Most liked posts in thread: Central midfield

We clearly have too many squad makeweights and not enough first choice midfielders. Any one of Anderson, Devine or Wood might just be ok at L2 level with a couple of clever/hard/experienced players alongside them. But relied upon together they are woefully inadequate, especially against the Championship players they faced tonight. Totally outclassed.

But the one who really gets my goat is Akpan. With his experience and physique he should be leading by example and bossing the midfield. Instead he wanders around, pointing at others, never breaking sweat, shirking challenges, avoiding the action as much as posible and looking completely uninterested. He clearly has talent - I've seen it - but he just isn't using it.

I'm puzzled as to what he wants. If he wants to be in the first team he's doing nothing to warrant it. If he wants away he's doing nothing to attract other clubs to come for him. If he's happy to just sit out his contract on the bench then that's appalling.

I'm really not one for slagging players, but this guy is totally stealing a wage and I'm happy to call him a disgrace. I'd honestly rather we just paid him off now and waved goodbye than have him hanging around for another season doing the square root of feck all.

 

It was obvious when O'Brien went back to Town how badly we would miss that type of player. just like we badly missed Josh Cullen. We knew it in pre season, we knew it when the first game started and we still know it three games in. that midfield was and is a disaster waiting to happen. Its killing us and will continue to do so unless new recruits are brought in to rectify it. Reeves ain't gonna change, Akpan ain't, Anderson ain't, Devine most definitely ain't, Colville ain't. palmer has hardly set the world on fire but he gets the benefit of the doubt since he's the new kid on the block. Worse thing is i can't see it changing.

 

Must be the worst central midfield options we have had for decades.

We have no ball winners, no creativity whatsoever

We currently have a couple of shirkers, and maybe a couple who can pass sideways, not always finding a team mate. Weve got one who has been injured for 20 months


I think Palmer will be fine, providing we bring in a couple of quality options to help him, not holding my breath though.

Unless Bowyer is allowed the funds to do something about it in the next 3 weeks, mid table is the best we can hope for.

It will be so frustrating if we dont bring anyone decent in, after the captures of Paudie, Donaldson and Vaughan offered us so much hope a couple of months ago

 

Akpan seems to think he’s some kind of Yaya Toure type.....yet he’s more Darren Morgan

The recruitment this summer has been as lopsided as last summers so far. It was clear to everyone last summer that if Wyke left we’d need a physical centre forward yet we didn’t bother. This summer it’s been obvious we need a stronger midfield....yet we haven’t bothered.

The fact that a midfield kid from Huddersfield was our best player by a country mile last season in a shit team should have made that even more obvious.

If we are relying on Devine, Colville, Gibson, Akpan and Anderson we may as well give up, they are conference players. We need 2-3 midfielders urgently, 2 who can play in the middle and a left sider.

However, what do I know I’m just some idiot that pays to watch

 

We can't moan about money then waste it on players that are not good enough to make the 1st or the squad in my mind.

Think you're underestimating how much Bowyer rates Anderson. He won't be near the lowest paid member of our squad.

It's all about spots. 3 midfielders, all 3 not good enough, so we need to add to them with quality but now have to worry about budget.

I would of offered 1 a contract and let 2 go then put the wages/budget towards a better quality midfielder myself.

 

I'm not surprised, the attitude that he's being misused is old already, he might not be super amazing as a sole striker, but that's no excuse for looking utterly, utterly useless.

 

Exactly the point.lasy night typified the sheer scale of the problem last season's team had in terms of quitting rather than digging in and fighting.

If things aren't perfect, as typified by Doyle playing a role he isn't perfect for, then there just isn't any desire.

I cannot wait to see the back of every single player involved last season.

Clean slate my arse. These lads are mental weaklings and embarrassing.

 

The central midfield has been a shambles since taylor and reeves were shoe horned into it...two absolutely woeful players

 

With respect, that's not a fad for the sake of it, it's part of the top flight evolution of tactics. Wonder why Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have so many goals and assists or why Man City spent such a fortune on full backs before dominating the Premiership for a couple of years? Because of that 'protecting the defence' role of one midfielder filling in for the defensive roles of two full-backs.

It's to counter that 4-2-3-1 system that had evolved to block possession based "tiki-taka" (two deep 'protectors' to force attacking midfielders wider and one full back going forward being afforded cover from midfield). At the top level, so many wingers now cut inside by default that the full backs are expected to stay high and offer that width, so you now have a front 5 plus support from a shuttling midfielder. So it's arguably a more attacking strategy, on paper.

So am I defending Bowyer? No. Come to teams trying to implement that at League 2 level (including Bowyer) and the level of full backs isn't up to 90 minutes of constant running whilst retaining whatever their best attacking/defending qualities are. When we were trying this it made some sense on paper (to me), but for all the debatable qualities of Henley, Mellor and Wood, they aren't the all-round packages they were being asked to be and Bowyer never seemed to be able to accept or address this. Furthermore, the 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 we sometimes tried meant there wasn't anyone higher up the pitch to try making space for the full backs to even try that.

Obviously, that's not all-in, but just my observations. I don't envy the balance of the squad McCall's inherited, but hopefully he can work with the limitations of the players a bit more - I'm sure he'll at least not try to enforce something that the players clearly aren't cut out for at least.

 

Doesnt matter what they are earning, they simply are not good enough and Devine and Anderson should not be here even if playing for free. Still dont know what hold Colville has on Bowyer to be allowed to take the pi55 all summer

 

Felt sorry for Doyle last night with some of the abuse aimed in his direction. Hung out dry by his manager yet again and he takes the flak for it. Christ there were some having a go every time he touched the ball regardless of whether he made a mistake or not.

 

Its the ex player comfort blanket.

 

Cullen wasn't the biggest and this is L2. We need someone to purely win the ball and pass to the next player plus protect the defence - often the best CDM have been small, I'd wager because tackling is about timing and balance and the smaller the player the more balanced they are (in theory) as their centre of gravity is lower

 

Scannell Imo has not done very much since he has been at the club. No goals and the 1 assist. Pace but not enough end product, so often cutting back than whipping the ball in. I'll be honest, I wouldn't be overly sad if he left and we could utilise his wages. If the first two league matches are to go by, he could be an expensive bench warmer for L2

 

We should be getting a decent centre midfield general loan in asap, perhaps a couple. Todays result was expected but doesnt excuse the previous two poor results.

Loosen the purse strings mr chairman, distinct lack of quality that needs addressing asap.

 

Bowyer created this problem.

No way should Devine, Anderson and Colville all been offered new contracts.

We'll know Anderson isn't good enough but Bowyer seems to like him.

I don't know but I said it since the transfer window opened that we need a decent midfielder and with 2 weeks or so left of the transfer window we still need this it's embarrassing.

 

I think it was @JimmyBantam who was asking if our midfield was really that bad for league 2 .

You now have your answer.

 

Most of last seasons players are under contract.

Bowyer didn't have a choice for the most part.