Monty out!

[Come from away]

When the team is doing OK it is hard to complain but now the bubble is bust. Playing two defensive CMs (Monty-Armstrong) means the back four come into the game too much to help with the offense and as a result we get caught on the breakaway. We would be better (until we buy a creative midfielder) playing two of Hendrie/Tonge/Quinn A. in the middle and let the back four play defence. Lobbing the ball up front and hoping is not enough, we need a midfield that is willing to be in the box - that is why the back four has to stick to their job.

 

[Monty's_Girl]

thought monty was shocking yesterday!
my mate thought he was plymouth's best midfielder

 

[Foxy]

The thing is, Hendrie is injured and playing Tonge/Quinn in the moment generally results in one potential "attacking midfielder" just stood watching the game. For all his faults, this is something Monty never does.

Minutes after Tonge coming on yesterday we lost the ball and he just stopped and watched Plymouth play. We won the ball back, broke and ended up in their area, in all this time Tonge had moved a yard.

 

[keenzy]

tonge has been dire though, maybe play quinn and armstrong?

 

[Tinoblade]

Monty was shocking yesterday, but i havent seen him play that bad in a while!
and agree with foxy at least he will still keep chasing after he has lost it!

I also dont think the choice of them two in midfield made it any better for him, he needs to play alongside a player who demands the ball and takes control, while monty does the hardwork!

Don't even start me on tonge! i Hate him he is terrible

 

[Foxy]

tonge has been dire though, maybe play quinn and armstrong?

Thats the problem, Quinns been about as bad. I'd say stick Stephen Quinn in the middle as he usually plays the role well, but he's too small and we'd just get physically bossed.

Personally I think in terms of offense, we'd do much better with the full backs pushing forward (well Bardsley, Geary and Stretch when left back do) and using the wings properly. This obviously means the midfield/defence has to be disciplined and not ball watch, something which a few are certainly guilty of time and time again... ie - Tonge & Quinn.

 

[silverfox]

Problem we have is that none of the others will work like Monty does.

Tonge was terrible yesterday when the ball was lost.......no excuses.......no player should just stand there like a tree.

 

[Come from away]

With two defensive CMs you either hoof it forward or give it back to the centre half and bring them into the game. If they step up to play the ball, a poor pass and they are a sucker for the quick counter. With no consistent offense it is enough to lose games. We have to work with the players we have, if we can keep the opposition defence working with at least some minimal threat from midfield, then the back four is good enough to do the rest. Otherwise if it is just four on four going forward, their midfield will be putting the pressure on us. We have certainly not been an attacking force this year, so we need to find other options. I also repeat it is time for Keith out and Stead in.

 

[silverfox]

With two defensive CMs you either hoof it forward or give it back to the centre half and bring them into the game. If they step up to play the ball, a poor pass and they are a sucker for the quick counter. With no consistent offense it is enough to lose games. We have to work with the players we have, if we can keep the opposition defence working with at least some minimal threat from midfield, then the back four is good enough to do the rest. Otherwise if it is just four on four going forward, their midfield will be putting the pressure on us. We have certainly not been an attacking force this year, so we need to find other options. I also repeat it is time for Keith out and Stead in.

It would be nice if we had the players to do so.

The ones we have can't can't keep working their defences.

 

[Sensiblade]

No one seems to have noticed that Bardsley had an even bigger stinker than anyone on the pitch. He couldn't defend or pass for toffee. Monty was bad but Bardsley was worse.

 

[happyhippy]

Problem we have is that none of the others will work like Monty does.

Tonge was terrible yesterday when the ball was lost.......no excuses.......no player should just stand there like a tree.

Totally agree. Monty had a mare, but he was hardly the only one. The problem we had all match was the slow build up. When you're 1-0 down against a side who is getting 8 behind the ball as soon as we have possession in our own half, andthen let them organise themselves as we knock it back to Bennett, before passing gently around a bit, it's going to be difficult to score.

We need Monty as the best stopper we've got, but we need someone who can pass quickly and directly too. An on form Tonge can do that; maybe Hendrie might provide that bit of competition that's lacking in that respect?

 

[Come from away]

Monty was great for Warnock's style, i.e., put it in the last third and then fight for it - in basketball a front court press. Monty does not fit Robson's style, he should probably move to Palace. The front four should have a couple of midfielders to pass back to when in trouble or work a give and go. Unfortunately, our two are more likely to keep passing backwards. I do not know if Quinn, Hendrie or Tonge could do the job, but they do have the skills.

 

[happyhippy]

We still need a combative midfielder; some steel. The problem is that there's no ferker coming to win the ball once 'a stopper' has broken the opposition's play down.

 

[Robbie]

Monty was great for Warnock's style, i.e., put it in the last third and then fight for it - in basketball a front court press. Monty does not fit Robson's style, he should probably move to Palace.

I don't see any difference in style of play from United since Robbo took over. The only difference I have seen is that the defence have the ball passed about more. It's still hoof ball going forward.

And if Monty doesn't suit Robbo's style then why does he continually put him in the side.

 

[silverfox]

And if Monty doesn't suit Robbo's style then why does he continually put him in the side.

Because we need someone to do the work that the other lazy sods won't do??

 

[Robbie]

Because we need someone to do the work that the other lazy sods won't do??

If this is the case then I would expect all said midfielders to be leaving in January.

 

[TonyAgana]

I know Tonge didn't have a good individual game on Saturday but with him on the pitch we had the shape to add pressure which we did. Monty and Stretch DO NOT WORK together. There is NO dropping back to pick the ball up from the defence and build, and there is NO support for the strikers on the attack. True, Monty and Stretch steadied the back four in the last few games but we don't create chances and that is a direct result of playing these 2 together.

At least Tonge looks to build when we're on the attack and Quinn always checks back in to collect the ball from our defenders. Without at least one of them, we're passing it around the back four, nobody comes to collect it and we end up hoofing it up front, the ball get's knocked back and there's no one there to support.

And this "new style" that people seem to keep mentioning is completely phantom. There is no new style except that our defenders are of a higher footballing class than before and they are confident enough to knock it about a bit - but the lack of a midfield means they revert to tonking it up field anyway!!

 

[Robbie]

Agreed TA.

The defence seems to be the only part of this new regime of passing, of which BR is claiming his style.

 

[BexleyBlade]

And this "new style" that people seem to keep mentioning is completely phantom. There is no new style except that our defenders are of a higher footballing class than before and they are confident enough to knock it about a bit - but the lack of a midfield means they revert to tonking it up field anyway!!

I have to disagree TA ... I feel there is a very different style ... You are right in our defensive ability and it has without doubt improved but our attacking football is looking a lot better ... I honestly believe if we played this sort of football last season we would still be up there but at this level the 1-touch flicks in the box and balls in behind full-backs arent working ... This is where the midfield come into play-what midfield you say? ... Well thats the problem as we all know and with no players actually wanting the ball from our defence we are forced to lump it down the pitch in behind full-backs and nothing comes of it ... Saturday was disappointing after our good run of form - Monty was appauling - Stretch was lost (sometimes he was further up the pitch than BT and other times he was back with Cahill) - Meanwhile Keef did nothing except drift across and BT was unfortunate because nobody picked up the 2nd ball after he won the header

Plymouth showed exactly what 2 do ... Shoot from distance and they hit the bar/post twice ... our midfield isnt good enough to do that and so we look for the long ball ... Its an annoying, never-ending cycle

 

[jodman]

I have to disagree TA ... I feel there is a very different style ... You are right in our defensive ability and it has without doubt improved but our attacking football is looking a lot better

Our attacking play is almost none existent at the moment, long balls hoofed from the centre backs could not be further away from the style of play promised when Robson was appointed. Most teams revert to banging the ball forward in the last few minutes when chasing the game but we put this tactic into play after 10 minutes of the second half and the result was that we barely created a chance as the game drew to a close.

The only passing that I am see is when we play the ball across the back line before the ball is launched up field, we played much better football last year and in the promotion season so in my opinion we are not showing improvement in that area.

I agree that the defence has looked to be improving but against Plymouth we were sliced open time after time and only the heroics of Ian Bennett prevented a much more humiliating score line.

Our midfield were dreadful at the weekend. Robson was in a no win situation really because he would have taken some stick for changing a winning side but, in my opinion, you have to pick a team to win the game; especially considering our current position in the table. Stretch and Monty cannot pass the ball well enough to dominate the midfield or create significant chances and so ultimately all they offer is the ability to break up the play, we might as well have played with 4 centre halves.

Gillespie and Carney showed glimpses of strong wing play but there was rarely an end product and too often the ball was sent sailing straight past them anyway.

With that midfield in that kind of form playing to that style, we will be in a relegation dig fight make no mistake about it. To suggest that this team playing this kind of football would have kept us up last year is baffling to me.

 

[keenzy]

how about we try something like this:

Bennett
Geary Bardsley Cahill Killa Stretch
Monty
Stead S.Quinn
B.T Webber

Wing back with monty in front of the back 5. when we attack monty sticks back letting geary and stretch to hit the flanks.

 

[BexleyBlade]

Im not saying we are creating chances but the passing game I saw was somewhat positive ... Last years football was just as bad as this years but we were playing better teams and doing better against them so nobody got on the players backs! Last season we played with so much more fight and battle ... Everybody would have picked Monty in midfield last year but now hes not good enough according to most Blades

 

[stinkyblade]

Poor poor Monty...

 

[TonyAgana]

I appreciate most of your comments Bexley but I can't understand your point about our attacking play being much better and then saying we aren't creating chances.