4-4-2

[Northumbergull]

Okay, what's behind the change to our winning formation?

Bruce

[RussianGull]

O'Kane

[royalgull]

I've only managed to get to a few games so far this season but I really can't get my head round why Bucks has changed this. One defeat at Southend? Where they scored 2 from 30 yards out?

My first experience of this new formula was at Bournemouth did the win on penalties convince all this was the way to go? Despite us having the punch up front of Audley Harrison? Completely outplayed for 70minutes with our dfenders and goalkeeper the reason we made it through the tie. We played higher opposition than that in Reading and gave them the fright of their life, playing 4-4-2 playing fast attacking football.

The 4-5-1/ 4-3-3 will work at the top level. They have players with the quality and footballing brain to do so. You see Lampard burst from midfield every week for Chelsea supporting the absolute ultimate centre forward in Drogba. We don't have that. Our main centre forwad is Elliot Benyon. A hardworking player with a reasonable yard of pace who thrives on chances in and around the box.That's great, so why is he now on his own chasing the ball like a headless chicken as the 4 units he's up against no doubt comfortably knock it around him as if it's a school game of 'piggy in the middle' instead of being in and around the box trying to get on the end of things and sniff a chance out. Because he now has to run around aimlessly wasting energy. He isn't in the Drogba mould who can bully defenders, outpace anyone and score all types of goals. Our midfielders and defenders aren't good enough to get up and support nor play consistant decent balls in and around him. The ball invariably gets thumped into a corner for him to chase it down, on a good day he might get Zebroski to help out, but the others (Wroe, Mansell, O'Kane even stevens) rarely venture too far forward to support.

This isn't their fault. They are League 2 players for a reason, they are more than good enough at this level in a system that suits. We played one at the start of the season, 2 banks of 4. It is that because our full backs rarely cross the halfway line (unless it's a set piece) get the ball wide to Zebs and Stevens and try and get our front players Benyon and Gritts/Kee involved. The only type of 4-5-1 system that is used in this league is by crap sides playing away from home hell bent on getting a 0-0. We aren't one of those nor do I ever want us to be one of those.

As much as I think Buckle is a realy good manager for us I really struggle to see the need for change. It's like he's trying to accomodate Eunan O Kane, why? If he doesn't fit in the way we play at the minute then he should be on the bench or out on the flank, because he isn't good enough to warrant Torquay changing the entire way we play. If it was Frank Lampard in our ranks then it would be a different story.

This is something that needs to be addressed right now because we can't score a goal, we don't look like scoring a goal and all that does is build pressure on your back 5. Can say well such and such a goal for them was a n error, maybe so but while we continue to chalk up 0 at the other end (persisting with this shit formation that will happen) then we aren't going to get many points.

[jonnyfive]

Every single word of that is bang on the money. Great summary.

[gullinhert]

I made Macclesfield but not Aldershot so I cant comment on that game. Against Macclesfield we tried to pass it around like a Italian led premiership club but we dont have the class to do that so too often Maclefield went wow thanks for the ball mate I knew you were going to do that (if it wasnt hit directly at them) . A distinct lack of our central midfield pace or challenge meant the ball went easily across/through the centrecircle then all the pressure was on the back 3 or 4 depending where our right back for the day was. No challenge means anyone with a bit of oomph can hit an unstoppable shot passed most goalkeepers, even our great one, and we go one/two /three down.
Add to that Danny not taking on his fullback; I presume he was told not to go on the outside but pass it back to our leftback who then goes on to put in a high cross from further back ............not much point ; at least Danny could and has cut out 1/2 defenders in the past; so we end up too narrow and relying on Elliot to do....well I dont know what . Our only chance of goals is Chris and he will score a few this year; but scoring one when u concede 2 or 3 from that space 20 25 yards out for the hotshots to increase their tally will see us really really suffer.
4 4 2 will only work for us if the midfield really do do box to box stuff, maybe a revitalised Wroe may enhance this tomorrow.