Tactics And Team Selection

[numbeast]

I've read a lot of critisism of both team selection and tactics and unfortunately being ill and confined to the house I don't have a view on the tactical side of things. The team selection appears to be limited by this virus (and I know these things can last for week leaving the sufferer lethargic and run down long after the sympoms have gone). What I would be interested in is peoples views as to the team selection once we have a clean bill of health and the tactics you would emply. I know people are complaining about width but how would you introduce that now. And before this turns into a "Johnson should have done this that or the other" he didn't and can't change til Jan 1st. So given the players availible tell us your team and tactics.

By the way this isn't mean't to have a go at any percieved group of fans.

[Spud55]

Personally i'd go for a 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation as such,

---------------Saborio/Clarkson---------------

---Maynard-------------------------Haynes----

----------Elliot-----Hartley-----Sno-------------

McCalister---Fontaine-----Carey-------Orr

-------------------Gerken---------------------

With a Bench of.

Basso

Nayatanga

Ribiero

Skuse

Williams

Plummer

Akinde

That would be the formation i'd go for, it's got a back 4 that works and we know it works, ideally i'd like a better left back as i think McCallister is by far and away the weakest defender in or around the first team squad we have, but unlike with McCombe we haven't got any better.

The midfield 3 is solid, you have to two engines in Elliot and Sno alongsie the creative influence of Hartley, but both Elliot and particularly Sno can contribute in the creative department.

Then you have to two wing forwards/ support strikers, both with pace to burn and both with more than enough ability to get at the oppositions back line and provide the much needed width which we have been sorely lacking who can supply the ball for the other two forwards in decent areas.

The main thing you get for me from this formation is numbers in midfield, with that midfield 3 with the support of Maynard and Haynes we should be easily capable of bossing the game in the middle of the park and also be able to dictate the pace and exploit the pace of Maynard and Haynes and get some width, the 3-5-2 has been struggling for large periods of games even when we've played fairly well because we are getting outnumbered in the middle with only having 2 central midfielders, either cutting off the supply to the strikers or forcing them to come too deep to get the ball so they lose their effectiveness.

This formation also has the fluidity to be changed to any other that we use on the fly without completely disrupting the side, swap Haynes for Nyatanga, stick maynard up top and Sno in the hole and we have the 3-5-2. Move Maynard and Haynes back into midfield and we have ourselves a more traditional 4-5-1. It can be switched to a 4-4-2 with minimal tinkering as well.

[Father Jacki]

Loads of centre midfielders.