Something Has to Change

[ComeOnYouOs]

Richie has to change things, or the current form will see us out of the Auto promotion places for sure. Changing the personel, whilst keeping to the same system, wont do much, I think we need a change of system. Ill come back to that.

Some of the players have lost their individual form too. Tom James looks nothing like the player from last September/October, Theo Archibald looks to have lost a load of quality. He's still trying and working, but so much that worked for him before, isnt coming off now, and he looks very average.

George Moncur....dont get me started on him....he's a waste of a wage IMO. He cant even last 60 mins now, and nothing comes of it, when he has the ball, except a pass back or sideways. I would drop him, but the others i mentioned I would play, and hope they find some form again.

As for the change of system, I suggest we go either 4-4-2, or 3-5-2. both have one thing in common, they incorporate 2 strikers.

Scoring goals, or rather, not scoring goals is our problem, and a more orthodox formation utilising 2 strikers, will help i reckon.

I would also like to see less fannying about when we have the ball in our own half. God sometimes they take 20 passes, when one would do, to push the ball forwards. Drives me mad that. We are not at all direct, and we need to be.

To screw up now, after being top for so long would be the biggest heartbreaker ever, and we've had plenty supporting the O's

C'mon Richie, change things around before its too late

[RedDwarf 1881]

Our strikers couldn’t hit a barn door with a beach ball . If we can bring in anymore players it should be a striker . Hopefully a half decent one . Yes, we’re still top of the league but virtually all our goals have come from other areas of the team.

[Fellowo]

Our strikers couldn’t hit a barn door with a beach ball . If we can bring in anymore players it should be a striker . Hopefully a half decent one .

Could have haaland in the team and he still wouldn't score, there's no one creating anything for a striker to even get a sniff at goal.

[Jeremy Bentham]

Our strikers couldn’t hit a barn door with a beach ball . If we can bring in anymore players it should be a striker . Hopefully a half decent one .

Could have haaland in the team and he still wouldn't score, there's no one creating anything for a striker to even get a sniff at goal.

Pretty much the same problem Chelsea have had in the last few years, no creativity from central midfield or a system of play that opens up defences.

What did Richie change at Swindon, if anything, when they went through a bad spell?

[RedDwarf 1881]

Our strikers couldn’t hit a barn door with a beach ball . If we can bring in anymore players it should be a striker . Hopefully a half decent one .

Could have haaland in the team and he still wouldn't score, there's no one creating anything for a striker to even get a sniff at goal.

Isn’t that supposed to be Moncur’s job and now also Sadlier’s

[PoundhillO]

Richie has to change things, or the current form will see us out of the Auto promotion places for sure. Changing the personel, whilst keeping to the same system, wont do much, I think we need a change of system. Ill come back to that.

Some of the players have lost their individual form too. Tom James looks nothing like the player from last September/October, Theo Archibald looks to have lost a load of quality. He's still trying and working, but so much that worked for him before, isnt coming off now, and he looks very average.

George Moncur....dont get me started on him....he's a waste of a wage IMO. He cant even last 60 mins now, and nothing comes of it, when he has the ball, except a pass back or sideways. I would drop him, but the others i mentioned I would play, and hope they find some form again.

As for the change of system, I suggest we go either 4-4-2, or 3-5-2. both have one thing in common, they incorporate 2 strikers.

Scoring goals, or rather, not scoring goals is our problem, and a more orthodox formation utilising 2 strikers, will help i reckon.

I would also like to see less fannying about when we have the ball in our own half. God sometimes they take 20 passes, when one would do, to push the ball forwards. Drives me mad that. We are not at all direct, and we need to be.

To screw up now, after being top for so long would be the biggest heartbreaker ever, and we've had plenty supporting the O's

C'mon Richie, change things around before its too late

Totally agree with the amount of fannying about with the ball in our own half and the amount of passes when one will do, it drives me bonkers.
It might by some be considered the modern game but it is not entertaining, in fact it’s exacting the opposite when you come obviously to see our team win but equally important to be entertained.

[Hedmans Header]

It’s gotta be 4 4 2 certainly until results improve..

Smith and Sadiler up top we’ve gotta take
the game to the opposition..
Cos at present we’re losing the game regardless
as we don’t create anything, about time we
become less predictable..

[EliotNes]

I would also like to see less fannying about when we have the ball in our own half. God sometimes they take 20 passes, when one would do, to push the ball forwards. Drives me mad that.

This 110%

[Monkey Boy]

Richie has to change things, or the current form will see us out of the Auto promotion places for sure. Changing the personel, whilst keeping to the same system, wont do much, I think we need a change of system. Ill come back to that.

Some of the players have lost their individual form too. Tom James looks nothing like the player from last September/October, Theo Archibald looks to have lost a load of quality. He's still trying and working, but so much that worked for him before, isnt coming off now, and he looks very average.

George Moncur....dont get me started on him....he's a waste of a wage IMO. He cant even last 60 mins now, and nothing comes of it, when he has the ball, except a pass back or sideways. I would drop him, but the others i mentioned I would play, and hope they find some form again.

As for the change of system, I suggest we go either 4-4-2, or 3-5-2. both have one thing in common, they incorporate 2 strikers.

Scoring goals, or rather, not scoring goals is our problem, and a more orthodox formation utilising 2 strikers, will help i reckon.

I would also like to see less fannying about when we have the ball in our own half. God sometimes they take 20 passes, when one would do, to push the ball forwards. Drives me mad that. We are not at all direct, and we need to be.

To screw up now, after being top for so long would be the biggest heartbreaker ever, and we've had plenty supporting the O's

C'mon Richie, change things around before its too late

Couldn’t agree more

[Chief crazy horse]

Agree also. I've been advocating a change of system for a few weeks now. Not necessarily permanent, but give it a different approach for a while.

[LeighO]

Why is it that every time we hit a sticky patch, a cry of 4-4-2 ! goes up?
It’s not a magic formula, guaranteed to bring success, otherwise everyone would use it all the time.

[BiggsyMalone]

Moncur blows out of his arse after 5 mins, let alone 60 mins

[BiggsyMalone]

Why is it that every time we hit a sticky patch, a cry of 4-4-2 ! goes up?
It’s not a magic formula, guaranteed to bring success, otherwise everyone would use it all the time.

This made me laugh. Its more than a sticky patch but I agree with the rest.

[gshaw]

It's been notable during this sticky spell we seem to have been carrying at least one passenger during the game being it Moncur or as it was during Stevenage game a rusty McCart. The latter should improve as he gets more game time but the former not so much. Any time Sotiriou has played it's also like being a man down as he's so ineffective.

Teams have studied us and raised their game to counteract us so we need 11 fit and firing players back at pre-December intensity for starters. Might mean making some difficult decisions on the likes of Moncur for the good of the team. Yes he's a quality player on paper but if he's not even 60-70% fit then what's the point?

Sadlier could replace Moncur in the CAM role, hopefully with El Miz and Pratley alongside so that makes that area look a bit stronger.

A lot then comes down to whether Smyth recovers as getting him and Archibald back creating movement will help too. Unfortunately upfront still looks the unsolvable conundrum. Drinan probably the best bet if he's fully fit to start as Kelman needs some time out the starting lineup to recharge and Smith isn't mobile enough for this system really.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

Agree a big problem has been unfit players. Partly, that’s just bad luck and being forced into it but I also wonder if Wellens needs to trust some of his other squad players. If you are carrying 3 unfit and unsharp players in lyden, mccart and sadlier, plus moncur that’s almost half of your team. You’re never going to put in a non-disjointed performance. I get that you need to get those players fit and sharp but why not play clay in midfield, Thompson in defence and stick with the rest? Feel like Richie is overthinking it little of late. I still have faith in him and his team to turn it around

[Long slender neck]

Yep, there was no need to drop Thompson as CB for the Stevenage game

[gshaw]

Agree a big problem has been unfit players. Partly, that’s just bad luck and being forced into it but I also wonder if Wellens needs to trust some of his other squad players. If you are carrying 3 unfit and unsharp players in lyden, mccart and sadlier, plus moncur that’s almost half of your team. You’re never going to put in a non-disjointed performance. I get that you need to get those players fit and sharp but why not play clay in midfield, Thompson in defence and stick with the rest? Feel like Richie is overthinking it little of late. I still have faith in him and his team to turn it around

Thompson at CB was the one I couldn't fathom, came in albeit with fitness concerns but played really well and kept a clean sheet. Shunted out to RB which most likely explanation was due to the knock-on effect of Moncur not suitable to play in midfield, hence Brown ended up there and not covering the RB role as he normally might. That also meant moving El Miz further forward where he doesn't look anywhere near as effective, knocks the whole balance out.

I think Wellens knows he can't start Clay and play a possession-based midfield game, hence why we had to get El Miz signed in the first place over summer. Unfortunately the disciplinary rushes of blood + injuries + condensed festive fixture schedule showed up the depth issues in the squad. Even the two attacking youth loans Wareham and Duke-McKenna have ended up recalled and injured.

Does come back to the window activity but really if RW doesn't have faith in the likes of Clay as starters we really needed to move them on as surely they won't be getting new contracts come summer?

As above in Wellens we trust, wouldn't like to be him the past few weeks though, must be frustrating knowing what you want to do but being short of the personnel to play it and cover the injuries and suspensions he knew were coming.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

There’s obviously more to having a left footed CB with a right footed one than we know about. Think that’s why. And tbf mccart is probably better with the ball.

Saying all this, at the start of the season we had a settled team who’d been together all pre season and we played the same players in the same spots pretty much throughout august September and October. It’s really hard to pick up after poor results when you only met your winger 12 hours before kick off. A lesson in getting players in earlier, perhaps. But if our discipline gets better and we can keep a core of Vigs, Beckles, el miz and Smyth on the pitch along with the other players getting to know our system our form will pick up soon enough

[Stan1972]

It’s the tempo of the passing, earlier in the season when all was rosey, we were playing 1 touch quick passing, and the tempo was good.
Theo & Smyth was seeing the ball early and running at defenders, creating chances and goals.
Now we are fannying around at the back playing slow passes into CM, and then taking 2 or 3 touches and the forward pass has gone, meaning back we go to start again, ending up with Vigs either punting the ball downfield or a hopeful long diagonal pass, which is ok if you can win 2nd balls, which we can’t at the minute.
Quick 1 touch fast tempo passing is what we need back, I know confidence within the team is at an all time low, but the players need to believe in and trust each other again, give a pass to your teammate even if he has a man up his arse, he will either give it back, turn him or get a foul.
Football is a confidence game, and at the moment we don’t have any.
I don’t know how, but we need a 1-0 win with a 1 yard tap in or OG v Dons next game.
Stop the rot & give us something to build on as yesterday was just not good enough or acceptable.

I just watched NL Wrexham play Prem bound S.Utd off the park, and that’s what we need back in our team, pride and passion, players prepared to die for each other.

[tuffers#1]

Did we play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 today ? asking for a friend

[Chief crazy horse]

I made it a bit of each, if you ask me.

[Top of the JES]

4-2-3-1

[The Big Shot]

Nothing changed, because nothing needed to be changed...........

[The Big Shot]

Richie has to change things, or the current form will see us out of the Auto promotion places for sure. Changing the personel, whilst keeping to the same system, wont do much, I think we need a change of system. Ill come back to that.

Some of the players have lost their individual form too. Tom James looks nothing like the player from last September/October, Theo Archibald looks to have lost a load of quality. He's still trying and working, but so much that worked for him before, isnt coming off now, and he looks very average.

George Moncur....dont get me started on him....he's a waste of a wage IMO. He cant even last 60 mins now, and nothing comes of it, when he has the ball, except a pass back or sideways. I would drop him, but the others i mentioned I would play, and hope they find some form again.

As for the change of system, I suggest we go either 4-4-2, or 3-5-2. both have one thing in common, they incorporate 2 strikers.

Scoring goals, or rather, not scoring goals is our problem, and a more orthodox formation utilising 2 strikers, will help i reckon.

I would also like to see less fannying about when we have the ball in our own half. God sometimes they take 20 passes, when one would do, to push the ball forwards. Drives me mad that. We are not at all direct, and we need to be.

To screw up now, after being top for so long would be the biggest heartbreaker ever, and we've had plenty supporting the O's

C'mon Richie, change things around before its too late

Good thing, he listened to this because what you suggested 100% worked, because you're never wrong