Wingbacks system has failed now for 6 months!!!

[h_m_boro]

I'd try a 4-2-3-1 to see if we can become harder to beat. Probably Mcgree in the no 10 with Jones and Giles either side of him.

Not sure who the 2 holding midfielders would be - probably Howson and crooks/McNair.

Was thinking the same.

This was successful under Karanka, but Grant and Clayton as the CM pairing worked. Covered the midfield, put good tackles in and Grant got forward and scored goals. Was a very good partnership.

Howson/Crooks......just not going to do it imo.

So how would this work

Steffen

Dijksteel - Fry/McNair - Clarke/Lenihan - Bola

Crooks/Hackney - Howson/Luongo

Jones - Forrs/Watmore/Hoppe/McGree - Giles

Muniz/Akpom

 

[Ex Footy Legs]

OK, it worked for the first 3-4 months for Wilder, but for about 6 months now it has been an utter and abject failure

What exactly are the coaches at Boro doing in training post wilder?

Oh, lads, er, lets go with the same formation for the last 6 months, maybe it will just click

Mark the wingbacks out the game and were toothless, it has been sussed, months ago!!

Try something else FFS, it is gettign embarrasing, just becaue we scrape a 1-0 win every 5-6 games it doesn't justify continuing to play this way

Why not try something else, why? i can't get my head around it, i seriously can't

Everything stems from a soft spine of the team
Lenihan was supposed to improve that but you need a leadbitter character in the middle before any progress is made in any kind of formation
Any.

 

[Caesium137]

I just don't see how anyone who has seen our one paced, weak as p-i-s-s midfield get run through, walked through and passed through like they aren't there with three of them covering the ground, will manage with just two of them in there?

I'm all for changing systems but the two areas that have decent cover are centre back and centre forward. So playing with two CB's and one ST doesn't really make sense?

For 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 we have barely any 'wingers' once you look past Giles and Jones. We have no cover at left back after Bola. We haven't got a No 10 in the squad. We haven't got a DM or a box-to-box midfielder who is is up to championship standards.

We have a selection of centre halves that should be able to be coached into an effective unit in the Championship. Muniz & Forss with Akpom & Watmore as back-up/rotation with Hoppe as a wild card off the bench is adequate up top I think. Giles & Jones have both proven that they can be effective going forward and getting assists, Crooks has proven he can score from midfield at this level.

Any fairly competent manager with a bit about him should easily be able to put an upper mid table Championship side together out of those.

 

[SE4 Red]

I just don't see how anyone who has seen our one paced, weak as p-i-s-s midfield get run through, walked through and passed through like they aren't there with three of them covering the ground, will manage with just two of them in there?

I'm all for changing systems but the two areas that have decent cover are centre back and centre forward. So playing with two CB's and one ST doesn't really make sense?

For 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 we have barely any 'wingers' once you look past Giles and Jones. We have no cover at left back after Bola. We haven't got a No 10 in the squad. We haven't got a DM or a box-to-box midfielder who is is up to championship standards.

We have a selection of centre halves that should be able to be coached into an effective unit in the Championship. Muniz & Forss with Akpom & Watmore as back-up/rotation with Hoppe as a wild card off the bench is adequate up top I think. Giles & Jones have both proven that they can be effective going forward and getting assists, Crooks has proven he can score from midfield at this level.

Any fairly competent manager with a bit about him should easily be able to put an upper mid table Championship side together out of those.

4-2-3-1 with two sitting would make us much more compact in midfield and theoretically harder to breakdown. Part of the problem with the system we play now is that we're too exposed especially with only Howson in there and he hasn't got the legs to do that job.

Ultimately we are going to have to sacrifice a CF to make us more compact. It's why I wouldn't go 4-4-2 as i think we will continue to get overrun in midfield.

 

[h_m_boro]

The system at present has Howson as the deep CM covering the back 3, with Crooks / other linking the WBs and forwards.

With the 4-2-3-1 we have 4 defenders covered by 2 CMs......with the 3 having to do the work up and down the pitch - supporting the attack and covering the FBs.

We will not score as many with the 4-2-3-1 () but defensively should be a lot more solid, which is what we desperately need.

Just think with the squad as it is 4 at the back will suit more players.....so a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 may be a better option.

 

[Caesium137]

4-2-3-1 with two sitting would make us much more compact in midfield and theoretically harder to breakdown. Part of the problem with the system we play now is that we're too exposed especially with only Howson in there and he hasn't got the legs to do that job.

Ultimately we are going to have to sacrifice a CF to make us more compact. It's why I wouldn't go 4-4-2 as i think we will continue to get overrun in midfield.

People screamed in protest for years about playing one up top, we haven't really got any 'forwards' to play behind the striker in the three either.

What we will end up with with two sitters and being more compact will be a 4-5-1 with Muniz massively isolated up top, we have no midfielders who are athletic and pacy enough to get up and support. It will be like the Pulis days again.

All of the failures we have now will be there regardless of the system pretty much.

Watmore playing with his head down and fluffing nearly every attacking opportunity he creates. Individual errors costing us goals. Weak midfielders with no pace, athleticism, strength, fight, power or goal threat. League 1 level fullbacks whether playing as centre halves, wingbacks or full backs, neither are very good. An utter lack of the physical and mental toughness and leadership through the spine of the team to compete at this level.

We are in an utter mess, I have no idea how we get out of this.

I can't believe how the club has totally imploded and destroyed itself from the highs of early Wilder days and the cup games.

We seem to be suffering a slow and painful death. There is still nothing from the hierarchy on what direction we are supposed to be taking to remedy our horrendous debt, to build upon our bare bones squad and why we are relying on loans and having to do a rebuild every summer.

I'm normally super positive, but everything around the club seems moribund currently.

 

[Chutney]

I think a lot depends on when we expect things to get better and what we feel is possible this year.

For example I'm in no doubt of Muniz's quality and the fact that he's our best forward, but the only way he's here for the long term is if we go up this year, which doesn't look likely. Combine that with the thought of playing one up front - which has its merits - and it means we start next year having to overhaul our attacking approach as our main man will be elsewhere.

It's also unlikely Giles will be here next year, so whatever supply lines the forwards do have this year will change next year. Maybe we then drop the emphasis on width, in which case what is Jones offering us?

Every tweak has short and long term impacts. With such a limited squad, both in terms of personnel and the duration of players' time with us, it ends up as a horrible puzzle to try and solve.

Glad it's not down to me to solve, but I hope somebody can.