Agree........we need a decent winger who can beat players and put a good ball in /over. Sorry Dyer, but you've not quite got it.

Beckford doesn't believe in the concept of work.
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This will never change, just letting you know.

Prawn,

Agree with all your points.

With a winger we have enough quality around - and its the passion for LCFC we need instilling back in the team. as well as discipline. The likes of Howard , Schlupp, Vassell, Konckesky, Wellens & King I believe have this.

I sometimes think that formations are overrated and it's personnel that are important (i.e. you pick the formation to suit the personnel you have and not personnel to suit a formation). To play 4-3-3 effectively I think your central striker has to be capable of playing with his back to goal and laying the ball off (Howard, Yakubu). Nugent and Vassell prefer to play with the ball in front of them and Beckford doesn't appear to be able to head the ball at all so he's hardly your hold the ball up striker.

I'm a season ticket holder, but listen to the radio for away games. The criticism of Bamba by Alan Young is well over the top in my opinion. Bamba has everything: pace, power, heading ability that a CB should have. He does go for a wander now and again but, for me, he brings more positives than negatives. We were keeping clean sheets until Mills got sent off at Brum and that had a lot to do with the Mills/Bamba partnership starting to click. Alan Young is a dinosaur from a different era.

I agree with you about Beckford. He's not bringing anything to the team at the moment and I'd rather start with Schlupp than him. Howard should always be on the bench because he brings something different.

I also agree with you about wide players (not necessarily wingers). We've been quite one dimensional with Sven: if it's not passed though the middle there are few other outlets. With the option of someone who can play with his back to goal (even if only from the bench) and width we could definitely increase our options.

Looks like we agree on most things Joby, except the importance of the formation.

To me, 4-3-3 is an attacking formation with additional width provided through the full backs. But you always leave yourself susceptible to a diagonal ball in behind the full back when the opposition attacks - second goal on Saturday is a case in point.

Also, unless your two wider strikers immediatly drop back into midfield, you are always going to be outnumbered and often end up playing long to a solitary front-man when they finally do get back - sound familiar ?

I agree the type of players you have is of paramount importance but the simple reality is that on far too many occasions, 4-3-3 has led to us losing a half or a full game.

I also disagree about Bamba. Youngy may be a bit of a dinosaur (which makes me one too as I used to watch him every week) but strikers of his quality know how they would like to see opposing centre-halves play. Linger on the ball and you will get caught.

It will be interesting to see what happens when a new guy comes in but my money is that Bamba will be benched after two or three games.

But as they say, football is all about opinions.

Joby. I was at the game on Saturday and Sol had a poor match so the criticism was justified.

"Joby. I was at the game on Saturday and Sol had a poor match so the criticism was justified."
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I wasn't at the match on Saturday so can't comment on that particular performance.

I just think that there is plenty of Sol bashing going off that is inspired by Mr. Young. Sure, he has poor games, but so do the others in the back four.

Mills was poor for the first few games he played. SSL was poor against Bristol City and, for me, Millwall.

Again, it's all down to opinion, but I feel SB has more positives than negatives. It's just that a hoof it clear type of CB is less exposed to criticism when things go wrong than one that tries to play football.

In general, I don't think any regular player should have a host of negatives, even if they are outweighed by positives. Within the context of their role on the pitch, usually players are generally good/excellent at some things, average at others and perhaps poor in areas which you wouldn't expect them to excel in (i.e. shooting in a defender's case or tackling in a striker's case).

But I guess this highlights the issues with Sol - he is either great at something or awful at something else, I think the difference to the point in my first paragraph, is that Sol can be dreadful at things he shouldn't really even be average at.

"Mills was poor for the first few games he played. SSL was poor against Bristol City and, for me, Millwall."

There are plenty of players who have had poor games this season. But to take your two examples, Mills played poorly and was dropped, SSL played poorly and was dropped.

I think perhaps, I guess in a similar vain to Vassell, some fans feel this method under Sven wasn't as consistent with big Sol.

Don't get me wrong, Sol has been brilliant in some games, but I think his inconsistency is down to lack of discipline sometimes as opposed to inconsistency in quality; and this, is bound to be more frustrating to watch.