Giles left, Jones right

We have so many strong options for the wide positions - I honestly don't know what Carrick will do if they're all fit going into the playoffs.

Hackney could drop back into midfield but Mowatt is making himself undroppable.
 
Honestly I'd keep Howson at back. Looked immaculate when he dropped back tonight. It's no coincidence that the only time Woodgates boro looked a good team was when an injury crisis forced him to play Howson in defense. As soon as the injuries cleared up they continuiedthe slide towards D1.
 
I was initially very unhappy to see McNair go down, I still am, though I think both he and Fry will be available for the playoffs.

Then I remembered Johnny had been developed in a top secret footballing laboratory and could seamlessly fit into the backline.

Depending who we play, it could actually be a good choice to have him there next to Lenihan. It frees up a midfield spot and he would still step out.

Could make us too open against some teams though.
 
Ayresome_park said:
Danger down both flanks

Hackney now scoring from midfield

Akpom and Archer on fire

That's without mentioning McGree and Ramsey

Good luck for any team coming against us in the play offs
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"good luck?" bring some Vaseline.. double flank penetration, whipping it in from wide down both flanks is what I've imagined from kick 1 of the season.. all about peaking at the right time, hopefully we are & hopefully teams are going to be on the receiving end of a whuppin' or two..
 
parmoboy said:
We have so many strong options for the wide positions - I honestly don't know what Carrick will do if they're all fit going into the playoffs.

Hackney could drop back into midfield but Mowatt is making himself undroppable.
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I don't agree. Hackney slots straight back in there alongside Howson for me when McGree is fit. Mowatt played well off the bench last week but he wasn't big at it first half last night.
 
I don't want Howson starting at centre half. He isn't a centre half. We're already vulnerable at the back we don't need make shift options in there purely because it gives us another ball player. We need Fry and Lenihan back in those slots as soon as possible.
 
Humpty said:
I don't agree. Hackney slots straight back in there alongside Howson for me when McGree is fit. Mowatt played well off the bench last week but he wasn't big at it first half last night.
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Thought he was solid all night Mowatt
 
Carrick said post match we weren't brave on the ball first half and that reflected what i saw. Mowatt ticked over in midfield without dominating the ball. He hasn't done enough to force Hackney out of midfield.
 
The midfield is far from being our main problem. We are sublime when we are attacking with intent at a decent tempo, like in the second half. The first Half though was like Huddersfield, we were playing walking football for most of it, slow tippy tappy possession rather than decisive, high tempo, passing and movement.

We contrived to keep giving Hull possession and in doing so often just retreated to our box allowing them to play neat triangles unchallenged into danger areas. Another more clinical opposition would have gone in more than 1up imho. I thought the lack of pressing in that first half was part of the problem.

Defensively we are a bang average mid table championship team. McNair (and I have been sticking up for him of late) looked frightened, he looked awkward in possessin, his desire to move the ball forward was not there, he looks like a player that knows he is leaving to me and treading water. Time and again their left sided attacker was in oceans of space, partly because I think Forss was playing with an injury to start with, he was not covering like he normally does.

We need to be tighter out of possession, our channels are the areas opposition teams try to exploit every game. Dijksteel and Jones should start v Luton for me and I think we will be less open on that flank were we to go that way, but I think needs will probably must anyway mind.
 
coluka said:
The midfield is far from being our main problem. We are sublime when we are attacking with intent at a decent tempo, like in the second half. The first Half though was like Huddersfield, we were playing walking football for most of it, slow tippy tappy possession rather than decisive, high tempo, passing and movement.

We contrived to keep giving Hull possession and in doing so often just retreated to our box allowing them to play neat triangles unchallenged into danger areas. Another more clinical opposition would have gone in more than 1up imho. I thought the lack of pressing in that first half was part of the problem.

Defensively we are a bang average mid table championship team. McNair (and I have been sticking up for him of late) looked frightened, he looked awkward in possessin, his desire to move the ball forward was not there, he looks like a player that knows he is leaving to me and treading water. Time and again their left sided attacker was in oceans of space, partly because I think Forss was playing with an injury to start with, he was not covering like he normally does.

We need to be tighter out of possession, our channels are the areas opposition teams try to exploit every game. Dijksteel and Jones should start v Luton for me and I think we will be less open on that flank were we to go that way, but I think needs will probably must anyway mind.
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There was a moment in the 1st half where we had a throw in level with their 18yd box. Smith wanted to take it quickly and was beckoning McNair to come forward into his space so he could take a quick throw get it back off him and then mount another attack. Instead McNair sauntered a few yards forward received the throw turned his back on the Hull goal and went back to Steffen.

It screamed of a player completely shot of confidence who just wanted to hide and didn't want the ball
 
coluka said:
..Dijksteel and Jones should start v Luton for me and I think we will be less open on that flank were we to go that way, but I think needs will probably must anyway mind.
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I think Jones & Dijksteel are a good combo going forward, compliment each other & Dijksteel has good pace to cover defensively too..
 
TeaCider said:
I agree, but both of Hackney's last two goals have come when he's been playing on the wing in the McGree role.
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From the centre of the pitch though, which to be fair is probably where he shouldn't be, if we want width.

Not that I'm saying we need the width mind, but say if we have a plan to overload the right, which we did second half yesterday, then he's an ideal player to drift in from the left and support in the middle.

I think we recently have been sort of adapting tactics to the players we have available, rather than asking players to adapt to positions they're not particularly familiar with, but there's a bit of both in there for sure.

It's good that we have these options, and it's good that Carrick and the team can spot them, and the players then implement them quickly.
 
I thought Mowatt was average until we went in front then we saw his strengths. He seems to be great at slowing the game down and controlling play but hes not someone I want starting when we need to score and need abit of tempo he’s a bring him on to control and see out a game for me. All our best play at the start of the second half was down the right hand side without him involved.
 
The main reason Jones played so well is thats probably the first time in about a season and a half he hasn't been double marked on the pitch.

We have genuine attacking threats all over the park so teams cannot simply overload areas.
 
I still think our best team is the one we were fielding when we had no injuries, but it's great to see that we can adapt, and adapt very well.

The only change may be Jones as the RW instead of Forss, but we may be unlikely to do that as we need to sub players in other places where we have injuries, as a priority, and then work the other positions from that.

Clearly Jones had something going on, as his form had dipped with Wilder, second seasons blues I think, and it's took Carrick a while to get him back, but he seems on the right page now. Same might apply to Dijksteele, he's surely a better player than Smith, but can't really fault Smith's "no nonsense" since he's came in, and he's been a good counter balance, which has allowed Giles to press on more.

Having these options and adaptability is great, we've absolutely mauled a couple of decent sides recently, and done it with a load of injuries which is most impressive.

We could have had about 7 goals in that second half yesterday, and the first half was pretty level (despite how much the comms banged on about Hull). Hull had like 1 chance, first half, and it wasn't even the goal they scored (which wasn't even a half chance). But yet the comms lumped as much praise on Hull first half, as they did on us second half, strange.

This is the XG shot maps of our second half and their first, and I don't think I've ever seen one look like ours in that second half, we absolutely battered em.
1681979498741.png

1681979516589.png
 
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