BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
I've read with interest over the last week from our collection of 'Armchair Analysts' about Mick McCarthy and his particular preferred formation and how our players won't fit into that formation etc. etc... So I thought I'd do a bit of analysis...
I've managed to pick up 378 Championship Games Played by Mick and 101 Premier League games, where the formation / tactics were detailed and here's the results
Championship
4-4-2
Certainly Mick's preferred shape, based upon this analysis, with him choosing to play a whopping 220 of the 378 games utilising the 4-4-2 system 225 If you also count 4-4-1-1.
4-3-3
Mick's next preferred shape is 4-3-3, having opted to go 4-3-3, 56 out of the 378 games.
4-2-3-1
After 4-3-3, Mick's next formation of choice is 4-2-3-1, having opted to play 33 of his 378 games that way
Overall 317 of his 378 Championship League games have been played with a back 4
Of the remaining games, he's played only 46 with a back 5 (marginally favouring 5-4-1 over 5-3-2), together with a handful of games with a back three (arguably the same thing).
Premier League
4-4-2
Yet again 4-4-2 comes out top of the pile (45/101)
4-5-1
Next up 4-5-1 (34/101)
4-2-3-1
Another favourite of Mick's (12/101)
A handful of games at 4-1-4-1 another handful at 4-3-3 and that's the joblot... No back 5 or 3 at all;...
So what can we make of all that?
I think first things first, you can never underestimate the propensity of our Armchair Analysts to be armed with ill informed bollocks..... Secondly, it seems pretty clear to me that Mick is more than pragmatic when it comes to finding a winning system and doesn't appear to be quite as set in his ways as we have been led to believe.
I've managed to pick up 378 Championship Games Played by Mick and 101 Premier League games, where the formation / tactics were detailed and here's the results
Championship
4-4-2
Certainly Mick's preferred shape, based upon this analysis, with him choosing to play a whopping 220 of the 378 games utilising the 4-4-2 system 225 If you also count 4-4-1-1.
4-3-3
Mick's next preferred shape is 4-3-3, having opted to go 4-3-3, 56 out of the 378 games.
4-2-3-1
After 4-3-3, Mick's next formation of choice is 4-2-3-1, having opted to play 33 of his 378 games that way
Overall 317 of his 378 Championship League games have been played with a back 4
Of the remaining games, he's played only 46 with a back 5 (marginally favouring 5-4-1 over 5-3-2), together with a handful of games with a back three (arguably the same thing).
Premier League
4-4-2
Yet again 4-4-2 comes out top of the pile (45/101)
4-5-1
Next up 4-5-1 (34/101)
4-2-3-1
Another favourite of Mick's (12/101)
A handful of games at 4-1-4-1 another handful at 4-3-3 and that's the joblot... No back 5 or 3 at all;...
So what can we make of all that?
I think first things first, you can never underestimate the propensity of our Armchair Analysts to be armed with ill informed bollocks..... Secondly, it seems pretty clear to me that Mick is more than pragmatic when it comes to finding a winning system and doesn't appear to be quite as set in his ways as we have been led to believe.
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