Cal Roberts

[laddo]

Imagine Cal at RWB haha.

We'd just be leaving one side of the pitch open to attack

That's my thoughts exactly. However tbf to Durham he didn't say specifically that, hence the question I asked which to date has gone unanswered.

The comparison with Nemane is only relevant if he is played as a traditional winger, which as we know under LW this season , hasn't applied so IMO is not relevant.

At RWB it shouldn't even be a discussion.

[durhampie]

That's my thoughts exactly. However tbf to Durham he didn't say specifically that, hence the question I asked which to date has gone unanswered.

The comparison with Nemane is only relevant if he is played as a traditional winger, which as we know under LW this season , hasn't applied so IMO is not relevant.

At RWB it shouldn't even be a discussion.

Well if you remember Kings Lynn last season, Cal played the first half at wing back (0-0) . The second half he must have thought sod this and went up into his natural position scored 3 goals and we won 5-0.

[laddo]

So you would rather have Roberts at wing back than Nemane because of that Kings Lynn game?

Not for me, I'll take the 10 minute wonder in that role.

[durhampie]

So you would rather have Roberts at wing back than Nemane because of that Kings Lynn game?

Not for me, I'll take the 10 minute wonder in that role.

No, that's not what i said. I was referring to shoehorning players into positions that are not best suited to them. As for Nemane playing in that roll he is a liability, He cant tackle and rarely wins any defensive headers.

[Chicken Balti Pie]

No, that's not what i said. I was referring to shoehorning players into positions that are not best suited to them. As for Nemane playing in that roll he is a liability, He cant tackle and rarely wins any defensive headers.

That's not what the wing back is there for though. That is Brindley's job or whoever plays right sided centre back. You are mistaking a full back with a wing back. A wing back is a winger that is expected to be defensively minded. If your wing back is defending for long periods, you're in trouble and under pressure. They cover the overlap, it's the centre back who covers the attacking winger. It's why Brindley and Chicksen work well as outside centre backs in a back 3 but in a back 4 they'd struggle.

Maybe your lack of understanding of the position is why you often seem aloof and on your own with your derision of Nemane?

[durhampie]

That's not what the wing back is there for though. That is Brindley's job or whoever plays right sided centre back. You are mistaking a full back with a wing back. A wing back is a winger that is expected to be defensively minded. If your wing back is defending for long periods, you're in trouble and under pressure. They cover the overlap, it's the centre back who covers the attacking winger. It's why Brindley and Chicksen work well as outside centre backs in a back 3 but in a back 4 they'd struggle.

Maybe your lack of understanding of the position is why you often seem aloof and on your own with your derision of Nemane?

My point is, he is asked to do something that he cant do, and that is defensive cover when needed. As you say, they are are expected to be defensively minded. I'm certainly not mistaking him for a full back, god help us if he was.

[the_anticlough]

That's not what the wing back is there for though. That is Brindley's job or whoever plays right sided centre back. You are mistaking a full back with a wing back. A wing back is a winger that is expected to be defensively minded. If your wing back is defending for long periods, you're in trouble and under pressure. They cover the overlap, it's the centre back who covers the attacking winger. It's why Brindley and Chicksen work well as outside centre backs in a back 3 but in a back 4 they'd struggle.

Great post

It's interesting that formations have edged back to the traditional positions around when I first started following football

Goalkeeper / Right Back, Left Back / Right Half, Centre Half, Left Half / RWinger Inside Right, CF, Inside Left, LWinger

For us that'd translate

Slocombe / Brindley, Cameron / Palmer, Baldwin, O'Brien / Nemane, Rodrigues, Langstaff, Scott/Austin, Chicksen

What I'd really like is for fans to stop thinking we're playing 3 centre-backs, call Brindley and Cameron full-backs and most of all to stop regarding wing-backs as full-backs.

[laddo]

No, that's not what i said. I was referring to shoehorning players into positions that are not best suited to them. As for Nemane playing in that roll he is a liability, He cant tackle and rarely wins any defensive headers.

Every manager does that at some point. Hypothetically in the current side where would he slot in, who does he replace in this attacking role?

"Brilliant for the entire season so far" not my words , the head coach's recently.

He's short he's hardly going to win many headers tbf and his been transitioned to this more defensive role so tackling is never going to be a strength

Saying that he has deservedly managed to pick up back to back man of the match perfomances and impress recently whilst his teammate, who has been so impressive for most of the season, has clearly struggled.

[Proactive not Reactive]

I think Chicken Balti Pie has nailed what Nemane is and should be doing, he can get away with it(mostly) so to speak in the Notts side because we have a high percentage of the ball and attack a lot, if Notts had to defend more that is when his defensive weaknesses are exposed(hence why I would prefer TAR in v Chesterfield and Wrexham although Nemane was a great outlet v Wrexham 2nd half at home) its horses for courses I often wish Chicksen could go past his man like Nemane does.
Back to Cal Roberts he was brilliant for us the second half of the play off final season under NA and did go outside of players(contrary to Notts fans memory remember Barnet in the SF for one instance)never quite the same player after his injury but still someone who could produce some magic in tight games(Yeovil at home would have been one)
For me he couldn't/shouldn't play Wing back as he hasn't got the workrate to track back but has we play two 10's(think they are called 8's in modern coaching) behind Langstaff he could have played left to Rodrigues right and compete with Austin and Scott.
Anyway I hope he recovers properly as for a while he was loved at Notts as much as Ruben is now as a special player and I think 'the Geordie Messi' all the best for the future

[TSANHO]

I wasn’t sad to see Roberts leave. There wasn’t really a place in the team for him with the system we play. As others have said, he didn’t work hard enough (or know how to tackle) to be a wing back or a centre mid (can’t believe we played him there). His positional sense for both of those positions was really poor actually and left us open no end of times.

He could’ve played as a CAM, but not very well and certainly not as well as Ruben has done. The only position I thought suited him would be on the right of a front three in a 4-3-3, or maybe as a number ten to play alongside Wootton but we went away from a back four fairly long ago.

The guy was a luxury player who had some stand out games, especially early on, but I felt his attitude and injury record were poor. We did well to move him on when we did I think.