Halifax Town

[Hempstead Gaz]

Clearly we cannot change a winning team playing this sort of football, but Sacha will soon be kicking his heels when he is fit, the tough question for LD is whether to stick to 3-5-2 home and away, or go 4-4-2, or more likely go 4-4-2 away against the "better" teams?

[jc]

And when the time to make that decision comes around, I'd like to think that the fact that a player is captain won't come into it - the choice should be based on form. After all, the role of captain in football is far less significant than it is in other sports (especially cricket).

 

I'm not saying McCarthy should be dropped if/when we revert to 4-4-2 though - indeed, if one of the three centre-backs were to be left out to accommodate Opinel, it would be a very tricky choice on current evidence.

[Hempstead Gaz]

The more difficult decision could be which midfielder would be left out, if LD chose to play Jamie Smith at right back?

[jc]

Why would Daish play James Smith at right-back when Ricketts can do the job perfectly well on the evidence so far?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Why wouldn't he? Ricketts has been playing as a wing back in the midfield 5 - helping defend when needed. He could continue to play on the right. Both he and Smudger have done an excellent job.

All I am saying is that if LD wishes to play Opinel at left back in a back 4, it will be a tough decision who to leave out in both defence AND midfield.

Not forgetting Purcell and Long are both quality midfielders and will not want to spend all season on the bench.

Tough decisions indeed, but a good position to be in for a manager.

[BustaGut]

I remember there was a centre half who was not one of the fastest players that has stepped on a football pitch,but was one of the wordls best due to the fact he could read the game better than most. What was his name oh yea Sir Bobby Moore.

Ok different class but my point is, if McCarthy keeps reading the game well, in general, he will not need to be the quickest.

[jc]

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:
Why wouldn't he? Ricketts has been playing as a wing back in the midfield 5 - helping defend when needed. He could continue to play on the right.

But Ricketts is too defensively-minded a player to be playing as an out-and-out winger on the right, which is what you seem to be recommending.

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:All I am saying is that if LD wishes to play Opinel at left back in a back 4, it will be a tough decision who to leave out in both defence AND midfield.

This much is true. On paper, our 3-5-2 formation is unbalanced and shouldn't really work. But while the results keep coming, the decision over whether to revert to 4-4-2 becomes more and more tricky. In either system, though, we would still be lacking a specialist attacking wide-right player.

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:Not forgetting Purcell and Long are both quality midfielders

We've seen so little of them that it's far too early to say this definitively - we're only going on what we've been told about them so far.

[eufckev]

Can't to see Stacy in action. He is meant to be really good