Afternoon,
This season I have struggled to determine what the best positions are for some of our players, where could they be most effective given we're changing our formations fluidly and playing certain players 'out of position'
Excluding GK, for obvious reasons, I've added below our squad and the players we currently have on loan and all their positions. I've tried to do it in order of their most effective position to least effective.
There's some players I really will struggle with, L Watson, a good example and Waghorn & Max Bird to a lesser extent. Always thought Waggy would be better up front (taking Ipswich form into account) and hear a lot of comments that he's more a RW than a CF - appreciate this season it might be 'neither' for you but generally speaking where would you consider they play?
So, in your opinion, what's the best position for each player and based on that what formation would you consider so that we can get the best out of the TEAM?
Byrne (RWB, RB)
Wisdom (CB, RB)
C Davies (CB) [injured]
Buchanan (LWB, LB)
Forsyth (LB, LWB, LCB)
Bielik (DM, CM, CB) [injured]
Bird (DM, CM, AM?)
Shinnine (DM, CM)
Knight (AM, CM, RW,LW)
Sibley (AM, CM, RW,LW)
Watson (CM, AM, RW,LW)
Lawrence (AM, RW,LW, CM)
Jozwiak (RW, LW, AM, CF)
Waghorn (RW, LW, CF, AM)
Ibe (RW, LW, AM)
CKR (CF)
Jack Stretton (CF)
Bobby Duncan (CF)
Jayden Mitchell-Lawson (RW, LW, AM, CF)
Loan
Edmundson (CB, DM)
Mengi (RB, CB)
Clarke (CB)
Roberts (RW, LW, AM, CF)
Baningime (DM, CB)
Gregory (CF)
What's their best position?
posted on 22/3/21
For most the best position is left back in the changing room.
posted on 23/3/21
Hmmmm....Really difficult to answer eh. TBH I would have said the team that finished against Brentford was the best we had - and by and large this was the team that faced Stoke. Unfortunately it would appear that whoever we play in any particular position is unable for whatever reason to play to their capability on a regular basis.
I really dont know why we've slumped so badly this season. Most teams we play against have realised that if they defend in numbers we'll never score and know that they will always score from a corner / cross / free kick - which has been our achilles heel for a number of years.
Imo we never mark tightly enough when we defend - whereas the opposition do...and hence we resort to back passing too much. We never get forward in sufficient numbers to trouble the opposition and move the ball invariably too slowly.
I don't know how we get out of this downward spiral. The players we have aren't used to battling at the wrong end of the table and therefore dont seem to have the mentality to constantly grind out results.
Quite what happened with Waghorn on Friday we'll probably never know. But playing Ckr made us toothless up front and we shot ourselves in the foot.
Sadly I think we'll do well to survive this year as at the moment we dont have the right mindset. 🐏 🐏 🐏 🐏
posted on 23/3/21
Expected Spart to wheel out the old classic.
The best players are adaptable to different positions but we don’t have any of those so we have the old round peg square hole situation. We have seen that when you put a player like Knight out wide he just occupies a space rather than contributing anything meaningful.
RB is Byrne
LB Buchanan or Forsyth
RCB Wisdom, Mengi or Edmundson
LCB Clarke
Midfield ratters Shinnie, Knight, Beningime
Midfield passers Bird, Watson
Midfield attacking player Sibley, Lawrence
R attack Roberts, Jozwiak, Waghorn
L attack Lawrence, Jozwiak
CF CKR, Gregory, Waghorn
Rooney has to fashion something out of that
posted on 23/3/21
The bigger concern for me is if we do manage to stay up this season whats the squad going to look like next season when all the loaners have gone back and all out of contract players have gone
I cant imagine were going to have a very big budget and to challenge the top half were going to need one
If we stay up this season we will struggle again next and IMO with lesser crowds as some will have got out of the habit of going and others wont exactly feel inspired with the current playing squad to commit to a season ticket
Downward spiral to continue
posted on 23/3/21
Don't think there would be much problem with out of contract players as most wouldn't be able to find a club stupid enough to pay the wages we pay for their services. Attracting better players though is a different matter.
posted on 23/3/21
Only Byrne would get into Nigel Clough's team when he was sacked. Many managers and many millions spent and we are in this mess.
Where did it all go wrong? Recently when we rested some players for the Cardiff match is my answer. There is plenty of time for rest when a player has retired.
Thank God we don't have to go and watch this rubbish live, the only positive of Covid 19.
posted on 23/3/21
Thank God we don't have to go and watch this rubbish live, the only positive of Covid 19.
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You don't have to watch it in normal times VC.
posted on 24/3/21
comment by Scouse (U9675)
posted 13 hours, 45 minutes ago
Thank God we don't have to go and watch this rubbish live, the only positive of Covid 19.
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You don't have to watch it in normal times VC.
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My sons make me go, they hate me.