Team selection will be interesting

[Anag Ram]

4 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

A big part of the problem is that there isn't a single formation where we can place all players in their preferred positions and have a balanced team.

GK: Wildsmith, Vickers, Loach
RCB: Nelson, Rooney
CB: Cashin, Bradley
LCB: - 
RB: -
LB: Forsyth, Elder
RWB: Ward, Wilson
LWB: -
DM: Bird, Smith
CM: Hourihane, LThompson
AM: Sibley
RW: Mendez-Laing, Barkhuizen
LW: -
CF: Collins, Washington, Waghorn

We lack a pacey left sided CB and an effective left wing back to play 5 at the back.
We don't have a defensively minded RB to play 4 at the back.
The midfield could be balanced when playing in the right 3 man midfield system, but would lack balance with a 2 man midfield.
We lack a top left winger or inside forward to play with wingers.
All of our CFs prefer playing in a 2, meaning any formation with 1 up top is innefective.

I also think if we are playing wing backs we need to go 5-2-3 rather than 5-3-2.

NML plus two. I’d say Collins and Washington but TBH I think we’re pretty toothless with the combinations we currently have.

Sharp, if he comes, might actually get in some scoring positions.

Still think we need a big CF, a quick forward and at least one more mobile midfielder.

[CBRammette]

On 09/08/2023 at 19:00, angieram said:

That's a good point and as I have mentioned elsewhere, this system may work a lot better in away games when teams are coming on to us more.

I'm certainly hoping so.

Would very Derby if it did and this season we play better away than at home.  Will be following the game somehow watching my son play cricket. 🤞🤞🤞

[Van der MoodHoover]

On 09/08/2023 at 09:14, Curtains said:

Who starts now 

Well @i-Ramstarted first, but now @sagehas started and sounds pretty fed up, so he might finish....

[sage]

5 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

Well @i-Ramstarted first, but now @sagehas started and sounds pretty fed up, so he might finish....

I'm only fed up because I've been watching the team play.  

[Van der MoodHoover]

5 minutes ago, sage said:

I'm only fed up because I've been watching the team play.  

I realize. And sympathize. You've never been the first out of the blocks in criticizing, but I can almost hear the frustration (although we've not spoken for a while).

Was a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

Keep the analysis coming mate 👍

[sage]

8 minutes ago, Van der MoodHoover said:

I realize. And sympathize. You've never been the first out of the blocks in criticizing, but I can almost hear the frustration (although we've not spoken for a while).

Was a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

Keep the analysis coming mate 👍

The first problem is we are 4 or 5 players away from playing the style the manager wants.

The second problem is most fans don't like that style.

The third problem is every year we don't go up, our support will drop ten percent and our advantage will be lost. 

[Blondest Goat]

56 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

A big part of the problem is that there isn't a single formation where we can place all players in their preferred positions and have a balanced team.

GK: Wildsmith, Vickers, Loach
RCB: Nelson, Rooney
CB: Cashin, Bradley
LCB: - 
RB: -
LB: Forsyth, Elder
RWB: Ward, Wilson
LWB: -
DM: Bird, Smith
CM: Hourihane, LThompson
AM: Sibley
RW: Mendez-Laing, Barkhuizen
LW: -
CF: Collins, Washington, Waghorn

We lack a pacey left sided CB and an effective left wing back to play 5 at the back.
We don't have a defensively minded RB to play 4 at the back.
The midfield could be balanced when playing in the right 3 man midfield system, but would lack balance with a 2 man midfield.
We lack a top left winger or inside forward to play with wingers.
All of our CFs prefer playing in a 2, meaning any formation with 1 up top is innefective.

There must be loads of teams that have the same issue.  We're not unique in that respect.  Competent managers find solutions.

[Ghost of Clough]

23 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

There must be loads of teams that have the same issue.  We're not unique in that respect.  Competent managers find solutions.

Using Portsmouth as an example: a quick look at their squad list suggested 433. They have 2 players for each position in that system, except on the wings where they have 1 player primarily suited to each wing. 2 of their 4 CFs have spent a good proportion of their short careers on the wing - Kamara spend a third of his youth career on the right, with Yengi spending about 40% of his first team matches on the left wing. Very well balanced overall.

Bolton: Wasn't sure if they were going for 433, 443 or some form of 343. Looks like they're transitioning between a back 4 from last season to a back 3/5, and played 3412 so far this season. For that formation, they're light on CBs and could do with an AM, but they've got good options everywhere else to suit that system.

Need me to go through the rest of our promotion rivals?

[Blondest Goat]

39 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Using Portsmouth as an example: a quick look at their squad list suggested 433. They have 2 players for each position in that system, except on the wings where they have 1 player primarily suited to each wing. 2 of their 4 CFs have spent a good proportion of their short careers on the wing - Kamara spend a third of his youth career on the right, with Yengi spending about 40% of his first team matches on the left wing. Very well balanced overall.

Bolton: Wasn't sure if they were going for 433, 443 or some form of 343. Looks like they're transitioning between a back 4 from last season to a back 3/5, and played 3412 so far this season. For that formation, they're light on CBs and could do with an AM, but they've got good options everywhere else to suit that system.

Need me to go through the rest of our promotion rivals?

No you're ok thanks.   The point I was making is that a decent manager finds solutions.  Most of the fan base gave Warne a pass last season as he inherited the players and apparently couldn't be expected to get the best out of them.  Now he's actually recruited 8 new players and we've still seemingly got lots of gaps still. 

[Carnero]

8 hours ago, sage said:

most fans don't like that style.

You don't know that.

[Tamworthram]

9 hours ago, sage said:

The first problem is we are 4 or 5 players away from playing the style the manager wants.

The second problem is most fans don't like that style.

The third problem is every year we don't go up, our support will drop ten percent and our advantage will be lost. 

First problem I agree.

Second problem, I reckon “most fans” wouldn’t object too much to the style of play if we could only start winning the damn games.

Third problem is presumably just speculation. Judging by season ticket sales this season I’m not sure they will drop by 10% this year (is 10% a percentage you have picked at random or is there some science behind it?). Even if attendances do drop (which I’m sure they will if we stay in this league too long) I don’t think it will be a straight line percentage each year. I reckon you’d lose the glory hunters early (imagine that, glory hunters at Derby. What I mean though is those that only come now because they think we’ll get promoted straight away) then after that there will be an ever reducing trickle until we reach what might be described as our hardcore support. This so called hardcore won’t be enough to give us the biggest attendances in the league. I know the make up of the league changes each year but you only have to go down to 9th last season to reach average attendances below 10,000. 

[sage]

1 hour ago, Carnero said:

You don't know that.

I haven't done a poll, but anecdotally a clear majority don't. Fans as @Tamworthram above states put up with it whilst games are being won, but when they aren't...

 

[Tamworthram]

4 minutes ago, sage said:

I haven't done a poll, but anecdotally a clear majority don't. Fans as @Tamworthram above states put up with it whilst games are being won, but when they aren't...

 

I wonder how long the “clear majority” would put up with a different style if we were still losing too many games? Just sayin.

[sage]

13 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

First problem I agree.

Second problem, I reckon “most fans” wouldn’t object too much to the style of play if we could only start winning the damn games.

Third problem is presumably just speculation. Judging by season ticket sales this season I’m not sure they will drop by 10% this year (is 10% a percentage you have picked at random or is there some science behind it?). Even if attendances do drop (which I’m sure they will if we stay in this league too long) I don’t think it will be a straight line percentage each year. I reckon you’d lose the glory hunters early (imagine that, glory hunters at Derby. What I mean though is those that only come now because they think we’ll get promoted straight away) then after that there will be an ever reducing trickle until we reach what might be described as our hardcore support. This so called hardcore won’t be enough to give us the biggest attendances in the league. I know the make up of the league changes each year but you only have to go down to 9th last season to reach average attendances below 10,000. 

I wasn't suggesting an exact 10% straight line, just an example, but they will drop and drop if we stay here, especially if we don't reach the top 6.

 

[sage]

1 minute ago, Tamworthram said:

I wonder how long the “clear majority” would put up with a different style if we were still losing too many games? Just sayin.

The great BC said 3 points shuts everyone up. 

He also said God gave us grass to play football on.

 

[Sparkle]

Team selection might be a lot more interesting than the actual game 

[Tamworthram]

1 hour ago, sage said:

I wasn't suggesting an exact 10% straight line, just an example, but they will drop and drop if we stay here, especially if we don't reach the top 6.

 

Let’s hope we never find out but whilst I’m sure they’ll drop I reckon they would eventually settle at a figure still above all but 5 other teams at most in league one.

[SKRam]

On 09/08/2023 at 10:27, NottsRam77 said:

Ill give it a go 🙈

What’s your best position? Let me rephrase that 

[SKRam]

1 hour ago, sage said:

The great BC said 3 points shuts everyone up. 

He also said God gave us grass to play football on.

 

Prompted me to have a peep at some of his best quotes…

’Players lose you games not tactics, there’s so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes’ 

……. I’ll leave that one with everyone 

Edited August 11, 2023 by SKRam
Typo

[RoyMac5]

10 minutes ago, SKRam said:

Prompted me to have a peep at some of his best quotes…

’Players lose you games not tactics, there’s so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes’ 

……. I’ll leave that one with everyone 

So, I'll repeat my confusion here that I posted elsewhere. How can you (particularly at this level with a small squad) afford to 'gas out' your best player(s) and not have them on the pitch for maybe a quarter of the game?