Match Thread Salford City vs Bradford City Tuesday 22nd November 2022 @ 7.30pm

I agree, why not go for a 4-1-3-2.
With a defending midfielder 2 quick wide men a creator in the middle and 2 up front

Lewis

Halliday
Platt
Critchlow/odasina
Fouldes

Smallwood/ songo

Banks
Walker
Wright

Cook
Young

Doyle
East
Sutton
Angol
Eisa
Gillead

 

I'd still play him in front of Gillead. At least he's not scared or the big white rectangle things the opposition stand in front of.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if a few players aren't really pi55ed off with the situation and alerted their agents ....we are worse than useless just now with this negative system of playing ....

 

Gilliad just wouldn't get in my team, he adds nothing!

 

Being 5th in a poor league is nothing to sing about.

Yes, Cook is Joint top scorer in the league but in l truth he’s mega poor off the ball.

Fans problem that we can see the issues and nothing is getting done about them.

 

I just see what he is meant to be doing? We certainly don’t need him so deep. He can’t play that role.

 

we may have all taken that at the start of the season but can you honestly not tell me we should be doing a lot better than this ?????

We with a more POSITIVE attitude at home would probably be pissing this league but we ain’t and that down to one man who insists on a system that basically at worked at home all season ...................... we may pull out the odd win at home playing that way but that system will not see us going on a decent run of results at home .................... I actually thought after the Harrogate game he would go out and change it but no sticks with the same pedestrian easy to play against shite ................ you can go on about being 5th in the league but this sort of home crap continues then it won’t be long till we slide into midtable

 

in all fairness he's right. We could play any formation possible but if we pass as slowly as we generally do, we'll have the same problems. I'd go as far as saying that tempo is our biggest problem at the moment.

 

Some of the reaction to last night's performance is OTT. The interplay between Lewis, Platt and Songo'o was exceptional at times. And the way in which we retained possession in our own third during the last 20 minutes to really take the sting out of the game and wind the clock down showed high levels of Game Management capability.

 

yeah the way we kept there defenders and keeper out of the game was something to be happy about .......

 

Mark Hughes Masterclass.

Almost as impressive as him not substituting players who are playing poorly because that might hurt their feelings.

As a perennial lower league supporter it's tough getting used to these Premier League management methods, but I trust that him having those previous jobs guarantees everything will turn out ok in the end.

 

I actually think it’s the two midfielders that are the issue ............... we have wingers who will go after full backs .......... we actually have defenders who actually will carry it forward ......... but once it come into that central area that’s where it breaks down ............ rather than actually going forward with the ball they just turn back towards our defence ............ if Smallwood is his midfield general then it’s time he put a player in next to him that will look to go forward at every opportunity................. I honestly had high hopes after the Sutton win ........... sadly Saturday just dampened it again he just doesn’t learn and sadly I can see the Rochdale game being the same way we now go into two away games with added pressure to get something because in all honesty he sets us up that way for the future at home then I cannot see us getting much at home ................ I just hope the return of Walker will make us more forward thinking when it come to home games

 

the thing with his premier league methods they are involving Premier league players ............. it doesn’t sadly work at this level ........... a top flight team can pass around at the back all day and rarely lose possession .......... we have a mistake in us every time we start messing about with it

 

Kev I know you don't rate Sutton but hear me out. He has gone backwards this year. It could be that he has been brainwashed into the MH safety first mentality and that has taken away what he does best, the fast breaks from midfield.
I hate to say it but after last night I am beginning to think we look like a team of players who aren't buying into the system they are being asked to play. Songo'o for one looks extremely uncomfortable with it.

 

If you're going for one in front of the back four then Smallwood is most definitely not your man.
Strength needed there so Songo'o would be the option.
We then need a new captain, one that is vocal and gets players grafting - again unlike Smallwood.

 

we can all see it pal but one man thinks it’s gonna work and that in the long run will kill our promotion hopes off ............. it’s so frustrating because I believe that group of players can get us up ........... we have decent attacking players we have a decent defence a very good keeper but sadly that’s all wasted on that boring set up ............. if we actually went after teams I believe that the majority of games we will score more than we concede

 

It's amazing that a lower league former player, Gary Jones, can see what's needed to change at times during a match but Mark Hughes can't.
I wish Jamie Raynor would ask Hughes if he ever played as a lone striker and what did he expect from his former midfield team mates?

 

Raynor is a little tentative in his questions with Hughes and if he is a little pushy Sparky gets prickly and it's back to safe and sound

 

sadly it’s the obsession of football at the moment to keep the ball and one up top it may actually work at the top levels but it doesn’t down here

 

We have a centre midfield ???