The Diamond Formation

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Is it even remotely looking like a system that could take us to promotion ?.
Or is it a load of tosh that just happened to suit the Doncaster players that they have, but definately does not suit ours.
It seems very boring to me, especially when there is just one striker to aim for. No wonder the players seem a bit p*s*ed off and showing a lack of effort.
Having played for so long with wingers and usually two strikers, have we had it too good for too long now ?.

I feel a petition coming on, especially for all us STH's that may have to suffer this drivel all season.

"DUMP THE DIAMOND, WHEN DO WE WANT IT" ?, "NOW".

Before it's too late I might add.

 

[shrimper4life]

Or is it a load of tosh that just happened to suit the Doncaster players that they have, but definately does not suit ours.

From reading past comments after the donny game from tilly and brush and co it does seem the diamond formation was thought of after the defeat rather than basing the formation around the players we have.

The formation doesnt suit us at all and the quicker we dump it the better.

 

[BoyWonder2]

I'm not sure what sort of system we have been playing in the games so far. There was talk of the diamond, but Vs Fulham it looked like a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 depending on how you look at it. Basically, one man upfront with the wingers joining him. I don't think its works at all.

I can see why we have tried the diamond, especially with only one wideman in the entire first team squad, but we have tried it and it hasn't worked.

Furlong hasn't got the legs to play the lone striker, Barnard can't play it, Walker wouldn't be able to play it. Barnard can't play wide of a striker, Walker did well Vs Fulham and Scannell did very well.

I'd rather us line up 4-4-2, something like:

Mildenhall

Francis
Barrett
CB
LB

Scannell
Bailey
McCormack
LW

Barnard
Walker.

Subs:

Joyce
Clarke
Osei
Moussa
Furlong

The subs have been made up by the players we have but I don't like having 2 defenders on the bench.

We need to bring in a left back first and foremost, possibly Chris Powell, maybe somebody else. Then we need to look to the wingers. I'd like to see two brought it. A natural left sided player with a left foot and then somebody who could cover either wing.

I'd then go in for a centre half. Keogh of Bristol City is being mentioned and I'd be happy with him. Is there any further news on that?

Then central midfielder cover. Bailey may well still leave this summer, if he doesn't him and Macca will be suspended at some stage during the season. Possibly someone like Grant coming in.

 

[maninasuitcase]

Certainly at our place, Forest, Swansea and Doncaster played a 4-5-1 without the ball changing to an attacking 4-3-3.

I think that would be a better formation for us, giving as more width than the so-called diamond formation.

Bailey, moussa and macca in the middle with scannell and walker joining Barnard in attack.

Furlong and Revell on the bench for a 4-4-2 switch.

 

[fredheim_holm]

I'm sorry, but we havent played a game yet. This is ludacrous.

 

[Alex]

I'm sorry, but we havent played a game yet. This is ludacrous.

What about our friendlies?

 

[fredheim_holm]

What about our friendlies?

Friendlies have never shown anything resembling of how we'll do in the season. They're just fitness testers. I remember Black scoring a brace against Chelmsford last year, he probably scored about 2 all season, I can't really remember.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I'm sorry, but we havent played a game yet. This is ludacrous.

As we are currently experimenting with this system in our friendlies,it's not ludicrous to discuss it as we are wasting the chance to play a more entertaining system that suits our players and more importantly will give them confidence to win games.
You need to score goals to win games, and this system is not good for goals.

 

[Andyhsufc]

I wouldnt rule out the diamond but I am not convicned that we have got a v.good holding player so I would rather go 4-4-2 -

Mildy

Franny
Clarkey
BArrett
*

Scannell
Macca
Bails
*

Walker
Barney

 

[palexander]

I agree - we've tried the system (and you have to assume its been tried to death in training) and it just doesnt suit us.

To me, we played the diamond in the first half v Braintree and the 433/451 in the second half. Barnard was stuck out wide, when he is clearly an 'in-the-box' striker.

Its just round pegs in square holes.

I dont know why Tilly is changing his game plan now when he has left half the squad leave. If we were rich in decent squad players, then yea experiment - but at the moment, we need to get a grip of this pre-season otherwise we are going to be entering the season with no confidence and no form.

This whole pre-season has screamed panic and disorganisation so far, lets hope the next few weeks are a bit more positive.

 

[Nobby Snide]

I'm sorry, but we havent played a game yet. This is ludacrous.

yes and no...we have played games, albeit friendlies, and these as you know are about fitness mainly, but also to try new things.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but all the friendlies we've played have all been with the diamond formation? This may suggest its how we're gonna play at least at the start of the season.
from what people are saying, we need the flexibility to change, which we havnt shown before.

 

[Hooly]

Totally agree paul & my thoughts exactly in the comments I made about the match on Saturday.

It’s all very well saying that these matches don’t matter, a la AB & some on this site and obviously the 9th is far, far more important, but if you’ve got an unsettled side in an unsuitable formation then all the pre-season work counts for nothing. No-one can convince me that what I’ve seen in the way of tactics against Fulham or Braintree is the best use of most of our team.

We’ve got to bring in 4 or 5 bodies minimum in the next 2 weeks, & more if Clarke or Bailey go, for them to have any effective pre-season games. 2 of these LB & LM will go straight into a 442 formation, even 3 if we get a decent experienced CB, so basically we could be starting pre-season again on 9th Aug.

How many times have you heard a manager say “like I say, you know what I mean, basically, obviously we won’t see the best of Joe Bloggs for a couple of months as he didn’t have a full pre-season”. So, even the assumed super-fitness of the other players can be compromised as well by having a couple of bodies who are weeks behind in conditioning.

 

[Jam_Man]

It wasnt that long people here were falling over themselves to say we should be changing formations and doing a Doncaster.

Personally I think that the players count for far more than the actual system and just because it worked for them doesnt mean it will work for us.

I prefer to play with wingers but see nothing wrong with trying new formations during pre-season. If we hadnt tried something new Im sure there would have been plenty of complaints that we hadnt. Its true a series of good wins would have been nice for confidence but I think at least trying new formations has been worthwhile to see what we can do.

I really dont see the need to change from 442, however if we can play a bit more conservatively away from home using a sole striker at times I can live with that.

The one downside of 442 for us last season was it didnt matter if we got crosses in as we had no one able to attack the ball or actually win a header in the penalty area. Maybe Furlong can do that, maybe Revell can who knows.

 

[blue scorpion]

Its the quality of your players that win matches not formations.
Tilson needs to bring quality signings in to the club IF there is any money to spend and then a system should be formulated to suit the players.
Any talk of using a system simply because it got Doncaster promoted is ludicrous.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I wouldnt rule out the diamond but I am not convicned that we have got a v.good holding player so I would rather go 4-4-2 -

Mildy

Franny
Clarkey
BArrett
*

Scannell
Macca
Bails
*

Walker
Barney

The holding midfielder in that formation is the least of our worries. Nicky Bailey is an exceptional holding midfielder and Franck Moussa is a highly promising one. Of more far more concern is the other end of the diamond where post-Gower we lack the creativity.

 

[Hooly]

It wasnt that long people here were falling over themselves to say we should be changing formations and doing a Doncaster.

To be fair I don't really remember that many of us were crying out for the lozengey diamond thing, it was both Tilly & Brush who came out & said it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

My recollection is that most of us thought we'd been outplayed as most of our team didn't turn up on the day. Yes we had a few problems with their set up but our performance wasn't good enough. It was the management that came out with the formational clap trap.

 

[McNasty]

Its the quality of your players that win matches not formations.
Tilson needs to bring quality signings in to the club IF there is any money to spend and then a system should be formulated to suit the players.
Any talk of using a system simply because it got Doncaster promoted is ludicrous.

Agree totally. It's the players we need.

 

[steveo]

Its the quality of your players that win matches not formations

Spot on. However you have to decide the formation then get the players who suit it. At the moment it looks ike Tilly wants to pick Macca, Baily and Moussa who are all central midfielders. He did this last season for a while with macca Baily and Maher and got away with it for a few games but we were woefully unbalanced width wise.
If he plays the Diamond he can fit these three and one other into midfield but then we lack width.

Leave Moussa on the bench for now, his chance will come with the other two's discipline problems, and get two wide players in - Scannel isnt good enough at the moment.

How about Mark Gower and errmm Tommy Black...............

 

[Jam_Man]

Wasnt Scannell playing well until Saturday ?

Not been to any games but from what Ive read sounded like he was doing well ?