Our midfield

A

Adams Kebab

Well-known member
Piss poor. Not sure what that Oakley-Boothe geezer was about bar for slide tackling it out of play. Carey? Desperately want him to do well and he did 2nd half but 🤷🏻‍♂️ just not seeing enough…

Dougall holding it together sums it up.

Roll on Norburn being back but if we don’t box off a decent centre midfielder in January then that’s a very poor doo.

In the meantime, just have two sitting (Kenneth and Norburn) and not doing much bar passing the ball to Dembele behind a front 2. Ditch this flat midfield 3 because it is literally flat as fuck.

Needs sorting for the next two league games, can’t be arsed with the Tinpot fuckwits having any joy Wednesday and about time we stuck it on the Horwich wankers.

The midfield mix is the key 💯
 
I agree this flat midfield 3 has been the main issue all season. There’s just no need for it when you’re playing 3 CB’s. This little tweak I feel could make a massive difference like we saw first half Tuesday. Even Carey or Weir having a free role I think would help their performances.
 
The thing is it was all a bit predictable pre match when you saw the team sheet. Just not good enough in such a key area and only Critchley knows how Ashley Booth was put in as a re[placement for Dembele..hardly anyone in the ground would have picked that starting 11 and the blame for the loss of 3 valuable points has to lay at the manager's door.
 
Our midfield has been a problem for quite some time. Norburn solved some of that problem releasing Kenny to play his game rather than be tethered as a defensive MF, which doesn't get the best out of him. Virtue coming back helped until his injury but nobody else has yet stepped up to claim a place in the team, other than Dembele, who Critchley doesn't seem keen on starting with!
 
Adams Kebab said:
Piss poor. Not sure what that Oakley-Boothe geezer was about bar for slide tackling it out of play. Carey? Desperately want him to do well and he did 2nd half but 🤷🏻‍♂️ just not seeing enough…

Dougall holding it together sums it up.

Roll on Norburn being back but if we don’t box off a decent centre midfielder in January then that’s a very poor doo.

In the meantime, just have two sitting (Kenneth and Norburn) and not doing much bar passing the ball to Dembele behind a front 2. Ditch this flat midfield 3 because it is literally flat as fuck.

Needs sorting for the next two league games, can’t be arsed with the Tinpot fuckwits having any joy Wednesday and about time we stuck it on the Horwich wankers.

The midfield mix is the key 💯
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Weir came with great reviews. Obviously The Boss knows best.
 
Adams Kebab said:
Piss poor. Not sure what that Oakley-Boothe geezer was about bar for slide tackling it out of play. Carey? Desperately want him to do well and he did 2nd half but 🤷🏻‍♂️ just not seeing enough…

Dougall holding it together sums it up.

Roll on Norburn being back but if we don’t box off a decent centre midfielder in January then that’s a very poor doo.

In the meantime, just have two sitting (Kenneth and Norburn) and not doing much bar passing the ball to Dembele behind a front 2. Ditch this flat midfield 3 because it is literally flat as fuck.

Needs sorting for the next two league games, can’t be arsed with the Tinpot fuckwits having any joy Wednesday and about time we stuck it on the Horwich wankers.

The midfield mix is the key 💯
Click to expand...
It wasn't right today.

Dougall has looked decent this season, he looks more confident and even better on the ball too, played well today.

Shame he had some passengers around him.

Yet Dembele, the tricky guy who can control the ball with players around him, pick amazing through ball passes and score amazing goals... still can't get a start over some underperforming players...
 
The midfield is definitely our weakest area and it’s down to the player combination and the lack of aggression. It’s not quite as bad as it was under Crappleton but we are lightweight and weak in the tackle.

We miss Norburn and aside from Kenny Dougall who I thought had a great second half we lack any ability to retrieve and recycle the ball.

Oakley-Boothe is clearly not match fit and aside from a brief spell towards the end of todays match Sonny Carey was clueless and ineffective.

A decent creative and solid midfielder must be a priority in January.
 
Junior_BentsPlatformShoes said:
OP Pretty much sums up my thoughts too. Carey and Oakley need to go out on loan, and get someone decent in January. Heaven help us if Norburn and Dougall both get injured.
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Yup! My thoughts too. I don't mind Morgan but it's how we set up that still concerns me in that we don't have the players for a Midfield Three, Just play a 4-4-2 - stick someone up with Rhodes and then we have a plethora of wide men - at least it'd give some shape to the side and utilise the players we have.
 
ParkerAteMyKebab said:
Yup! My thoughts too. I don't mind Morgan but it's how we set up that still concerns me in that we don't have the players for a Midfield Three, Just play a 4-4-2 - stick someone up with Rhodes and then we have a plethora of wide men - at least it'd give some shape to the side and utilise the players we have.
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Agree. I'd even have 4-3-3 over this 3-5-2 nonsense with Dembele behind Rhodes. Anything but this awkward over complicated bollocks.
 
I've no idea how Morgan and Dembele didn't start on Saturday ahead of OB and Carey.
Hopefully Norburn back in on Wednesday and it might be time to put Hamilton on the bench for a breather and bring Lyons back in.
 
A_Tense_Grin said:
Agree. I'd even have 4-3-3 over this 3-5-2 nonsense with Dembele behind Rhodes. Anything but this awkward over complicated bollocks.
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With the players we've got I think 4 3 3 would be harder to do than 3 5 2.
4 4 2 is an option but he's unlikely to go with anything other than a back 3.
 
AllTheBoysAreCheerin' said:
Our midfield has been a problem for quite some time. Norburn solved some of that problem releasing Kenny to play his game rather than be tethered as a defensive MF, which doesn't get the best out of him. Virtue coming back helped until his injury but nobody else has yet stepped up to claim a place in the team, other than Dembele, who Critchley doesn't seem keen on starting with!
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Fully fit our midfield is decent, but we need another forward to supplement Rhodes. Non of us really know how good our injured new boy is we can only guess. Not sure the rest of our forward choices will get us promoted.
 
I don't think there is much wrong with our midfield players ability
Unfortunately we seem to think we have all day on the ball and are rushed and caught in possession
We are way off the pace of most teams and this needs addressing during training
The other week against Oxford we were slow and pedestrian but too late in the second half Morgan came on and drove the team forward
We looked the better team, but the following game Morgan started and looked slow and pedestrian
I can only assume that this style of play is down to the manager
The team is a reflection of the manager and we are inconsistent
 
Adams Kebab said:
Piss poor. Not sure what that Oakley-Boothe geezer was about bar for slide tackling it out of play. Carey? Desperately want him to do well and he did 2nd half but 🤷🏻‍♂️ just not seeing enough…

Dougall holding it together sums it up.

Roll on Norburn being back but if we don’t box off a decent centre midfielder in January then that’s a very poor doo.

In the meantime, just have two sitting (Kenneth and Norburn) and not doing much bar passing the ball to Dembele behind a front 2. Ditch this flat midfield 3 because it is literally flat as fuck.

Needs sorting for the next two league games, can’t be arsed with the Tinpot fuckwits having any joy Wednesday and about time we stuck it on the Horwich wankers.

The midfield mix is the key 💯
Click to expand...
*Coughs
 
I think it's how he sets them up as a flat 3 or 1 deeper with 2 wider in front. It's just wierd and doesn't work. We've looked better when we have 2 sitting central midfielders and Dembele in front. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to want to play like that, even today he coukdnt seem to wait to go back to a 3 when Rhodes went off.
 
Carey was much better whet he wasn’t stuck in his rigid position like he’s on a netball court and can only go in certain areas.

Let the lad play & Dembele was magic…

The difference it made having 1 midfielder advanced of the other two instead of 3 in a line was clear for everyone to see.
 
Adams Kebab said:
Carey was much better whet he wasn’t stuck in his rigid position like he’s on a netball court and can only go in certain areas.

Let the lad play & Dembele was magic…

The difference it made having 1 midfielder advanced of the other two instead of 3 in a line was clear for everyone to see.
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If the manager takes anything positive from these last two games it has to be that ...

That said, we also have to learn to close out games and shithouse, time waste, keep the ball etc..
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
If the manager takes anything positive from these last two games it has to be that ...

That said, we also have to learn to close out games and shithouse, time waste, keep the ball etc..
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Critchley should take the positives from every match and attempt to rectify them in the next game but never does.
 
If Critchley plays Oakley-Boothe again over Dembele, a traffic cone or anyone he needs instantly removing from his role. Lincoln were dog shit last season and got rid, I've seen nothing to suggest he's worth a contract. Dembele on the other hand was unplayable. Even Carey turned up in the 2nd half. Gutted we drew but that is down to Critchley and his negativity, as much as it is Oakley-Boothe, Grimshaw and our inability to defend.
 
Adams Kebab said:
He had you over an all bringing Connolly on at LWB 😵‍💫😆
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He must have read my ** post... Although I'm chalking it down as him being brought on to play Left Back

In fairness, it's the right thing to do at that stage in the game and we've got to be able to close the game out properly.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
He must have read my ** post... Although I'm chalking it down as him being brought on to play Left Back

In fairness, it's the right thing to do at that stage in the game and we've got to be able to close the game out properly.
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Playing Connolly at left wing back is never the right thing to do. Having said that, that is overshadowed by other mistakes tonight. I said before the game Kouassi and Boothe would get subbed on 60 minutes and that proved to be a positive prediction as they lasted 45 minutes. Predictable shite.
 
Adams Kebab said:
Roll on Norburn being back but if we don’t box off a decent centre midfielder in January then that’s a very poor doo.
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I thought Morgan was doing that role absolutely fine and as much as leaving out Dembele and Lavery was bemusing putting piss poor Oakley-Booth in for Morgan was bemusing.
 
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