Reply With QuoteAbsolute nonsense. I suggest you look at the pass to pilks late on in the Bristol Rovers game if you want an idea of his ability. He is the future of our centre mid if we are stupid enough to sell cheapOriginally Posted by thehumblegringo
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I think he's going backwards (literally).
I think he's playing rugby with his unwillingness to go forward under any circumstances.
When he first came into the squad he used to carry the ball and commit defenders but now he just wants to play safety first and pass the ball back to the defenders.
Absolute nonsense. I suggest you look at the pass to pilks late on in the Bristol Rovers game if you want an idea of his ability. He is the future of our centre mid if we are stupid enough to sell cheap
So his last decent pass was three games ago fantastic, he is going backwards
Whittingham will get away with any poor performance. His pass to declan was decent though.
Gunnarsson tried hard but isnt effective.
None of our central midfielders do anything other than pass sideways or backwards.
Ralls should be allowed to go forward.
We are relying on the wing backs for everything.
That's pretty much the formation, the wing backs are your attacking outlet and you need you midfielders to keep the ball.
If the 3 midfielders bomb forward then the 3 defenders are isolated.
According to the line ups last night, gunnarsson was the one of the midfield three pushed forwards, and whitts isn't a holding midfielder, si ralls will have had to be more disciplined with his role so as not to leave us exposed.
I'm not asking him to necessarily get beyond the striker, I'm asking him to be braver on the ball and actually pass the ball forward occasionally!
Ye I agree but at times it gets a bit predictable.
I think we'll be better away when we wont have as much possession.
One of the funniest most enjoyable games I've seen in a while either way.
Thats the issue here is that we are having a go at a player for doing the job that is being asked of him.
He is being asked to break up play and distribute quickly, where as people want him to attack, in that instance you really want a midfield 5, with a flat back four, then ultimately freeing up one of you CM to attack.
Maybe we are working towards the wing backs acting as extra midfielders during attack and extra defenders without the ball, and what we are in now is a period of adjustment where the players are learning the positions.
Ralls hasnt been on form in the first few games and should have come off saturday and last night. He isnt getting into the box or supporting the front 2. John looks to get crosses in but Ralls keep going behind him to cover when that is Connolly job. Gunnerson did a good job on the right and both him, Pettier and Harris all got crosses in while hardly anything came in on the other side. Drop Ralls for a couple of games and hopefully he can come back stronger.
That is ralls job in this formation, protect the 3 defenders and recycle the ball quickly. Sounds like he did exactly what he would have been asked to do.
Gunnarsson was pushed forward out of the 3 and whitts as a deep lying playmaker.
Without some one doing that simple role in a very disciplined way we would have been torn to shreds through the centre of the park.
If you had ralls and gunnarsson attacking and we lose possession suddenly they have a break through the middle with only whittingham protecting the defence?
You dont need 3 midfielders sitting just because we are playing with a back 3. That leaves us with only going forward - the wingbacks and the 2 strikers?!?!
If theres 3 in midfield we can afford to commit 2 of them forward when we are on the attack.
Chepstow would you like to reply?
You can afford to commit one of the 3, and it seems that was Gunnarson's role last night, Pilkington would then support the lone striker.
That would leave you with a defensive 5 in the event of a counter attack. Which is what you would get with a back 4 and a DM.
Gunnarsson wasn't supposed to be sitting, if the wingbacks and gunnarsson are attacking, with the 2 strikers then you cant just leave Whits on his own protecting 3 defenders. Having 2 sitting midfielders is vital in this formation.
Ralls seems to be playing as a playmaker which he doesn't have the passing range to do. He should be running off the ball and making things happen like that, a la Ledley when he partnered McPhail. Ralls' passing isn't his best point.
Ledley wasnt playing in a 532 with mcphail. When Ledley plays in that system for wales he sits in front of the back 3 and plays simple passes.
Rubbish. You dont need half the team holding just in case a counter attack.
When teams play with a back four and a DM the full backs bomb on, well the better sides do.
The players are adjust to this system, and Ralls is being told to do a job.
You would expect him to get better as he goes, but it would be foolish to have 5 players bombing forward leaving Whittingham as the only cover for the back 3 especially when Whittingham's defense is not his best quality.
Nonsense. You dont need 2 sitting midfielders protecting 3 defenders. Not unless youre Russel Slade.
Im not disputing the players adjusting and will need time to adjust im disagreeing we only let 5 players join in the attack. No wonder we cant fecking score if thats our philosophy!!!!
I think we have no pace in midfield, and rely on passing the ball back to Manga and Connolly to be the 'playmakers'! It seems a 4-5-1 would suit our players better, especially Ralls and Whitts, who'd have a bit of pace either side of them. Mind you we have a manager now who has signed 2 strikers and then played Pilks up front last night.
Players will attack when the game and the position dictates. 5 attackers is plenty sometimes, sometimes an extra midfielder will come into the box.
My point is Ralls is currently under instruction to do the role he is doing, down to the system and the defensive issues of his other midfielders, he is not stopping back because he doesnt feel like it.
You could argue that this system only suits John and Richards in this squad and the other members in the squad are being shoe-horned into it.
I think people in this thread are watching too much champions league football. If we were gonna hit on the counter by Real Madrid then maybe I would sympathise with their view but Blackburn couldn't string too passes together so all they were gonna do is welt the ball out to touch
You don't need to be watching a lot of Champions League to understand that leaving Whittingham alone in front of a back 3 would be a bad idea. Watching some Cardiff would lead you to that assumption.
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