With regards to the defence, the team is set up to attack and get the ball forward quickly.
This is more apparent when Moore has the ball as play goes forward down either side, with Freeman and Lafferty taking the ball and pushing forward down either side. This is great as it helps us turn defence in to attack very quickly, but it can also leave us very vulnerable to the opposition breaking as we also play with a very high defensive line, and i think that we are very vulnerable to pace.
Our usual defence is a back three, with two wing backs, and i don't think it as an area we are particularly strong.
Ebanks-Landell is a bit of a talisman and a cult hero but i don't think he is that good a defender. I've thought for a while he can be hesitant and can often be caught in two minds. His strength is in the air and he looks strong in the tackle but he can easily be pulled out of position and doesn't seem to have a lot of real pace.
Jake Wright isn't as good as people think he is. His real strength is his organisational skills as he marshalls the back line superbly, and covers very, very well but i think he is also a very limited defender whose game is more centred on leading others, in a sense he reminds me a little of Paul McGrath with his football brain which is a huge positive, and i only think he should be selected as part of a three man defence and if he was part of a conventional flat back four he would leave us weakened.
Chris Basham can do an adequate job, but i think he suffers because he is a jack of all trades and master of none. He is solid in the air, solid in the tackle, and is very mobile, and as far as i can see he has all the attributes needed to be a central defender, but for some reason he doesn't seem to excel at the back as much as he should.
I don't think anybody is claiming that Jake is an ace defender Brownie, like you say his strength seems to in organising his fellow defenders, as for being limited, I think he is decent enough for this division and has done an excellent job since he came to us, bit of an unsung hero in my opinion. What you say about Bash is spot on, and why he doesn't generally excel at the back is a mystery to me too.
With the two wing backs, Freeman and Lafferty i think they are excellent in the current formation and are the reason i would be reluctant to change the formation, but i still think that Freeman looks very weak defensively and often loses his man when we are defending which causes more pressure of the man playing on the right of a 3 man defence which is usually EEL whose weaknesses i have already addressed. With Lafferty i don't think are many concerns defensively as he looks solid and dependable and would be quite comfortable to be played as a conventional left-back.
The one defender i think who looks like far and away our best defender is O'Connell. As a centre half he looks immense, strong in the tackle, strong in the air, and he has an excellent footballing brain, and he could easily play as either centre half or left back and not look out of place in either position.
It is important to remember that the Walsall defeat was only the second since last August and for the main part the defence has been solid, although they haven't been called upon that often, i still think there are weaknesses that persist, and this is going to be an area that we need to address if and when we get promoted as i just don't feel confident we will be that strong if we get promoted. I don't think i would be looking to keep EEL on if we go up, and if anything i would look to bring in someone who can strengthen the back 3 during this transfer window
