Mick McCarthy’s Blackpool squad is taking shape

Ball on Fire said:
I have been reading up on McCarthy’s last stint in the Championship with Cardiff City. Seems he likes a 5-4-1 formation and sets his teams up to fight for every ball, stay in shape and play direct football. If the whole current Blackpool X1 was available to McCarthy what do you think his starting X1 would be? I would go for Grimshaw in goal, a back 5 of Connolly, Goode, Ekpiteta, Thorniley and Husband. A midfield 4 of Dougall, Stewart, Trybull and Bridcutt with Madine as the target man.
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I eagerly await our first home league match with Mick McCarthy in charge. I disagree, at the moment, with us playing 5-4-1, simply because I don't think any of our current squad can play as the lone striker. Madine and Yates do play well as a front two though. I reckon Lyons should play right back, with Connolly in a defensive midfield role, protecting the back four.
Also, I really believe that from now until the end of the season, we will win another eight or more league matches.
🧡UTMP🧡
 
I think BoF might have had his tongue firmly to one side when picking that team! Based on a worst case scenario of people's MM preconceptions.

Top quality angling mate.
 
Ball on Fire said:
I don‘t think Connolly is tall enough to be a McCarthy centre half. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a goalkeeper coming in over the next week as McCarthy likes tall goalkeepers who come off their line, take crosses and command the penalty area.
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Now that comment about the goal keeping position I can go along with. Anyone know what Stuart Moore is like…in terms of his size he certainly fits the bill. Let’s start him at Southampton and see what he’s made of?
 
If he plays long we are doomed as we do not have the players for that style of play .Every time we play long we look as bad as we ever have done it is a fact madine rarely does anything with the ball or hold it up
 
voyeur said:
I'm not sure he will trust Bowler as a starter due to his poor defensive work. Use him as a sub later on. I think Mick likes most of his players to be able to hold shape and close space etc.
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He said he learnt a lot from how it went at Cardiff at that he went too negative. I think he will see Bowler on the training pitch and select him as the outlet
 
midfield general said:
Absolutely NIL creativity.
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I don’t agree I think I have been very creative. One thing this thread has proved is that none of us actually have a clue what is going to happen under McCarthy’s period of management and I don‘t believe any of us will be able to accurately predict the Blackpool starting X1 and subs even a couple of days before we play our next Championship game against Middlesbrough. Southampton in the FA Cup is a free hit for Mick and there could be some experimentation.
 
Henshman said:
I eagerly await our first home league match with Mick McCarthy in charge. I disagree, at the moment, with us playing 5-4-1, simply because I don't think any of our current squad can play as the lone striker. Madine and Yates do play well as a front two though. I reckon Lyons should play right back, with Connolly in a defensive midfield role, protecting the back four.
Also, I really believe that from now until the end of the season, we will win another eight or more league matches.
🧡UTMP🧡
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I like your ideas - esp. Connolly's role. As for the lone striker, I hate it with a vengeance - even at international level. If we're going to play big Gaz then he needs players buzzing around him for the knock downs and through balls.
 
1966_and_all_that said:
I like your ideas - esp. Connolly's role. As for the lone striker, I hate it with a vengeance - even at international level. If we're going to play big Gaz then he needs players buzzing around him for the knock downs and through balls.
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Might Mick try to bring in another striker?
 
voyeur said:
He won't play 4 holding midfielders!

I think/hope he'll be pragmatic and use the quality we have going forward and look to improve our defensive structure which is the main requirement.

My guess would be that he will see Madine as a requirement and Yates as our main goal threat and use them together, with a playmaker in behind them. Poveda or Patino possibly. Either three CBs or two CBs and two DMs. Wild guess....

Connolly Goode Thorniley Hubby
..................Trybull Dougall
......Lyons Poveda/Patino Rogers
...................Yates Madine

Using Lyons in front of Connolly allows him to get forward but also we can switch to 3/5 at the back.

Edit: I think I forgot we need a goalie in the XI or something!
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Lyons is a better RB than Connolly and Bowler is better than Lyons attacking wise. I would hold Connolly in reserve for Trybull and Patino in reserve for Poveda
 
voyeur said:
Might Mick try to bring in another striker?
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He might but I doubt it would be to play a lone striker. We need to get the best from Lavery and Yates and that requires them to be in close proximity to a big striker. On the other hand, I'm no manager so I could be talking a pile of poo.
 
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Seainsea said:
Lyons is a better RB than Connolly and Bowler is better than Lyons attacking wise. I would hold Connolly in reserve for Trybull and Patino in reserve for Poveda
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Maybe. Lyons has played once in a weird game. MM might just hold him back and stick with regulars. And having Connolly there allows us to switch to 3 CBs maybe during play.

And I'm not sure he'll want Bowler on at the start. He likes to defend from the front I think. Lyons got quite a few goals and assists for Sham Rovers. Im just mulling it over. No idea what MM will do and I doubt he knows himself yet.
 
It's extremely difficult to predict. I think for now he'll go something like:-

Maxwell

Connolly
Goode
Thorniley
Husband

Rogers/CJ
Dougall
Patino
Trybull
Bowler/Poveda

Gaz/Jez

I've got a feeling (based on little) that Mick's appointment is good news for Dougall, CJ and Gaz, and bad news for Lyons and Carey.

He might want wing-backs, but our wingers are something of a strength so I hope he sticks with the back 4. Patino is another mystery - will Mick trust him in a 2?

I'd love to see a 4-4-2 to get more out of Madine, Jez and Lavery but I don't think we'll see two up top and two wingers.

Players coming back (anyone remember Keshi Anderson?) will muddy things further. We actually have a hell of a lot of midfield options if everyone's available. Big if though...
 
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Grimshaw
Lyons Goode Thornley husband
Bowler Trybul Connolly cj/rodgers
Madine Yates

We need to win games so Bowler and Yates need to be shoe horned in somehow in my opinion

Madine on his own doesn’t quite work the ball doesn’t stick and he doesn’t score enough, so for me Yates needs to be alongside him or close you could play bowler madine and yates to squeeze another midfielder in.

Every which way I think of a team we don’t seem to be properly balanced without leaving too many match winners out.

Probably why we leave it to McCarthy 😜
 
voyeur said:
Maybe. Lyons has played once in a weird game. MM might just hold him back and stick with regulars. And having Connolly there allows us to switch to 3 CBs maybe during play.

And I'm not sure he'll want Bowler on at the start. He likes to defend from the front I think. Lyons got quite a few goals and assists for Sham Rovers. Im just mulling it over. No idea what MM will do and I doubt he knows himself yet.
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Bowler is probably the player who can give us those extra goals we require and should be the luxury player for me surely?
 
That's the funny thing about football management, no matter how bad you do in your previous role (and 8 defeats on the bounce is pretty bad!) there is always another club out there willing to give you another try. 😲

Another prime example is Paul Ince, potted time after time yet Reading were willing to give him another try, I can't think of another profession that disregards someones CV failures as much as football.
 
It wouldn't surprise me to see a 5 at the back with two holding midfielders.

Maxwell

Lyons
Husband
Thorniley
Goode
New player (in Marv's absence)

Trybull
Patino

Bowler
Madine
Yates

With Poveda, Lavery and Carey being regularly swapped for Bowler, Yates and Patino.
 
Normanx said:
For Christ sake leave it to big Mick
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Mick McCarthy has been in the job less than a week unlike many other jobs there is no handover from the previous Manager. Mick is relying a lot on input from 1st team Coach Richard O’Donnell but I just hope Mick reads this thread and realises the wealth of knowledge that the Pool fans on AVFT possess especially when he selects his starting X1s for the next 2 games.
 
I doubt very much he’ll be constrained by one system or another tbh.

I was speaking to a Wolves Fan at weekend who was very complimentary about MM. He basically said don’t prejudge him regarding the style of football… He likes his wingers and he likes to get forward and get the ball into the box..

I bet he set Wolves up every which way over the course of his time there, including a 433.

He’s made a career out of getting the best out of the resources available to him…. I’m not sure you can really argue with his success and ability… and I’m not sure (all things considered) that we could be in better hands….

Personally I find the ‘complete chaos’ that was described by some as ‘attacking & exciting’ absolutely excruciating to watch…. Looking forward to a properly organised team and a Manager who knows what he’s doing 👍
 
Ball on Fire said:
I have been reading up on McCarthy’s last stint in the Championship with Cardiff City. Seems he likes a 5-4-1 formation and sets his teams up to fight for every ball, stay in shape and play direct football. If the whole current Blackpool X1 was available to McCarthy what do you think his starting X1 would be? I would go for Grimshaw in goal, a back 5 of Connolly, Goode, Ekpiteta, Thorniley and Husband. A midfield 4 of Dougall, Stewart, Trybull and Bridcutt with Madine as the target man.
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5-4-1 ?
Look at his interview which was posted on here yesterday. He clearly mentions 4-4-2 which, in my humble opinion, is the way forward, attack being the best form of defence. You also make reference to Gary Madine “the goal machine”
Just wondered if you could tell me the last time he scored?
Also, everyone is speculating on who MM will pick when we have no idea whatsoever what his favourite formation, or players will be.
All I ask is that if he doesn’t pick a team which is preferable to individual posters then please give him a chance.
He has certainly shown more character and charisma than his predecessor in the few days he has been here.
 
Eternaloptimist said:
5-4-1 ?
Look at his interview which was posted on here yesterday. He clearly mentions 4-4-2 which, in my humble opinion, is the way forward, attack being the best form of defence. You also make reference to Gary Madine “the goal machine”
Just wondered if you could tell me the last time he scored?
Also, everyone is speculating on who MM will pick when we have no idea whatsoever what his favourite formation, or players will be.
All I ask is that if he doesn’t pick a team which is preferable to individual posters then please give him a chance.
He has certainly shown more character and charisma than his predecessor in the few days he has been here.
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Madine is our second top goalscorer with 4 goals and he also has 4 assists in the Championship.

No I can’t remember the last time Madine scored in the Chsmpionship but I am sure it is more recent than when Jerry Yates last scored a goal in the Championship.

Of course I will back Mick and get behind him exactly as I did with Appleton up to when he was sacked. I will judge McCarthy purely on results at the end of the season. Fasten your seat belts this is going to be a helluva ride for the rest of this season. If McCarthy keeps us up I think the Pleasure Beach should rename the Big One as the Mick McCarthy Ride.
 
Madine scored against Cardiff in December, after he got himself riled up.

Obviously we have to see how he plays, but I like the signing of Goode. We needed a solid, 'bricks and mortar' centre back and his height is also what we need in a squad that is not particularly tall. Like it or not, you win and lose a lot of games around set pieces. It's one of the reasons why coaches have played Madine. They realise that without him we're vulnerable from crosses/corners/wide free kicks etc because some of our CB's (Husband and Thornily) are not that tall and neither are either of our keepers.

I agree that he'll look to shore things up and make us a lot harder to break down, but I also think he'll have to use the likes of Bowler, Yates, Patino and Anderson (if fit) as they represent our best chance of creating and scoring goals. And you can't win games if you don't score goals.

I also wouldn't be surprised if we see someone else come in who can deliver a set-piece. Because it's the same going forward as it is in defence. You can pinch a lot of points (wins and draws) by having someone who can deliver a quality ball. We haven't had that for a long time.

Getting the right combination of players is going to be the hardest part for the staff. But also, we need to see who is available and how often. I said post-Watford that the issue was either MA's approach or his hands were tied re who he can and can't play. We'll soon found out the truth as I don't see MM making regular changes depending on the opposition.

Let's see how it pans out though. If nothing else, there's an obvious sense of relief on this board that suggests a more positive vibe already. If that translates to the stands and gets everyone pulling in the same direction then it's another positive for the club.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I doubt very much he’ll be constrained by one system or another tbh.

I was speaking to a Wolves Fan at weekend who was very complimentary about MM. He basically said don’t prejudge him regarding the style of football… He likes his wingers and he likes to get forward and get the ball into the box..

I bet he set Wolves up every which way over the course of his time there, including a 433.

He’s made a career out of getting the best out of the resources available to him…. I’m not sure you can really argue with his success and ability… and I’m not sure (all things considered) that we could be in better hands….

Personally I find the ‘complete chaos’ that was described by some as ‘attacking & exciting’ absolutely excruciating to watch…. Looking forward to a properly organised team and a Manager who knows what he’s doing 👍
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Yes I agree McCarthy did do well at Wolves but that was more than 10 years ago. I still remember our season in the Premier League (2010/11) when a poor Wolves side under McCarthy managed to stay up by a single point. I have focussed more on his recent performances as Manager over the last 5 years — his last year at Ipswich when there was a fall out with the fans and his short time at Cardiff.
 
I think he'll look at the squad and realise he can replicate what Critchley did. He has essentially all the same players.

Solid back four, two holding midfielders, two narrow wingers and Madine and Yates upfront.

It's proven it can get results. The players know how to play it. Essentially just erase the Appleton era and get back to what worked previously.
 
Tango1953 said:
I think he'll look at the squad and realise he can replicate what Critchley did. He has essentially all the same players.

Solid back four, two holding midfielders, two narrow wingers and Madine and Yates upfront.

It's proven it can get results. The players know how to play it. Essentially just erase the Appleton era and get back to what worked previously.
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Critchball without the manners or the gilet. 👍
 
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Taken from MMs recent interview...

“If you want to play 4-3-3 and you’ve only got two midfielders, that might be a struggle as well, so you’ve got to be adaptable.”

GENIUS 🤪🤪🤪🤪
 
straightatthewall said:
Madine scored against Cardiff in December, after he got himself riled up.

Obviously we have to see how he plays, but I like the signing of Goode. We needed a solid, 'bricks and mortar' centre back and his height is also what we need in a squad that is not particularly tall. Like it or not, you win and lose a lot of games around set pieces. It's one of the reasons why coaches have played Madine. They realise that without him we're vulnerable from crosses/corners/wide free kicks etc because some of our CB's (Husband and Thornily) are not that tall and neither are either of our keepers.

I agree that he'll look to shore things up and make us a lot harder to break down, but I also think he'll have to use the likes of Bowler, Yates, Patino and Anderson (if fit) as they represent our best chance of creating and scoring goals. And you can't win games if you don't score goals.

I also wouldn't be surprised if we see someone else come in who can deliver a set-piece. Because it's the same going forward as it is in defence. You can pinch a lot of points (wins and draws) by having someone who can deliver a quality ball. We haven't had that for a long time.

Getting the right combination of players is going to be the hardest part for the staff. But also, we need to see who is available and how often. I said post-Watford that the issue was either MA's approach or his hands were tied re who he can and can't play. We'll soon found out the truth as I don't see MM making regular changes depending on the opposition.

Let's see how it pans out though. If nothing else, there's an obvious sense of relief on this board that suggests a more positive vibe already. If that translates to the stands and gets everyone pulling in the same direction then it's another positive for the club.
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SATS, yes agreed. The dead ball bit - someone else referred to it the other day, that with the arrival of a taller player or two, we might actually score from one.

And that is of course, correct. But to achieve that we also need to improve the dead ball delivery.
 
Grayth said:
It's extremely difficult to predict. I think for now he'll go something like:-

Maxwell

Connolly
Goode
Thorniley
Husband

Rogers/CJ
Dougall
Patino
Trybull
Bowler/Poveda

Gaz/Jez

I've got a feeling (based on little) that Mick's appointment is good news for Dougall, CJ and Gaz, and bad news for Lyons and Carey.

He might want wing-backs, but our wingers are something of a strength so I hope he sticks with the back 4. Patino is another mystery - will Mick trust him in a 2?

I'd love to see a 4-4-2 to get more out of Madine, Jez and Lavery but I don't think we'll see two up top and two wingers.

Players coming back (anyone remember Keshi Anderson?) will muddy things further. We actually have a hell of a lot of midfield options if everyone's available. Big if though...
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Not sure about CJ when he's got Rogers Josh and Poveda.
 
The(notso)AppyBus said:
Taken from MMs recent interview...

“If you want to play 4-3-3 and you’ve only got two midfielders, that might be a struggle as well, so you’ve got to be adaptable.”

GENIUS 🤪🤪🤪🤪
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Mick’s saying all the right things, can’t wait till he realises he has only got one reliable goalscorer.
 
voyeur said:
Not sure about CJ when he's got Rogers Josh and Poveda.
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Me neither. I just have a hunch that he'll be trusted by Mick to work back and use his pace on the break.

He got into a good habit of setting up Bowler last season.
 
CGP1 said:
I think BoF might have had his tongue firmly to one side when picking that team! Based on a worst case scenario of people's MM preconceptions.

Top quality angling mate.
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C‘mon CGP1 take the bait and get off your perch, chip in, there is a plaice for you in this discussion.
 
todayistheday said:
How long are you mugs giving him, 4 games to gel or a few more ?
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A Win Win situation for McCarthy and has the rest of this season for me, he could lose the first 4 games and still get enough points to keep us up. If McCarthy keeps us up he will quite rightly get all of the praise, if McCarthy was to take us down it will be Appleton’s fault.
Henshman said:
I eagerly await our first home league match with Mick McCarthy in charge. I disagree, at the moment, with us playing 5-4-1, simply because I don't think any of our current squad can play as the lone striker. Madine and Yates do play well as a front two though. I reckon Lyons should play right back, with Connolly in a defensive midfield role, protecting the back four.
Also, I really believe that from now until the end of the season, we will win another eight or more league matches.
🧡UTMP🧡
Click to expand...
I think McCarthy will pack his starting X1 with hard working, high energy players who enjoy the physical side of the game. His substitutions, both the timing of the subs and who he brings on and off the pitch will be very interesting. I don‘t think when it comes to squad rotation McCarthy will even be remotely interested, every decision he takes will be geared to getting results, McCarthy is a tough as teak Yorkshireman who in his career will have carried on playing with injuries, I can’t see him being impressed by some of the players on the long term injury list and giving them opportunities should they get match fit before the end of the season.
 
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