Team for Saturday

[1960maaan]

I don't think we have looked as threatening wide so far this year, or at least the partnerships don't seem to have worked.
Tanner and Cornick hasn't looked natural at all, not sure if they just need time to gel, but Cornick's habit of turning back to the FB seems to put pressure on Tanner and he has looked lacking in confidence. Specially when you think back to those goals he has scored getting into the box. With Sykes it's a bit better , but not much. MS does go at the BF a bit more IMO.

The other side is similar, Pring & Mehmeti / Bell haven't dove tailed well at all. Playing a right footer on the left should mean them cutting in narrow leaves space for Pring to bomb on, it hasn't really happened. 

The thing is, I think we have looked better defensively we just haven't got the balance of things right ..... yet.

For me when Conway is fit, I'd like to see us play the 2 up top. Wells & Conway were as threatening as we have been for ages. A sort of 4-1-3-2, but what do I know. Even if it was in his mind to get 2 bodies up top, we are some way off having the payers for it until TC is fit.

[Davefevs]

57 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I don't think we have looked as threatening wide so far this year, or at least the partnerships don't seem to have worked.
Tanner and Cornick hasn't looked natural at all, not sure if they just need time to gel, but Cornick's habit of turning back to the FB seems to put pressure on Tanner and he has looked lacking in confidence. Specially when you think back to those goals he has scored getting into the box. With Sykes it's a bit better , but not much. MS does go at the BF a bit more IMO.

The other side is similar, Pring & Mehmeti / Bell haven't dove tailed well at all. Playing a right footer on the left should mean them cutting in narrow leaves space for Pring to bomb on, it hasn't really happened. 

The thing is, I think we have looked better defensively we just haven't got the balance of things right ..... yet.

For me when Conway is fit, I'd like to see us play the 2 up top. Wells & Conway were as threatening as we have been for ages. A sort of 4-1-3-2, but what do I know. Even if it was in his mind to get 2 bodies up top, we are some way off having the payers for it until TC is fit.

Tanner needs to try to get beyond him - overlap / underlap.  That creates space.

[wendyredredrobin]

Whilst I could pick a number of combinations in defence and midfield, I am stumped for something that could work up top where none of our forwards look likely to frighten any championship defenses.

I wonder whether playing Roberts at LB and Pring left midfield might work as he looked good going forward last season.

Maybe bring Gardiner-Hickman in at RB as Tanner seems to have no idea when it comes to going past the half way line.

Edited August 31, 2023 by wendyredredrobin

[The Journalist]

13 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Will be interesting to see what he does with Dickie, Vyner and Naismith.

I think TGH will start at RB over Tanner.

I don’t see Nige deviating from his front three system, and I think generally Dickie and Vyner have looked solid as a pair….so I would quite like to see Naismith in midfield with James and Knight.  Would be harsh on Williams, but squad game.  I think Kal would take some pressure off of Vyner and Dickie’s passing.

The centre-back thing is interesting. Naismith's the third-best defender out of him, Vyner and Dickie but I also think we're a better team with Naismith there - I've always liked having a quarter-back type at centre-half because it gives you a completely different dimension in possession. It forces the other team to change how they press/defend against you.

Naismith playing as the CDM can obviously have a similar impact, but I think it's easier to defend against if you're relying on all of your play to come through him so it often then becomes about how well you can use the CDM as a decoy to open up other passing lanes.

I think it'll be fascinating to see which route Pearson takes.

[Davefevs]

Just now, The Journalist said:

The centre-back thing is interesting. Naismith's the third-best defender out of him, Vyner and Dickie but I also think we're a better team with Naismith there - I've always liked having a quarter-back type at centre-half because it gives you a completely different dimension in possession. It forces the other team to change how they press/defend against you.

Naismith playing as the CDM can obviously have a similar impact, but I think it's easier to defend against if you're relying on all of your play to come through him so it often then becomes about how well you can use the CDM as a decoy to open up other passing lanes.

I think it'll be fascinating to see which route Pearson takes.

There’s no bloody one-way to play this game is there?

[The Journalist]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

There’s no bloody one-way to play this game is there?

I think my concern with us is we put Naismith in the holding role expecting everything to come through him, they put someone up against him, he drifts deeper and deeper, creates bigger and bigger gaps between the midfield three and our centre-halves are looking at each other thinking "now what?".

Next thing you know Vyner's clipping the ball straight out of play trying to force the pass himself and the moaning and groaning from the crowd begins.

You can basically play the whole thing out in your head before it happens, can't you?!

Edited August 31, 2023 by The Journalist

[GrahamC]

Can I just say in the midst of a fair bit of understandable gloom at present, this thread is OTIB at its best.

We are realistically all probably debating about which 2 out of 3 or 4 start at Swansea because there is a lot of Hobson’s choice here, but the arguments being put forward either way are smart & the responses civil.

Top stuff.

 

[1960maaan]

14 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Tanner needs to try to get beyond him - overlap / underlap.  That creates space.

I admit I have a bit of a blind spot with Cornick, not seeing much ATM. That said I thought the cameo the other day at Hull was as effective as I've seen him. For me the fact he gets the ball to feet, but rarely faces the FB and more often plays the ball back quickly , makes it hard for GT to get beyond him. 
It might be my imagination, but it feels like Sykes goes at the FB much more, which would make some space. Tanner just looks a little short on confidence to me, maybe playing G-H will shake things up a little , I wonder if Nige has thought about switching wings and get Mehmeti out on the right, he faces the FB up which would allow Tanner to overlap. 

[mozo]

25 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

I wonder whether playing Roberts at LB and Pring left midfield might work as he looked good going forward last season.

This keeps cropping up as an option on OTIB, and I like the sound of it, particularly against a side with a strong attacking right side. But so far Nige hasn't seemed to fancy it. I wonder why not? Perhaps he's got sufficient faith that Bell and/or Mehmeti will come good given more time.

[Davefevs]

39 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I admit I have a bit of a blind spot with Cornick, not seeing much ATM. That said I thought the cameo the other day at Hull was as effective as I've seen him. For me the fact he gets the ball to feet, but rarely faces the FB and more often plays the ball back quickly , makes it hard for GT to get beyond him. 
It might be my imagination, but it feels like Sykes goes at the FB much more, which would make some space. Tanner just looks a little short on confidence to me, maybe playing G-H will shake things up a little , I wonder if Nige has thought about switching wings and get Mehmeti out on the right, he faces the FB up which would allow Tanner to overlap. 

We aren’t seeing enough from Cornick, I don’t think anyone disputes that.  We are seeing flashes, but you have to look quite hard (beyond the Hull cameo - word up!).  There were a couple if occasions first half on Tuesday where he got the ball a bit more in-field, and then his reaction was different - it was to dribble in-field, getting the yard on his man and playing into Wells or the advancing Sykes.  I feel when he gets the ball on the touchline, he is restricted by the side of the pitch…and his own confidence to do something different.  When receiving in-field if he can’t beat his man, he can go back on the outside.  We also saw second half what he can do with the ball down the side ahead of him…almost setting up Mehmeti (who I thought was unlucky that the defender just managed to get a toe to the ball as he attempted to get it out of his feet to Wells).

But Cornick hasn’t done this enough.  It’s why I think he has more scope more central.

[johnbytheriver]

Nahki at centre forward for me

[LondonBristolian]

I feel our set-up works better away than at home so I'm not looking for massive changes.

Compared to Hull, I think I'd bring Naismith into midfield with Dickie coming in for Williams. Assuming no Weimann, I think I'd go Cornick, Wells and Bell up front. 

I think those would be the only changes. 

[GrahamC]

28 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I feel our set-up works better away than at home so I'm not looking for massive changes.

Compared to Hull, I think I'd bring Naismith into midfield with Dickie coming in for Williams. Assuming no Weimann, I think I'd go Cornick, Wells and Bell up front. 

I think those would be the only changes. 

Surely Sykes starts?

Brilliant assist for Wells’ goal at Hull & probably about our third likeliest scorer, though accept that’s a low bar at present..

[LondonBristolian]

2 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Surely Sykes starts?

Brilliant assist for Wells’ goal at Hull & probably about our third likeliest scorer, though accept that’s a low bar at present..

My logic was that Wells and Bell lack physicality and Cornick brings that. And, at the moment. both Sykes and Cornick are effective in flashes but often drift out of games so I was torn between the two. I'd not be upset if Sykes started ahead of Cornick but I'd be pleasantly surprised if it resulted in a repeat of the Hull performance.