Our attack

[philevs]

Another option is for the keeper to punt the ball into touch as far forward as we can then try winning it back from a throw in. Certainly be more productive than watching Hardie failing to compete for a header..... again.

Which is exactly what other teams are doing to us!

 

[philevs]

So we’re converting Dan Scarr into a centre forward?!

Not a bad idea to stick him up there if we need a radical change of tactic.

 

[JannerinCardiff]

Not a bad idea to stick him up there if we need a radical change of tactic.

If we're going to resort to that tactic that I'd prefer Phillips who's 2 inches taller and is more mobile.

 

[argyletraveller]

Hardie is shattered. He covers so much ground, we just need an alternative to give him a rest. I'd play Bundu up top with Mumba playing off him. Jordan, Randell and Devine in midfield and our usual back 5. Give it 60 minutes then unleash Whittaker and Hardie.

I think playing Devine in a deeper role will help with moving the ball forward through the midfield and giving our forwards something to work with. He did as much as any player against Stoke to try and make something happen. I also agree we should start with Bundu and Waine up front and bring Hardy and Whittaker on in the second half. Freddy should be given a wild card opportunity at the end against tired legs to see what he can do.

 

[pafc jack]

I think playing Devine in a deeper role will help with moving the ball forward through the midfield and giving our forwards something to work with. He did as much as any player against Stoke to try and make something happen. I also agree we should start with Bundu and Waine up front and bring Hardy and Whittaker on in the second half. Freddy should be given a wild card opportunity at the end against tired legs to see what he can do.

This is roughly how I see it too.

Post-Jan without Azaz/Cundle we're really poor at moving the ball through the opposition's lines. Ball goes sideways and backwards or long too often. Wing backs end up bunched too close to the defence at times too.

Bundu does kind of "move the ball through", but in a completely different way i.e. only when there's space he simply runs through it with the ball. Brilliant thing to have at times, but doesn't replace the skillset we lost.

I'd like to see Bundu up top - Hardie has had enough faith (deservedly) shown in him - and either C.Wright or Devine back in the fold. Neither have done what Azaz/Cundle did, but they're our best imitations.

 

[Sideline Sam]

Roberts would freshen things up and at least give us a bit of pace.Note I said off the bench not start.

You must have watched a different Roberts to me.

 

[Sideline Sam]

This is roughly how I see it too.

Post-Jan without Azaz/Cundle we're really poor at moving the ball through the opposition's lines. Ball goes sideways and backwards or long too often. Wing backs end up bunched too close to the defence at times too.

Bundu does kind of "move the ball through", but in a completely different way i.e. only when there's space he simply runs through it with the ball. Brilliant thing to have at times, but doesn't replace the skillset we lost.

I'd like to see Bundu up top - Hardie has had enough faith (deservedly) shown in him - and either C.Wright or Devine back in the fold. Neither have done what Azaz/Cundle did, but they're our best imitations.

Prob with Bundu i see is for a big guy he is useless in the air and he is defo not a 90min player. But i do like him when he goes forward and has a really good touch for a big guy. I think if we did play him up the middle everything should go to his feet i think that might work.

 

[Pbennyboy]

Exactly right. For them to be that wide in a 4-3-3 worked brilliantly because we had 3 in central midfield - 2 holders and a creator (Azaz or Cundle). We then moved to 3-4-3, and not only lost our 2 creators, but lost them as an extra man in central midfield. At that point we should have moved to 3-4-2-1, but we didn't, and our attacking play and our already suspect ability to not be outnumbered and hurt in transition has suffered drastically.

Agree.

 

[SurreyGreen]

From how I see it, our tactic isn’t to be lumping useless service to hardie or Morgan. We are trying to play out from the back to work the ball to the attacking players however for multiple reasons it’s not working and the biggest reason for that is our players simply aren’t good enough. We play short from a goal kick, our centre back then looks up so see absolutely no movement and can either pass sideways or backwards. We do eventually get it to the feet of a midfielder however they are then pressed too hard and again have no options so are forced to pass back our lack of movement then means we have no choice but to lump it. I don’t by any means think the players are being told to lump it up to hardie. When this happens, Hardie will often be in a position where he would need to be if we were playing out from the back which they will practice every day in training with the sequences of passing, often the ball then gets lumped no where near him. The difference when azaz was here is he could pick him he ball up from deeper and beat a couple of players to get us going forward as could cundle although he’s not as highly rated. Randell forshaw and definitely houghton are not as capable of this and the formation change to a back 3 hasn’t helped as there’s barely any players ahead of the ball so how on earth we are meant to play through a press is beyond me. My personal opinion is that in the last two games we need to go two up front and just try and play percentage balls as we aren’t good enough to play out from the back and just try and out run the opponents, pick up second balls and just be horrible to play against. Unfortunately for most in my opinion that would have Whittaker on the bench. Hardie and waine or Bundu (probably waine for his work rate) up front, houghton Randell and forshaw if fit behind him, it not it will have to be Devine but we have to stack the midfield with hard workers. This is genuinely the only way I see us getting up the pitch, longer balls in to two strikers so have more chance of winning something and then 3 hard working midfield players to get any second balls. Once the second balls are won, the wingbacks dart forward, this would see 4/5 players ahead of the ball when its in our midfield rather than behind and getting forced into what we are doing now.

Agreed - I would go two up top, try and cause a couple of problems for the defence of Millwall with two running strikers. Need to change something.

 

[philevs]

Agreed - I would go two up top, try and cause a couple of problems for the defence of Millwall with two running strikers. Need to change something.

Definitely need to change something.
Speaking of which, no pre-match press conference as yet on Argyle TV - is this a deliberate change? If so, I’d say it’s a good one, let’s keep everything in the changing room and our cards close to our chest at this point.

 

[Argyleloyal]

Definitely need to change something.
Speaking of which, no pre-match press conference as yet on Argyle TV - is this a deliberate change? If so, I’d say it’s a good one, let’s keep everything in the changing room and our cards close to our chest at this point.

Don’t know where you’re looking on Argyle Tv but the pre match press conferences is up on Argyle TV

 

[philevs]

Don’t know where you’re looking on Argyle Tv but the pre match press conferences is up on Argyle TV

Thanks!

 

[greenrunner]

With Bundu, I like the way he finds space around half way to pick up the ball and the way he drives at defences. Unfortunately it then mostly goes wrong. I know he scored that goal against Leicester but for the rest of that match and the whole of the match against Stoke his decision making on whether to shoot or pass and his execution either way was really dreadful. He may get another "Leicester" goal but the odds are against it.

 

[philevs]

With Bundu, I like the way he finds space around half way to pick up the ball and the way he drives at defences. Unfortunately it then mostly goes wrong. I know he scored that goal against Leicester but for the rest of that match and the whole of the match against Stoke his decision making on whether to shoot or pass and his execution either way was really dreadful. He may get another "Leicester" goal but the odds are against it.

I find his play is a lot better than you say.
He retains possession better than any of our other strikers, which is a good start. He’s always looking for an opening to make a decisive pass, and also to take a shot. His free kicks look dangerous when he gets to take one. Would definitely start him instead of Hardie today if we only play one striker up front.

 

[Mark Smith]

Bundu was very good in the first half-hour vs Stoke, combining well with Mumba. He was pulling in defenders down to our left and making space in the middle. If we had had another Bundu running into the central space we might have made more of those attacks. When the momentum shifted his head went down along with everyone else's and he became anonymous.