Bristol Boy Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 We have a far more balanced squad and that allows a variety of formations, the success of which not only depends on Tins and his tactics but the players, their confidence and their application.For example, if it's a case of getting your best players on the pitch, few will argue that Lita, Stewart & Brooker fall into that category or that clubs may well get 10 behind the ball and attempt to catch us on the break in time honoured fashion at AG.So, on that basis we could try: 3-4-1-2....................................................Phillips....................................................................................Carey..............Heywood...........Coles................................Anyinsah.................Russell..........................Wilkshire......................Smith..............................................................Stewart.....................................................................................Lita......................................Brooker................................SUBSSkuseCotterillFortuneGillespieBrown4-4-2 is the most simple system and we could play..................................................Phillips..........................................................Carey..........................Coles...................Heywood........................Golbourne.....Anyinsah......................Skuse..................Russell............................Smith.............................................Lita......................Brooker............................................SUBSStewartFortuneCotterillGillespieWilkshireHave we signed Stewart to go on the bench?Not likely, but at 32 will he play every week?Last season Brooker & Lita more than deserved their starting places and delivered the goods, so can you drop either one?Interesting times when even BB's getting excited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman-is-god Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 I honestly cannot see Stewart dropping down a divison to sit on the bench. I think he will start with Leroy up front, with Brooker on the bench. The more i think about Stewart coming, the more i am beginning to think it is a bad idea. Why displace a 45-goal a season scoring duo? There are problems to be solved in our first X1, and up front is not one of them. I just hope that this move doesn't prove to be more devisive than effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stedge Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 I think the problems going to be keeping everyone happy, but also trying to keep a winning team/formation when we find out what that is.It's difficult to do both,so i would suggest starting with the more experienced players and bringing the younger players on late on where possible.The more games we give to the younger players the more they expect to start, so i say bring them on more as the season progresses.Obviously if their playing blinders week in week out and the older guys aint cutting it they should get in on merit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Faith Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 I honestly cannot see Stewart dropping down a divison to sit on the bench. I think he will start with Leroy up front, with Brooker on the bench. The more i think about Stewart coming, the more i am beginning to think it is a bad idea. Why displace a 45-goal a season scoring duo? There are problems to be solved in our first X1, and up front is not one of them. I just hope that this move doesn't prove to be more devisive than effective.←Stewart was certainly brought as a luxury player and not a necessity player like Smith and Heywood for example. Hopefully it will all work out in the end, we probably shouldn't complain as i expect the majority of clubs outside of the premiership would be quite envious of our 3 strikers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 I suspect Stewart and Lita will start. With more quality in midfield a target man is a non-essential. Brooker is good and wil push both of them hard for their places.Nibor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 Have we not learned our lessons from last season??Their should be as little tinkering with formations and tactics as possible. And i think I'm right in saying that Tinnion has already come out and said we are going to play a 4-4-2 so i don't understand all the topics about the subject!We play a 4-4-2 with Lita and Stewart up front. Harsh on Brooker i know, i rate him, but Stewart must play (and must play up-front) and you simply cannot drop Lita.-------------Phillips----------------Carey-----Coles-----Heywood----GolbourneAyinsah---Wilkshire--Russell----Smith----------Lita-------Stewart---------Id like a new centre back to take the place/compete with Coles and Heywood, Nelson would be an outstanding signing if we could pull it off. My only main worry is that Smith is a central midfield player who can play on the left, from what i have heard/read we perhaps still havent solved our left sided problems.I'm a fan of the 3-5-2 formation, however we found our rather limited success last season playing a flat back four and it is clear that the players feel comfortable with this formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 If we get another decent center back, I'll allow myself to get excited about the season - more so than the arrival of Stewart.←Totally agree with this. For me the potential capture of Nelson would be as significant (if not more so) than Stewart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 Why drop Brooker for Stewart when Brookers record is better ?←I completely see the argument for not breaking up the Lita/Brooker partnership but for me Stewart is the best player at the club by a country mile. He has achieved things that, in all realism, no other player at this club ever will. Lita may reach the Premiership but he will have to develop his game significantly if he is ever to see the success and goals that Stewart did with Ipswich.Marcus Stewart has just top scored for the champions of the Championship, he must by right walk into any team below that standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted June 12, 2005 Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 I don't question Stewarts abilities at all, but I would question his right to walk into a team where the current strikers have averaged .58 (Lita) and .48 (Brooker) strike rates last season. Those are outstanding strike rates at any level - and I sincerely do not believe that Stewart could improve on that.Link play etc is superfluous - it's goals that count, and we aint got a problem with Lita and Brooker as first choice. It's very nice indeed to have Stewart on board as backup, but it isn't him that the rest of the division will be worried about.It's our defence that needs sorting out.←I know what you are saying and on principle we appear to be agreeing.However we clearly differ on the final key issue;Id play Stewart because i believe he has earned the right to be the first name on the team sheet of any team in this league, his record speaks for itself, he is a class above.You wouldnt play Stewart because Lita and Brooker formed a prolific goal scoring partnership.World of opinions i guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednready Posted June 12, 2005 Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 All these formation numbers have my eyes rolling, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, in the hole......?City won promotion in the 50's with John Atyeo the main man. All teams named a 2-3-5 team, and the formation on the field for City took on a 3-4-3 shape during the actual play. Our center half would drop back to join the fullbacks making a 3 man back line. Our two inside forwards would link with our two wing halfs essentually forming a 4 man midfield. Big John played as striker between two wide wingers making 3 up front......2-3-5, playing as 3-4-3. Play to your strengths, then worry about putting numbers to formations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeper Posted June 12, 2005 Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 All these formation numbers have my eyes rolling, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, in the hole......?City won promotion in the 50's with John Atyeo the main man. All teams named a 2-3-5 team, and the formation on the field for City took on a 3-4-3 shape during the actual play. Our center half would drop back to join the fullbacks making a 3 man back line. Our two inside forwards would link with our two wing halfs essentually forming a 4 man midfield. Big John played as striker between two wide wingers making 3 up front......2-3-5, playing as 3-4-3. Play to your strengths, then worry about putting numbers to formations.←I think in essence this is what Bristol Boy was getting at. We now have the opportunity to have the variety that has been lacking in our play, allowing us the flexibility of formations. It seems that a lot of the midfield players for next season can play a multitude of positions. Smith, Russell, Wilkshire and Brown can play either on the wing or in the middle, Anyishah and Cotterrill can both play either side. Only players like Murray and Doherty are fixed in their positions. This flexibility will hopefully mean that put out the best team to play against different oppositions. We can either play out and out wingers or we can put in a left sided midfielder.When before we have lacked the ability to break teams down, hopefully we can now change things on the pitch. I am optimistic that Russell is going to used to his best and the ball being passed through him and him directing the play. Last season our lack of a midfield maestro allowed us to favour the largely ineffective long ball. I also think that this is where Stewart comes in. He is going to be able to bring the wingers into play. The season that Murray was awesome coincided with a great season for tinnion. The sweeping left foot ball over the top of the full back worked. We need to replicate this in some way and we need to get the wingers behind the full backs. Stewart is an intelligent player with a great first touch, allowing him to come deep pick up the ball and pass it wide is going to create a vast amount of chances for the other striker or strikers. Lets just hope that our wingers have all been practising crossing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolman_Stand Posted June 12, 2005 Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 I agrre with the initial point about variety within the formation however we don't have to start games with different formations we are able to change the formation during the game without substitutionsFor example whilst we are attacking the side should look like:.........................Phillips........Carey........Heywood.......ColesAnyinsah......Russell....Smith......Golbourne........................Wilkshire................Brooker/Stewart/LitaSubsCotterillFortuneBrownBrooker/Stewart/LitaNew signingwhereas when defending Golbourne simply drops back to the full-back position and Carey shuffles alon to right-back to leave a conventional 4-4-2.........................Phillips...Carey......Heywood.....Coles.....Golbourne..Anyinsah..Russell....Wilkshire.....Smith................Brooker/Stewart/LitaSubsCotterillFortuneBrownBrooker/Stewart/LitaNew signingI think the only way around the striker situation is to sign another target-man striker and simply rotate the two types so one week Brooker may play with Stewart whilst the next the signing would play with Lita, always retaining a target man and a goal scorer.Obvioulsy after the first month to 6 weeks it will be clearer as to what works and you must go with that.This way Brooker knows who he would be directly competing against as would Lita and Stewart. Maybe another season on loan for Gillespie at Cheltenham or until Lita moves on.The likes of Harley,Skuse,Orr and anyone else i don't include on the bench should also go on loan for the year as long as recall clauses are includeThe target man i would like to see is Luke Beckett who is a proven goalscorer in this league and we would then have the best four strikers ever assembled in this division.Should we sign another centre-back then obviously Coles Heywood and the new bloke would compete for two place and i think Fortune should be sold because he just dosen't ever seem able to grab an oppurtunity with both hands when it comes alongThe last isssue to be rersolved is Scott Murray who i regard as 3rd choice for the right-wing spot and he can't improve much at his age now so for this reason it may be time for scott to leave and create space on the wage bill to fund the signing of Beckett or whoever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Boy Posted June 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 Their should be as little tinkering with formations and tactics as possible. And i think I'm right in saying that Tinnion has already come out and said we are going to play a 4-4-2 so i don't understand all the topics about the subject!Last year Tins said 4-3-3 and had to change.My point is that we have the players to change, not tinker.We play a 4-4-2 with Lita and Stewart up front. Harsh on Brooker i know, i rate him, but Stewart must play (and must play up-front) and you simply cannot drop Lita.Remember there will be injuries, suspensions and quite a few games if we have a cup run or two-------------Phillips----------------Carey-----Coles-----Heywood----GolbourneAyinsah---Wilkshire--Russell----Smith----------Lita-------Stewart---------Id like a new centre back to take the place/compete with Coles and Heywood, Nelson would be an outstanding signing if we could pull it off.The sale of Heffernan, whilst not a surprise, was probably not budgeted for in the same way as Millers.Perhaps if Tommy moves as well, it may provide some cash, you never know My only main worry is that Smith is a central midfield player who can play on the left, from what i have heard/read we perhaps still havent solved our left sided problems.Pace is the issue and don't forget that Tins & Walsh were very effective in the position and neither was the quickest.Smith is said to be an excellent dead ball provider with an excellent left foot.We haven't had that for the last 2/3 seasons.I'm a fan of the 3-5-2 formation, however we found our rather limited success last season playing a flat back four and it is clear that the players feel comfortable with this formation.←Without doubt 4-4-2 is simpler as preffered by the likes of England & Arsenal.If I had to bet, I think we'll go 4-4-2 for game one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Boy Posted June 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 All these formation numbers have my eyes rolling, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, in the hole......?City won promotion in the 50's with John Atyeo the main man. All teams named a 2-3-5 team, and the formation on the field for City took on a 3-4-3 shape during the actual play. Our center half would drop back to join the fullbacks making a 3 man back line. Our two inside forwards would link with our two wing halfs essentually forming a 4 man midfield. Big John played as striker between two wide wingers making 3 up front......2-3-5, playing as 3-4-3. Play to your strengths, then worry about putting numbers to formations.←Ah the old "W" Formation. Favoured by Walter Winterbottom, I believe.Whatever the formation, it's nice to be able to modify your tactics to threaten the opposition.Don't get me started about Sun Tzu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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