Bradley Johnson dilemma

[Bris Vegas]

Anyone else think we have a real dilemma in midfield?

I mean Bradley Johnson is our record signing, he has promotions with Norwich under his belt is undoubtedly a quality footballer. But, and it's a big but, he isn't really playing anywhere near his top level for us.

And the reason behind that is an unbalanced midfield.

I think Butterfield is currently one of our better players, but he and Johnson in the same midfield is unbalanced and I can't help but feel we look more threatening with Hendrick in there.

Johnson seems to be deployed way too deep for my liking, especially considering his attacking abilities.

Playing JB and BJ in the same midfield may still get us promoted, but it just doesn't look right. Do we persevere - or do we perhaps drop one of them for the better of the team?

Right now I'd class Butterfield as undroppable, but surely we wouldn't have bought Johnson for 6million if we don't intend to play him as much as possible. 

It's probably not a real pressing issue, but it irks me somewhat.

 

[TheDeadlySaul]

I wouldn't mind seeing BJ on the wing like he did with Norwich. 

[G STAR RAM]

I get what you are saying, I have said GT, BJ and JB doesn't work as a trio but not sure I would call it unbalanced.

The problem is our attacking midfielder(s) do not make the sort of runs which are needed to make up for lack of telling activity from our wide players.

[Kernow]

Play him ahead of Russell/Weimann just to try it out. He's played there before. He's not the sort to bomb past players but he still has great attacking talent.

[TheDeadlySaul]

6 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

I get what you are saying, I have said GT, BJ and JB doesn't work as a trio but not sure I would call it unbalanced.

The problem is our attacking midfielder(s) do not make the sort of runs which are needed to make up for lack of telling activity from our wide players.

I'm really looking forward to Bryson to coming back from injury, his pace and ability to link up with Martin is something we are lacking. He was something we really lacked today to make those runs to Martin to help him bring other players into the attack. 

[Papahet]

So so true.

The guy isn't getting into the goal scoring positions he did for Norwich, he would take the net out given the opportunity.

Get him on that edge of that box as much as possible ffs

[RamLad1884]

Ince was only a million less and has been dropped a couple of times already this season. No one in this team is undroppable if they don't play to their best

[Alpha]

Thing with Bradley is as infuriating as some of his passing is, he does so much dirty work. He forces errors, turns opponents away, wins tackles, commits clever fouls and is bloody good in the air.

I think he's playing better than Thorne. 

As a 3 with Butterfield, do they fit the 433 as well as Thorne/Eustace, Hughes and Hendrick/Bryson? 

Thorne/Eustace the backbone. Hughes the go between and Hendrick Bryson the sort of free(ish) role to go off where needed

With Thorne we still have the backbone. Is Johnson as good as Hughes at the go between? He adds more backbone and must take great credit for a defensive improvement. But as good as Hughes at knitting that first phase of an attack? 

I'm not sure they fit the system quite as well. They do work though. Evidence by our record this season.

Butterfield is having quite a lot to do. Sort of having to chip in to that Hughes role and then play the furthest forward role too. Means Martin is further away from the midfield than normal. 

Think you want Johnson deep when you don't have the ball because he's a hard cnut. Or you want him at the other end where you're not building through him because he's frustrating. 

Feel like there's more we could get out of him if he was pushed one way or the other?

But what we're getting seems to be enough most weeks.

Unlike the wingers. Two of them just want to run. The other can be a bit shy but is the only one to show real quality. But then he also likes playing central.  So again, do you dare leave 433? 

[Sexydadbod]

Play Bradley johnson on the left of midfield in a 4-1-4-1 formation or a 4-2-3-1 formation like he did with norwich. That resolves our winger issue, for the time being at least.

                Thorne  

Ince      Hendrick   Butterfield Johnson

I'd be tempted to try that midfield

[North_Stand_Ram]

Think that's slightly unfair. He's been brilliant up until a few games ago. He was poor against Brighton and it seems to have impacted his performances 

[Mostyn6]

Personally Bris, I think, after last season's capitulation, and the free-flowing attacking football that went before it, people are too keen to over-analyse things, and maybe even find problems that maybe aren't really there.

If we jumped from the period before McClaren straight to where we are now, I doubt many would be over-critical and looking for issues to complain about. That's not to say that Bradley Johnson, and the midfield in general, shouldn't be looking to become more fluid and enterprising, but that aside of the elite in football (i.e Barcelona and Bayern), all midfields look a bit mismatched and patchy, and have done since the inception of the Makelele role, and have continued to since trying to put a third or fourth central midfielder in a team.

Seems that mainly in a 4-4-2 the midfield looks more cohesive as there is less diversity of player in the middle of the park, all trying to play a role that perhaps doesn't actually exist.

Johnson's role is literally impossible to play for 90 minutes due to the ground he needs to cover, the pace he needs to do it, and the amount of concentration required.

So, in summary, I don't think it's a dilemma, as much as a work in progress and an ongoing issue suffered (if that's the right word) by almost all teams. Balance is more a theory than reality.

[RiddingsRam]

8 minutes ago, North_Stand_Ram said:

Think that's slightly unfair. He's been brilliant up until a few games ago. He was poor against Brighton and it seems to have impacted his performances 

Have to agree with you here @North_Stand_Ram he's only had a couple of off games ! Wasn't at the game today so can't comment on today's performance but I think his work rate is next to none and in all fairness I don't think the midfield has been better balanced as it is now . You've got Thorne the holding player who dictates the tempo , bj as who has great work rate can out a tackle in and gets himself box to box , then you've got Butterfield who is so creative and loves to get in around the box ! 

[PistoldPete2]

i think BJ gives us physicality in midfield, which is no bad thing. I've not seen anything so far to suggest he's worth £6million , but fact is since he and butters signed we've got a  lot of points. So that doesn't seems to me the main problem. At the moment I'm more worried about our attack, which on paper shoud have done much better but just isn't firing on all cylinders. 

[dajstrawb]

1 hour ago, TheDeadlySaul said:

I wouldn't mind seeing BJ on the wing like he did with Norwich. 

My thoughts exactly. I'm really surprised we haven't seen him wide right yet

[Rammy1]

It is a balance thing and it's just not right at the moment. 

Middlesborough today for me looked the real deal and were premiership quality. I think they could hold there own today. We are quite away of I'm afraid 

[G STAR RAM]

3 minutes ago, Rammy1 said:

It is a balance thing and it's just not right at the moment. 

Middlesborough today for me looked the real deal and were premiership quality. I think they could hold there own today. We are quite away of I'm afraid 

What makes you say it is balance?

 

[Rammy1]

We undoubtedly have the talent with the 3 in midfield but I don't think they read each other as they should. And I think the balance would be so much better with a 4-4-2. Keep it simple. 

Boro overlapped today with adomah and friend. They just click. 

We haven't clicked yet. And we should have. Just what I think 

[RiddingsRam]

9 minutes ago, Rammy1 said:

It is a balance thing and it's just not right at the moment. 

Middlesborough today for me looked the real deal and were premiership quality. I think they could hold there own today. We are quite away of I'm afraid 

Balance were ? The whole team or just the midfield ? I don't think there's a balance issue , you've got to bare in mind Karanka has had a lot longer to get this team playing the way he wants ! It will come , everything's in place ! Keep the faith COYR 

[G STAR RAM]

But don't understand why people are saying it is balance?

Do we really think PC would stick with a midfield that was unbalanced? 

The more obvious problem seems to be that the front 3 are not firing. That may be down to the level of service but if anything that is more to do with tactics than a lack of balance.

 

[WorksopRam]

I think things might get "better" once they gel more. A lot of the time at the minute, they seem to play a bit like strangers.