No Width, No Pace, No Idea

All systems work, providing you have quality and 'togetherness'.
A lack of 'togetherness' last campaign is why we are in Lge 2 this season.

This season it appears we lack quality. GB has shored up the back and the front. Yet having seen the last of Payne, Butterfield, L O'B and Wright ............ He's replaced them with ............ Just Palmer, in midfield ?

Here's hoping Herr Rupp is feeling generous, this August ?

 

It's League Two, you can get an advantage in any position simply by being all right at football.

You're over-analysing. The formation is largely irrelevant, unless you happen to have a winger fetish.

We don't need to be Man City to play 4-3-3, and as for your comments on McCartan and your subsequent comment that both he and Doyle should go, you're simply being unrealistic.

It's extremely unlikely, in my eyes, that we would sign a better player than McCartan and/or Doyle at this moment in time. As you will know from my posts, I agree that both are massive let downs - neither have represented good value for money, and they never will - but getting better is a fantasy at this stage of the season/transfer window.

In terms you'll no doubt agree with, O'Connor is a bell end and a player I'd like us to improve upon - but realistically he's going to get game time for two reasons: we aren't likely to sign a better centre back at this point, and because Paudie isn't quite ready to play first team football.

When Paudie returns, let's hope it's him and MRE, but we don't have that same luxury in terms of a number 10. It's Doyle OR McCartan, and on that basis, it's got to be Shay.

 

I did have a trial with city's juniors when I was younger but sadly too small and not quite good enough! Based on some of the crap last season though I might give it another go

@Bronco where he performed reasonably well in a promotion winning side, versus Doyle who performed poorly in a side relegated with a whimper. You're right it is last chance saloon for Mccartan really, I misread the post a bit. Playing in that role for me is what's most likely to give us this 250k player he apparently is. Doyle's about 3 chances past his last chance for me.

 

Says who? His record proves that with a competent partner, he can play up front...!

 

5 of the players Plymouth signed all played together at Bury, it's not like they are strangers to each other. They have all played for a promotion winning team. Did you expect us to steam roll Cambridge on the first day? We were the post away from 3 pts.

 

So our tactics using Doyle are wrong or we have the wrong personnel.

 

Yes.

For what it’s worth, Donaldson and Vaughan should be starting as a front 2. If either gets injured or suspended or heaven forbid, lost form, Doyle can come into the team.

He should never play a different kind of role to that. Doing so simply hangs him out to dry

 

We’re in league 2 for a reason ! The team should be ready to go first game no excuses! If he plays that formation again it has to be mcartan behind the front two, scannell needs to start could believe he was on the bench. Richards Everton although his distribution left a bit to be desired I thought he looked not to bad at the back, get paudie in along side him an I think it looks solid at the back. Personally I think we’re desperate to get reeves back I kno he’s been out for a long time but personally when he first came I thought he was quality in centre of the park. Henley looked really nervous to me , also saw little glimpses of potential from Gibson. If only we had another winger like a Tyrell Robinson for example !

 

What we need to do is stick Anthony O'Connor in midfield.

He played regulary as a DM for Plymouth, played there last season and did alright and as a CB has some sort of defensive capability.

Bring Mellor in on the right who also played there last season and did well and you have enough defensive cover to give Scannell and Palmer the license to attack and let their supposedly Championship class shine.

Mellor----O'Connor---Palmer---Scannell

-------------Vaughan--Donaldson---------

^ That looks a lot better than a narrow midfield 3 of Gibson, Palmer and Anderson with Doyle in the hole, but we're going need POC to come back obviously.

 

Bring in a new left winger put Scannell on the right and a new CM for AO’C and I agree.

 

I agree about O'Connor playing DM until a better one arrives but I cannot get behind this Mellor or wood for that matter playing as wingers. Mellor did ok at best on the right of a midfield three last season not as a winger where he'd be a complete waste of space and an unnecessary defensive player in an attacking position for a team who need to create more chances.

O'Connor would do an ok job as he would only have to win his aerial battles and a few tackles (just like he would if he was at centre half) and pass sideways to palmer.

 

Too many square pegs in round holes.

 

There's one square peg in round hole which is Mellor. Who else is playing in a position alien to them?

Vs Cambridge we saw Anderson and Gibson starting, our best player on the bench and Doyle in the hole.

Until we bring players in there's going to be holes in every team we play.

 

O Connor, Scannell. Not natural position. Makes it too many. Midfield is awful lined up like that.

 

How do you define 'square pegs in round holes' ? For me it's putting a player in an unknown position where they are generally ineffective. O'Connor has played 60 odd games in midfield and Scannell is certainly no stranger to playing on the left. It's not ideal (no formation/team is going to be without reinforcements) but it will allow for A) A proper DM and B) our best player to start games. I don't see the alternative of playing 4-3-3 with Anderson, Gibson in midfield accompanied by Doyle in the hole as being that much better. The quality drops off and you're still playing with square pegs in round holes.

In reality, all either setup does is emphasise our need to sign at least 2 additional players.

 

Play 5/4/1 moving into a 4/3/3 if we need a goal.

Scannell on right Donaldson on the left with more license to move towards Vaughan like law used to in the McCall days. Longridge at left back to push up to offer support.

Akpan in front of back four if fit. He is better than O’Connor in there as much as he was poor last year. O’Connor has done nothing wrong yet to be moved out of CB position this season. Make players earn way back into side.

 

And there you go.

Donaldson playing the same role as Nicky Law, Akpan who can't tackle for shit playing as a DM and Vaughan playing up front by himself.

Nothing is ideal atm.

I suspect he'd stick with the same team/setup as last week but bring POC in if fit.

 

Pre season game I know but Vaughan did lead the line pretty well on his own in the Liverpool game.

 

One player playing out of position is better than 3

 

Just the one player? That's debatable if you're having Akpan as a DM which he isn't, Donaldson in the role of Nicky Law and Vaughan as a lone striker. I could be wrong but I don't think they are primary roles for either.

It's flawed logic anyway. Was Vincelot a worse Centre Back than Adam Thomson just because the latter was a so called specialist in his position?

A player doesn't automatically become inferior because they are capable of covering a number of positions outside their preferred one, especially when the competition in comparison is quite weak. It's not like sticking Henley up front, both O'Connor and Scannell have been there and done it in the positions you don't want them playing in.

Skillset and adaptability need to be accounted for and I don't see how Hopeless* Akpan in particular is a better DM than O'Connor. Apart from that I can see the potential in either with the odd tweak here and there (hopefully a new player or two coming in. Even last weeks team which on paper was all over the place did okay. It just missed that creative spark which will hopefully come with the introduction of Scannell and an opposition team slightly more adventurous than Cambridge.

*@Idlebantam