Eddie

Didn’t like the idea of changing formation and it proved to be a poor decision. I don’t get the idea that it’s a more defensive set up - I know you have a 3rd centre back, but you get 2 up front. We haven’t got the players to play through the lines to a centre forward who is making runs off the shoulder. We’ve got a big man who’s showing more and more that he’s an effective target man, and so playing off him with a 2nd striker and runners from midfield is far more effective. Add to that that most of our players are more suited in a 352. Tutu and Conway are better wing backs than full backs (I actually don’t think either are even half decent at full back so it’s not hard) Toal and GJ are shaky as fuck in a two - put Forino in the middle of them and it properly looks solid. McAtee isn’t a 10, nor is Burstow. They’re better in a front 2 Dalby is getting better and better, he’s causing problems and winning flick ons - funnily enough he looks better with a strike partner alongside him. The centre mids look more balanced, Erhahon went from having a poor game to having a really good last 25 mins - might be coincidence but the formation change helped. Dempsey and Morley are better in the 8 role. The players that lose out are ACD and Gale. One looks like he could now be out for a while and the other was really poor today (seems mad when he scored a good goal). They are great options to have but it’s got to be 352 home and away from now on - if we start with the same formation on Tuesday I genuinely wonder what SS has been watching over the past few games. Other than that. Great 3 points, results went for us, we’re 3rd, Burstow scored (I was dying for Morley to have it), Dalby is effective when utilised properly, Wellens is a cock, it was fucking freezing and our ball boys are useless. Bring on Tuesday

Beyond stupid this. We don’t have full backs or a no.10 but he’s gone back to a formation that needs them. And by doing so he’s taken the one player that can head the ball out of defence. Funnily enough we look absolutely shite, don’t know how to get out and it’s easy for Orient.

Cardiff and Plymouth wins would be very nice in the early games. Can’t figure out what I’d prefer in the Bradford and Huddersfield game - probably draw but if 1 has to win then Huddersfield. One thing I hadn’t spotted - Plymouth will be closing in on the play offs if they win today! I thought they were still scrapping it out to stay up. Shows how quickly things change in this league 🙏🏼

Wrong thread

I know we’re at home so it’s different, but I’m not sure how I feel about changing a defence that has kept 2 clean sheets in a row - especially by removing the player that seems to be the one that’s firmed it up! On the other hand, our home record says you don’t change anything - it’s working just fine. 2-1 McAtee and Dempsey

Lincoln have had a hell of a run through 10 games, fair play to them. I watched them last night and they’d have done well to get a point. Burton were the better team and gifted them the 2nd - granted only one game. I still expect them to come back to the pack. They will have a blip across 3-5 games, no team other than Cardiff is strong enough in this league to not have it - the question is whether we put an unreal run together in the the next 13 games to be in that pack when they do.

Got to be Erhahon (or Morley if he’s not gone / going). Assuming we’re keeping the same formation then Erhahon would be more suited to the deeper lying role that Sheehan plays rather than the Simons/ACD role anyway.

I was going to say why don’t we get gifts like that, but we did v Wigan and our striker shanked it.

Out - Vic, Randall, JDC, Forrester, TSL, Miller (forgot his name already @gonzo - had to genuinely look it up) In - Bonham, Harrington, Temple You’ve got to think that’s a net £40k off the wage bill. When you add your wage on-costs (NI etc.) that’s £2.5m a year. Morley probably pushes that to £3m if it happens, and likely brings a fee in. If all that means we can just add 1 more signing, spend some of it to go and get the striker that will score the goals to send us up then happy days! Thanks but bye Aaron

On one hand I agree, I think we’re too far off the usual run rate needed for promotion. The optimist in me says: - it’s going to need fewer points this year to get 2nd. The points are being shared other than for Cardiff who have gone. - it might be harsh but chasing Lincoln doesn’t seem too intimidating. I still think they’ll have a blip and come back to the pack, it’s rare that 2 teams are gone half way through the season and stay there. - if they do then we’re not far off the chasing pack (Bradford and Stockport), neither of whom seem particularly strong - the weighting of difficulty in the second half of the season, with all the hard games literally in the last 6, should mean that we catch up points and will be in a good position come April for the run in, whilst the others have played tough games up to that point. Hopefully that will mean we’re confident and therefore able to take more points than expected in the last 6 (when others will have easier games on paper). No game is easy at that point in the season so actually you are better having your tough ones then. Ever the optimist - fuck it, we’re going up.

Not saying I think we’ll get it, to be clear - I wish! It’s based on what you’d expect for each individual game for the season and so really it just shows how easy a run we’ve got. For context though I’ve got 5 draws and a loss in the last 6 games, it really is a tough run in. In reality, we won’t get 11 wins and 2 draws but should still get into the last 6 games well in the mix because we should easily go at over 2ppt for 13 games. We’ve then got to win some big games to stay there! edit - your prediction for the next 12 would have us way off! Let’s hope it’s a fair bit better than that.

The start of a seriously ‘easy’ run on paper. I’ve got us 5 points off the requirement for 88 points. I’ve also got 11 wins and 2 draws in the next 13 games (based purely on expected outcome for each individual game and highlighting how ‘easy’ it is). If we win all the next 13 then we’re still 1 point off, albeit the last 6 games are difficult and so there’s an expected 5 points from them, so you’d only need to win 2 of the last 6 and you end up at 88. Simply put, we need to win this and the vast majority of games through Feb and March. 2-0 Dalby and ACD

That’s one of the worst games of football I’ve ever seen. Good point for us in the end, stood up well to the definition of anti-football and shit conditions. Burstow has to have a stint on the bench - he’s shot at the moment. McAtee to start on Saturday.

And we’re now playing 4231 with Johnston at left back.

Cause they’ve got a prop forward, a hooker and a few front rows in theirs

Dying to be the first one to say it. What a load of shit - these lot are just as anti-football as you can possibly get. The best system in the world would struggle to look good against Stevenage RFC

Get Burstow off the fucking pitch. The guy is a liability, he can’t keep hold of the ball!

They’re a horrible team. 80% of what they do is just first time launch it over the defence aimlessly

He’s trying so hard but can’t control anything. It all breaks down when it goes to him. Can’t fault the effort but it’s just not happening for him.

Wish Johnston would realise that their long throw is one of their only dangers. He just plays it out for throw ins for fun.

Unchanged team!

Couldn’t think of anything worse than spending a shed load of money, going up and down the country, watching fucking Bournemouth. All to see another building. Doing it with your own club is mental but understandable because at least you’re invested in the reason why you’re there. Doing it just to say you’ve been there seems all a bit strange.

It’s not a bad shout (in theory). It’s funny, the only single reason I could see for switching away from the Wigan set up would be because Tutu can’t seem to play regularly without breaking as @Stig says, but it’s the one place where we now don’t have a real alternative (no way has Christie got the legs for it). On paper, I think Morley would suit it in many ways and Dalby would be frothing at the thought of him whipping balls in. In reality it could be an absolute disaster 😂 If it was a choice between same formation but Morley as RWB, or switch back to 4231 then personally I’d be going for the former.

That’s a real twist of fate