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We need an 'old head' in midfield who can provide a link to the strikers


trousers

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who though...who have we played this season that has a player that stands out in that role...?

 

we cant expect to buy players from the league above all the time

 

You are correct of course,if we could take someone of that ilk however......Robbie Savage please,yeah i know there are others.

 

I will retire to my bunker.

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Have to say and hate to say it but I have been hugely underwhelmed by Hammond who was supposed to be an attacking midfielder to provide exactly that. Perhaps he was just better suited to the 4-5-1? But in recent games I have seen he's looked a bit lethargic and not urgent enough. Under the weather maybe?

 

When he first signed I thought he was brilliant when we went on that run of 12 unbeaten or so. However since the end of November he hasn't seemed to be as good for some reason, funnily enough around the time he was given the captains armband, however I don't think that is the reason why. Perhaps he has been carrying an injury for sometime or maybe needs a rest. I really do not know.

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A midfielder who scored a few goals would be nice. We have enough midfielders linking play, we just don't have enough getting on the end of things in the box.

 

We just need a midfielder who actually wants to get into the box.

 

I don't see the point in playing Holmes, Hammond, Schneiderlin and James together in midfield - where are the goals coming from?

 

We should just go back to what worked so well before Christmas Waigo/Antonio and Lallana outwide with Schneiderlin and Hammond in the middle.

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We just need a midfielder who actually wants to get into the box.

 

I don't see the point in playing Holmes, Hammond, Schneiderlin and James together in midfield - where are the goals coming from?

 

We should just go back to what worked so well before Christmas Waigo/Antonio and Lallana outwide with Schneiderlin and Hammond in the middle.

 

Agreed. We need a Holding midfielder (Morgan/Wotton/James), and attacking midfielder (Hammond - although I don't think he's been playing this role properly) and two wide men if we're going to play 4 in midfield.

 

I would rather play 5 and put Lallana behind Lambert and give him the freedom to go and find and use the ball anywhere.

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We just need a midfielder who actually wants to get into the box.

 

I don't see the point in playing Holmes, Hammond, Schneiderlin and James together in midfield - where are the goals coming from?

 

We should just go back to what worked so well before Christmas Waigo/Antonio and Lallana outwide with Schneiderlin and Hammond in the middle.

 

This is the problem, I personally think that Hammond and Schneiderlin are too similar so it should be one but not both. James is too slow. Holmes is the best left midfielder but isn't quick.

 

We need midfielders to attack out of the middle and pace down the flanks without that we will do what we did yesterday just play across the front of the defence. I thought the team selection was crass.

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This is the problem, I personally think that Hammond and Schneiderlin are too similar so it should be one but not both. James is too slow. Holmes is the best left midfielder but isn't quick.

 

We need midfielders to attack out of the middle and pace down the flanks without that we will do what we did yesterday just play across the front of the defence. I thought the team selection was crass.

 

I think the team selection was designed to nick a win and it nearly worked - in the sense that AP threw in all three new boys and Holmes and will have learnt a great deal that may serve us very well for the rest of the season.

 

He's bought new players, he needs to see where they fit and whether they can work with his game plan.

 

Your wider concerns about the midfield I share. Early in the season Hammond was pushing forward more and Lallana and Antonio/Waigo were having great success feeding off this forward momentum - the FA Cup at Rovers for example.

 

Until we get back to that tempo and urgency we will struggle to break teams down.

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This is the problem, I personally think that Hammond and Schneiderlin are too similar so it should be one but not both. .

 

Yes very true whilst watching the game against Luton I was constantly thinking was that Hammond or was that Schneiderlin

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I think the team selection was designed to nick a win and it nearly worked - in the sense that AP threw in all three new boys and Holmes and will have learnt a great deal that may serve us very well for the rest of the season.

 

He's bought new players, he needs to see where they fit and whether they can work with his game plan.

 

Your wider concerns about the midfield I share. Early in the season Hammond was pushing forward more and Lallana and Antonio/Waigo were having great success feeding off this forward momentum - the FA Cup at Rovers for example.

 

Until we get back to that tempo and urgency we will struggle to break teams down.

 

Worse than that, we were hoping to nick a goal from a set piece. I don't like slow. We need to bring in footballers with pace. We have too many oddballs with no pace. Hammond, Schneiderlin, Wotton, James, Lallana, Lambert (a great dead ball scorer thank goodness) etc, having said that there is a place for Lambert and Lallana but we can't continue with a lack of pace, no balance from the rest.

 

I think Schneiderlin is potentially a good player but he plays in his comfort zone, busting a gut doesn't happen. Hammond needs to up his game, his passing isn't good, he does win a lot of balls, but if you put him together with Schneiderlin we are really getting the output we expect from one good player.

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Worse than that, we were hoping to nick a goal from a set piece. I don't like slow. We need to bring in footballers with pace. We have too many oddballs with no pace. Hammond, Schneiderlin, Wotton, James, Lallana, Lambert (a great dead ball scorer thank goodness) etc, having said that there is a place for Lambert and Lallana but we can't continue with a lack of pace, no balance from the rest.

 

I think Schneiderlin is potentially a good player but he plays in his comfort zone, busting a gut doesn't happen. Hammond needs to up his game, his passing isn't good, he does win a lot of balls, but if you put him together with Schneiderlin we are really getting the output we expect from one good player.

 

I agree. We have the capacity to pass our way through most teams and then pass it to wide players (Holmes, Antonio, Waigo) who can run at defences and cause problems - ok Holmes needs fitness but he has the cacpacity in time.

 

Our best games have come where we have played at a high-tempo even including some long hopeful punts from Kelvin.

 

To me, we look tired. Maybe this is the result of a poor preseason, maybe just mid-seasonitis. I don't know. But earlier in the season we were playing with more pace/tempo with exactly the same players...

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A Jimmy Case type player. Not many of them around these days though.

 

Hmm going back in time

 

Jimmy Case/ Steve Williams / Alan Ball now that would do the business! A good mix of old pro experience, skill and hard tackling ball winning! Any of Holmes, Armstrong and Townsend would also do!

 

Now the defence is sorted It is the balance of experience, ball winning and chance creation in midfield we need to address!

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Prutton?

 

He's only got 6 months left on his contract at Leeds

 

Racon or Bailey from Charlton - supposedly they need the money

 

Danns or stock?

 

Arron Davies - been released by Forest - to play on the right.

 

Good call.. offer Charlton a million for both and test their resolve, especially if we are having trouble with Donny over Stock. We could offer more and still be under Stock's price and we also have plenty of players to include as part exchange if necessary.

 

Racon and Bailey would sort our midfield overnight, but decimate Charlton though. Still they do need the money...

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Agreed. We need a Holding midfielder (Morgan/Wotton/James), and attacking midfielder (Hammond - although I don't think he's been playing this role properly) and two wide men if we're going to play 4 in midfield.

 

I would rather play 5 and put Lallana behind Lambert and give him the freedom to go and find and use the ball anywhere.

 

Lallana doesn't look effective in the middle. He doesn't get any areas to operate in and I would have Connolly instead of Lallana anyday. I don't think that's his position. I liked him operating from LM where he was developing a nice understanding with Harding. Coming in from wide he was much more slippery for defenders to read and opened up empty space behind him for Harding or a CM to make use of.

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Prutton?

 

He's only got 6 months left on his contract at Leeds

 

Racon or Bailey from Charlton - supposedly they need the money

 

Danns or stock?

 

Arron Davies - been released by Forest - to play on the right.

 

Nicky Bailey is the best player in this league imo, he's absolutely class. Some of the goals he scores as well are unbelievable. If we could get him i'd be ecstatic!

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im amazed having gone to the game yesterday, no one has mentioned Jimmy Abdou of Millwall. Cracking holding player, quick, strong, good in the tackle and completely bossed our midfield. I think he would be perfect

 

Thoughts??

 

Also skightly contreversial i would sell Schniederlin, he is too weak. Skillful and would look great in an Arsenal type set up but not in div 1 against physical teams like Millwall.

 

Also, serious lack of pace up front alongside Ricky, Jackson anyone???

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im amazed having gone to the game yesterday, no one has mentioned Jimmy Abdou of Millwall. Cracking holding player, quick, strong, good in the tackle and completely bossed our midfield. I think he would be perfect

Thoughts??

 

Also skightly contreversial i would sell Schniederlin, he is too weak. Skillful and would look great in an Arsenal type set up but not in div 1 against physical teams like Millwall.

 

Also, serious lack of pace up front alongside Ricky, Jackson anyone???

 

I was thinking the same thing.

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Lallana doesn't look effective in the middle. He doesn't get any areas to operate in and I would have Connolly instead of Lallana anyday. I don't think that's his position. I liked him operating from LM where he was developing a nice understanding with Harding. Coming in from wide he was much more slippery for defenders to read and opened up empty space behind him for Harding or a CM to make use of.

 

Yep would be happy with that also.

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Good call.. offer Charlton a million for both and test their resolve, especially if we are having trouble with Donny over Stock. We could offer more and still be under Stock's price and we also have plenty of players to include as part exchange if necessary.

 

Racon and Bailey would sort our midfield overnight, but decimate Charlton though. Still they do need the money...

 

Two previous Pardew signings.... credited to him by the more open-minded Charlton fans who accept he was a bit unlucky to lose both to injury.

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For me, the midfielder with the old and commanding head, and who is a former Saint too, would be Matt Oakley. He's done it for Leicester in getting them promoted, he's still doing it. Matt showed during administration his heart is still with Saints, so, why don't we make a move for him?

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I think the team selection was designed to nick a win and it nearly worked - in the sense that AP threw in all three new boys and Holmes and will have learnt a great deal that may serve us very well for the rest of the season.

 

He's bought new players, he needs to see where they fit and whether they can work with his game plan.

 

Your wider concerns about the midfield I share. Early in the season Hammond was pushing forward more and Lallana and Antonio/Waigo were having great success feeding off this forward momentum - the FA Cup at Rovers for example.

 

Until we get back to that tempo and urgency we will struggle to break teams down.

 

I agree with all of this post ,however,i think the reason AP has changed the tactics is

the amount of goals we concede when playing our attacking wide players.

He is trying to find a balance between our attacking play (all our 3-1 wins),and being

harder to score against.

 

I think he'll get there!

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Isn't this the 'missing link' in our side? A wiley old pro in midfield who can provide a link between our midfield and the striker(s)?

Someone in the mold of Nicky Butt or Nick Barmby? Or just anyone who's name is Nick.... ;) Shirley?

 

 

We all get 10/10 for that observation, but who...?

It won't be Stock, it seems...but someone who is say 28-32, experienced in a FORMER Prem./ CCC SIDE and without a tragic inury record, and no good buying some "former star" whose knees will pack up after 3 games.

All this tripe about good passing is fine, but we needs someone who can win the ball first!:smt081 Come back Jimmy Case.

 

The trouble is that everyone is going to ask a £1 million+ from now on, as we are the only club below the top six in CCC that has any cash to splash,and you can be sure that everyone knows that.

It will take some shrewd dealing to get someone at a half-reasonable price.

 

Someone who can win a 50/50 tackle without getting a yellow card, and knows how to put the ball in the net himself. All the best names I know have retired now but surely to goodness SOMEONE on our coaching /scouting staff (if we have any now)... can come up with a name.

Edited by david in sweden
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I know they have probably hung there boots up but someone like Thomas Graverson ex Everton or Matty Holland or maybe even Matt Oakley that type of player would be a great addition to the squad.

 

We could also use a big lump up front to take some of the burden off Rickies shoulders Henderson Hulse aggyman someone who can hold it up cause chaos get us a goal and give Ricky a rest for last 10 15 mins of a game

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