derry

So we didn't create loads of chances just a bit of pressure and a few shots blocked and the usual poor corners. We allow the defences to compact and cope comfortably with our lack of pace.

And to do that they need the time made by the ball going down the lines. Whacking balls up to the strikers means they can't get forward.

It will have to happen, they are just putting off the day.

Fine but we still aren't scoring with him there and he is a fullback and shows it. You asked me what I wanted them to do. N'Diaye is an unknown quantity so nobody really knows, but he might give Lambert and Saganowski the help to start scoring. Neither have managed a league goal yet this season from play.

The problem is for this Tuesday not Christmas. Sort it short term then find the long term solution.

It's not the bloody rebuilding FFS it's the fact we lack width and pace down the flanks. That is something the management could sort by making the players play wide. But shoehorning unsuitable favourite players lacking the ability to get down the lines and cross in these positions is most of the problem. Sooner or later they are going to have to leave them out and bring in proper replacements.

Initially Holmes wide left, N'Diaye wide right, then a loan wide right and if Holmes isn't doing the job a loan wide left, The loan window closes 26th Nov and we can play up to 5 loans at any one time. There is no criteria stopping us bringing in loans except balancing the books and getting players out.

It might seem like that but the problem of lack of width and pace is there week in week out and looks no nearer to being resolved. I'm thinking maybe the time has come to complete the replacement with new players those positions not yet replaced.

Three league goals from play in nine games one from Harding is disgraceful. Lack of width and pace are the main problem but nothing changes and we can't score from play. Until the manager sorts it, but at the moment there is little sign, it will continue to blight our recovery.

Thirty seconds in after the hair dryer treatment we would be playing like champions.

That's the sum of it. The lack of width is killing us. If Holmes is fit he could help us on the left. Apparently they were setting up plays this week with wingers and fullbacks overlapping and his crossing was spot on. I'd take a punt on Waigo wide right and the two centre forwards up front. Until they solve that problem they are going nowhere. Let me know if you are and we will try and meet up. JH and AW are always around also a few of us on here meet up once a month Weston, FF, Teddy Nutkins, Corsacar Saint, Exit2.

The patience of Job is needed here Bill. Every week it is the same narrow crap, snatched chances from scraps with loads of defenders doubling up because we are so narrow with no pace. Adam Leitch of the Echo was the co commentator and said we were better in the first half but no pace and became narrow with no pace in the second half. N'Diaye and Holmes seemed to liven things up a bit, Lallana played his usual three positions. I'd like to see a team without him for once to see if we could possibly look like a football team. Only three goals from play in nine games one by a full back is a hell of an indictment on the way we play. We started the season 10 points off safety and we are still 10 points off safety 9 games in. The cup winning team photo was in the pink last week.

I didn't say width is everything, what I did say is that lack of it is stopping us scoring goals from play. Gillett isn't the answer to the right wide problem, neither are Lallana, Mellis and James. In the interim I think he might possibly make a better fist of it than the other three. He certainly wouldn't be any worse. Another way may be to play Holmes on the right with Mills left. Saganowski played there for Poland and might be worth a try. I'm suggesting alternatives pending a proper solution which unless N'diaye is the answer isn't available within the present staff. I'm looking for alternatives to the present dilemma not presenting it as a solution.

At least somebody sees the problem. We can't play an advanced interchanging system wide as the players aren't up to it. Holmes will play wide and I have seen him play, he works hard wide and gets to the byeline and hangs up crosses on the back post. I would like to see Gillett given a go wide right, he is busy, right sided and can cross and would play wide as he did well in the Stoke friendly last year. Unless we play down the touchlines after the central midfielders spread the play they don't have time to make the runs into the box. At the moment they can't get up to support the strikers because we are so narrow and the shallow balls up to the strikers are leaving them no time to get forward. Because we are so narrow the central midfielders pass it sideways and more often than not it ends up going back to the back four and then the goalkeeper to be then hit long. All this could be alleviated with two wide players, the blindside player can come in on the 45 and attack the back post and the two central midfielders can make runs and support the strikers who also can now pull away and take the defenders away to make space for the runners then peel off back into the box. The movement then created causes the best defences problems.

Of course they do, it's just that they don't use orthodox wingers they interchange and usually two or three players play out on the touchlines. No decent team plays narrow they all exploit width. As soon as one comes inside another goes down the touchline. Lack of width is a fundamental weakness with us and our paltry three goals from play in eight games is in the main down to that. Our players are pretty poor and I wouldn't expect them to interchange in the same way but we would improve if the wide midfielders played wide.

After writing the following I read your post on the Papa injury thread. Quite how you can revert to sarcasm about the opinions of people that have actually seen him play when all you know is how to spell his name is stupidity. The width is paramount, a smart last defender will just step up, the attacker will have to bend his runs or start in his own half not to be offside. In any event if we stay narrow without pace down the flanks there won't be anywhere for him to run. On Saturday in the few minutes he was on, he was caught offside on nearly every occasion he was put through, wide or central but he does have pace and he has more chance of staying onside wide. He had a lot more room as Yeovil were two goals down and leaving space at the back. At 0-0 he may well find the clattering he would get from centre backs difficult with the ball being belted up to him and Lambert. Pardew is obviously not happy about him at the moment or he would be playing somewhere, together with the fact he didn't perform particularly well before he was clattered against Reading reserves.

Or catch him offside. We need to get down the touchlines. Sticking to a narrow formation forces aimless balls, we need to get some space between the back four which will allow runs through the channels, without width it just can't happen.

I've always felt that Dyer could have been potent but he always made the mistake of running with the ball close, taking lots of touches and trying to trick the defender, more often than not being stopped in his tracks. He consequentley didn't use his pace, he also tended to be narrow. If he had taken the ball close to the defender and knocked it ten yds down the touchline, then used his pace and knocked it towards the corner and ran the covering defender he may well have been more effective and dragged the central defenders out of the middle. It seemed that he had no coaching in how best to use his pace running without the ball close. Adding that to the close control could have made him a big threat. I would certainly take him on our right side.

This is historical and goes back some time. I would go so far as to say we shouldn't sign anyone who doesn't have pace. For me it is Pace Then Quality. One without the other is useless leading in our case to a lot of reasonable players lacking pace.

The attack isn't just the two strikers but we don't seem to know that. Two wide men would allow time for the two central midfielders to get up in support. I wouldn't criticise the two strikers as they have a thankless task and need support and service. The two strikers are just feeding off scraps and we are toothless, 8 games, 7 goals, three penalties, one header from a corner and a fullback from a knockdown. The other two goals, Paterson in the first game and Lallana's first league goal in a year.

Lallana doesn't seem to fit easily or naturally into any category, James similarly and is slow wherever he plays, jack of all trades and master of none comes to mind. Mills is a full back, Thomson is a poor wide right, McLaggon, Mellis, N'Diaye are really unknowns. We are in need of proper naturally pacy wide players for both sides, that would allow N'Diaye if fit to play up front, however I'm not holding my breath. Holmes whilst not pacy is a natural wide left midfielder. Picking players on the wrong side, and in unfamiliar positions is happening all the time and we are paying the price of an unbalanced and toothless attack.

While this was going on Mike Osman told me he understood the Swiss had no problems on the money front. At the same time he expressed massive doubts that Pinnacle could raise the funds. Bearing in mind his connection with MLT that was pretty radical.

Not for me, there is little evidence that these players can think for themselves. 4-4-2 is the simplest way to play with round pegs in round holes. Very few teams play without width and appear to be a lot smarter than us with their team selection giving their team more than the sum of the parts. We have underperformed regularly as a succession of managers pick favourites and shoehorn them into positions they can't play. If we could just drop the 'sacred cow' selection principle and make the selection criteria suitability for the position, I think we would improve immeasurably The output of a team is measured by the way the players fit and balance each other. We on the other hand accept a lack of balance and consequently can't score enough goals.

I don't think we have seen the best of either Schneiderlin or indeed Saganowski. When Holmes was playing at the start of last season Schneiderlin was much better. For that reason I would prefer Holmes wide left with Mills as backup. Saganowski is a battler and alongside Lambert would occupy the centrebacks. Waigo wouldn't be wasted on the right as he looked to drift out right on Saturday anyway, however if we can cure the left side he can come in on the 45 and be lethal on the back post. His speed will allow through balls and runs inside the fullback in any event. Playing wide will give him more room and drag out the fullbacks as he goes down the line leaving space on the back post and splitting the centre backs giving room for Lambert and Saganowski to get in behind them. In that event I would also like to see both central midfielders become runners into the box in support once the ball goes wide. That in itself will force the opponents midfielders deep.

Diving header in his first game! We are not getting down the lines, until we play with proper width on both sides he will be feeding off scraps.