5-2-2-1…. Does anyone enjoy this formation?

[Arsenal Of The North]

So we were having a discussion this evening, how the above formation seems to have sucked the excitement out of football, not just our team, but even at elite level, only at the upper end of the pyramid they have world class players who can magic something up out of nothing.

It’s massively defensive (which we can’t even make work for us) we don’t have pacey full backs to assist with attacks, we have wingers who are massively ineffective, and a striker who doesn’t know how to hold a ball up or let alone trap a ball with one touch.

It’s easy to react to one bad preformance but we have seen this for half the season now.

We don’t play through midfield and if we manage to play it forward it breaks straight back down.

We don’t have the players for this system! DS needs to see this and work out a plan for the players we do have.

It makes no odds now anyway, season is over. 

[BillyStubbsTears]

We still wouldn't win a second ball with that extra man.

[bpoolrover]

There was no need for this formation, Harrogate played 5 and 6 behind the ball in the first half, brown and rowe are not full backs that get in behind the defence so we had no attacking intent again

[StocksArmy]

I  personally dont have a problem with the formation but, you just need the players to play it and we havent. If Rowe and Brown are wing backs then Hurst and Molyneux need to drift closer to the striker, allow the wing backs space to run into and give people options and link play. We then need them as willing runners to close space and win the ball back fast high up the pitch when we concede posession. But we are a team full of f@cking dead legs and our only athletic player is a centre half. Weve tried 442 against Hartlepool and it borderlined tonights whatever it was. You only have to look at Liverpool when they play at their best to understand that the formation can work but, intensity is an absolute must when you set up that way and we dont have even a tiny bit of that which again comes down to shambolic recruitment. Its not the formation, its the personel for me. But why hes so arrogant to think it will all click into place with this group is beyond me. He may aswell go 433 and if we get a battering because we are wide open he can at least say we went for it. What has he got to lose now?

[Alan Southstand]

His job?

[roversdude]

I think Brown was playing with his laces tied together zero commitment to get back when he lost the ball should never be allowed near the first team again

[Branton Red]

5-2-2-1…. Does anyone enjoy this formation?

Yes of course.

Our opponents.

[drfchound]

I think Brown was playing with his laces tied together zero commitment to get back when he lost the ball should never be allowed near the first team again

And to think that people slagged off Halliday and Knoyle, and of course Danny Andrew at LB.

[The Beast]

My worry is when we went 4 at the back we were absolutely atrocious, granted our best centre half went off. Our midfield is not good enough to play 4 at the back and we haven't got a decent full back, missing Maxwell.
The worrying thing to me tonight was for two years we've had a massive injury list and you're always kinda thinking things will get better, tonight we weren't that far from full strength and we were  totally abject.

[DonnyOsmond]

My worry is when we went 4 at the back we were absolutely atrocious, granted our best centre half went off. Our midfield is not good enough to play 4 at the back and we haven't got a decent full back, missing Maxwell.
The worrying thing to me tonight was for two years we've had a massive injury list and you're always kinda thinking things will get better, tonight we weren't that far from full strength and we're totally abject.

Aye, we were crap the other week when we went to 4 at the back too yet people keep calling for it.

[anton123]

5-2-1-2 would suit us better but Danny just won’t change , we was crying for some support for lavery last night so that first sub should be a sackable offence , truly shocking

[Ronnie Dovers]

I agree, playing a formation that allows us to keep 3 at the back, while also having 2 strikers and Hurst playing behind them (or possibly Molyneux) feels like our best option. Despite the result, the period in the second half against Mansfield where we played with that attacking setup is the best we've attacked for a long time. Possibly all season.

[ravenrover]

3 at the back against one attacker does not make sense to me

[ncRover]

I think Brown was playing with his laces tied together zero commitment to get back when he lost the ball should never be allowed near the first team again

Another one who isn’t good enough.

[One_Matty_Lucas]

Interesting comment from James Maxwell on comms last game.
He said that the gaffer wants eventually to have a 4-4-2 formation, but we would need a full pre-season to get up to speed with that.

[normal rules]

Interesting comment from James Maxwell on comms last game.
He said that the gaffer wants eventually to have a 4-4-2 formation, but we would need a full pre-season to get up to speed with that.

They need a couple of proven goals scorers too.

[Reg of the Rovers]

5-2-1-2 would suit us better but Danny just won’t change , we was crying for some support for lavery last night so that first sub should be a sackable offence , truly shocking

Every change should he made should be a sackable offence - couldn't see we were desperate for support up top and went like-for-like - and Lavery looked fuming when he came off, dragged our most creative player who had their defense panicking and making fouls, and dragged our best defender. I can't see him getting sacked as the Board would be more-or-less admitting that that they've made three (or four with Butler) terrible terrible appointments in a row which cast more spotlight on the whole leadership set-up at a time when discontent is starting to really grow. But something has to change, we kicked off with only 5k fans, and at the final whistle there was just a few hundred. It isn't working for Danny, that formation and style - so either he needs to change it, or we need to change him.   

[Sammy Chung was King]

You need excellent passers of the ball to play this way. You need quick attackers, we have neither, the team in this formation is disjointed and easy to beat.