Time for a change.

[The Horse'sMouth]

Time to be controversial again.

 

Does Jim have blinkers on in respect of Stuart Snowden. Great servant to the club he may be but it appears to me that Jim has dropped every defender at least once except Stuart and things have not got better.

I have thought about our best back line and none of them contain Snowden.

 

THM

 

PS Thought JR was excellent when he came on.

[The Invisible Man]

Not too sure about this one THM (nice to see you back on the forum btw!).

 

I am very happy with all our defenders as individuals.

 

Somehow, collectively, the defence doesn't work very well. Maybe the midield protecting them isn't quite balanced, I don't know.

[Beer Sponsor]

I think we lack a dominant, consistent and fit central defender. If we had one [or more] of them, I think whoever played alongside would become less important. Adam needs his operation badly and Graham is as unavailable as he appears to be unfit. Then there's Brad, who perhaps would be better in midfield. And the answer is......

[Sergeant D]

..... to stop playing two wing backs that leave the back 3 hopelessly exposed. Traditional back 4 please, we are not Man Utd or any other such team. Brotherton in midfield and only play the strikers that are in form. Why do lesser teams do well against ETFC? Because they will try their hardest, we must match the effort and excel at skill.

[The Invisible Man]

There is nothing wrong with the wing-back formation, or any other formation. Remember we won the league playing with wing backs, it's a versatile exciting method.

 

However, you have to play a formation to suit the players available, and conversely you have to acquire the appropriate players to play in a preferred formation if that's what you want.

 

Our two wing backs are no longer available, through transfer and university, and we have tried to slot other players in who are less than happy in that position.

 

It's not formations that win games, it's players, so maybe we do need to look at a 442 line up.

 

 

[MbrunoB]

When things are not going strickly to plan is when you learn the most,so this is the first time since we started that Jim can truly find out about some of our players.Leave Jim alone and he will find out who is up for the fight and will be the right players to take us on.

 

[lovely stuff]

At the moment we havn't got a left back or a left-wing back...so we're not suited to playing 4-4-2 or 5-3-2.

 

 

I,m going to say something controversial......Play Snowden at left back...It would give us a proper defender at left back....It would keep him out of the centre (until he has regained his form)....and we can still utilise his penalty taking and throw-ins.

 

A.Hall

 

Digby Gant G.Hall Snowden

 

Ridout Brotherton Geraghty Smith

 

Cove Clarke

 

(with Cooper and Francis coming on second-half)

 

 

How about that then.????

 

S

 

 

[hamburger]

this team is better

A HALL

DIGBY GANT G.HALL SNOWDEN

RIDOUT QUINN BROTHERTON

GERAGHTY

COVE SMITH

[Pavagrotti]

Welcome back THM! That 0 - 4 win we had the other day without Snowy against Bowers away may have proved your point but at the expense of those that prefer Bradley Brotherton in midfield! Clarkee missed that one as well!

[Gonzo]

I think there have been 2 players we have missed the most this season: John Ridout and Matt Negus. They have been consistently good when they've played previously. One has played at a higher level whilst the other unboubtedly could do. It's obviously very difficult to get replacements in who are as good and we haven't managed it.

 

For next season Jim needs to find a new Ridout (perhaps from one of the youth sides?) even though I hope John has many years of playing ahead of him. Will Negus be back with us next season after his Finals in the summer?

 

Greame Hall is also very important as he adds composure to the back four which really seems to help Snowden's game and take some pressure off him.

 

It was nice to finally see the players really 'hungry' on saturday, just a shame they had to go 5-2 down for that to happen.

[andyetfc]

'hungry' on saturday.

 

What was that for then, the food in the bar? I would like them to feel 'full up' and play football that we have been accumstomed to and not have to fight to get a draw.

 

I feel that the main reason we scraped a draw was because John came on and used his experience and knowledge of how to play the game.