavi who is Barca's coach decided to chuck a 17 year old on for his first game with the big boys (he only featured as substitute in a previous game,never played for the Barca B team, just the under 18's)

Anyway within a minute of coming on he was sent thru in the inside left channel and scored with his first kick,he was overjoyed....his name

Marc Guiu​

 

[Ludgblade64]

For someone who is clearly very observant, you missed the fact that he was also clearly offside so it made no difference whether he scored that or not.

You put it in the net first, it shows he can't score goals from open play, even if it was as you say it was offside, he's scored one goal, and that's from the penalty spot, and he's always injured, missing too many games, if he's that important, he should get himself fit, and concentrate on scoring, he's also gets too many bookings, sending off.
There are more ways of playing football, with or without a target man, we have no threat at all, I have watched Alan Woodward and Tony Currie score many goals, from many positions, on a football pitch.

 

[OLDBLADE43]

And also mental because they both had overly lengthy injured periods last season and have had the same again this season. Expecting them to be fit flies in the face of the facts of the Hecky regime.

Or is it the prince regime cos it's him that controls the purse strings

 

[Dougie]

I saw that Ryan One was one of the substitutes for the Blades against Man U,if Hecky had got a little more bottle when McBurnie went off he would have brought him on.
And fairy tales do happen,read below.

Last night i saw the Barca v Athletico game on ITV and it was 0-0 with about 10 mins left......Xavi who is Barca's coach decided to chuck a 17 year old on for his first game with the big boys (he only featured as substitute in a previous game,never played for the Barca B team, just the under 18's)

Anyway within a minute of coming on he was sent thru in the inside left channel and scored with his first kick,he was overjoyed....his name

Marc Guiu​

View attachment 173340

Definitely comparable to throwing a lad signed from the Scottish third tier in against Man U when you're bottom of the league and under pressure for your job. Deary me

 

[Snowflake]

What's the point of Mcburnie is useless, in front of goal, he's supposed to be a striker, he scored from a penalty, but what else.

What about passing football to feet, Heckingbottom can only play one way with a hopefully target man, when he goes off, nothing, I'm sick of Heckingbottom one dimensional tactic, we need to get rid NOW, all we do is sit back and try to defend, he's clueless, basic football is passing to your team mates, with pace and movement, we are too static.

Passing with pace and movement is down to the quality of the players, not the team in the dugout. We are not equipped to play that style of football , regrettable that this may be.

 

[Gimli]

You put it in the net first, it shows he can't score goals from open play, even if it was as you say it was offside, he's scored one goal, and that's from the penalty spot, and he's always injured, missing too many games, if he's that important, he should get himself fit, and concentrate on scoring, he's also gets too many bookings, sending off.
There are more ways of playing football, with or without a target man, we have no threat at all, I have watched Alan Woodward and Tony Currie score many goals, from many positions, on a football pitch.

We ain’t got Woodward or Currie…