Our Midfield -permutations so far....

[Lillehamring]

Ok,

i was thinking about the midfield after posting in the 'bristol team thread'... and couldn't decide what our best format is... so i had a look at our team line ups

so far (in game order) this is what we have tried so far this season:

Oakley, A King, Wellens, L Dyer, - Adams (78 for Dyer), N'Guessan (46 for King) won 2-1

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Dyer - A King (63 for N'Guessan), Adams (75 for Dyer) drew 0-0 (A)

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Adams - A King (83 for Waghorn), Dyer (78 for Adams) drew 1-1 (A)

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Dyer - A King (80 for Gallagher), Adams (64 for Dyer) won 1-0

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Gallagher - Dyer (60 for Gallagher), Adams (89 for N'Guessan) lost 1-0

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Dyer - A King (63 for Dyer) won 2-1

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Gallagher - A King (46 for N'Guessan) drew 1-1 (H)

Oakley, A King, Wellens, Gallagher - Adams (54 for Wellens), N'Guessan (73 for Gallagher) drew 3-3 (A)

N'Guessan, Oakley, Wellens, Gallagher - A King, Dyer (62 for N'Guessan), Kermorgant (76 for Wellens) lost 1-2

Gallagher, Oakley, A King, Dyer - won 1-0

Gallagher, Oakley, A King, Dyer - Campbell (60 for Gallagher) drew 1-1 (A)

Oakley, A King, Wellens, Dyer - Kermorgant (78 for Dyer) drew 0-0 (H)

Oakley, A King, Wellens, Dyer - Gallagher (46 for Dyer) won 2-0

Oakley, A King, Wellens, Gallagher - Berner (84 for Gallagher) won 0-1

Oakley, A King, Wellens, N'Guessan - won 2-1 (Fryatt 37, Fryatt 64)

Oakley, A King, Wellens, N'Guessan - McGivern (43 for King), Howard (60 for N'Guessan), Gallagher (39 for Oakley). lost 2-1

Kermorgant, Wellens, A King, Gallagher - Adams (84 for Fryatt) won 1-0

Kermorgant, A King, Wellens, Gallagher - N'Guessan (84 for Waghorn) drew 1-1 (A)

Oakley, King, Wellens, Kermorgant - Howard (28 for Kermorgant), Dyer (35 for Fryatt) lost 5-1

looking in more depth, based on the key CMs - King, Wellens and Oakley - the results break down as follows:

NG/OAK/WEL (w/DYE) 2-1-0

NG/OAK/WEL (w/GAL) 0-1-2

NG/OAK/WEL (w/ADM) 0-1-0

OAK/KIN/WEL (w/dyer) 2-1-0

OAK/KIN/WEL (w/GAL) 1-1-0

OAK/KIN/WEL (w/NG) 1-0-1

OAK/KIN/WEL (w/KER) 0-0-1

WEL/KIN (w/GAL/KER) 1-1-0

OAK/KIN/DYER (w/GAL) 1-1-0

(nb: when looking at the results i haven't factored into the formations when the goals were scored, maybe someone else can do that )

and by formation:

with wingers: 5-3-1

with forwards or 433: 3-4-3

ok, as i said, this is based on starting line ups, so take with a pinch of salt or dig deeper yourselves, but if nothing else this shows just how inconsistent out midfield starting line ups and formations have been thus far...

also, in games we have started with a 442 line up including Wellens and Oakley (9 games) we have only lost once and that was the substitution shambles that was WBA.

When Oakley, Wellens and Dyer have started (all 442) they have a record of 4-2-0.

[acooling08]

How long did that post take?

[Fox92]

I like both Andy King and Matt Oakley but I think that Wellens, who is by far our best midfielder, needs someone strong and hard at the side of him who will get involved and stuck in more than King and Oakley - someone like Paul McKenna.

I would personally play with wingers, but not Adams as he is a squad player at best. Don't think Dyer is good enough at this level, hence West Brom not wanting him years ago. And, Dany N'Guessan comes in patches. At his best, Dany seems to be great (like at QPR), at his worst, he is shocking.

Think we need another hard midfielder, and two better wingers really.

At the minute I'd go with:

Dyer -- King -- Wellens -- N'Guessan

I would love to see:

Halmosi -- Chaplow -- Wellens -- ? But never going to happen.

[samjohnson]

Somebody's done their homework :eek:

[haraven]

Nice work Vålerenga! That is actually quite interesting statistics - if you add a kji-square for "weaker" opponents on this, I suggest someone get this over to NP.

[Guest ttfn]

I like both Andy King and Matt Oakley but I think that Wellens, who is by far our best midfielder, needs someone strong and hard at the side of him who will get involved and stuck in more than King and Oakley - someone like Paul McKenna.

I would personally play with wingers, but not Adams as he is a squad player at best. Don't think Dyer is good enough at this level, hence West Brom not wanting him years ago. And, Dany N'Guessan comes in patches. At his best, Dany seems to be great (like at QPR), at his worst, he is shocking.

Think we need another hard midfielder, and two better wingers really.

At the minute I'd go with:

Dyer -- King -- Wellens -- N'Guessan

I would love to see:

Halmosi -- Chaplow -- Wellens -- ? But never going to happen.

Yeah let's by a whole new squad. We're only 4th.

A lot of effort's gone into the original post though. Appreciated. But presumably Pearson plays 'horses for courses', and Dyer may just be more effective against the shit teams. Not that we'll know unless he gets a proper chance. Tore the Leeds right back a new one last year if I remember

[Legend_in_blue]

This is very good work. Very good indeed.

Someone post it off to NP.

I'd rather we play with the balance, N'Guessan and Dyer on the wings, than place strikers on the wings ala IH.

Ok, so N'Guessan and Dyer might not be consistently up to the task, but as I said this morning, damage limitation until January and take it from there.

Pace, however skillful the player is, is far more dangerous than a static FD playing in an unaccustomed wide position. And yet our pacey players sit on the bench and watch the go by.

Pace people, we have it and yet choose not to use it.

[Vlad The Impaler]

Oakley - Wellens - King - N'Guessan is good enough for me, though I agree fast wingers are needed for the Bristol game as we really have to go at 'em.

We've just got to get by December and get 1 or 2 midfielders in January. Halmosi, Cleverely, Hoolahan, Surman, Snodrass, McAnuff, Lallana.. There are endless players to choose from that could do a job.

We aren't THAT desperate for midfielders but if we want to continue our promtion challenge then I strongly think we should get some quality in.

Very interesting post Valarenga, thanks for sharing

[Wilson_6]

i dont understand the strikers in midfield and also oakly out wide i think our best midfield would be

Dyer wellens oakley n'guessan

[Lillehamring]

i'm not sure the problem is the quality of our midfield, but how it has been used, the periods with the least change seem to be the periods with the best results.

also, it doesn't appear to be the case that our team is suited to a 433.

it's also not impossible to suggest that the inconsistancies have coincided with gallagher's arrival...

i'm all for squad rotation but i think it has to be within the frame work of a balnced team, so a set midfield of oakley and wellens, with the wingers rotating and andy king coming in and oakley going right when necessary... it is clear from when we have played this we have done alright, that whatever the quality of our players is, it is good enough to compete at this level....

and screw gally and kermo playing off the front two, lets just have a steady rotation of fryatt, waghorn, kermo and gallagher depending on form compatability and opponent.

it just looks like pearson is trying too hard, and making things over complicated.