Charlton Post-match

[seenitall]

..but..but..but...you should never change a winning team.

You are aware we played in midweek aren't you?

[Captain...]

You are aware we played in midweek aren't you?

Yup, I was there, my point is in reaction to Col's suggestion that we should line up differently away from home and the endless pointless comments about never changing a winning team, which is a stupid philosophy. The team that beats Peterborough or Ipswich at home, is not necessarily the best team to face Millwall or Bolton away, even if it means breaking the 11th commandment, thou shalt never change a winning team, (even if it means playing someone who has been suffering an illness and you have 2 talented and fit midfielders on the bench.)

[marty78]

Our home form was as good as most teams. And especially so under Pearson. Pearson made us into fortress Walkers the last time he was managing us.

It's about possession of the ball and control of games.

There will always be defensive mishaps and strikers will always miss chances. That's a given I'm afraid. Of course, we don't want too many defensive errors and chances spurned. If that does happen, they are issues of concern in themselves.

Tomorrows game will be won or lost in the midfield IMO. Win the battle against Etuhu and Murphy... Get at em quickly and give them little time on the ball and the defence will be supported and the strikers provided with chances. Lose that midfield battle and we will lose the game. I reckon so anyway.

I don't think it is impossible to control a game whilst attacking. Murphy and Dunn we will have to stop playing but Etuhu lacks their quality on the ball for me. Against players like that who have good quality but without any real pace I would rather press higher up the pitch giving them possession inside their half rather than in ours. If we drop too deep, too quickly and too often then Murphy and Dunn will find space in our half and pick Gomes out on the edge of the area eventually, such is their quality. Gomes will perhaps need less chances from such a position than any of our strikers to get his goal.

That being said the main reason I would show a real attacking intent from the off is that they have all the pressure on them and may get nervous if we are going at them. If we sit back and conceded first as a consequence I would be more annoyed than if we had been caught out having a go. If we can put them under pressure and make them sloppy with possession by pressing high and quick we could still dominate the middle. I don't mean going and recklessly attacking and of course it would be a risk but I would rather take a risk than wait for something to happen and then react.

I don't really care how we set up though as long as we put in a performance and whichever way we set up it will have strengths and weaknesses like every formation and style of play.

[marbelladave]

4-4-2, it's the work of the devil, I tell thee.......

I've given up trying to explain and illuminate why this system does not work for us......

You're all grown ups, shit, some of you are even literate, you can work it out for yourselves.

In any case I am going to give you all a break this weekend, no way I am going to attempt to get to the northern wastelands on a bank holiday weekend so you will have to work out where it all went right/wrong on your own......

[Col city fan]

I don't think it is impossible to control a game whilst attacking. Murphy and Dunn we will have to stop playing but Etuhu lacks their quality on the ball for me. Against players like that who have good quality but without any real pace I would rather press higher up the pitch giving them possession inside their half rather than in ours. If we drop too deep, too quickly and too often then Murphy and Dunn will find space in our half and pick Gomes out on the edge of the area eventually, such is their quality. Gomes will perhaps need less chances from such a position than any of our strikers to get his goal.

That being said the main reason I would show a real attacking intent from the off is that they have all the pressure on them and may get nervous if we are going at them. If we sit back and conceded first as a consequence I would be more annoyed than if we had been caught out having a go. If we can put them under pressure and make them sloppy with possession by pressing high and quick we could still dominate the middle. I don't mean going and recklessly attacking and of course it would be a risk but I would rather take a risk than wait for something to happen and then react.

I don't really care how we set up though as long as we put in a performance and whichever way we set up it will have strengths and weaknesses like every formation and style of play.

Good post apart from the final paragraph IMO.

Tactics in football are crucial. The best football managers are the ones with the best motivational skills, have a great eye for a player AND get the tactics right. If you have all three you're on a winner.

I do care how we set up tomorrow. It could be crucial to the outcome of the game. Every player must play well themselves, of course, but if the team is set up wrong this matters immensely.

I would assume that Nige and his team have studied the goals conceded on Tuesday and have looked to rectify where we went wrong defensively.

Finally, Etuhu doesn't need to be a good playmaker or to be adept with the ball. That's not his game. His game is to win the ball deep in midfield, both in the air and on the ground and then to lay it off to Murphy to set up play again. If you go to tomorrows game, watch the number of times that Etuhu (if he plays of course) will mop up the second ball simply by knowing where he is positionally and with his strength. I'd like City to have such a player. Maybe this will be James?

It's gonna be be an interesting game and I'm looking forward to seeing whether we can better one of the strongest teams in the division.

[marty78]

Good post apart from the final paragraph IMO.

Tactics in football are crucial. The best football managers are the ones with the best motivational skills, have a great eye for a player AND get the tactics right. If you have all three you're on a winner.

I do care how we set up tomorrow. It could be crucial to the outcome of the game. Every player must play well themselves, of course, but if the team is set up wrong this matters immensely.

I would assume that Nige and his team have studied the goals conceded on Tuesday and have looked to rectify where we went wrong defensively.

Finally, Etuhu doesn't need to be a good playmaker or to be adept with the ball. That's not his game. His game is to win the ball deep in midfield, both in the air and on the ground and then to lay it off to Murphy to set up play again. If you go to tomorrows game, watch the number of times that Etuhu (if he plays of course) will mop up the second ball simply by knowing where he is positionally and with his strength. I'd like City to have such a player. Maybe this will be James?

It's gonna be be an interesting game and I'm looking forward to seeing whether we can better one of the strongest teams in the division.

Of course tactics are important but there are many ways to play and having an Etuhu is only one choice, it is not a bad choice but neither it is the only one available or with the potential to be successful. If we get a performance then it doesn't matter to me how we did it but only that we did it. To sum up, all I am saying is that there are more ways than one to get that performance and to be successful and I don't care which way we do it so long as we do.

For what it is worth the way we play (I actually prefer a five man midfield) isn't necessarily what I would go for given the choice but I will not say that the way we play is wrong until the team assembled over the summer has had a decent opportunity to prove that it is successful. If results and performances are poor as we get further into the season with the same problems as last year then I am sure many will be vocal with their criticism of Pearson and his tactics.

[ARM1968]

What we need to do is win the winnable games. Charlton was a winnable game.

[Happy Fox]

What we need to do is win the winnable games. Charlton was a winnable game.

Every game is a winnable game it is just how you apply yourselves both mentally and physically.

[ARM1968]

Happy - not sure about that. In this league possibly, but even then not always.

Application and mentality count for a lot, ad do team spirit and confidence.

But some away games must be seen as a good potential 3 points. Charlton was one. We blew it again. It cannot be allowed to continue. We have a team well capable of pushing for promotion. Both they and NP must do that or else NP will be gone.

[MrSpaM]

What we need to do is win the winnable games. Charlton was a winnable game.

Every game is winnable I do get what you mean though, we should have come away from there with at least a point. I think a lot of the Charlton fans seem to think that was they best they've seen them play for years though, this is something we struggled with somewhat last season too, teams up their game against us so we never have an easy game. The teams that dont we seem to walk all over.

[_Fatboyslow_]

Despite all the high quality assements of the issues facing the us, and a wide amount of soulitions suggested, I myself feel that 4-3-2-1 aka venerabals Xmas Tree would be idea an ideal formation for our squard but I doubt if we could play it, we all know it will be 4-4-2 with Dyer lord help us on the left. I do hope we can get something put of this, and it will be a tough fixture out of the way which we can learn from, as is the case with the Chalton match. Even if we lose

there's no need for panic, but that won't stop some.

[ibbosuk]

Despite all the high quality assements of the issues facing the us, and a wide amount of soulitions suggested, I myself feel that 4-3-2-1 aka venerabals Xmas Tree would be idea an ideal formation for our squard but I doubt if we could play it, we all know it will be 4-4-2 with Dyer lord help us on the left. I do hope we can get something put of this, and it will be a tough fixture out of the way which we can learn from, as is the case with the Chalton match. Even if we lose

there's no need for panic, but that won't stop some.

LISTEN >>>We lose at Blackburn and the heat will be on Pearson and HIS players (((BIG TIME)))...........

[Thracian]

I found the points raised by the pulley system v central midfielder quite interesting and do feel both are valid in principle but I do belive you still need the right personal to run what ever system you choose which certinly last season and maybe still we don't appear to have, apart from maybe King who I guess still has fitness concerns. The room on the pitch that chalton expoilted for the first goal just should not be there. This is not meant as a dig at Morgan or the defence,we just seem to lack some one who has a good handle on what's going on. Which I guess takes me back to King, although he gets slated for going missing when in fact he is covering and and the play moves around him. Maybe the answer lies with King starting ?

I think you're right about King. His injury sounded to me like a sign of being overplayed and is the sort of injury that will recur if the same thing happens again.

And if that's true then Pearson is doing the sensible thing in using him cautiously cos he was certainly not himself last season, even before the injury was officially mentioned.

Even at his best Kingy might not be noted for his speed, but he covers stacks of ground and is an accomplished player in defence, a fast and accomplished distributor or the ball and a ruthlessly accurate striker given chance.

What bothers me is that none of his central midfield colleagues have more two of these four qualities and some don't actually score more than 6/10 on any of them.