What now at Left Back?

[The People's Hero]

For some time I've suggested the best formation for City's current crop of players is 4-3-3. That seemed to be demonstrated against Watford and why we would change simply because we're away is for the manager to explain cos I can't.

And in relation to our wingers 4-3-3 serves us much better because, with Hayes injured, we don't have any. And if that's the case why pretend we do?

Sheehan or someone like him was badly missed last night because Forest were strong in midfield and we were so rushed we ended up playing too many long aimless balls and, sad to say, Clarke gave most of them, because there was not an easy option in central left midfield.

We need to do what we did against Watford and pass the ball through the team.

Two midfielders isn't enough - but with three we're fine. Two strikers isn't enough we need three.

All that system requires is full-backs who are comfortable going forward. Ka'ebi and Chambers would seem excellent. Whether Mattock/Beswick with Sheehan in the left-half role can be the same is debateable. Eithe4r way we'll need another left-back.

But our team isn't good enough to be constantly chopped and changed. It needs to develop a smoothness and understanding that comes with time.

Rendering your complaints about the existing system and formation completely pointless.

[Flynny]

It does a bit.

What'd you think of Porter, Thrac? I'm not asking to be obtuse, I'm genuinely interested. He seemed too easily muscled off the ball and unable to get a cross off all night. I've no trouble with playing him, because he's a diamond when he's at his best. But he was no-where near it.

[Blue Bob]

I dont think there is any disrespect in saying that we now need to sign a left back. Clarke is clearly in a serious way and isnt likely to be playing in the near future, in honesty I have a doubt if he will play again at the age of 27 having a double heart attack if clearly very serious. There is always the possibility that he could have another heart attack and that maybe not a risk that either he or the club are willing to take.

But life goes on, The league are not going to give us any special favours. I do believe that we are fortunate to have had the game abandoned Sevilla did not have this when Puerta collapsed on the pitch.

So we clearly need a left back, there are only a couple of days left with the window open and we need to act. I very much doubt Clarke would object to this and would realise it is the club acting sensibly.

[MPH]

kaebi wasn't on the bench

despite the changes, he actually fielded one of the most mature side so far this season, one would have hoped that there was enough experience in the starting 11 last night to have put up more of a fight...

i think until we see the squad and subsequent perforance this weekend it is still (and probably will still be) too early to tell.

It isn't impossible to believe that MM has told MA not to pay too much attention to this cup, as it is not part of the money-spinning promotion masterplan.

The very thinness of our squad would support putting out a side that, by rights, should have been able to compete with forest...

i don't think it was the volume of the changes so much as the choice - ie bringing in kenton and henderson - effectively breaking that 'spine'

anyway, back to the left back thing....

dont know if thinness can be said...

MA said recently that at Brentford he had 16 players for training, at MK dons 20 and here at city we have 30 professionals. he said it was like a scene out of the Zulu film...

[MPH]

I dont think there is any disrespect in saying that we now need to sign a left back. Clarke is clearly in a serious way and isnt likely to be playing in the near future, in honesty I have a doubt if he will play again at the age of 27 having a double heart attack if clearly very serious. There is always the possibility that he could have another heart attack and that maybe not a risk that either he or the club are willing to take.

But life goes on, The league are not going to give us any special favours. I do believe that we are fortunate to have had the game abandoned Sevilla did not have this when Puerta collapsed on the pitch.

So we clearly need a left back, there are only a couple of days left with the window open and we need to act. I very much doubt Clarke would object to this and would realise it is the club acting sensibly.

true but the guy got up and walked off the pitch.... it wasnt until he was in the dressing room he had his heart attack and consequently they postpoaned their chamipns league tie as a result...

[Lillehamring]

dont know if thinness can be said...

MA said recently that at Brentford he had 16 players for training, at MK dons 20 and here at city we have 30 professionals. he said it was like a scene out of the Zulu film...

thinnes in terms of quality, not quantity....

[Fez of Mahrez]

thinnes in terms of quality, not quantity....

That doesn't stand up though when half your games are against the likes of S****horpe, Barnsley, Bristol City, Blackpool, QPR etc etc who don't have anywhere near the same size squad or strength in depth that we do. We could field practically a third XI a lot of whom would get into some poor Championship teams i.e. Douglas, Maybury, Hughes, Hammond.

[Thracian]

It does a bit.

What'd you think of Porter, Thrac? I'm not asking to be obtuse, I'm genuinely interested. He seemed too easily muscled off the ball and unable to get a cross off all night. I've no trouble with playing him, because he's a diamond when he's at his best. But he was no-where near it.

Apart from Chambers and, perhaps Hume and Wesolowski in patches, very few players can take much credit from last night.

I don't think Porter was any worse than the rest. He did some okay things - a decent defensive block near the corner flag, three or four accurate corners/free-kicks which were there to be attacked but weren't. And one cross which flew across their box and landed with Newton (I think) who's effort led to a corner.

But he barely got a decent pass from defence all night and there was no-one linking the play with him, perhaps for understandable reasons as it turned out.

So, overall I wouldn't want to draw any conclusions from yesterday but I would, and have, emphasised, Porter is a passer, not a flying winger, and needs others who pass and move around him. There was little support in that way last night and, let me repeat, I can well understand that now - at least in part.

I was surprised Clarke was asked to play his third game in 10 days after so little action over recent seasons but what I cannot understand at all in relation to the left side was leaving Sheehan out altogether. He and Porter play well together and Sheehan might well have stopped us being overwhelmed in midfield for the first half-hour and ataken a few of the pot shots everyone else seemed to opt out of from 30-odd yards.

Had it been me Porter would have been a substitute in a 4-3-3 system. He would have slotted in later accroding to our needs.

[Flynny]

Porter got several excellent passes in acres of space, Thrac, and didn't do much of note with any of them. I can very clearly recall two of them, and I'm quite sure there were more.

He just didn't look up to it.

[Lillehamring]

That doesn't stand up though when half your games are against the likes of S****horpe, Barnsley, Bristol City, Blackpool, QPR etc etc who don't have anywhere near the same size squad or strength in depth that we do. We could field practically a third XI a lot of whom would get into some poor Championship teams i.e. Douglas, Maybury, Hughes, Hammond.

yeah, true, but those games are never truly competitive in terms of quality, ther all about grind and passion.

yes, we do have a third string of poor championship players, but, going on last night, we also have a second string of poor championship players. As i said, we do have quantity, but we are wafer thin on quality....

[Stevosevic]

Porter got several excellent passes in acres of space, Thrac, and didn't do much of note with any of them. I can very clearly recall two of them, and I'm quite sure there were more.He just didn't look up to it.

Didn't he make that terrible back pass too? Where Kisnorbo had to track back and pretty much shove their striker over?

Porter got several excellent passes in acres of space, Thrac, and didn't do much of note with any of them. I can very clearly recall two of them, and I'm quite sure there were more.He just didn't look up to it.

Didn't he make that terrible back pass too? Where Kisnorbo had to track back and pretty much shove their striker over?

[Thracian]

Didn't he make that terrible back pass too? Where Kisnorbo had to track back and pretty much shove their striker over?Didn't he make that terrible back pass too? Where Kisnorbo had to track back and pretty much shove their striker over?

I've not denied he made mistakes. Henderson, Kenton, Clarke, Kisnorbo, Newton, Campbell, Porter all made mistakes and Clemence wasn't really seen to make mistakes because he didn't do much of anything. The difference between Porter and some of the others - like Clemence, Campbell, Newton and Clarke was he also did the odd thing right.

[Thracian]

Rendering your complaints about the existing system and formation completely pointless.

Not at all. I was perfectly happy with Saturday's line-up. Any changes should have been made within that system until such time as we have the players to try 4-4-2.