derry

Ramirez is a midfielder, so is Lallana with a front sweeper and three strikers interchanging in a 4123. Our defence needs a hand until we can get in a proper defensive midfielder, we don't need the sort of defending and lack of covering that has been available to date. The strikers and midfielders still have to close down. As you quite rightly say it won't happen as Adkins won't go there. Instead we will have the same old same old against Swansea and we won't have the ball either. No covering, vulnerable down the wings to pace and Schneiderlin ponceing about like a Chanel model. That'll work!

------------------------------------Gazzaniga-------------------------------------- Clyne-----------------Yoshida----------------------------Hooiveld-------------Fox >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --------------------------Ramirez--------------Lallana------------------------------ Mayuka-----------------------------Lambert-----------------------------Rodriguez

We don't need a defensive midfielder that isn't a ball winner, can't be arsed to do a lung bursting run, ever, never gives the ball away because he just unloads it, hits the odd 40 yd crossfield ball that nearly always gets cut out and just chickens out when it really matters. There is no more slack to cut we are in trouble. Adkins is being hung out to dry, his back is to the wall and I sense that avoiding relegation has now become the holy grail not 20k passes in the season.

I just don't get him. The number of 'just unloading passes' he does is enormous. He rarely picks a pass, never gives and goes even when we need to and mostly passes to the nearest player backwards or sideways irrespective of that player getting clattered as a result of the pass. He doesn't tackle, just tries to nick the ball away provided he doesn't get clobbered. The other night wasn't the first time he has chickened out of important challenges but thanks to Gary Neville it has really shown him up. We need a ball winner in front of the back four not a pretty boy pansy that rarely does anything of real value.

You obviously don't understand what a front sweeper does. It's not 5 at the back. It's a defender in front of the back four that is the first to the point of attack right across the field not in front of the centre backs. Ramirez and Lallana don't defend at the moment, for that matter neither do Schneiderlin and Davis. Apart from them pressing the ball the extra defender covers their defensive duties, leaving them relatively free to join the attack.

On loan Sky News.

You can always come up with reasons why things won't work. I'd be interested to know if your football background is playing, managing, coaching or all three and what level, or have you just watched a bit of football.

It looks like the penny is beginning to drop. We need to shore up the defence. Lallana, Ramirez don't defend properly, Schneiderlin and Davis don't tackle and don't cover the defenders, Fox is a poor defender made worse by continually pushing forward. IMO, firstly the back four should concentrate on defending and the full backs should avoid getting pulled out of position and if one does support the attack the other should stay back. Unlike the second goal yesterday both full backs were forward. Secondly put in a defender in front of the back four to cover any gaps. The other five players need to pressurise the ball which we don't do. My view is Gazzaniga in goal, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld and Fox as a back four. Yoshida as the extra defender. The midfield pair Ramirez and Lallana with three strikers, Mayuka, Lambert and Rodriguez. I will say I found it difficult to choose between Fonte and Yoshida as the extra defender and just went for Fonte and Hooiveld as a partners due to the number of games they have played together. I think Schneiderlin and Davis are negative players, poor defensively, we could do without them. The addition of a proper defender in front of the back four should tighten things defensively and allow the talented playmakers the freedom to link with the three strikers.

How right you both are. WBA had proper central midfielders who shut us down and protected the back four. Midfield fulcrum, sideways and backwards, turned his back on Odemwie's shot. Neville showed him up. It's no good having 55% possession in your own half, give the ball away (Davis) in their penalty area and concede a goal, losing 2-0 in the process. I see we got no points for the most passes yet again, but it's definitely the way to get relegated.

It's the attacking full back or midfielder drifting wide that our midfielders have to pick up. One of the problems is that the back four doesn't rotate properly and move across as a unit. If it did it would push the full back tight, but would give depth to the defence. On the other side a midfielder should drop back covering outside/in front of the other full back whilst the central midfielders cover in front of the central defenders.

And the wide midfielders are not helping by not defending properly. That's what comes with thinking players can play 'off the cuff' like Lallana.

I was watching Lallana before he set off on the 'mad thing' runs. He was just dawdling about in midfield watching the play down our right side. There was no reading of the potential threat and when the ball was switched across he was miles away. As the criticism is mainly of Fox, Lallana should get his share. He and Puncheon especially have to wake up and immediately move into a covering position if we lose the ball, that way we screen the back four. Unless Lallana gets a handle on it he should be left out. Mayuka was particularly good in covering after he was brought on. We are conceding twice as many goals as we are scoring and the management are going to have to get ruthless with the so called untouchables unless they defend properly.

I think you missed the point. I was talking about the other players not the back four who are over exposed by the switching off. Lallana and Puncheon against Spurs were poor in that respect. On the other hand Mayuka was very good and very quick to get into an early covering position.

It's easy to blame the defence but that doesn't tell the whole story. The first four games with a substandard goalkeeper plus numerous injuries in the back four. The other six players on the field at any time have been poor in anticipating and closing down threats. Some of the substitutions have been bizarre especially Man Utd. Selecting a club system, 433 without picking the right players to play it. Thinking that passing the ball around in our own half is an end in itself. When really the reason for build up is to allow forwards and midfielders the time to interchange, pull defenders around and make penetrating runs to receive the ball on the end of it, not watch it going round in circles until lost. The only light at the end of the tunnel was the second half v Spurs, getting the ball up to three strikers quickly and supporting from midfield made a lot more sense.

It's not about steel it's about not switching off. As long as midfielders/forwards stop playing continue to spectate and don't sharpen up their thinking in anticipating the next threat the defenders won't cope. It needs a smart retired top class defensive player who is already coaching to sort out the individuals. It doesn't need a permanent contract more a consultant who could be available, as I said before Gary Neville or somebody like him. It's about brains not brawn.

Yes, because it's about the covering players and front men to be made more aware of what they can do to help out. It's no good players like Lallana sprinting thirty yards and being too late to challenge. Instead when the opponents have the ball attacking, they should be shown that the twenty seconds they had spent prior to that, strolling/trotting, ball watching, should have been used to spot the next threat and move back into a defensive position early enough to block off the potential threat. It's the discipline enforced in good teams. Somebody like Gary Neville, wouldn't come cheap, but a massive step up from anyone we employ.

Pace should always be a criteria when signing players. In the top teams hardly any players lack pace. Being slow is a massive weakness unless the other considerations, control, anticipation, accuracy, change of pace balance that. Eg Lambert lacks pace but he has all the other attributes.

You are so right. Adkins has to start picking teams that click not names on a team sheet. The only way we will be able to play 433 is put the three strikers up front and then three from Ramirez, Schneiderlin, Lallana and Davis. How many holding players that don't defend do we need FFS.

IMO if Adkins doesn't start the team that was improved immensely on Sunday by adding Mayuka to the other two strikers in a 433 that actually worked, he's daft, it will just be another failure. Ramirez and Cork on the bench after their lay offs should be as far as it goes. Ramirez hasn't played for five weeks, Cork was pretty poor v Sheff Wed after six weeks out and has been out another five weeks since then and both will need games to get match fit. The only doubt should be the Boruc situation/Gazzaniga to come back in. Having said that I can see another compromise team coming that more than likely won't be good enough.

Good job there are three statues. A footballer, you must be joking. For me RJ Mitchell, designed the Spitfire the outstanding fighter of the war. Died of cancer not long after he got the prototype flown. It made the difference in the battle of Britain. Only 1/3 by numbers over the Hurricane but it was superior to the Bf109 the best German fighter due to it's wing and all metal construction. Famous German fighter leader Adolph Galland was asked by Goering during the battle if he wanted anything, his famous reply, 'Spitfires'.

At last somebody gets it. It's the movement of the three strikers that is the key. 433 won't work if it's just a modified 442 with one of the strikers dropped back with the same personnel it needs the three strikers not wide players.

For the first time on Sunday we had a real piece of luck. Adkins has been trying all sorts of combinations to get the policy 433 to work, on Sunday he found out who could make it work. Three strikers, that's what made it work, not only up front, it took a load off the shoulders of the midfield and the back four because the opposition, 4th in the league, were having to defend and barely hanging on. Having to replace Puncheon who was giving the ball away regularly and was inneffective with really his only option, Mayuka was that piece of luck because immediately it clicked with Lambert and Rodriguez and all three pulled Spurs all over the place with our midfielders pouring through the gaps, we looked a totally different team. The problem could be that Adkins didn't recognise that bit of luck and go back to the same old that won't work on Monday. On Monday when the team is read out we will know whether he is a decent manager or not. It was great to see us leave three up at corners, two wide and Lambert in the middle marked by four defenders, two Spurs midfielders halfway, one taking the corner and only three attackers marked by seven defenders. I know there is a time and place for everything but I think it is something we should do a lot more often. I think we just invite trouble defending with 10/9 and 0/1 left up.

I think one of the big mistakes we made this year was to think we would be able to make the massive step up, then keep the ball by passing it around in our own half against such opposition. We need variation, the best team have no problems in hitting 30 yd through balls or putting in loads of crosses. Let's get back to playing the way we can and start by raising the tempo and pressurising the opposition then getting the ball up to the front runners quickly.

433 worked with three strikers because of a bit of pace and striker movement, it won't work with static wide men. It has to be Mayuka, Lambert and Rodriguez at the front to make that work. Mayuka and Rodriguez are both decent at closing down wide and anticipating the full back threat. Davis holding in midfield with Schneiderlin and Lallana attacking when possible. I like Reeves and even if Fox was in the back four we would give goals away on our left. I think I'd like to see a back four of Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, and Reeves. But Gazzaniga should play in goal. I just hope we don't go 451 as a basic system, in spite of the fact 433 at times defending can become 451. Furthermore leave the three strikers up at defensive corners as we did v Spurs in the second half.

What went wrong tonight has gone wrong before tonight in the league. We picked a system and stuck a bunch of players into positions they weren't comfortable in. We picked 451 and shoehorned in the players. To start with the attitude of the club in this cup was wrong, we aren't interested but the worst thing is the amateurish way we are selecting the team. OK, I can go along with using this group of players but not the way we selected them. The back 5 is a formation that is no problem it's the way the rest line up that troubles me. If the club weren't that bothered about the result, so losing isn't a problem, why didn't we give it a go instead of playing 5 in the middle and only Mayuka up front. I personally felt that we would have been better with this group to play 442 with a middle four of Guly, JWP, Chaplow and SDR, with Lee and Mayuka up front. If 433 was used, the front could have been Mayuka, Lee and SDR with a middle of Guly, Chaplow and JWP either would have been better than the sterile 451. Last Sunday we found out how to make 433 work by accident, play three strikers with a bit of pace and interchange. It's not a rigid formation like 442 it is designed for improvisation. 451 is a chickensh1t formation with the players Saints have, it can happen transitionally as a result of playing 433 but shows a defeatest attitude if it is selected that way. We have to get away from the stupidity of selecting a system then putting in the players. We have to see which is our best team and put it out in a formation that gets the best out of those players. All players can usually play in a certain way, two players together can conflict whereas one of them with a different player can be a revelation. It's the same with our 433, picking the usual players doesn't balance but put Mayuka in with Lambert and Rodriguez suddenly make three up front work. Switch Schneiderlin and Davis's roles and the midfield is suddenly more positive. What does worry me is the inability of the management for whatever reason to pick a team that works. The last half hour was accidentally the best we have been all season. Why do I say accidentally? because changing the underperforming Puncheon for Mayuka was the only change that made any sense from those available, also if he had known the difference it would make he would have started Mayuka. The goalkeeper position is still a problem, IMO in the games I've seen, Davis looks out of his depth, Boruc unconvincing and a bit immobile, Gazzaniga, young but a real talent and not to blame for either of the own goals in his last game and our best keeper. Talk of Gazzaniga going out on loan is crass stupidity. Boruc might have played 200+ games for Celtic, that's a lot of games leaning against the post watching crap. I don't give a damn about reputations but the two games he's played to date haven't been impressive.