As suggested by @Johnnyrotten splitting this off from the transfer chat as a place for formation nerds like me to discuss tactics.

@wanderer1984 I agree 343 is a really weird formation. Off the top of my head I can only think of 2 teams playing it successfully in the last 20ish years - Brazil 2002 and Chelsea under Conte.

Brazil 2002 had Cafu and Roberto Carlos as the wing backs.... And a front 3 that was ridiculous, so don't really work as a comparison to any other team.

However Chelsea under Conte is interesting. The 3 at the back helped to not expose David Luiz when he'd invariably wander. And the wing backs were completely different, Alonso was previously a full back, and Moses previously a winger. And Chelsea would play Azpilicueta at RCB to cover Moses.

So @Rival Son I'm not sure we need 2 primarily attacking wing backs to make it work. Schon as more attacking and Cogley more defensive could be fine.

The bit we are missing is in midfield though. Both those teams had pure enforcers in the centre. Chelsea had Matic and Kanye, and Brazil had Gilberto Silva and Kleberson (more a hard worker but not a ball player definitely). This is where we seem way off it with Thomason and Sheehan. I like both but they're not enforcers.

16 minutes ago, Cheese said:

It was when we were getting bummed every week in League 2 during lockdown.

Probably a good reason not to go back then

22 hours ago, Stig said:

Errrm I think you'll find this is tactics chat

Best you stay off it then !!!

1 hour ago, Zico said:

I genuinely don't remember that 

I only recall wing backs and 4-2-3-1

We flirted with it briefly halfway through Evatt's first season after switching from a back three, and against Barnsley in the FA Cup the season after, but you're right that's it's generally been either a back three or 4-2-3-1

Looking back, I seem to recall us playing 4-3-3 for a large part of it, not very successfully in first half of it due as much as anything to the rag bag of sub standard players signed by Phoenix. In the New Year things improved when we had Dapo on left of the front 3, Doyle central and likes of Delfouneso or Isgrove on right. Back four mostly Jones, Santos, Baptiste, John (or later Jackson), midfield Lee, Sarcevic MJ. It worked well enough with better players later in season. 

If Evatt gets potted, we’ve so many master tacticians on here lately.

Sharon knows where to go.

14 hours ago, masi 51 said:

Perfect opportunity tomorrow for Evatt to bite the bullet and rip up the way he lines his team up. We all know how we will set up and how we will play even Crawley manager who has been in charge two days.

We could and should go 4/3/3 With a back four of  Cogley, Toal, Santos, and Johnston

Midfield three of Dempsey, Sheehan and Thomason .....And a three of Collins Vic and Charles up front

If Evatt starts in his usual 5 with two wingbacks we will have very little cover at the back on the bench and he wont get Collins into his starting 11

Go with 4 at the back and if one of Santos,Toal and Johnston gets injured we can still have two centre backs on the field and then can cover the full backs with either Schon or Williams

We all know he will never change from 5 at the back whatever injuries we have. Evatt will have Collins playing wing back or something to preserve the formation if needs be.

I'm fairness, we've just won a game when reverting to 532 so it's probably not the ideal time to change formation again, but long term we need to change to 4 at the back. Santos is not the same player as a few years ago and in a back 5 he's pulling the whole team too deep. That plus the lack of outstanding wingbacks should be making the manager reassess to a back 4. But he won't do it

It's a fair debate, albeit entirely futile, but take Santos out of that 5....

We reckon Toal and Johnston could form a decent pairing?

And do we reckon Schon/Williams and Cogley could make decent full backs?

I reckon they could you know.

 

24 minutes ago, gonzo said:

It's a fair debate, albeit entirely futile, but take Santos out of that 5....

We reckon Toal and Johnston could form a decent pairing?

And do we reckon Schon/Williams and Cogley could make decent full backs?

I reckon they could you know.

 

Santos must be miles in front of any other cb for headed clearances

Reet, im off, you weird fuckers can carry on

I reckon that attitude, effort and performance are more important than formation because all could work if their heads are right and they cut out the errors that cost us. 

2 minutes ago, Casino said:

Santos must be miles in front of any other cb for headed clearances

Reet, im off, you weird fuckers can carry on

Agree and as a out and out defender in a back 4 with instructions to defend and not care about playing it out every time he would thrive, but he does not get those instructions and does not play in a back 4

Santos wife telling the Crawley plebs what what😂

 

 

Why any player or wife would venture on to these areas of social media is beyond me.

Absolute fuckin cesspit of bile and hatred led by faceless cunts with polarised views.

It's just not a true representation of our match going fans who have in the most been impeccable.

All that bullshit with the banner last week was clearly whipped up on social media and that's the only crossover I've seen. 

She needs to get in the hotel or nam Ploy next home game and speak to normal fucking fans instead of wankers on social media. Especially anyone connected to that greasy haired loner, Craig the racist nonce North.

5 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Why any player or wife would venture on to these areas of social media is beyond me.

Absolute fuckin cesspit of bile and hatred led by faceless cunts with polarised views.

It's just not a true representation of our match going fans who have in the most been impeccable.

All that bullshit with the banner last week was clearly whipped up on social media and that's the only crossover I've seen. 

She needs to get in the hotel or nam Ploy next home game and speak to normal fucking fans instead of wankers on social media. Especially anyone connected to that greasy haired loner, Craig the racist nonce North.

Agree. Why anyone has it is beyond me. That said I suspect this is a fall out from the Evatt blame game. To think how proud everyone was of the town/team 18 months ago to now, it’s quite spectacular 

42 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Why any player or wife would venture on to these areas of social media is beyond me.

Absolute fuckin cesspit of bile and hatred led by faceless cunts with polarised views.

It's just not a true representation of our match going fans who have in the most been impeccable.

All that bullshit with the banner last week was clearly whipped up on social media and that's the only crossover I've seen. 

She needs to get in the hotel or nam Ploy next home game and speak to normal fucking fans instead of wankers on social media. Especially anyone connected to that greasy haired loner, Craig the racist nonce North.

Correct

I've no doubt he's getting shit of nobheads on the socials 

But we took 1000 to Crawley for a 12.30, 3 days after we took 4000 to Arsenal 

The vast majority of them are not giving him shit on socials so that's no excuse

She's just made his life a lot harder than it was if he takes notice of what folk are saying online

Our new captain needs to have a word

Reckon GT plays call of duty in his underpants.

Full on headset and black cammo paint on his face against random weirdos across the world.

 

5 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Reckon GT plays call of duty in his underpants.

Full on headset and black cammo paint on his face against random weirdos across the world.

 

Thomas Graveson apparently used to be one of the top online CoD players in the world 

Some great stories about him on the podcasts snippets I've seen on Instagram

A proper mentalist married to a porn star who loved playing football and cod

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

Why any player or wife would venture on to these areas of social media is beyond me.

Absolute fuckin cesspit of bile and hatred led by faceless cunts with polarised views.

It's just not a true representation of our match going fans who have in the most been impeccable.

All that bullshit with the banner last week was clearly whipped up on social media and that's the only crossover I've seen. 

She needs to get in the hotel or nam Ploy next home game and speak to normal fucking fans instead of wankers on social media. Especially anyone connected to that greasy haired loner, Craig the racist nonce North.

It's just soft from him.

Get off social media, stop sulking and guide the team to promotion.

On his day he's the best defender in the league, just needs to cut out all the distractions and be switched on every game.

43 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Reckon GT plays call of duty in his underpants.

Full on headset and black cammo paint on his face against random weirdos across the world.

 

With a firework going off in them

55 minutes ago, Stig said:

It's just soft from him.

Get off social media, stop sulking and guide the team to promotion.

On his day he's the best defender in the league, just needs to cut out all the distractions and be switched on every game.

Playing devil's advocate, but what you mean is he has to play shit hot every game, or take the abuse?

If he makes a mistake (when carrying out the manager's instructions) its a footballing error and it pisses me off that it translates into on line abuse.  The stuff that's been said just on here (without me ever even looking at Twitter) is below the belt and if he chooses to deal with it by staying in his own bubble I don't blame him at all.  His job is to play football, which he does better than most in L1, all the other stuff is optional and he's taken enough crap to entitle him to cut out the extras.  Sorry not having a go at you, you are very measured, this was just a comment on the general anti-Santos stuff since Wembley.  He'll go down as one of my favourite BWFC defenders when I look back in 20 years, but he's got more abuse than virtually anyone.

Edited September 28, 20241 yr by Johnnyrotten

Why they bother trawling through social media to find this stuff is insane. There will always be some delinquent that’s dying to get a reaction and that comment will be the one that sticks vs. the other ones that are more reasonable.

If he just left it with the fan’s reactions in the ground on a Saturday / Tuesday then he’d likely be in a far better mood, as would his wife.

9 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Playing devil's advocate, but what you mean is he has to play shit hot every game, or take the abuse?

If he makes a mistake (when carrying out the manager's instructions) its a footballing error and it pisses me off that it translates into on line abuse.  The stuff that's been said just on here (without me ever even looking at Twitter) is below the belt and if he chooses to deal with it by staying in his own bubble I don't blame him at all.  His job is to play football, which he does better than most in L1, all the other stuff is optional and he's taken enough crap to entitle him to cut out the extras.  Sorry not having a go at you, you are very measured, this was just a comment on the general anti-Santos stuff since Wembley.  He'll go down as one of my favourite BWFC defenders when I look back in 20 years, but he's got more abuse than virtually anyone.

Fair point. The online abuse is ridiculous and I'm not excusing it.

I just think if I was in his position I wouldn't be on it as it can't be helpful. Even putting aside the abuse that could affect his morale, if he's hearing all these different opinions on how he should play it could distract whatever tactics they've been working on.

Can’t say I’m overlay bothered if he claps or not. Only arsed that any of em put it all out on the pitch. Why not just go an applaud even if you mutter under your breath that he hates us all. Fans were clearly chanting Rico multiple times through the game. 

The song will get going next week and it will be another added distraction.

I suspect he’s not as cool with losing the captaincy as has been made out.

Could we’ll be the right decision, so not a criticism at all.

If he doesn’t want to play for us though then let’s part ways in Jan if anyone will take him. 

I think Santos has been great for us. Obviously he makes mistakes just like every player at every club. The standing on the ball and slowing play down was clearly because he'd been told to do that. We're a much better team with him in it imo.

That said walking off the pitch and not acknowledging the fans isn't going to help improve things for him. Nor is his Mrs popping up online. Best thing he could do is stop reading what people are saying online.

1 minute ago, DaveTheRave said:

I think Santos has been great for us. Obviously he makes mistakes just like every player at every club. The standing on the ball and slowing play down was clearly because he'd been told to do that. We're a much better team with him in it imo.

That said walking off the pitch and not acknowledging the fans isn't going to help improve things for him. Nor is his Mrs popping up online. Best thing he could do is stop reading what people are saying online.

You're right.

I've always said twitter is toxic and would never use it, and players should stay away.

It's a bit sad that he/they can't use a platform millions of others do, however, just leave it alone.