2024/25

[TheVicar]

Higher

[wanderlust]

Higher

Soooo many ways to interpret that....

[wanderlust]

McAtee signed.

Decent squad now. Over to you to get them to perform Mr Evatt.

[MachomanRandySavage]

Lower

[wanderlust]

Decent start with a win away at Orient, but we still don't have a settled team and it came at the price of ligament damage to Lolos following a horrendous challenge.
Playing Mansfield in the LC tonight and Evatt has made it clear that it will be used as an opportunity to put some game time into the legs of a few that are coming back from injury and for the new signings to get further acquainted with our playing style. Not expecting much as our focus is on the league but providing everyone comes out unscathed it will be worthwhile.

[wanderlust]

Terrible performance away at Charlton where we created nothing of note and gifted them two soft goals passing out from the back.
Huge questions over the system which employs just two bona fide midfielders, one of whom is Sheehan who is a liability when we're out of possession and huge questions over the manager's ability/willingness to change things when it's patently obvious "plan A" isn't working.
For once I'm inclined to agree with some of the detractors. My thoughts are:

"Wasn't it Shankly who said football's a simple game complicated by idiots ... " - I'm with Shankly on this.

In the cold light of day I was hoping to see things in a different light but I can't help but come back to thinking that the system/selection has to change - unless we loan or sign a player or players to complete Evatt's jigsaw of a system before the week is out.

I think a few of us would feel more comfortable going with a back 4, if only for a security blanket. Totally understand the back 3/playing it out from the back is designed to create more space further up the pitch but...it just doesn't work for us or at least not effectively and...we risk giving it away in dangerous areas like both yesterday's goals. In reality though, our wide midfielders are forced to drop back to receive the ball on the wing and Sheehan or Tommo drop back to receive it deep anyway whenever they press (they always do against us) so where is the advantage that we are supposed to be gaining from it? We call it a back 3 but unless we go long, we have at least 6 back trying to get on the pass from back, so why not go with a back 4 and see if teams are as willing to commit four attackers to press them when we have it at the back? That would create more space further up the pitch if they're brave/daft enough to do it.

But for me, the key area for us - and where we have the biggest dilemma is in midfield. That's where the press that cramps our back 3 and stifles the outballs comes from. That's where the quick transition from defence to attack breaks down. That's where we get overrun or from where the opposition play through us in their transitions.

And in my book, Evatt is overly obsessed with trying to play "pretty football" - we have too many easy on the eye but ineffectual players who occasionally come good, but for the most part slow us down and give defences way too much time to get back and organise. OK occasionally they do something brilliant and it's great to watch - but for the most part we get found out and overelaborate in front of goal.

There is an argument to say Sheehan is our best "creator" of chances, but although he is easy on the eye, I can't remember the last time he created anything at least not in 2024. But my concern is that he's the weakest link out of possession. Perhaps someone would be kind enough to put me right on this, but from memory he isn't a patch on George for goals and assists and he doesn't put in anything like the same workload. As mentioned earlier, we need to control midfield and if we put Matete in the middle with Tommo and Demps on either side we'd be stronger defensively and I would argue all three are creative and have the energy to contribute at both ends of the pitch.

Which leaves the front 3 and currently two of them are having to drop back to get more bodies in a midfield that gets overrun too easily anyway so why not keep one (Dion or Vic) in a central area no wider than the box to try to occupy 2 CBs and have up to 5 other runners coming from the middle? Having the three athletes in the middle in Tommo, Matete and Demps doing box to box would get the most out of them plus Collins and McAtee (who can also run) doing primarily top half should scare defences ****less because all of them can run, find space, keep good control of the ball and pick out a killer pass. All with the security of a back 4. Playing that basic 433/451/415 structure and giving the forward 6 players some freedom and fluidity is simple enough - just need to up their workrate and coach the mid 3 for someone to cover the back 4 when one has the opportunity to exploit a space eg Tutu bombing down the wing to join in.

I just think that instead of having three excellent midfield athletes constrained by an overcomplex system or left to chase shadows when only two of them are selected and therefore outnumbered (even worse when Sheehan starts) is daft and doesn't fully utilise their obvious assets.

Love to watch Sheehan, but for me he should be coming on as a sub when the hard yards have been done by the better athletes. Schon is still a maybe for me. Forino has the makings of a decent back 4 option.