Sheff U (a) match thread - The Dane Whitehouse Experience

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Few points.

Why did McDermott start a 4-5-1 at the worst team in this league?

Why didn't Hunt come on?

[handbags_harris]

Few points.

Why did McDermott start a 4-5-1 at the worst team in this league?

Why didn't Hunt come on?

McDermott started a 4-2-3-1 because he felt, with the resources at his disposal, he felt it was the best formation to come away with a result.

And if you read back a couple of pages, you'll find reasoned arguments in favour of why I agree that McDermott was correct in his decision to go with this formation.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Few points.

Why did McDermott start a 4-5-1 at the worst team in this league?

Why didn't Hunt come on?

McDermott started a 4-2-3-1 because he felt, with the resources at his disposal, he felt it was the best formation to come away with a result.

And if you read back a couple of pages, you'll find reasoned arguments in favour of why I agree that McDermott was correct in his decision to go with this formation.

I didn't attend the game so I can't really comment on how effective the formation was. But Mick Gooding made a valid point that Reading take little risk. We only put forwards with 15 minutes remaining and that Reading stood a very good chance of getting 3 points out of the game by playing a 4-4-2.

I think Hunt is a better option than Manset at the moment. More experience in these sort of situations and a better striker at the moment. Long, Hunt and Church should have finished the game up front.

[Wimb]

Fair play HH, didn't say it was inferior, just felt going 4-4-2 against a struggling team might have been a better option last night as we could have nicked a couple of goals early, then rocked up with Gunnar later on. I wonder whether they are so inferior playing as a pair in a 4-4-2 as in a 4-2-3-1, given their partnership (albeit in the 4-2-3-1 as you said) last year.

I get the 'lack of beef' argument, but then we had no beef when Sig played last year. Yes Sig or whoever plays behind long in the 4-2-3-1 helps pull the defence and midfield away from the two in the middle of a 4-4-2, but I dispute whether a second proper striker is going to change the dynamic so much more then an attacking midfielder/support striker.

But as I said, I wasn't at the game, was just my gut feelings going into the game and happy to concede it.

[handbags_harris]

It's an interesting one. It's pretty clear that Sigurdsson's defensive duties weren't his best assets, but maybe having the man deeper than your forward, as opposed to two forward up top, means that the extra man in the middle provides an extra body to work through? Sigurdsson was a midfielder, not a forward, and would have clearly had a defensive role to play. As an out and out striker, your defensive role isn't as defined. The midfield lacked beef, but it had, on the whole, the extra man to make up for it.

Merely opinions old boy, that's mine. I like what McDermott is doing, I like his all action high tempo style of play but with the 4-4-2 we play at the moment with the two defensively minded midfielders in Karacan and Leigertwood, the style of play is fast becoming the same as the back end of Coppell's tenure. We need a ball player in there which is why I big up Howard's case because, like it or not, he is the best we have. Now, either we play Leigertwood next to him to provide Howard's beef and play with an extra (currently inadequate) striker, or we play with combination of Gunnarsson, Leigertwood, Karacan and Tabb (Leigertwood just from Gunnarsson for me, and Tabb), play advanced wingers (we all know Kebe's more potent when further forward in the 4-2-3-1), and play Long in the middle.

[Hoop Blah]

...Mick Gooding made a valid point that Reading take little risk. We only put forwards with 15 minutes remaining and that Reading stood a very good chance of getting 3 points out of the game by playing a 4-4-2.

It's a valid comment but at the same time Gooding and Dellor have quite often commented at how often McDermott goes out to win a game with attack minded substitutions. It's not often he brings on anyone to close out a game (perhaps he should!).

I don't think Gooding can have it both ways, but I do see where he's coming from.

I still think it comes down to the quality of players we have at our disposal though.

[Ian Royal]

It's an interesting one. It's pretty clear that Sigurdsson's defensive duties weren't his best assets, but maybe having the man deeper than your forward, as opposed to two forward up top, means that the extra man in the middle provides an extra body to work through? Sigurdsson was a midfielder, not a forward, and would have clearly had a defensive role to play. As an out and out striker, your defensive role isn't as defined. The midfield lacked beef, but it had, on the whole, the extra man to make up for it.

Merely opinions old boy, that's mine. I like what McDermott is doing, I like his all action high tempo style of play but with the 4-4-2 we play at the moment with the two defensively minded midfielders in Karacan and Leigertwood, the style of play is fast becoming the same as the back end of Coppell's tenure. We need a ball player in there which is why I big up Howard's case because, like it or not, he is the best we have. Now, either we play Leigertwood next to him to provide Howard's beef and play with an extra (currently inadequate) striker, or we play with combination of Gunnarsson, Leigertwood, Karacan and Tabb (Leigertwood just from Gunnarsson for me, and Tabb), play advanced wingers (we all know Kebe's more potent when further forward in the 4-2-3-1), and play Long in the middle.

Now Long has found his form I'd go Howard, Leigterwood & Karacan. It seems we can rely on Long to keep scoring even playing on is own upfront. Howard brings creativity through the middle and Kebe is at his best in that wide forward role.

[Svlad Cjelli]

In the second half of last season what worked for BMc was to start with 4-5-1 (or rather 4-2-3-1) and slowly take control of the match, then change to 4-4-2 later in the game to go for the win.

That's exactly what he did yesterday but a dodgy penalty undid it all.

As to staring with 4-5-1 yesterday, with our two best tacking midfielders suspended I can completely understand why he did that.

[Ian Royal]

switching to 4-4-2 later on would also play into the Beast's impact sub role and not cause problems with his fitness. And Church has scored all his goals off the bench and has a small habit of nicking important ones late on.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Why did McDermott start a 4-5-1 at the worst team in this league?

and presumably made the mistake of turning up in Sheffield rather than Preston as well?

There's truth in what you say though. If a free scoring team of genuine promotion contenders like Forest were away to relegation-fodder like Scunthorpe, does anyone think for a minute they'd drop points?

[prostak]

That's exactly what he did yesterday but a dodgy penalty undid it all.

Do you think the defence would have been in such a mess had Bryn been left on?

[Svlad Cjelli]

That's exactly what he did yesterday but a dodgy penalty undid it all.

Do you think the defence would have been in such a mess had Bryn been left on?

No, I don't - but then again if Bryn had been left on we might not have scored, as we went 1-0 soon after going 4-4-2.

Plus Jobi in the middle tends to put in more attacking central runs than Bryn does, which had an effect on our shape and attcking intent when Bryn went off.