Attacking Balance.

[BoyWonder2]

I don't want to turn this thread into one where certain players (Harrold and Hunt seem to be the faviourites for this at the moment) but something that struck me on saturday was how unbalanced our attacking play was.

By this I mean it all came down our left-hand side. Gower and Hammell were excellent and all most unplayable in spells. Compare that with the right of Hunt, Moussa and Morgan.

Now I know Moose isn't a right winger, and is "doing a job" out there at the moment and Morgan was only out there for 5-10 minutes when MacDonald came on.

Everytime Macca, Maher, Clarke, Barrett had the ball at their feet they looked right and decided to play it left because of the major threat down that side.

On saturday is was okay at Cheltenham were poor down that side, but against stronger teams, like Forest, Swansea et all if they can stop our play down the left, we haven't got a back up plan. Perhaps its time for Francis to come in at right back, especially if we have a central midfielder out wide. Moussa could drop into right back/right wingback when we are on the attack to allow Francis to over lap and provide some quality into the box.

I personally think Hunt has done well in recent games, but I think he had a shocker on saturday. He isn't much of an attacking threat. Cheltenham, in the second half, were forced to sit back because it was wave after wave of Southend attacking play and it was screaming out for Francis to come on at right back to provide some attacking thrust down the right hand side.

Whats peoples opinions on this? Personall I think if Black or Gower is over on the right, we need someone more solid at right black i.e. Hunt, but if we have Macca, Bailey or Moussa out there, we need someone a bit more attack minded at right back.

 

[sufcintheprem]

I think you could be on to something. Worth giving Francis a run to, as you mention, give more variety and Richards in the middle to give us a more commanding and less frantic presence.

We're not far off being a very good team but it'll be frustrating if we have options on the bench that could take us up a notch. We really need to see Francis play at this level to make that judgement.

At the same time, i suppose, Tilly may point out that we're having a pretty decent season so far with Hunt at right back but I'd be surprised if he didn't appreciate the impact Richards had last time. I think the problem is that he doesn't want to drop wholehearted players like Clarke and Barrett and Hammell has been too good to be shifted since coming in to the side.

 

[Suffolk Blue]

Most teams have figured out quite quickly that they're going to get most joy from attacking down their left against Moussa/JCR/Black, and Hunt/Gilbert.

We seemed to have our most successful period when playing Macca or Bailey wide-ish right with Hunt behind. Although this was against weaker opponents. I think we'd have more success by returning to this tactic with Macca playing to the right of a Maher/Bailey CM partnership, and with Francis replacing Hunt (but then again I'm pretty much an anti-Hunt fan). I think this'd give us a bit more strength and also a bit more of an attacking threat too.

Whatever happens we can't play Hunt and Moussa together on the right again unless we want to see even mediocre sides getting chance after chance down our right.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

During our success of recent years we have always been very unbalanced, take the wing partnership that was Gower and Pettefer for example!!

We cant handle playing two wingers, so I dont see a problem with this

 

[DTS]

Just sums up the point for me that we need as follows.

1) Francis back in for Hunt. Hunt has done a great job and looks solid but he slows up the play too much and cant push forward in the same way Francis can.

2) A decent winger who can cross the ball and weigh in with a few.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Morgan on the right wing maybe?

 

[BoyWonder2]

During our success of recent years we have always been very unbalanced, take the wing partnership that was Gower and Pettefer for example!!

We cant handle playing two wingers, so I dont see a problem with this

It worked well during our last League One campaign with Mitchell Cole and Mark Gower.

I think the home matches against lesser teams, we should be opting for two wingers, or Francis, an attack minded full back in, with Macca or Bailey out wide.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

It worked well during our last League One campaign with Mitchell Cole and Mark Gower.

I think the home matches against lesser teams, we should be opting for two wingers, or Francis, an attack minded full back in, with Macca or Bailey out wide.

Cole hardly ever got the chance to play, so I really dont think you can count that

 

[shrimper4life]

Morgan on the right wing maybe?

The last time we played a 'striker' on the wing, the player turned sh!t i.e. Foran. And Morgans threat totally disappeared when he went over to the wing after Macdonald came on.

 

[Beefy]

We've been unbalanced for pretty much four years with most of the play going through Mark Gower on one flank with one of Pettefer/Bentley/Bradbury/Francis/Hunt/Moussa/Bailey/McCormack on the other. Even when JCR was playing the defence and midfield tended to look first for Gower and play through him and it was often Gower who would bring JCR into play with a crossfield ball for Jamal to run onto. We've probably looked most balanced with Tommy Black playing on the right even if neither have been playing well when they've both been in the side but without Black I think we've definitely been missing a trick in not having an attacking rightback. Hunt has been trying his best to get forward this season but it's not his natural game and that's the main reason I'd have Francis back in the side.