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Thread: Spine problems

  1. #1
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    Spine problems

    Don't want to overreact after a single defeat, but all of a sudden KN is looking at issues right down the spine of the team

    Centre of defence - no knock on Duffy and Brisley who have been really solid, but there's an obvious lack of cover and now it's not an option, we MUST sign a new centre back.

    Centre of midfield - we don't know yet how much we'll miss Yates, but today it had to be worry that the other engine room guy who got us into 2nd was put back in defence. Maybe the players are there for KN to find another winning formula for the rest of the season. I'm not sure what it is though.

    Centre forwards - we thought this was the only real issue coming into the transfer window.

    Good test for KN. I'm backing him to solve it all but work to do that's for sure.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by the_anticlough View Post
    Centre forwards - we thought this was the only real issue coming into the transfer window.
    I think we’ve known a cb was a high priority since August lest someone got injured?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by the_anticlough View Post
    Don't want to overreact after a single defeat, but all of a sudden KN is looking at issues right down the spine of the team

    Centre of defence - no knock on Duffy and Brisley who have been really solid, but there's an obvious lack of cover and now it's not an option, we MUST sign a new centre back.

    Centre of midfield - we don't know yet how much we'll miss Yates, but today it had to be worry that the other engine room guy who got us into 2nd was put back in defence. Maybe the players are there for KN to find another winning formula for the rest of the season. I'm not sure what it is though.

    Centre forwards - we thought this was the only real issue coming into the transfer window.

    Good test for KN. I'm backing him to solve it all but work to do that's for sure.
    Agreed. I though we missed Hewitt badly in his normal mid-field roll today.

  4. #4
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    Pretty much agree with the OP.

    Going into the transfer window it was already obvious that we needed another quality, experienced centre-half to provide real challenge/cover for Brisley and Duffy, and with the only other option (Hollis) leaving, there's now an even greater urgency to sort that out.

    Today, we had to move Hewitt back to cover for Duffy, and Nolan's team selection suggests he doesn't have confidence in Noble, Virtue or Husin to perform in a two-man midfield, which is a real concern. Kevin Nolan's success as Notts manager has been built on a rigid, consistent 4-4-2 system, and any incoming players should be capable of adding strength to that system, rather than leaving the manager feeling uncertain enough to change it. God forbid we go back to inept days of Keith Curle-style 4-5-1, accumulating a huge squad of midfielders with little or no options in other positions!

    And yes, obviously, the other main priority is a quality striker, even though Jon Stead has done OK in recent games. We need strength in depth in that position so we can continue with the two-up-front tactics that have been crucial to our upturn in fortunes for the past year.
    Last edited by jackal2; 20-01-2018 at 05:57 PM.

  5. #5
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    The team selection today left a lot to be desired. Hunt, supposedly motm was awful as per usual. We played with a 5 man midfield and were still out fought and second to every ball. We missed Yates badly, the guy from Liverpool is ok but does not match up to him The new signing from Palace looked out of his depth and should not have started in such an important game. The usual tactic of one up front once again totally failed. I dont know why we persist with this boring tactic.
    On this showing we will soon be out of the automatic places unless we sign a decent CB and a new CB...

  6. #6
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    I thought centre defence was OK while he had Hollis and Hewitt. Now Yates has gone, moving Hewitt back there doesn't look so clever. We still don't know if Yates was the key to our success. We saw last season that Hewitt and Milsom is a mid table kind of combination. Is Hewitt plus AN Other possible, or was Yates just much better in that role than Hewitt? It's KN's old position so if anyone knows what we need to do, it'll be him.

    btw agree with Jackal 4-5-1at home is awful. Was this how we lined up today? Getting to 50pts was supposed to liberate us!
    Last edited by the_anticlough; 20-01-2018 at 06:16 PM.

  7. #7
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    I would say a centre half is a must, but looking how KN has gone in past transfers he’s only recruited players who are better and hasn’t signed any old dross. Either he can’t get a player he wants or we have to break the bank to get one. Imo a quality centre half is needed more than a quality striker.

  8. #8
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    Agree, that tippy tappy stuff in the first half got us nowhere, all changed when we went direct with the two up top

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by the_anticlough View Post
    Btw agree with Jackal 4-5-1at home is awful. Was this how we lined up today? Getting to 50pts was supposed to liberate us!
    Yes. Managers like to call it an "attacking 4-3-3" but it was effectively 4-5-1 and even Stevie Wonder would have seen that Jon Stead was completely isolated. He kept desperately imploring Matt Virtue to push forward and support him, but the lad obviously doesn't have those instincts.

    In effect, we gave Exeter a free ride for 60 minutes and two free goals. They must have been wondering how the hell we were unbeaten at home! It only changed when we put Shola on to join Jon Stead and reverted to the 4-4-2 system that has been the bedrock of our success for the last year. We got one goal back and should probably have got an equaliser, but if we had started out with our normal physical, direct 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 tactics I think we would have won comfortably.

    For the first hour today it was like going back five years and watching a Keith Curle team, and the only benefit of that is to remind us why we should never, EVER revert to that formation or style of play!
    Last edited by jackal2; 20-01-2018 at 06:34 PM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jackal2 View Post
    Yes. Managers like to call it an "attacking 4-3-3" but it was effectively 4-5-1 and even Stevie Wonder would see that Jon Stead was completely isolated. He kept desperately imploring Matt Virtue to push forward and support him, but the lad obviously doesn't have those instincts.

    In effect, we gave Exeter a free ride and two free goals for 60 minutes. They must have been wondering how the hell we were unbeaten at home! It only changed when we put Shola on to join Jon Stead and reverted to the 4-4-2 system that has been the bedrock of our success for the last year. We got one goal back and should probably have got an equaliser, but if we had started out with our normal physical, direct tactics I think we would have won comfortably.

    For the first hour today it was like going back five years and watching a Keith Curle team, and the only benefit of that is to remind us why we should never go back to that formation or style of play!
    Hmmm, hopefully a one off.
    In the lower leagues, '4-3-3' (with 5 recognised midflelders picked!) is a con trick played on fans by frightened managers wanting to stretch out their jobs. KN doing it today, after we'd reached 50pts and had a cushion sitting in 2nd must be due to a lack of faith in the centre mids and strikers that we have. I hope it disappears asap, preferably with a couple of signings that can go straight into the first 11.

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