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Formation
Topic Started: Oct 4 2011, 09:01 AM (2,121 Views)
reekie
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lum raker
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Here's a crazy idea.
We've got three decent centre-backs, two of whom can also operate as full-backs.
We're also suffering from an embarrassment of centre-midfielders and there's a consensus that Willo is wasted 'out wide'.
Meanwhile, a lot of our attacking threat comes from our left full-back and we would mostly all like to see two up front.
All of this would certainly seem to indicate we've the team for a fairly conventional 3-5-2.
What about...

Pernis
Dillon - Kenneth - Gunning
Watson - Flood -Armstrong - Rankin - Dixon
Daly - Swanson

You could put Banks in instead if you prefer.
Likewise, we've LDV, Russell, Robertson, GMS and Dow.

I will now take thoughts from the floor...
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Setenza
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Knitting with only one needle
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It kind of makes sense. I do like 5 in midfield, but think that we'd struggle out wide too much, and can't really use MackeyStevens, Dow or Russell out wide, since they can't defend.

I think we need to accept that some players won't play rather than trying to fit them all in. Robertson / Flood / Rankin midfield stuggles unless Swason drops in and creates something. So I like putting Armstrong in there at the expence of one of them, he'll get forward and can set things up. Or Swanson in the middle.

If Dillon is better at centre back than Kenneth/Gunning, then one of them needs to go.

I'm happy with daly up front alone, so long as we get someone supporting. Dalla Valle can be a sub.

Rather than formation, I think the lineup needs a bit of freshening up, and a few players taking time on the bench.
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Naebody
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Twat
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Throwing in an extra body at full-back is a decent enough idea to cover of Kenneth's deficiencies, but solving that one problem creates several elsewhere.

Firstly, it asks too much of Dixon. Secondly, it invites Watson to run into the space in front of him (which risks both his bambi-like legs and his bambi-like positional sense). Thirdly, it does nothing to address what I guess is the main issue, which is the lack of a competent holding midfielder. There would still be a 20-yard void ahead of the defensive line in which teams are permitted to wander freely.

Personally, I'd go with a 4411 but try and arrange the midfield as a sum-of-the-parts rather than just a collection of the most expensive bodies. This involves a couple of unpopular decisions. See if you can spot them:

Watson, Gunning, Kenneth, Dixon
. Russell, Dillon, Rankin, Douglas
.......... Swanson, Daly

Swanson with a free role and Dillon as the water carrier.
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The Eggman
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Tommy McLean
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What's happened to Robertson? He was a really good holding midfielder.

I'm not a fan of 3-5-2. The wingbacks need to have excellent fitness and position sense.

------------------Pernis

Watson---Dillon---Kenneth---Dixon

--------Robertson Rankin---------

---Flood------------------Armstrong/Douglas

--------------Swanson-------------

-----------------Daly-----------------
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Micky
Gordon Chisholm
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The Eggman
Oct 4 2011, 01:19 PM
What's happened to Robertson? He was a really good holding midfielder.

I'm not a fan of 3-5-2. The wingbacks need to have excellent fitness and position sense.

------------------Pernis

Watson---Dillon---Kenneth---Dixon

--------Robertson Rankin---------

---Flood------------------Armstrong/Douglas

--------------Swanson-------------

-----------------Daly-----------------
Works for me, but on current form I'd much rather have Gunning in there than Kenneth.
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Setenza
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Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 12:49 PM
Throwing in an extra body at full-back is a decent enough idea to cover of Kenneth's deficiencies, but solving that one problem creates several elsewhere.

Firstly, it asks too much of Dixon. Secondly, it invites Watson to run into the space in front of him (which risks both his bambi-like legs and his bambi-like positional sense). Thirdly, it does nothing to address what I guess is the main issue, which is the lack of a competent holding midfielder. There would still be a 20-yard void ahead of the defensive line in which teams are permitted to wander freely.

Personally, I'd go with a 4411 but try and arrange the midfield as a sum-of-the-parts rather than just a collection of the most expensive bodies. This involves a couple of unpopular decisions. See if you can spot them:

Watson, Gunning, Kenneth, Dixon
. Russell, Dillon, Rankin, Douglas
.......... Swanson, Daly

Swanson with a free role and Dillon as the water carrier.
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.

At least no-one's put Allan in there yet...
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Naebody
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Twat
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Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
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Setenza
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Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 02:30 PM
Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
I do have a host of memories of games when he's played there to back up my argument. It started well for 1 game, then it went terribly. In some of the games with Dillon holding in midfield, we played worse than we did at the weekend.

Robertson, Flood and Rankin don't look at all like scoring.
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reekie
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lum raker
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Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 02:30 PM
Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
I'm afraid I have to concur with Naebs there, Setenza.
Season before last, when we had our midfield crisis, Dillon played several games there and was most people's MoM.
Likewise, Rankin's been our most effective attacking midfielder this season by a mile.

As to the 3-5-2, I should have been clearer. Robertson would never again be referred to by anyone ever again as a box-to-box midfielder.
Instead, he would be assigned the task of protecting the back-three, breaking up opposition attacks centrally and recycling the play. Mark Kerr mark II, if you will.
Plus, I genuinely believe our full-backs could do this job. Dixon practically does it anyway and any defensive negligence by Watson would be off-set by the permanent back-three plus Robertson.
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Setenza
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reekie
Oct 4 2011, 03:04 PM
Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 02:30 PM
Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
I'm afraid I have to concur with Naebs there, Setenza.
Season before last, when we had our midfield crisis, Dillon played several games there and was most people's MoM.
Likewise, Rankin's been our most effective attacking midfielder this season by a mile.
Our most effective attacking midfielder with no goals and a couple of assists at most? I think Swanson has more goals / assists.
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reekie
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lum raker
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Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 03:07 PM
reekie
Oct 4 2011, 03:04 PM
Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 02:30 PM
Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
I'm afraid I have to concur with Naebs there, Setenza.
Season before last, when we had our midfield crisis, Dillon played several games there and was most people's MoM.
Likewise, Rankin's been our most effective attacking midfielder this season by a mile.
Our most effective attacking midfielder with no goals and a couple of assists at most? I think Swanson has more goals / assists.
I knew as soon as I'd posted that that needed clarification!
Swanson is, of course, far and away our most creative attacking player, but from the central mids we have, Rankin's been contributing loads.
The Hibs game summed him up for me. Breaking beyond the strikers, getting shots in and playing excellent, intelligent through-balls.
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Naebody
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Twat
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As I think I've mentioned elsewhere, the limited evidence I've been exposed to would suggest Rankin and Swanson play nicely together. The problem would seem to be behind them, where Robertson's having a horse and Flood has yet to figure out what he's supposed to be doing. That's the area that needs fixed.

Seems to me, Setenza, that only a fool would break something that's working in the hope of repairing something that isn't. No offence.
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Ivan
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F*cking plebs.
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Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 02:55 PM
Naebody
Oct 4 2011, 02:30 PM
Setenza
Oct 4 2011, 01:49 PM
Dillon destroys the team when he plays there rather than help it. It's like playing with a flat back 5 he sits so deep. I think that rather than defensively, it's the attacking one of the midfield that that's problem. Rankin or Robertson can do enough of the desfensive aspect, but neither get forward effectively.
I disagree with every single word of that.
I do have a host of memories of games when he's played there to back up my argument. It started well for 1 game, then it went terribly. In some of the games with Dillon holding in midfield, we played worse than we did at the weekend.

Robertson, Flood and Rankin don't look at all like scoring.
Yeah, Dillon sits too deep in midfield. He draws the rest of the team back and gets in the road of the centrebacks. I disagree about Rankin though. He's had a number of good efforts and will get more chances if the team as a whole clicks.

I'd have Allan in the team in a 4-4-2 or Swanson playing number 10 in a 4-4-1-1.


Dillon - Kenneth - Gunning - Dixon

Swanson - Allan - Rankin - Mackay-Steven/Dow

Daly - Russell

or

Dillon - Kenneth - Gunning - Dixon

Flood - Robertson - Rankin - Mackay-Steven/Dow

------------ Swanson

------------ Russell
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Ivan
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F*cking plebs.
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reekie
Oct 4 2011, 03:04 PM

Season before last, when we had our midfield crisis, Dillon played several games there and was most people's MoM.
I'd be careful listening to that sort.
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Naebody
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Twat
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Ivan
Oct 4 2011, 03:52 PM
Dillon - Kenneth - Gunning - Dixon

Flood - Robertson - Rankin - Mackay-Steven/Dow

------------ Swanson

------------ Russell
You'd drop Daly when he's averaging a goal a game? f*ck sake. Boo. Totally f*cking boo.
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