strap Hi Wycombe. I'm yet to be convinced that BR has ANY plan at all! We've already seen upwards of 6 different formations in 9 leag and 2 LC games, (4-5-1, 4-4-2, 4-4-2 diamond, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1 that I can remember). Couple that to the Burns-esque chopping and changing of personnel, and I personally feel you have a recipe for disaster. The evidence suggests he has no idea what he wants, despite alluding to a love of 4-5-1, (which the current squad have yet to show any ability to adapt to).
SSC stuck to 4-4-2 and brought in players who were either used to the system, or who he felt could easily be trained to adapt to it. Of course, the achilles heal of sticking rigidly to 4-4-2 was that once opposition cottoned on to it, we had no effective plan B. So I accept that it is essential that the team should be able to change formations, but until there is a coherent Plan A that the team are comfortable with, asking them to work up Plans B, C and D virtually on the hoof, is asking for trouble. That might have worked at Chelsea where the skill levels are World Class, but down here in the second tier, BR has to cut his cloth and work with more journeymen type players. I would suggest he keeps things simple untyil the team has developed a full understadning of one system, before attemoting to cram their minds with his World Clas thinking.
Top stats Strap really good work.
I'd agree with your posts but have to say I disagree with your comparison to SSC's teams. As I've posted before SSC had the benefit of having 6 or 7 players who had played with the club for a few seasons. Harper, Shorey, USA, Murty, Fozzie, Salako, Williams etc. That was a strong spine, hungry and used to playing a certain way under Pardew (a man who by his own admission had used a lot of Coppells methods etc)
I'd be interested to know what the turnover of players was during Pardew's first 12 months in charge. From what I recall it seemed to be a major clearout and a gradual reconstruction of the side in the 18 months leading up to the playoff final.
Digging a little deeper the starting lineups from
Pardews first game (as caretaker) September 1999Howie, Gray, Bernal, Casper, Primus (Polston), Gurney (Williams), Smith, Grant, Caskey, McIntyre (Scott), Forster
At Cardiff in May 2001Whitehead, Murty, Viveash, Williams (Hunter), Robinson, Parkinson, Harper, Igoe (Forster), Cureton, Butler, McIntyre (Rougier)
So from the team Pardew inherited, only 1 survived (with a couple of exceptions for injuries/tactical preferences i.e Caskey and Parky) The team was totally revamped and few survived the massacre.
In Pardews first months in charge we went on a horrible run of results and then turned it around to finish midtable.
The key difference between BR and AP was that Pardew dismantled a very poor and slumping side and made it better. However the point stands that a high turnover of players doesn't always mean you're doomed to fail. It took Pardew less then 2 years to transform the team, and within 7 years we were bound for the Premier League.
This is the whole point about 'cycles'. Eventually someone has to tear down the house and start again. Coppell was very fortunate to have inherited some key players that would take us up. In my honest opinion BR was forced to almost start from scratch,just as Pardew did.
Look at
Coppell's first team selection in 2003Hahnemann; Newman, Brown, Williams, Shorey; Murray, Sidwell, Harper (Salako 77 mins), Hughes; Goater (Watson 88 mins) Forster
Four players there who would play in the first XI of the 106 side and 2 or 3 others who would have us fighting for the playoffs in 2004/2005 and had been there in 2002/2003.
For me 4 players (plus the others who hung around the squad for 18 months) constitutes a very solid spine of the team. Arguably, Coppell had it far easier due to the quality of those 4, combined with the fact that Forster, Williams and Hughes were all of good quality for this level. I'd even argue that Murray, Goater and Brown weren't that bad.
So what does BR have to work with compared to SSC?
Again looking at the teams from before/after BR took over
Coppell's final team.Hahnemann, Rosenior, Pearce, Duberry, Harding, Kebe (Kitson 53), Gunnarsson, Matejovsky (Stephen Hunt 52), Tabb, Church (Little 53), Long
Before BR even arrived at the club, Hahnemann, Duberry, Harding had gone. (With Doyle/Bikey/Hunt/Lita able to leave due to clauses in their contracts/expiry of their deals)
The subs brought on that day were all unavailable to sign or wanted to leave due to one reason or another.
That leaves, Rosie, Gunnar, Marek, Kebe, Pearce, Long and Church.
Now the majority opinion on here seems to be (forgive the generalisations) that Kebe/Long/Church aren't good enough right now or for a year or two. You could probably also throw Pearce into that for the time being.
That leaves Tabb, Marek and Gunnar. Gunnar can't play week in week out but when he has BR has used him and he's played well. Marek was never a regular under SSC and Tabb isn't that significant an upgrade/downgrade on Karacan/ Cisse. BR also inherited a decent but not brilliant keeper in A-Fed and some other injured players such as Ivar and Armstrong, and other squad players such as Harper, Kelly, Nhunt. In my opinion that leaves Rodgers with all but no 'strong spine' whatsoever.
In all honesty which players left at RFC after Coppells departure could you see forming the backbone of a decent side. Bear in mind again that by popular sentiment here, Harper/Rosie's hearts were not in it as much due to the 'seen and done it' syndrome. Not saying they don't give 100% but they didn't have the extra desire of someone who needs to prove it/experience the big time.
The whole point of the stats etc above, are to demonstrate the scope of the job Brendan has to do here and to highlight how Pardew had a very similar job to do and yet set us up for 7 years of joy and success. Will Rodgers 100% work out? No of course not. However history shows us that the methods he is adopting in terms of team building (in the long term) do have sound logic. Yes its frustrating to not be able to find a settled XI straight away (see my post in the back from the game...) but at the same time, you have to hold onto hope and remind yourself that its can be a long haul not always a sprint.
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