Why play two defensive midfielders...

[Kevlar]

if we do play both at home we could play colunga or Baldcock
centrally ahead of JFC.
with Ince behind him I think JFC could compete or sub for Hola.

 

[Grombleton]

The problem isn't the defensive midfielders, it's the attacking four.

Someone used Chelsea as a fine example; they have Fabregas & Matic sitting back and orchestrating play, much like we want Ince & Holla to do. Chelsea then have 4 players whose job it is to break forward, attack and take the chances. That's where we need to strengthen.

I feel we need another winger (as March & Lua Lua can't be expected to play all the time) possibly an expensive striker and a playmaker like Tex or McCourt...just not light or lazy. Also, play Baldock up top rather than CMS. Or O'Grady instead.

 

[JBizzle]

*Sigh* So for the entire season we moan because we don't play Ince and Holla together, now we moan because we do?

 

[HantsSeagull]

This isn't something that's been introduced for this game. We have been playing with 2 DM's for months now. It's clearly a negative way to play unless you have the legs in there to support the front players when we break.

our inability to get bodies in number into the box at any time is shocking - there was one occasion yesterday when we broke and the ball was crossed into the box to the one (yes one as usual!) person in the box - the rest of our midfield and attackers hadn't got past the halfway line and were jogging.

 

[redoubtable seagull]

*Sigh* So for the entire season we moan because we don't play Ince and Holla together, now we moan because we do?

Well, only one or two moan.

Holla had a disappointing game yesterday and I feel he needs to up his game. Sometimes he plays a little too deep I think. Ince had a very good game but for a few passes on the break that should have been played in front of players rather than to their feet.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

our inability to get bodies in number into the box at any time is shocking - there was one occasion yesterday when we broke and the ball was crossed into the box to the one (yes one as usual!) person in the box - the rest of our midfield and attackers hadn't got past the halfway line and were jogging.

At last---- someone who may agree with my Holla thread

 

[HantsSeagull]

At last---- someone who may agree with my Holla thread

steady on now.......

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

our inability to get bodies in number into the box at any time is shocking - there was one occasion yesterday when we broke and the ball was crossed into the box to the one (yes one as usual!) person in the box - the rest of our midfield and attackers hadn't got past the halfway line and were jogging.

Happened on more than one occasion when their attects floundered, we won the ball and tried to break but, apart from 2 of 3 players, the rest just strolled from our pen area, barely reaching the half way line before our attack had faltered, mainly due to lack of support.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

steady on now.......

The clue was in 'may'

 

[Lethargic]

Playing 2 DMs is necessary when there are many others lacking elsewhere in the team it simple covers our lack of ability and pace throughout the team when defending.

 

[durrington gull]

Only Ince is anywhere near good enough out of the midfielders who were out there yesterday.All the better options are currently injured or on the bench.Colunga and Tex played really well at Fulham and offer so much more.Hopefully we can add a decent one as well this month,i have never known midfielders to offer so little as Holla and Caskey do.

Our midfield apart from Ince is simply woeful - JFC offers nothing and even when pushed on yesterday he was very poor- Holla very slow and ponderous but better than Jfc, as it stands we're going to struggle to stay up with our midfield and our even worse forward line

 

[stss30]

I think some people are delusional about the strength of our squad. We need to play two defensive midfielders to try and keep clean sheets and pick up points. Our squad, in the main, is poor especially going forward. With the position we are in the tactics Hughton is employing are spot on.

 

[GT49er]

It's not as if playing two DMs is that unusual, is it? Many teams now line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation - including some very good ones!

 

[bhawoddy]

our inability to get bodies in number into the box at any time is shocking - there was one occasion yesterday when we broke and the ball was crossed into the box to the one (yes one as usual!) person in the box - the rest of our midfield and attackers hadn't got past the halfway line and were jogging.

Yup, and it's been like that for a while now. As Simmo points out, holla doesn't have the legs/unwilling to be the box to box type required. Having ince as the DM is fine and his displays recently have been very good. We don't need a second sitting midfielder alongside him.
One thing I did notice yesterday was that March, Colunga and cog all bottled out of tackles. Nothing worse IMO.

 

[bhawoddy]

Playing 2 DMs is necessary when there are many others lacking elsewhere in the team it simple covers our lack of ability and pace throughout the team when defending.

There's definitely an element of this too. Good post. It goes back to the point that lots of posters have rightly pointed out, we just haven't replaced quality players with quality players. Cash in your best players by all means but have a plan to replace them with quality too.

 

[bhawoddy]

It's not as if playing two DMs is that unusual, is it? Many teams now line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation - including some very good ones!

The difference is that those teams you mention have players who are up and down the pitch for 90 with pace.

 

[GT49er]

The difference is that those teams you mention have players who are up and down the pitch for 90 with pace.

True - and they have better players than us too. The point I'm trying to make is that I don't see anything wrong, or odd, about using the 4-2-3-1 formation.

 

[bhawoddy]

True - and they have better players than us too. The point I'm trying to make is that I don't see anything wrong, or odd, about using the 4-2-3-1 formation.

Yh agreed, nothing wrong with any formation, any style, but, it should suit the type of players you have, not the other way around.

 

[Lethargic]

Yh agreed, nothing wrong with any formation, any style, but, it should suit the type of players you have, not the other way around.

Unfortunately you are both on the money 2 DMs are necessary to avoid being overrun with this squad.

 

[brightn'ove]

Because we have been shit defensively and the way to start getting results (I know we didn't yesterday) is to stop the goals going in the wrong end. Bar a deflected goal and a comedic 1v1 they created very little.

Imo we need to start with ogrady, once he came on we had someone we could pump the ball long to and hold up the ball, it's not pretty but we don't have the ability up top anymore to play out from the back.