Lookers_Carl Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 (edited) I was going to post this as a reply but its a bit of a lengthy question. Here is a poser regarding formations. For each of the formations, pick the best starting 11 to suit that particular formation from our current squad of players (no another, or new left back etc) Then decide which is the strongest My choices would be as follows 4-4-2 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, MR Liddell, ML Taylor, MC Allott, MC Lee, FC Hughes, FC Davies 4-4-2 Diamond GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Taylor, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, DMC Kalala, MC Allott, MC Lee, AMC Whittaker, FC Hughes, FC Davies 4-3-3 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, MC Whittaker, MC Allott, MC Lee, FL Taylor, FR Davies, FC Hughes 3-5-2 GK Fleming, DC Stam, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, WBR Eardley, WBL Taylor, MC Lee, MC Allott, MC Whittaker, FC Hughes, FC Davies, 4-5-1 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, ML Taylor, MR Liddell, MC Lee, MC Allott, MC Whittaker, FC Hughes In my opinion, ALL of the above formations would look somewhat stronger with a natural left back/left winger/bertrand type player in the team. However, I would say our strongest lineup would have to be the 4-3-3, with davies and taylor drifting wide when needed. Opening up the debate to the rest now Edited July 12, 2008 by Lookers_Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I think I prefer anything which puts Eardley in the middle. The 3-5-2 looks very decent IF the players could make it work. I think the big three at the back are all experienced enough to make it happen. I think Lomax would also make a very decent wingback, he strikes me as possibly our fastest player apart from Davies and he could really get up and down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philliggi Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I think I prefer anything which puts Eardley in the middle. The 3-5-2 looks very decent IF the players could make it work. I think the big three at the back are all experienced enough to make it happen. I think Lomax would also make a very decent wingback, he strikes me as possibly our fastest player apart from Davies and he could really get up and down. i actually voted 4-4-3, but i do see where your coming from with a 3-5-2. most people are usually against it, but it worked a treat in the dowie season, and like you say gregan, stam and hazell could quite easily perform that formation without too much hassle. with eardley already on the pitch in the centre, switching back to a flat 4 could be done without too much hassle. either 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 works fine by me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I was going to post this as a reply but its a bit of a lengthy question. Here is a poser regarding formations. For each of the formations, pick the best starting 11 to suit that particular formation from our current squad of players (no another, or new left back etc) Then decide which is the strongest My choices would be as follows 4-4-2 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, MR Liddell, ML Taylor, MC Allott, MC Lee, FC Hughes, FC Davies 4-4-2 Diamond GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Taylor, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, DMC Kalala, MC Allott, MC Lee, AMC Whittaker, FC Hughes, FC Davies 4-3-3 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, MC Whittaker, MC Allott, MC Lee, FL Taylor, FR Davies, FC Hughes 3-5-2 GK Fleming, DC Stam, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, WBR Eardley, WBL Taylor, MC Lee, MC Allott, MC Whittaker, FC Hughes, FC Davies, 4-5-1 GK Fleming, DR Eardley, DL Lomax, DC Hazell, DC Gregan, ML Taylor, MR Liddell, MC Lee, MC Allott, MC Whittaker, FC Hughes In my opinion, ALL of the above formations would look somewhat stronger with a natural left back/left winger/bertrand type player in the team. However, I would say our strongest lineup would have to be the 4-3-3, with davies and taylor drifting wide when needed. Opening up the debate to the rest now Are MC Allott and MC Lee planning on releasing anything over the summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oa_exile Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Are MC Allott and MC Lee planning on releasing anything over the summer? Can see them being released as they are under contract , heard that MC Hammer could be available though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Are MC Allott and MC Lee planning on releasing anything over the summer? I believe they are central to the release strategy of the Latique male cosmetics range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 i actually voted 4-4-3, but i do see where your coming from with a 3-5-2. most people are usually against it, but it worked a treat in the dowie season, and like you say gregan, stam and hazell could quite easily perform that formation without too much hassle. with eardley already on the pitch in the centre, switching back to a flat 4 could be done without too much hassle. either 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 works fine by me 4-4-3 works magnificently for me. As long as the ref doesn't notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolatic Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 As long as you have the right personnel (and we look as though we have with this squad), I think 3-5-2 works well and I'd like to see it used in home matches with maybe a slightly more cautious 4-4-2 away. It's the two systems that can be interchanged if one is not working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footy68 Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Where is the option for a winning formation? I feel confident coming into the season, trust Shez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M_OAFC Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Please can we have an option that says 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and diamond 4-4-2 should all be banned for crimes against entertainment or am I the only one who thinks formations that strangle your attacking width are removing one of the most exciting parts of the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 (edited) Please can we have an option that says 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and diamond 4-4-2 should all be banned for crimes against entertainment or am I the only one who thinks formations that strangle your attacking width are removing one of the most exciting parts of the game? Agree about the so-called, "diamond," it's Football Manager fantasy IMO, but why does 3-5-2 have to be negative? Done well it can be very fluid and give far more attacking options than a standard 4-4-2, even with two wingers. EDIT And I recall Barcalona playing 4-3-3 a few years ago with Rivaldo pulling the strings in the middle. Yawn. Edited July 13, 2008 by leeslover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M_OAFC Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 (edited) Agree about the so-called, "diamond," it's Football Manager fantasy IMO, but why does 3-5-2 have to be negative? Done well it can be very fluid and give far more attacking options than a standard 4-4-2, even with two wingers. With 3-5-2 I just find that your wide men always seem to be picking the ball up far too deep to be effective. They just don't seem to me to get the chance to run at the full back as often and when they do, if they end up running into a bit of a tight spot they've no full back to use to try and work a position for a cross between them. Whenever I watch a game with "wing-backs" I always just find that they spend most of the game getting within about 30/40 yards of the by-line before they end up just playing a 10 yard pass inside to a central midfielder or a hopeful ball into the box that has come from too deep to be effective. Plus it makes the midfield very congested and if you're a footballing side I don't think that does you any favours. Your players end up getting in each others way and all your passes just seem to go sideways. The number of times you see them take 2 passes to get the ball to a man in space out wide when one would have done drives me potty. By the time he gets it he's got less space to work with and passing it throught the other player first is just passing for passing's sake for me. Granted that extra man in the middle is handy when you lose the ball but when you're in possession he just gets in the way for me. The worst of it though is when you get two teams both playing 3-5-2 against each other. Nobody has got room to fart in the middle and the only space at either end of the pitch is in the corners where your back 3 can't stretch itself wide enough and your wing backs are that bit further forward than a full back would be. Both teams therefore just basically dink it into the corner every time they get the ball (bacause that's where the only space on the pitch is) where the attacking team's wing back is too deep to get there first so one of the 3 defenders comes across and hoofs it out for a throw till his team get the ball back and dink it into the corner at the opposite end of the field where the other team's defence knock it out for a throw and the whole cycle repeats itself till every paying customer in the crowd has worked out they are virtually watching rugby union, begs the ref for mercy and :censored:s off to the pub. Saying all that, if somebody told me we were going to play 3-5-2 every week for the next 10 years I'd still be there like the fool I am but my heart would sink at a time when I'm really looking forward to the new season. Each to their own i guess, some people obviously see something in 3-5-2 that i don't and there's nothing wrong with that and if we use it and are top of the league at Christmas I'm sure I'll grow to love it! But at the moment I just find it very dull and uninspiring. Edited July 13, 2008 by M_OAFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Go on, you love it really. Admit it. A lot of what you are saying happens with our current 4-4-2 though. Taylor often receives the ball with the whole opposition to beat rather than running onto it after it's been played through midfield... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't the Dutch the first to really play the 3-5-2 they seemed to get it right. I think it works best when you have 2 defensive midfielders say Eardley and Allot who can give the Back 3 protection allowing the wingers to get forward as often as possible. Pus the 3rd central midfielder has to be your creative linchpin who plays just behind the front two. It can work with the right players it could work aslong as we have a left winger who has a good engine to get back abit of trickery and can deliver a good left footed cross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie_J Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Obvoiusly, I don't know all of the new arrivals well enough to judge yet, but I'd be looking at a 4-4-2 of: GK - Fleming RB - Eardley LB - Lee CB - Hazell CB - Gregan © RM - Taylor CM - Allott CM - Whittaker LM - Davies ST - Hughes ST - O'Grady Subs: Crossley Stam Allesandra Stephens Liddell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slystallone Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 (edited) Obvoiusly, I don't know all of the new arrivals well enough to judge yet, but I'd be looking at a 4-4-2 of: GK - Fleming RB - Eardley LB - Lee CB - Hazell CB - Gregan © RM - Taylor CM - Allott CM - Whittaker LM - Davies ST - Hughes ST - O'Grady Subs: Crossley Stam Allesandra Stephens Liddell 4-3-3 for me. We absolutely murdered Carslile with that formation at home last season; with a front 3 of taylor / lewis & deano. Change a few names to our 'strongest' players and it looks like a front 3 of taylor / hughesy & Craig D. With injuries and suspensions thrown in over the season, that could be changed to accomodate the likes of O'Grady / Lewis / Deano / Liddell etc - it looks really strong that!! Midfield 3 of Allott / Danny Whit & Lee; or Eardley if he's still with us and that looks strong too - i think it's the way t go Edited July 14, 2008 by slystallone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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