Ashley Young - tell it how you see it

[TimTheVillain]

Guess so, in any event GH should be preparing to replace now......

[UK Redsox]

Time to put Ash back on the wing so we can see if Gabby and Darren can forge a decent strike partnership

[Clampy]

Time to put Ash back on the wing so we can see if Gabby and Darren can forge a decent strike partnership

Heskey would be my choice rather than Gabby.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Time to put Ash back on the wing so we can see if Gabby and Darren can forge a decent strike partnership

Heskey would be my choice rather than Gabby.

I agree.
Think Bent would work very well with the rejuvenated Heskey.

[Clampy]

Heskey doing his usual work of holding up the ball and laying it off will allow Bent to do what he's good at, loitering around the box. A bit like Heskey and Owen for England perhaps. It needs trying because we're not scoring enough goals with the system we're playing now.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Heskey doing his usual work of holding up the ball and laying it off will allow Bent to do what he's good at, loitering around the box. A bit like Heskey and Owen for England perhaps. It needs trying because we're not scoring enough goals with the system we're playing now.

Agreed, I think Bent needs a partner. I think I remember a Sunderland fan saying he's not at his best when he's upfront on his own

[eastie]

When you look at man utds revenue and gates there's no way we can compete with th when it comes to wages paid and if they want ash they will surely get him, he will do well out wife for them
but will have to take his turn when it comes to set pieces as they have better takers than him.

On the contrary many people feel bent is better on his own up front but he needs quality service, give him the chances and he will score , I'd back albrighton to create more for bent than either downing or gabby.

[PaulTheVillan]

Drop Young.

Play 4-4-2.

Heskey & Bent upfront. Gabby on for Heskey in the last half hour.

[Chris Smith]

"Bzzz" -  bang head on window - "Bzzz" -  bang head on window - "Bzzz" -  bang head on window - Bzzz" -  bang head on window - "Bzzz" -  bang head on window - "Bzzz" -  bang head on window

The manager has spent months trying to move us away from 4-4-2, results have started to pick up so the Mike Bassett Collective decide now is the time to abandon it and go back to square 1. <wink>

There's an argument for using it as a tactic later in a game but it would be daft, in my opinion, to ditch it just because of a couple of draws when not long before that we won 3 games in a week.

[TheSandman]

Drop Young.

Play 4-4-2.

Heskey & Bent upfront. Gabby on for Heskey in the last half hour.

If we were to play 4-4-2 that would be my favoured option.

I'd still FAR prefer to see us go for a straight 4-5-1 with Bannan in for Gabby and Albrighton in for Young.

When MoN was in charge practically EVERYBODY wanted us to change to 4-5-1 citing the fact it belonged to the seventies and the fact we were piss weak in midfield. Now we have embraced modern football the people are still unhappy. The issue I have is with the 4-2-3-1 we are currently using is the fact we are trying to accommodate three wide players rather than three central ones but hey-ho at least we are using the right formation.

[eastie]

Forget 442 , we will not be going back to that system unless chasing a game with subs, we need albrighton and downing wide to provide the service for bent and a three man midfield behind with makoun or Bradley in a holding role and an attacking midfielder linking play and getting forward to support bent , who that player is will be the key to how the system works .

I think young will be gone and gabby will be a sub in the main , whether Gardner or bannan or delph can establish themselves in midfield is very interesting - sadly we have the perfect man on the staff in stephen Ireland but I doubt he will get his act together for us.

I think gabby and heskey will be very much squad players next season and not regular starters , and young will be gone .

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Time to put Ash back on the wing so we can see if Gabby and Darren can forge a decent strike partnership

It's all well and good having Gabby and Bent in the middle but you have to provide them with decent service. A quick look at the Guardian chalkboard from Saturday shows we attempted 23 crosses into the box with only one being successful. One. For all the effort of Ashley and Downing, they're hardly producing the final ball.

[Monty]

I completely agree with Chris, Bentman and Eastie. Straight 4-4-2 with two wingers and two out-and-out centre forwards is dead as an attacking system. It's place now is as a decent defensive, counter-attacking system, whereby a team places two banks of four in front of the ball and counter with, usually, a direct ball to the halfway line where one forward knocks it down for the other/onrushing quick winger.

To try and hold the ball and pick a way through with two central midfielders a mile away from their forwards is nonsensical. These days there is so little room in that final third that you practically need all the manpower you can get in there. The number of times under MON, you'd see our midfielders get the ball just forward of the halfway line and see two forwards hanging about on the edge of the area - with at least 5 opposition players in between. There's no use having all the forwards in the world if the ball's never going to get to them, and this (neat segue into actual thread topic) is one of my main frustrations with Ash. He's meant to play as the link between deep midfield and attack, yet he's constantly making runs beyond Bent, leaving both of them isolated and the midfield without options. People complain about Makoun/NRC/Petrov passing sideways, but with Ash making runs like that, what else are they going to do?

[eastie]

Agree mark Kelly, albrighton beats his man and crosses the ball , no dallying about , this is what's needed., he's had a couple of weeks out of the team and I hope he comes back refreshed and delivers the final ball that has been so lacking from others.

[eastie]

TRue monty, we need to find the right man to play the attacking midfield role and link up the play and get a few goals into the bargain , one thing very evident is that Ashley young is not the right man for that role , however much he enjoys it.