Full Backs

[Guest sheridans_world]

So after many arguements (mainly between me and Fin about selling Neal Eardley) i have decided to pose the question.

 

Are full backs useful in the modern game?

 

I believe that they support the wingers, the over-lap is a very good technique to use, while I like a solid defence i think that having 6 players in a team involved in an attack rather than just 3 or 4 is brilliant.

 

The argument (well ok, discussion) between me and Fin basically had two points of view.

 

One - Sell up, full backs are useless in this division.(Fin's)

 

the other - full backs are crucial (see all points above - thats my opinion btw )

 

 

Thoughts?

[Butter]

So after many arguements (mainly between me and Fin about selling Neal Eardley) i have decided to pose the question.

 

Are full backs useful in the modern game?

 

I believe that they support the wingers, the over-lap is a very good technique to use, while I like a solid defence i think that having 6 players in a team involved in an attack rather than just 3 or 4 is brilliant.

 

The argument (well ok, discussion) between me and Fin basically had two points of view.

 

One - Sell up, full backs are useless in this division.(Fin's)

 

the other - full backs are crucial (see all points above - thats my opinion btw )

Thoughts?

 

Full backs are more than useful, especially our right hand side with Liddell, overlaps are needed to create the space for him to whip a cross in as obviously he doesnt have the legs to beat a man anymore.

[The Blue Real]

So after many arguements (mainly between me and Fin about selling Neal Eardley) i have decided to pose the question.

 

Are full backs useful in the modern game?

 

I believe that they support the wingers, the over-lap is a very good technique to use, while I like a solid defence i think that having 6 players in a team involved in an attack rather than just 3 or 4 is brilliant.

 

The argument (well ok, discussion) between me and Fin basically had two points of view.

 

One - Sell up, full backs are useless in this division.(Fin's)

 

the other - full backs are crucial (see all points above - thats my opinion btw )

Thoughts?

 

Yes full backs are useful in the morden game, but if you have got your full back over lapping

you will need to have your winger to drop back to cover where he has left a gap at the back or your

full back has to be quick to be able to get back in place!!!!

[thetramfixer]

this is an easy one for me....

 

always remember 'puddin in a muffin' rampaging down the left to supplement 'tricky' and more recently chris armstrong doing the overlap with eyrsie!! (fnarr fnarr!)

 

fantastic football to watch when it happens!

[Blue_Guru]

Theres no debate in my eyes im a right back and i think bobbing on is the best way to create attacks rather than relying solely on a winger.

[TawnyOwl]

So far it is one way traffic, 4-4-2 is the way forward

 

Full Backs are extremely useful and their crossing just has to be as good as the wingers in front of them!

 

Full stop. No argument about it.

[Bristolatic]

Full backs are more than useful, especially our right hand side with Liddell, overlaps are needed to create the space for him to whip a cross in as obviously he doesnt have the legs to beat a man anymore.

 

........ and Eardley shows time after time the value of an overlapping full back. I can remember Bob Ledger doing it in the sixties before it became fashionable.

[Guest oa_exile]

So far it is one way traffic, 4-4-2 is the way forward

 

Every other formation and we have been poor 4-4-3 , 4-5-1 , 3-5-2 (hoof)

[leeslover]

Every other formation and we have been poor 4-4-3 , 4-5-1 , 3-5-2 (hoof)

Not sure about that, what about the revolutionary 4-0-6 we used against West Ham back in the day?

[futchers briefs]

John Ryan and Paul Atkinson...Quality!!!

[Guest oa_exile]

Not sure about that, what about the revolutionary 4-0-6 we used against West Ham back in the day?

 

Quoting recent times LL

[BigfinLatic]

So after many arguements (mainly between me and Fin about selling Neal Eardley) i have decided to pose the question.

 

The argument (well ok, discussion) between me and Fin basically had two points of view.

 

One - Sell up, full backs are useless in this division.(Fin's)

 

the other - full backs are crucial (see all points above - thats my opinion btw )

Thoughts?

 

 

Right then - misquoted as always, here I come to explain myself yet again!

 

I never, ever, ever, said that a good attacking full back is not worth his weight in gold in this division, I just have yet to see a decent one... and the way some of the lesser teams play, you need to have a solid full back, rather than an attacking player...

 

Remmeber Northampton away??? remmeber Millwall at home?? These teams were bobbins, except for the tactic of bombing balls accross the pitch to a tall man at the back post, and it caused us problems time and time again.... Blackpool and Scunthorpe... the two best teams in the division last season - all they did was have a totally solid back 4 - thier priorities were to defend, and leave the attacking to the wingers and forwards - they kknew thier limitiations, and stayed back - and helped thier team win....

 

Right - so here is my issue - If we could find this magical full back who can defend and attack then brill - crack on... but so many times you see the full back half heartedly plod forward... cross and hit the first defender, and then be caught out of position.... Blackpool at home anyone??? for me, i'd rather see the guy defend... and 99% of full backs in div 3 cannot do both...

 

Eardley is a seperate matter... he will be a top, top class full back - but not as an Oldham player.... and last season he was a prime culprit of abysmal distribution and being caught out of position... he is still learning, and next season he will be one of the best full back in the division... bu the way football in this league is played he will still be caught out for bad positioning.... and most importantly lack of height and strength... for me, £1m in cash would do very nicely, and get someone who is solid in instead... and a new right winger (the lids thread is another seperate debate...)

 

Right... thats it... I would love a brilliant, strong, attacking full back... but it aint gonna happen chaps, so would rather see a strong solid one... and dont even get me started on my worries for Alan Wright...

 

The ful back is the most functional position in this division... and an asset, who we will not see the best of who plays there, should be sold...

 

[paulgard]

quite simple really bigfin,when the fullback bombs forward one of the holding midfielders goes across and fills in,and when teams are pinging long balls to their big man who has moved out wide surely the centrehalf who is marking him should go with him and eardley should move inside,its called "BASICS".No fullback in this division will not be sold for 1million+ just cos he can defend,he needs to have more about him.

[BigfinLatic]

quite simple really bigfin,when the fullback bombs forward one of the holding midfielders goes across and fills in,and when teams are pinging long balls to their big man who has moved out wide surely the centrehalf who is marking him should go with him and eardley should move inside,its called "BASICS".No fullback in this division will not be sold for 1million+ just cos he can defend,he needs to have more about him.

 

Yet again, not what i'm saying.... Eardley will be sold for a big sum as he definately has the potential to do it all... you are quite right, no full back will be sold for big bucks simply if he is a rock... but at this level, it is still my opinion that this is all you should ask for...

 

You are right with your BASICS statement also - however, this is again lots to ask for at this level.... and it just pulls the shape of the team apart too much and players do not have the brain to cover..... hence why they play at this level... its retrospective, but how many times did we caught out last season as haining went to sleep and didnt cover eardley... but hey, good luck st mirren...

 

My point on basics is this - in this league i'm firmly of the mindset that players should be there to do a job... and thats pretty much that... the ones who can fill in and play in avariety of positions are in the champ or prem.... here, I want full backs who are solid, wingers who are quick, dogs of war midfielders, and strikers who are big, solid and work thier socks off... and more for me is a radical bonus... If you get a team who wins all thier individual battles, with a bit of pace, and are strong you win this league.... step forward Scunthorpe....

 

We will get bombarded in games next season... and if our centre backs are spending all thier time covering the channels then we are gonna get ripped apart... I just think we need a third big defender - thats all.... Eards is always in my starting line up, but someone who is even smaller than him on the other flank is worrying.....

 

Its the only part of our team that worries me (oh sorry, liddell *cough* pants *cough* ) so it cant be that bad...!

[Hometownclub]

I agree with you on a couple of points BFL.

I also dont think you are going to get these full backs who are rock solid defensively, but can bomb forward and overlap and produce pinpoint crosses but still get back, at our level if they are that good they are playing at a higher level.

I also share your concerns about Alan Wright and his height (or lack of it) with Eardley at right back as well, we would have easily the smallest full backs in the division by some way and teams will notice this and exploit it.

I think it would make us very vulnerable to far post crosses as these two aren't going to win much in the air and would result in the centre halfs being dragged out of position trying to cover for them.

[leeslover]

Thing is though that Wright played for years in the Premiership and Eardley has every chance of doing so in the future. Players are a lot bigger in the higher divisions and it's hardly as if better teams don't know the trick of playing a crossfield ball beyond the CBs. As for getting caught out when the FBs are up the pitch, isn't that about the structure of the whole team? If both FBs are attacking then at least one of the CMs should be holding back to cover, giving at least 3 players to cover a break at a time when the opposition wide men are more than likely to be pinned back in their own end.

[Guest oa_exile]

Thing is though that Wright played for years in the Premiership and Eardley has every chance of doing so in the future. Players are a lot bigger in the higher divisions and it's hardly as if better teams don't know the trick of playing a crossfield ball beyond the CBs. As for getting caught out when the FBs are up the pitch, isn't that about the structure of the whole team? If both FBs are attacking then at least one of the CMs should be holding back to cover, giving at least 3 players to cover a break at a time when the opposition wide men are more than likely to be pinned back in their own end.

 

Have you let Shez in on that ?