Team, formation and tactics for the Accrington game

Barring injuries I think Tisdale will start wit the same XI that started last night against Crawley, to give them a chance to put things right.

I would like us to start the game from the off, and go at Accrington. None of this boring the pants off everyone for 45 minutes and hope we don't concede.

I have two formations I'd like us to try. The first would be 4-3-3 with a midfield of Taylor, James and Boateng and a front three of Mcalinden, Reid and Holmes. Or 5-3-2 with Sweeney,Brown and JMT as three centre backs Moxey and Taylor as wingbacks, boateng and James plus another in midfield and mcalinden and Reid upfront.

The Accy game will be my first home match of the season, so I hope to bring good luck.

Hants_red said:

Barring injuries I think Tisdale will start wit the same XI that started last night against Crawley, to give them a chance to put things right.

I would like us to start the game from the off, and go at Accrington. None of this boring the pants off everyone for 45 minutes and hope we don't concede.

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I sincerely hope your first line re keeping the same lineup is incorrect. At home we MUST play two up top and they have to be Stockley and McAlinden on current form. Also I really hope Holmes is fit to play which will mean that Moxey can go to LB and Woodman can sit out after his ****e performance last night.

I wasn't at Crawley last night but I am not sure on recent form the team or formation makes much difference.

We just need to stop all the hoofball, playing safe for 60 minutes and trying to bore the opponents to death, and show some urgency before the last 10 minutes of the game. 2 shots on target and no real saves by the opposition keeper at Chesterfield tells it's own story.

In the inimitable words of Laurie McMenemy:

Ball - in - goal!

Ball - in - goal!

Ball - in - goal!

I've said it a million times before : Tis is too cautious, even when we're playing at home and even when we're playing a team low down in the division. Allowing the opposition to play gives them confidence and makes our supoorters nervous. I think it's in his character : that's why he won't leave City for another club : he's too concerned it might go wrong. And that's why for example he says he wants everyone back for corners - a bad policy IMO cos it only encourages the other team to pile men forward.
Shake off those chains, Tis. Let the players breathe!

Liam and Stockley up front, B'tang in the middle of the park and no James and I'd be a happy man

I"d play Reid and McAllinden up front, with Holmes on the left wing and Taylor on the right. I would change things at the back and play Wilson (RB) Sweeney JMT and Moxey (LB). B'Tang and Tillson in the middle. Pym in goal. I think Woody and Brown having a rest is no bad thing, and I also think that back four would work. Edwards and Stockley to come on later if not working up front.

I have decided that the main problem right now is that roles and personnel have been switched too often this season, leading to a lack of continuity. What was impressive about the beginning of the season was that every player was used to being in the role they were in and knew where each other was. Since then, Moxey, Stockley, Boateng and Edwards have been accommodated as starters or regular subs and we have lost the core midfield of Tillson and James (now returned) due to injury, after having had to cope with the loss of our best player (in my opinion) JMT due to injury. Taylor, Holmes and Moxey have played in different positions to deal with these changes and often players are playing one role one week and another the next. While the larger squad is almost certain to pay dividends later in the season when we will have quality players who will be fresher than those of other teams, at the moment it is acting a bit as a hindrance. The focus of Reid and McAlinden in particular will not have been helped by having their starting place put in jeopardy, although it is perfectly understandable for the manager to try out Stockley as the main option up front and with one other. Added to this is the problem that we have two very good players at left back who aren't so effective elsewhere, and two very good players at left midfield (Holmes & Edwards) who aren't as effective on the right but are having to learn to play there.

I've been banging on about it, but the main problem for me right now is the first and second ball out from defence when we are in possession. Too often the ball is lofted either down the flank or up to Stockley/Reid, most of the time resulting in us losing possession. If the ball is played on the ground to central midfield, we don't seem to trust each other on the ball enough to work out an opening going forward. Our best chances this season have come from counter attacks when one of our players, Holmes, McAlinden or Boateng, gets a run on a player in midfield and finds a good ball forward from there. We have created very few chances when in possession with the other team behind the ball. However, I would imagine that this is a pattern which goes through lower league football and this is part of the logic for dropping the possession football we used to play, in that it is much easier to defend in numbers surrendering possession than when the attacking team has more space going forward on the counter. Central midfield, in terms of creativity, remains a problem and while Boateng looks like a very good footballer in terms of strength, pace and sometimes distribution he hasn't quite fitted into the side yet, which is perfectly normal for a central midfielder even at the highest level of football. This position requires an understanding of how the whole team plays, you could be passing to literally anyone at any point. He did have a superb game at home to Grimsby though and he is our best bet for creativity in that position in the absence of Harley (who I would love to see return).

So to cut a very long story (sorry) short, I would prefer Edwards/Holmes to Moxey on the left of midfield with Taylor playing central and Sweeney overlapping more, and any two of McAlinden/Reid/Stockley. I still don't agree that the main problem when our form turned was Reid and Stockley playing together, as we have beaten a few teams in the bottom half with them playing together but lost to the better teams, for me in those games we weren't servicing them properly with the correct build-up. We saw exactly the same problems against Crawley despite them not playing together. McAlinden excites me and he could be our best player come the end of the season so I favour him, but Reid and Stockley also have their particular strengths and for me are quite different players.