Been Thinking About Merv?

[pabird]

Harking back to recent Merv comments made about performances where we have gained the upper hand but not put the opposition away it does occur to me that we have two main areas where adjustment would assist:

1. We do not have a box predator who is one selfish git but scores goals. We have ball holders who bring other players in.

2. We have talented mid-fielders but even the best of them likes to do a trick or have a run before releasing the ball

Any coach will tell you that in creating space for the shot there are three main weapons:

· The dribble taking the beaten defenders space

· The wall pass putting the receiver into a defenders space

· The through ball splitting defenders and getting the ball into the defenders space.

By the time our mid-fielders have done their trick or had their run defenders have closed down on our attackers and we need a mid-fielder who plays the early through ball, a player whose skills are built around seeing the pass and making it early.

Always a tricky subject but I would try Crow LMF or CMF, his game is built on the pass and increasing accurate EARLY through ball might just increase our goal tally sufficiently to finish off those teams we out play but fail to out score.

[A Non E Mouse]

I was a bit worried by the title of this thread

 

I would imagine that Batchy's original squad formation included Dobbo in a midfield role where he had an experienced player playing along side some of our youngsters - and the same for Crow in defence.

 

However, as we seemed to have some major problems defensively at the beginning of the season the squad was reshuffled and has done a great job in stemming the flow with Dobbo reverting back to a defensive role. This has left a young and slightly inexperienced midfield and front line.

 

Good idea about Crow in Midfield but how long do you give it a go? the side is in a strong position - at this stage of the season would you jepordise grinding out results - we aren't firing on all cylinders but we are picking up points. What about Dobbo reverting back to his midfiled role? Ultimately in the long term IMHO I think we need to get an experienced player who can fit that role as the balance between youth and experience doesn't feel quite right.

[Matt H]

I think what we need in Midfield is someone that can hit the ball with a weighted pass some 50-60 yards into the corner flags for the likes of Bourne and Lee Jay to run onto so they can cross it from deep first time and let both strikers remain in the box on each post, whilst also having the likes of Edgar and/or Roberts lurking on the edge of the area for clearances.

 

The one thing I did not expect to see against Ware was Colin Wall playing up front, yet he towered above everyone else. He probably has the experience to know how to act as a target man so Batchy can use him in the 'Gregory' role to setup Leon/Rugg/Curran.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing more of Crow as a holding Midfielder, his accuracy at placing the ball has provided us with desperate goals on at least two occasions this season. The trouble is would you drop Clydie Roberts, or if you were to put him elsewhere, who would make way? Could we risk playing three at the back, with five in midfield? Is a line-up like this possible?

 

Wiseman

West, Dobbo, Jesus

Jay, Roberts, Edgar, Crow, Bourne,

Gordon, Wall

[A Non E Mouse]

Originally Posted By: Matt CIFC

I think what we need in Midfield is someone that can hit the ball with a weighted pass some 50-60 yards into the corner flags for the likes of Bourne and Lee Jay to run onto so they can cross it from deep first time and let both strikers remain in the box on each post, whilst also having the likes of Edgar and/or Roberts lurking on the edge of the area for clearances.

I think the wings provide another valuable channel but tend to agree with Pabird, if I've interpretted it right, that two of the strikers we currently have tend to have their backs to goal after holding up the ball. There have been plenty of occassions where the wide players have got the ball across but there is no one there. If more accurate through balls were placed from midfield then Rugg and certainly Curran have the strength and pace to scare the opposition when running at and through them, giving us the potential to up our scoring opportunities and playing to our strengths - suppose it's trying to find that lucrative combination that all managers want.

I also think you use a keyword in your paragraph which is "cross it deep FIRST time" A lot of the time the wide players go for that extra touch, pass or overlap and the move breaks down or the opposition get back - I don't think we always need to get that deep before crossing the ball sometimes an early ball swung in may cause the opposition more problems.

[YELLOW]

I think we miss Ruggy in the sense he holds the ball up better and brings others into the game. Jay and Leon try and work bloody hard at times but are not as adept at doing this than Ruggy.

 

Crow in centre midfield is not a bad idea but personally I wouldn't drop Clydie Roberts. He has been our best player recently.

[Lefty]

i think with johnny stuart playing so well at the back we can afford to push dobbo into centre mid he can control the game and is very good at playing a wieghted ball over the top of a defence. He also has a very good shot on him and will of course get stuck in i think he is the experience we need in the middle of the field.

 

wiseman

crow kreyling stuart bourne

gordon edgar dobbo corbell

ruggy luck

[ronin]

I really find it hard to believe there would be no place for Roberts in your side Lefty, in my eyes he has been player of the season so far.

 

 

[Lefty]

well i was a bit stuck because leon always gives 100% and i cant fault him for that but i think corbell is also valuable because he is a great crosser of the ball and he also works hard i do agree though roberts does work hard and does combine well with the rest of the team maybe take leon out then and put roberts in but im not convinced

[ronin]

It`s all about personal opinion Lefty i`m just suprised you would drop our best player and include 2 who cant get a regular starting place.

[A Non E Mouse]

Originally Posted By: ronin

It`s all about personal opinion Lefty i`m just suprised you would drop our best player

As you say - it's all about personal opinion but I get the feeling I know where your player of the season vote may be going.....

[Lefty]

you are right it is all about opion i would say that ruggy has been our best player this season but just what i think and what do i know!!lol

 

ronin who would be your starting 11 then??

[KATEG]

Surley Dobbo is the best player by a long way

[YELLOW]

Wouldn't argue about Roberts for player of the season but I think Ruggy, Dobbo, Dave Kreyling, Crow and possibly Chris Bourne are all in contention as well.

 

Some would make a case for Leon and Ryan Edgar as well.

[pabird]

Originally Posted By: KATEG

Surley Dobbo is the best player by a long way

Please! I am not being argumentative for the sake of it but forget "the best player" bit, being silly Dobbo is not our best striker or goalkeepr and its the team mix you need
Dobbo does deliver a well weighted angled pass from the back to the wings but I was suggesting in the mid-field a player who can see and deliver the early ball at various angles and distances as an alternative to the runners and dribblers who allow defenders to get behind the ball.
We need the early ball on the floor,over the top and in from wide and Dobbo is a ball winner who delivers his very good passes from a rather restricted range but is the best ball winner and simplified user in the team.

[ronin]

Originally Posted By: Lefty

ronin who would be your starting 11 then??

I`ve not really got a best starting X1 but i`ve got 7 players i would include every game (Wiseman,Kreyling,Davidson,Dobinson,Roberts,Edgar,Rugg), the rest would be picked from who we were playing and what formation we were going to use.

[CIFC JACKO]

i say:

wiseman

jesus kreyling dobbo crow

leon edgar roberts bourne

rugg curran

[Merv]

I am so honoured to have a thread named after me that I’ve been speechless for the past couple of hours. Now it has sunk in I still feel there is little new I can offer to the discussion because all I can do is agree 100% with what Pabird has already said.

 

I feel privileged to have witnessed the fantastic duo of Neil Gregory and Lee Boylan. The way they fed off each other was simply terrific and produced so many goals. No matter where the service came from, one of them latched onto it and fed the other.

 

Then again, I can remember when Steve Tilson was the man in the middle who made things happen up front with his superb runs and/or through passes that cut the defence in half. Stimmo did the same for us (what a shame he left the club under such a dark cloud).

 

Even Andy Jones was a dreadful team player, but I forgave him everything when, for 8 seasons, he was our top scorer.

 

Sadly, we don’t have too many of those type of players from the golden age in our present squad. But we can’t spend too long looking backwards, life goes on and we have a young and talented squad who are on a learning curve of massive proportions. We are doing better than I ever expected in this league and I am confident that even better things are to come. With a bit of creativity from John Batch and perhaps the odd new signing or two, the game that Pabird so clearly describes will eventually be played at Park Lane and I will be very proud to be standing on the terrace to watch it.

 

Everything comes to he who waits.

 

[Guest]

Crow in midfield, did not work for me, to good in his own slot to waste there, our shape at times today was terrible.

[ShedBoy]

i thought crow did ok in midfield, great finish for his goal..

 

To be fair that is a big 3 points for us today against a aveley team that play very spoiling football..

 

Special mention goes to Mr Craig Edwards for being the biggest [****!!****] to be involved in lower league football, the man is a true thug who has no idea on how to play decent football..

 

Man of the match for me today was Jay Curran, i thought he run his heart out on his own up front.

 

All round a good team performance and to make things even better quite a few results went our way.

 

Keep it going lads!!

[YELLOW]

Thought we rode our luck today at times. Good finishes by both Ryan and Crow for our goals but thought Aveley were the better side for much of the game.

 

Dobbo had a great game at the back, making some great tackles and headers. Mel came in at the last minute replacing Ricky who injured himself in the warm up and made a series of very good saves at a crucial stage.

 

We've played better and lost this season. I think it will take a good side to beat us if we have more luck like we did today. Certainly today was a massive three points and a major step towards the play offs.