Mcinnes Defends Formation And Tactics

[WuTang]

"I am picking a team to get results"

May be.

But you're not getting them at moment.

Losing Maynard has taken the goals out of our team and we're going to struggle to get 3 points all season without getting the best from a goal scorer like Pittman.

But very happy to be proved wrong.

[foghornred]

:city:How many of us think that we played 4-3-3 and how many thought we played 4-5-1 ?

There is a fine line between the two but as he said West Ham played 4-3-3 unfortunatly we played more 4-5-1 !

[Chappers]

Saturday just seemed a case of an opposition manager getting his changes right, and our midfield being virtually non-existent for the last 20 minutes. Wood out on the left was puzzling to say the least, and I get the impression that he has his formation with players slotting in, rather than trying to best utilise our assets (liabilities?). Then again, I look at all the suggested teams & formations on here, and none of them seem particularly good.

[cheshire_red]

I like Mcinnes and will stick by him no matter what happens this season.

Maybe now the fans that drove GJ out will actually have a bit of respect for the job the man did for us.

Oh come on, GJ's ego drove him out, that and the 5 year contract that a fair few on here were horrified with at the time.

He mainly played 4-5-1 at St J, I don't know why anyone was expecting any difference here. However, ST J didn't score many goals but didn't concede many either..............

[Red-Robbo]

Saturday just seemed a case of an opposition manager getting his changes right, and our midfield being virtually non-existent for the last 20 minutes. Wood out on the left was puzzling to say the least, and I get the impression that he has his formation with players slotting in, rather than trying to best utilise our assets (liabilities?). Then again, I look at all the suggested teams & formations on here, and none of them seem particularly good.

Once Davies went off, we didn't have a functioning midfield and the defence were simply overrun. The absence of Cisse was very unfortunate, but Saturday shows that our problems largely stem from MF deficincies.

[Monkeh]

Oh come on, GJ's ego drove him out, that and the 5 year contract that a fair few on here were horrified with at the time.

He mainly played 4-5-1 at St J, I don't know why anyone was expecting any difference here. However, ST J didn't score many goals but didn't concede many either..............

he mainly played 4-42 at St Johnston

[Spud55]

Saturday just seemed a case of an opposition manager getting his changes right, and our midfield being virtually non-existent for the last 20 minutes. Wood out on the left was puzzling to say the least, and I get the impression that he has his formation with players slotting in, rather than trying to best utilise our assets (liabilities?). Then again, I look at all the suggested teams & formations on here, and none of them seem particularly good.

Agree with a lot of that, although what would worry me was that Holloways tactical shift wasn't particularly brilliant and it was obvious what he was going to do, which was give them a roasting and point out the absolute acres of space that their full backs could exploit should they wish to actually venture forward.

Chatting at half time me, my mates and my old man and sister all called it, if Blackpool get their full backs into the game we were going to struggle.

They did and bar te first 5-10 minutes of the second half they got on top and the goal was coming before they got the bit of luck, they were likely to score, it just happened a bit earlier than I thought it would, we still would have capitulated but we may have only lost 2-1 instead of 3-1.

The first half was where for me mcinnes got it wrong, we started well and it was blatantly obvious that Blackpool were playing very poorly, we should have shifted it around after 20-25 mins, I agree that generally a 4-4-2 is not a formation that will work against most sides, but had we just stuck wood up top with stead, for the last 20 mins of the half, Pearson on the left and Albert on the right and gone at them we could and should have been 3-4 up by half time, then gone back to a 4-5-1, Blackpool could barely pass the ball in the first half so they would most likely Not have overrun us in midfield had we gone 2 up top.

[Keep the Faith]

Agree with a lot of that, although what would worry me was that Holloways tactical shift wasn't particularly brilliant and it was obvious what he was going to do, which was give them a roasting and point out the absolute acres of space that their full backs could exploit should they wish to actually venture forward.

Chatting at half time me, my mates and my old man and sister all called it, if Blackpool get their full backs into the game we were going to struggle.

They did and bar te first 5-10 minutes of the second half they got on top and the goal was coming before they got the bit of luck, they were likely to score, it just happened a bit earlier than I thought it would, we still would have capitulated but we may have only lost 2-1 instead of 3-1.

The first half was where for me mcinnes got it wrong, we started well and it was blatantly obvious that Blackpool were playing very poorly, we should have shifted it around after 20-25 mins, I agree that generally a 4-4-2 is not a formation that will work against most sides, but had we just stuck wood up top with stead, for the last 20 mins of the half, Pearson on the left and Albert on the right and gone at them we could and should have been 3-4 up by half time, then gone back to a 4-5-1, Blackpool could barely pass the ball in the first half so they would most likely Not have overrun us in midfield had we gone 2 up top.

Or to look at it another way we were on top and looking like we could score again and changing might have allowed their midfield to get more time and space and therefore get back into the game earlier and it might have been 1-1 at half time and we could have been taken apart in the second half. Hindsight is a very useful thing when pointing out things that went wrong.

[hippy273]

:city:How many of us think that we played 4-3-3 and how many thought we played 4-5-1 ?

There is a fine line between the two but as he said West Ham played 4-3-3 unfortunatly we played more 4-5-1 !

West Ham have played 4-3-3 with 10 men and won in the last 3 matches before their last game against Palace and somehow i don't think we are quite that standard. Back to the drawing board altogether.

[CotswoldRed]

At least Del comes across as having a (misplaced?) air of confidence.

That's the least we need. We've had an feeling of resignation in the recent past.

I'm struggling to see how we get out of this but Del does give me some belief that we might just pick up enough points.

3 points against Cardiff might be the catalyst we all need. Feel it in the bones.

[sportingmad0209]

West Ham have played 4-3-3 with 10 men and won in the last 3 matches before their last game against Palace and somehow i don't think we are quite that standard. Back to the drawing board altogether.

No Goalie?

[Swede]

To my mind Del comes across as being calculated and slightly uncomfortable when dealing with the media.

I'd like him rallying the fans and players alike. Keef had a similar charisma. It helps to put bums on seats and fosters the sort of passion that the club and other posters on this forum are trying to encourage.

Witness in recent seasons GJ doing his famous "upper cut" fist salute whilst walking off at the end of another win or Paul Hartley holding the badge with clenched fist at the Ayteo.

More passion please Del. We know that you care but let's show others that you care.

[Coxy27]

Pitman can't play in a 4-3-3, he can't play in a 4-5-1, whatever, that fact is, he can't play for us at all at the moment and Del's trying to keep him happy.

Everyone says ''he's our best finisher'', and I don't disagree, but there's no point having a good finisher in the side if you're not going to create chances. A central striker on his own needs to do more than Brett Pitman is capable of doing. My opinion at this moment in time is that Brett Pitman is a luxury we can't afford to have in the side, Jon Stead needs to be playing.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Pitman can't play in a 4-3-3, he can't play in a 4-5-1, whatever, that fact is, he can't play for us at all at the moment and Del's trying to keep him happy.

Everyone says ''he's our best finisher'', and I don't disagree, but there's no point having a good finisher in the side if you're not going to create chances. A central striker on his own needs to do more than Brett Pitman is capable of doing. My opinion at this moment in time is that Brett Pitman is a luxury we can't afford to have in the side, Jon Stead needs to be playing.

Agree with everything you say, he can't play in a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 and we haven't got the players to accommodate him in a 4-4-2, should have tried to sell him during the window, his value is plummeting by the day and we'll find it difficult to give him away soon, of course perhaps DMC will acquire the requisite midfielders in the summer to be able to play him next season, but i'll believe that when I see it, another 'Trundlesque' failure IMO, BCFC is fast becoming the graveyard of strikers.

[Monkeh]

we could do with the Gary johnsonesc hard workers now