derry

Hesketh is the key in the hole, he plays the ball in behind the defenders quickly giving the runners the chance to get behind the defenders whereas all the others take too many touches and lose the opportunity to open up the defence. Give him a go as much as possible. What a little terrier Reed is. It was a joy to watch them. Yoshida put in a tremendous shift as did Long but having said that it was a very good team performance. The squad just got a little larger last night.

Austin isn't unfit and to leave Redmond a non scoring player wandering around the middle of the field is crass. FFS the game is about scoring more goals than the opponent not squandering chance after chance because the player isn't confident he can score. Redmond is a winger not a striker, he doesn't make the runs or see the angles which is why he doesn't score. Austin will get goals as he is showing, play him in the opponents half, we have loads of unproductive journeymen that can run about. We have few outfield players of quality, VVD and Hojbjerg plus Bertrand with Austin a natural goal scorer that instinctively does the right things. He pulled the managers nuts out of the fire today because nobody else was going to, but Puel still backs Redmond as his main striker. I know if I was an opponent I wouldn't want Austin anywhere near my goal. Redmond isn't a problem for defences.

Redmond- not a Thierry Henry, one goal in eleven games career average, Shane Long, great worker, occasional scorer, Jay rodriguez on the way back and could be a regular goal scorer again but needs games and goals to build both confidence and fitness, Charlie Austin, put him in the box with the ball and he is a lethal finisher. If we want to be near the top of the league somebody has to get over twenty goals never mind the managers fifteen players have to score, another fanciful ambition. Only three players have the potential to score double figures in the league and Redmond isn't one of them. Team Austin with Long and use Rodriguez as an alternative. Boufal may get goals but the Premier League is an unforgiving place and the jury is out on that one. Asking Austin to act as a work horse is stupidity, get him in the box with the ball, it's a no brainer. He is probably among the best three finishers in the country.

So why did the Captain run forward and pull Tadic away. If he had been designated surely he would have taken the ball off Austin. In my view Austin is a real goal scorer and if playing the penalty taker. JWP is also a reliable penalty taker but I seem to remember Tadic scoring luckily from half hit and smart arse penalties. I am holding my breath any time he takes one in case he tries to be too fancy.

With due respect you are living in cloud cuckoo land:arrow: A manager that joins a new club, in a new country, in a league he has no experience of and was surprised by Watford's physicality, with players he has no relationship with decides to rip up a system that got the club into sixth place the previous season for which all the players were bought in to play is either a genius or a ****ing idiot. I can see no signs of him being a genius. Our present situation is self inflicted. Thierry Henry AKA Nathan Redmond looks lost as a striker but talented on the ball, probably the most natural finisher in the league is sacrificed for the system, Long isn't a reliable main goal scorer he is a disrupter not a finisher. Rodriguez is showing signs of coming back. Our record signing has missed the first two months of the season they hope, If the diamond was the answer every team would be playing it instead of Saints swimming against the tide. It's going to save legs we are assured, but it doesn't seem to save much in the way of legs in the ultra physically competitive Premier League. Redmond is a winger who throughout his career so far is an occasional goal scorer not a regular starter as a striker. The manager has opted for style over substance. the team works hard but the players don't sit well with this system especially the three small midfielders Davis, JWP and Clasie. Now that the manager has imposed this system only poor results, obvious fan disillusionment, and a board running for cover will resolve this one. I hope for everybody's sake the results improve and the system works but the manager doesn't seem to be helping himself.

It was nice to see Rodriguez playing his best to date. Another step on the way back. Linesman and referee were abysmal regarding Long's taking out by Monreal. Referee under no circumstances should have left Koscelney lying in front of the goal with a head injury. Puel is the problem. Forget the diamond, winger Redmond is an incompetent and ineffective striker, a clever player on the ball he doesn't have a clue where to run as a striker. He won't score the goals we need from a striker so we are undermanned up front. Best centre forward Long who is a poor finisher, best finisher Austin, Next best alternative at this time Rodriguez. If Puel continues to play Redmond up front he will erode his confidence whilst making it difficult for us to score. Puel looks like he is banking everything on Redmond and the diamond. It certainly isn't a formation that suits the type of player we have to play the centre midfield, the tip of the diamond and up front. Boufal may be the answer but I understand he only played as the ten 6 times last season, the rest of the time as a winger. For a start he could play Austin and Long up front with Rodriguez in support and Tadic and Hojbjerg in midfield with Romeu. May not work but looks stronger up front and more creative in midfield IMHO. I can't see how he could play Redmond anywhere in this formation other than as a ten or a striker. To play him in his normal position entails ditching the diamond.

England U21s played a diamond midfield with Redmond and Rashford up front. It looked pretty poor and Redmond struggled. Changed for second half Redmond played from wide on the right with freedom to come inside and looked a completely different player in his natural position. Targett was good, JWP struggled with the diamond but was much better in the second half. The idea of the diamond is supposed to retain possession and save legs. If we have one third possession against Arsenal it will be as much as we can manage. I wonder how the diamond will work then.

Shane Long was taken off injured last night right at the end in Belgrade.

I am disappointed with the start, the results and the way we are playing now compared to the way we finished last season. The two home games were a major disappointment as both the sides we played were poor yet we really didn't perform well and scraped a point in each. Hojbjerg is a big plus but the blend of the team a major factor last term has been non- existent.

Anybody like to explain VVD's interview. If that wasn't negative I don't know what is.

You couldn't make it up, reported to be on his way to Everton, medical room organised then Sissoko went missing and wasn't contactable. Why would you want to sign someone like that especially as he let Newcastle down last season then starred in the Euros. Everton have just dodged a bullet.

Be interesting to see how they do this one. Only worth £16m this morning now they match Everton's £30m while he is on his way to Liverpool with about an hour left. This could fall through out of time.

what everybody is ignoring, VVD's opinion on Saturday, ITKs view that Fonte's problem was with the system apart from the MU rumour. Redmond has been saddled with the new Thierry Henry which he patently isn't. Austin is a penalty area striker and will get goals there not out wide and covering the below par full backs. Long is Long, he has to play to his strengths. Redmond has been made the can't drop coaches favourite but is clueless up front out of position. He is a talented runner from wide and a big asset. Hojbjerg is potentially outstanding. VVD is the defensive foundation. I would think that what is troubling a lot of people is the apparent disunity and inability to play a simple system or is there more to it with important players not co-operating because they just don't think it is an improvement. Everybody has to buy into it or it has to be ditched there can be no discord or it just won't work.

Maybe the problem for the players is that Premier sides with their pace and power are finding the diamond easy to contain. Conversely the players are finding it makes it more difficult for them to penetrate and being pressed in possession isn't fun. Cedric's crossing has been awful reminiscent of Lloyd James on a bad day. and Targett isn't a natural attacker but is putting in a shift. Two key cogs that don't work for the diamond with the goals against coming behind the full backs in various ways..

U23s played the standard 4-2-3-1 at Charlton. So that means the club bring in a manager that brings in a new system that not all the players brought in for the old system suit and furthermore the academy and development sides won't play. Any players that come through the academy when they get into the first team squad will have to adapt to a completely different system. I thought the whole idea was to bring in managers that conformed to the club thinking so that there wouldn't have to be a rethink on the players needed and there would be continuity all the way through the club. I don't buy this assertion from Puel that to be able to play two games a week we have to play a diamond midfield and keep the ball when patently the full backs aren't good enough, the midfielders can't keep the ball and none of our strikers have a clue how to adapt. Most of our possession statistics come about knocking the ball around between the goalkeeper and the centre backs. If the first three games are anything to go by we aren't doing much saving of legs far from it. Few of the other teams that play in Europe if any play a diamond to save legs, they rotate their players. The problem is we are set up to play one competition whilst the better teams pretty much have two teams within their squads. We are going to have to make a success of this diamond pretty damn quick otherwise we are going to be out of the cups and struggling in the league. Then we won't need to save legs. How did we let ourselves get in this mess having identified continuity as the club plan?

I'm not saying we should but a fit Wiltshire is another useful player on the left of midfield. If we were to take him I would hope we would only be paying him if he was playing and if he was injured Arsenal would have to pay, after all they need him to have playing time.

So to sum up it doesn't work unless we do something differently. Trouble is the players don't get it. Leicester counter attack we let a team consolidate in front of us and try and pass through them, lose the ball and end up using lots of energy trying to recover. I thought the idea was to save their legs for two games a week. I think that's a myth. We would be better playing a system that the players suit, like, understand and buy into. This will end up in tears for somebody unless the players buy into it.

Man City played an interesting 4-3-3 within which was a diamond shape. Back four, Fernandinho in front, DeBruyne and Villa in midfield with Aguero in front of them making up a diamond with Sterling and Nolito wide on the wings. Aguero the striker was at the front of the diamond which looked pretty good because of the wingers. Guardiola was jumping about at times waving at the wide men to stay out there and not get narrow.

Something I don't get, play possession football mostly in your own half, then counter attack, how does that work?

The rumour was he wasn't happy with the way we set up. It now looks as if he is playing aware of the space outside him and the lack of two defensive midfielders. He's not the quickest so probably feels vulnerable hence the VVD having to cover him. If these important players aren't happy it undermines our performance.

Systems are playing players in a formation that complements and suits the players available, having a natural blend and chemistry that gets the best out of the players. Imposing a system unfamiliar and possibly unpopular by playing players where they aren't comfortable and underperforming, lacking confidence and devoid of blend is stupidity. The first scenario is the sign of a good man manager the second is going to lead to an implosion unless there is a rethink and reverts to scenario one.

Bill, I don't know about shape because it was a shapeless shambles. I think this diamond rubbish is a nonsense. the players are trying but the bloody manager isn't even picking players that complement each other. Redmond is absolutely clueless up front, Thierry Henry I think not, he just doesn't know where to make runs and is just standing waiting for somebody to pass to him. Tadic isn't a ten which along with Redmond gives us no cutting edge. Using third rate full backs as wide men is a nonsense because firstly their attacking quality is poor and the space they leave behind them will be seized on by the better sides as MU did. We would have been far better off playing 4-4-2 with Redmond Hojbjerg Romeu and Tadic, with Long and Austin. Round pegs in round holes. Or 4-3-3 with Hojbjerg Romeu and Tadic with Redmond Austin and Long with Rodriguez as an alternative to Redmond. I think this manager has underestimated the difficulty and physicality of the Premier after the one team mediocre French League. He comes over as stubborn and arrogant. I don't buy this two games a week crap so we have to play a diamond that doesn't work and keep the ball. Except we didn't. Strange nobody else plays a diamond because they are in Europe. What sort of manager coming into a strange league with strange players who finished well makes a fundamental radical change without first finding out whether their basic system works well for them.

Gardos back in training.

Matter of interest, Dundalk's ground doesn't comply at the moment for EUFA requirements.

Could it be that you are nearly right however they realise that the team is not set up to give it's optimum performance because major players just don't like or believe in the way we are set up. It could be impotent frustration we are witnessing.