Ashley Young (Goodbye and thank you)

[PeterWithe]

I like him, he rarely gives the ball away which is a great attribute to have when you are protecting a lead

[cdbearsfan]

We need to get away from the obsession with trying to get rid of players the second they aren't guaranteed a start. We've seen it before with Hause and El Ghazi, for example, and they've both shown how vital they can be to the cause already this season.

It's not remotely comparable though. He's a 36 year old on a one year contract, specifically brought in as a short term stop gap. All I'm saying is that we're lucky now that all of our first choice central defenders are good enough to cover the full back spots, especially now we're playing the formation that dare not speak its name!

Playing said formation, albeit hopefully not for long, seems another reason to keep him. Hause may be perfectly fine as cover for centre half or a conventional left back. But the proponents of 5-3-2 like to tell me that it allows full backs to get forward more. Young is clearly a better option as an attacking full back than Hause.

[West Derby Villan]

We need to get away from the obsession with trying to get rid of players the second they aren't guaranteed a start. We've seen it before with Hause and El Ghazi, for example, and they've both shown how vital they can be to the cause already this season.

It's not remotely comparable though. He's a 36 year old on a one year contract, specifically brought in as a short term stop gap. All I'm saying is that we're lucky now that all of our first choice central defenders are good enough to cover the full back spots, especially now we're playing the formation that dare not speak its name!

Playing said formation, albeit hopefully not for long, seems another reason to keep him. Hause may be perfectly fine as cover for centre half or a conventional left back. But the proponents of 5-3-2 like to tell me that it allows full backs to get forward more. Young is clearly a better option as an attacking full back than Hause.

Not forgetting the wealth of experience he brings to a youngish team

[four fornicholl]

We need to get away from the obsession with trying to get rid of players the second they aren't guaranteed a start. We've seen it before with Hause and El Ghazi, for example, and they've both shown how vital they can be to the cause already this season.

It's not remotely comparable though. He's a 36 year old on a one year contract, specifically brought in as a short term stop gap. All I'm saying is that we're lucky now that all of our first choice central defenders are good enough to cover the full back spots, especially now we're playing the formation that dare not speak its name!

Playing said formation, albeit hopefully not for long, seems another reason to keep him. Hause may be perfectly fine as cover for centre half or a conventional left back. But the proponents of 5-3-2 like to tell me that it allows full backs to get forward more. Young is clearly a better option as an attacking full back than Hause.

Do I sense a slight wavering there CD?

[cdbearsfan]

Never! 😄

I suppose I can put up with it on a short-term, needs must, basis while we have players out or struggling to get up to speed. Long term, though, I want to see us getting the best out of Buendia and Bailey and scaring fuck out of the opposition. I don't see how they fit in with the current formation.

I suppose it doesn't hurt to have players confident in using more than one system and, if we are defending a lead, I can live with reverting to three centre halves now that the four competitors for CB spots have shown themselves proficient at it. When we've tried it in previous seasons, I've felt that they get in each other's way and we look more likely to concede but they seem much improved of late.

That's as close as you'll get to me softening my stance...

[ChicagoLion]

Citeh nullified Chelsea playing the same system and it was the same Italy England. At the moment teams are not sure which system we will play. But like CD I am not a believer in it long term.

[Risso]

Same here. I think it would make sense to use the same team/formation for Spurs away but I'd be a bit disappointed if we lined up at Wolves at home the same.

[Toronto Villa]

I’d like to think we have arrived or are close to arriving at a point we don’t need to have one formation/system. We have really good players who can adapt to playing in a number of ways and will all work hard when given the opportunity. The one thing that is noticeable now is just how fast we close down and try to win the ball back. And not just one on one closing down, but in clusters that move as the ball moves so players aren’t left exposed.

[SoccerHQ]

Bit of an odd bump. He's already started twice this season (although we obviously don't want to see him grace central midfield again).

He'll surely come in if Targett gets a knock as I don't really see the point of shifting Mings or Hause there and they certainly can't do it if it's a 3-5-2. That would suit Young more than the flat back 4 we played.

He'll come in for the odd game over xmas I'd imagine and play first few rounds of the cup if we draw non prem teams plus as said he'll be great behind the scenes and in dressing room.

[Toronto Villa]

Ashley Young will provide more to the club off the pitch this season than on it. But on it he will never let us down*











*erm…obviously aside from penalty shootouts

[DrGonzo]

Do you think he has ambitions to go into management?  He'd do a lot worse than to have a few seasons a la Terry.  The youngsters would no doubt be happy to see another old boy in the set up, especially one with the experience that Young has.

[Risso]

Do we need any more coaches though? We seem to have more people in a track suit around the dug out than any other football team I've ever seen!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Have you seen how difficult it is to get a ticket?

[DrGonzo]

Yank Soccer is one of the most technical team sports in the world, made up of teams within a team.  It has to work on an individual, group and team level for the whole to function, to a much greater degree than is true in football.  If your right back is out of position the midfielder nearest can slot in and the responsibilty is shifted along the line.  If your safety misses his cover the quaterback hits the pass and a touchdown is on. 

The level of coaching is so much higher than we have in football, we are talking about having a set piece coach as a new thing.  We are miles behind in terms of the level of technical coaching that exist elsewhere.  I'd be quite happy to see us develop this side of the game.

[Lastfootstamper]

The same with all elite sport, once you get to the very top you're looking for miniscule things to give you an advantage. I don't think you can have too many specialist coaches.