Midfield

[garyshawsknee]

I thought Bannan done well against Newcastle and Swansea,he was keeping things a lot more simpler than he's done before. Without Ireland in the side,we need more players with good ball retention skills,so I'd stick him in at the minute.

[N'ZMAV]

Maybe we need to find a formation, and stick with it. I don't think this diamondy thingy works. We need some width. Maybe we should go with 4-4-2? with the second striker playing slightly deeper making the midfield a 5 when we don't have the ball?

[Concrete John]

Our problem at Southampton and Spurs was the narrow midfield left the FBs exposed with no cover infront of them.  When you consider both FBs are young guys trying to step up to the PL level, then this makes us very vulnerable and could also do them longterm damage confidence wise.  This has lost us two games now and we need to find a way of fixing it.

I agree with Herd playing as the 'rat catcher' type - doing all the dirty work!  However, as another option we could play Clark next to KEA to try and give a more solid base, at the sacrifice of one of the strikers, once Dunne is fit.  That gives us more experience at the back and a more solid looking centre.  Two of the other three midfielders getting further forward would then find themselves a little wider, which should naturally offer some protection infront of the FBs, especially if one of them is a hard worker like Holman.

Something like this:-
                   - Guzan -
Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Bennett
               - KEA - Clark -
     Holman - Ireland - Gabby
                    - Bent -

[OCD]

Holman covers a lot of ground but playing 2 positions simultaenously might be beyond even him.

[Concrete John]

Holman covers a lot of ground but playing 2 positions simultaenously might be beyond even him.

I don't know - he does twice the running of some of our players!

But I've changed it just so as to not put too much pressure on him.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Delph looks like he's got a red card in him every game, KEA needs to get forward in my opinion, we need to maybe get Herd back in and maybe use wingers, our midfield is workman like but not a lot creatively

[N'ZMAV]

Holman - RW
Herd - CM
KEA - CM
Bannan (or Ireland, when fit) - CM
N'Zogbia - LW

[Phil from the upper holte]

Your right Concrete John when the second goal was scored you could have driven a bus down their right hand side

[Phil from the upper holte]

I actually thought N'Zogbia looked interested when he came on

[pedro25]

I'm concerned by the lack of creativity, surely with Ireland out either or both N'Zogbia or Bannan should have played.  Too many industrious players and too little spark (bit like last season).

[SoccerHQ]

When N'Zonzi was available at the end of the season we should have got him. We lack height and physical prescence in the middle of the pitch, he would have done a job for us in certain games and wouldn't have cost us a fortune.

Would've gone for Diame personally.

O.k he would've wanted a decent wage but he's young and from what I've seen he's been a monster for West Ham this season.

[Mister E]

I just don't get Albie's promotion to first-team football in the last two games, as a sort of extra tucked-in MF.

With what we've currently got, I'd put KEA, Herd and Delph in a tight midfield three; I'd have Holman and Weimann ahead of them to support a front runner - either Gabby or Bent (with the one not used coming on for 30 minutes or so).
Doing this would tighten the central MF area. It would probably leave us less creative but would make us a much more solid outfit. It would rely on the FB getting more forward than they are currently doing.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd have Herd in ahead of Delph. Delph just isn't suited to a defensive role.

[tomd2103]

Our problem at Southampton and Spurs was the narrow midfield left the FBs exposed with no cover infront of them.  When you consider both FBs are young guys trying to step up to the PL level, then this makes us very vulnerable and could also do them longterm damage confidence wise.  This has lost us two games now and we need to find a way of fixing it.

I agree with Herd playing as the 'rat catcher' type - doing all the dirty work!  However, as another option we could play Clark next to KEA to try and give a more solid base, at the sacrifice of one of the strikers, once Dunne is fit.  That gives us more experience at the back and a more solid looking centre.  Two of the other three midfielders getting further forward would then find themselves a little wider, which should naturally offer some protection infront of the FBs, especially if one of them is a hard worker like Holman.

Something like this:-
                   - Guzan -
Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Bennett
               - KEA - Clark -
     Holman - Ireland - Gabby
                    - Bent -

That does look a lot more solid than the formation we are currently playing.  It would be similar to the formation Albion played against us the other week, but I do have my doubts about Bent as a lone striker.  As Long showed in that game, a striker really has to work hard when he's up on his own and I just can't see Bent putting that kind of shift in. 

[Mister E]

Our problem at Southampton and Spurs was the narrow midfield left the FBs exposed with no cover infront of them.  When you consider both FBs are young guys trying to step up to the PL level, then this makes us very vulnerable and could also do them longterm damage confidence wise.  This has lost us two games now and we need to find a way of fixing it.

I agree with Herd playing as the 'rat catcher' type - doing all the dirty work!  However, as another option we could play Clark next to KEA to try and give a more solid base, at the sacrifice of one of the strikers, once Dunne is fit.  That gives us more experience at the back and a more solid looking centre.  Two of the other three midfielders getting further forward would then find themselves a little wider, which should naturally offer some protection infront of the FBs, especially if one of them is a hard worker like Holman.

Something like this:-
                   - Guzan -
Lowton - Vlaar - Dunne - Bennett
               - KEA - Clark -
     Holman - Ireland - Gabby
                    - Bent -

That does look a lot more solid than the formation we are currently playing.  It would be similar to the formation Albion played against us the other week, but I do have my doubts about Bent as a lone striker.  As Long showed in that game, a striker really has to work hard when he's up on his own and I just can't see Bent putting that kind of shift in. 

I think that PL sees Clark as a CB; otherwise, I think we'd have seen him trying him out during the close season or in these frist few games.