Our midfield options

[gurujuan]

Just wanted to get peoples thoughts here. We often talk about the club having an embarrassment of riches, when it comes to our striking options. Personally, I’m not so sure we have, but this is about our midfield. One of the reasons given by supporters, for none of our strikers being prolific, is the lack of creativity in midfield. Yes, you can always do with more, and we do lack depth, but looking at our options, can it really be down to a lack of quality. We have three in that area, Hutchinson, Bannan, and Reach, who are perhaps, three of the best in their favoured positions. Some teams would be glad to have one of those in their midfield, so for us to be able to call on the services of all three, should we be creating more? Maybe it’s the balance that is wrong? Or could it be the strikers aren’t as good as we think, so don’t take advantage of the chances we do create. Having said that, I’m pleased with the progress we are making, and I’m sure Bruce will sort it out, but I was just wondering what others made of it?

[pj owl]

I don’t think you get a specific type of creativity with those 3. 

 

Bannan and Hutchinson particularly are my favourite players, but neither will commit, go past players or arrive late to score goals.

 

if therefore you play with those 2 (or 3 if you chuck Reach in) you need to play with wide players who can do all three of the above.

 

Just my opinion obviously.

[gurujuan]

10 minutes ago, pj owl said:

I don’t think you get a specific type of creativity with those 3. 

 

Bannan and Hutchinson particularly are my favourite players, but neither will commit, go past players or arrive late to score goals.

 

if therefore you play with those 2 (or 3 if you chuck Reach in) you need to play with wide players who can do all three of the above.

 

Just my opinion obviously.

So you reckon it’s more of a balance issue? Not doubting what you say, by any means, but all three of those players would be classed as, top players in their positions. If that’s the case, do we have to sacrifice one of those elements, to bring in another player who offers something different? It does seem odd that we can field such a trio of quality, and yet consider that as our weakest department

[Lord Snooty]

We've struggled to have a midfield which was equally as good at going forward and backwards, and vice versa since Stuart Gray was here.

He had good reason to stick with his rigid style built on defensive solidity. 

 

For the past 3 years though the the answer was staring us in the face. 

 

                 4                    

 10          Hutchinson         8

        Lee                                   Bannan

 

We needed to tickle the team along and build around this nucleus who gave us everything we needed at the heart of the side. 

 

Sadly we spaffed money on people who wouldn't or couldn't clot in.

Terrible shame really. 

 

Hopefully Bruce has his head screwed on more than the previous two managers. And hopefully he's going to have the final say on transfers incoming. 

 

Then maybe , just maybe we have a chance. 

[Holmowl]

47 minutes ago, Lord Snooty said:

 

Sadly we spaffed money on people who wouldn't or couldn't clot in.

 

Should have brought in some new blood?

[torryowl]

our midfield of hutch reach, boyd  & bannan  can stand up against most of the others in this division ….. 

[Holmowl]

Just now, torryowl said:

our midfield of hutch reach, boyd  & bannan  can stand up against most of the others in this division ….. 

 

Couldn't agree more.

[York_Owl]

The problem playing the old school 4-4-2 with that four in midfield is when we come up against teams playing three in central midfield against our two. We just get overrun and don’t get a grip of the game in midfield and the strikers don’t get much service.

[York_Owl]

13 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

 

Should have brought in some new blood?

Yes. After the play off final Hull showed us where we were lacking. 

 

Switch to a three man midfield as @Lord Snooty has mentioned on numerous occasions over the years. Then sign a quality central midfielder as we know we’re only going to get 20-30 games a season out of Hutch.

 

Instead we signed Jones and Abdi and stuck with a 4-4-2 which usually contained three central midfielders.

[Lord Snooty]

31 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

 

Should have brought in some new blood?

 

I don't think we needed much new blood.

With one lively, fast, strong loan signing at centre forward added to this side we were easily good enough for promotion in Year one. 

 

1

Westwood

2                      5                           6                    3

    Hunt               Lees                    Loovens           Pudil

                     4                          

  10       Hutchinson         8      

7               Lee              9              Bannan             11

Wallace                             ????????                            Forestieri

 

 

Gray had forged a fantastic defensive nucleus with the defensive diamond of Westwood, Lees, Loovens and Hutchinson. 

 

The adding of Forestieri and Wallace gave us two players who would bring flair, delivery and a share of goals and give our midfield flair and creativity adding attacking skill to our strong defensive base.

 

A couple of canny signings or loan signings would have finished it off.

Instead ......

we went crackers. ...

 

Wiggins,  Sougou, McGugan, Abdi, Fox,  Matias, Lachman, Emanualson, Hooper, Jones, Reach, Winnall, Rhodes, Boyd,  Sasso, Reach , Venâncio,  Van Aken. 

 

We just needed a couple to fit with the rest of the team. We just brought int people randomly with seemingly no thought given as to where they'd fit in. 

 

That's when the shoe horn came out. Our transfer lunacy and signing players like a hoover taking anything in its path actually made us less tactically flexible!!!

 

Crackers.

Completley crackers.

Set us back .and more.... because now we're in in FFP mire because of it.

 

Couple of shrewd loans we'd have been there.

Barmy. Completley bloody barmy transfer 'policy'.

 

Jacob bloody Butterfield....random.

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Lord Snooty

[OwlinOldham]

We have some very good midfield players, we just dont have the right balance. Most of the season Bannan has been so deep its been unreal. This playing deep alongside a defensive midfield partner has ultimately cost us the midfield in many games.

 

However Since Bruce has arrived, both Bannan and Hutch have been further forward and more positive with the ball. Its made a noticable difference. We really need a box to box player like Lee though. That would give us more presence in the final third, with more energy in the middle too. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by OwlinOldham

[gurujuan]

Most probably agree that we didn’t do what was needed, and wasted the money that could maybe have given us better options. I’m not criticising our midfield, in fact I agree with Torry and Holmowl, it’s as good as most in the division, at least on paper. However, and this was my point, if that’s what we believe, then it cannot be true that we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the front players. Again, this I’ve always believed to be a myth.

[hawksmore]

23 minutes ago, torryowl said:

our midfield of hutch reach, boyd  & bannan  can stand up against most of the others in this division ….. 

 

I really hope that's not our starting midfield next season, it's so slow, will sit too deep and invite pressure by being over run. 

 

Bannan, Hutch and Lee with Aarons on the right and Forestieri on the left, would be an exciting midfield. Fletcher (on current form) up top and i'll probably be wánking on the North stand every week. 

[Lord Snooty]

6 minutes ago, gurujuan said:

Most probably agree that we didn’t do what was needed, and wasted the money that could maybe have given us better options. I’m not criticising our midfield, in fact I agree with Torry and Holmowl, it’s as good as most in the division, at least on paper. However, and this was my point, if that’s what we believe, then it cannot be true that we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the front players. Again, this I’ve always believed to be a myth.

 

Bit of both.

 

You could play Glenn Hoddle and Michel Platini in the middle of the park. But if they're coming up against a triumvirate of Keane ,Viera and Souness outnumbering them they'd have bloody nothing to come. 

 

Look at Wallace. 

He did dip in performance in his last season or so.

But he was a player who'd played his entire career putting crosses in and getting at players. ...and suddenly he was being asked to tuck inside all the time and help Kieran and Sam out with the overload whilst Hunt or Palmer were tasked with providing. Not a strength of any one of the three players. 

 

Play off final is a classic,  classic example of us defeating ourselves by not giving our best players the freedom and putting them in the positions. ..that actually make them our best players. 

 

Bannan may as well have been left back that day. Fernando got zero from their centre halves. Might have only been the goal in it. But we were never winning that game. 

 

Look at players now under Bruce...players people thought were sheeite.

Give them a job that they are good at and they look better.

Give them a system that gives them a chance and they can look a side. 

[spike1867]

Buzzer, floater, spreader, runner. We still lack the runner. Been saying it for nearly 3 years now. Reach can do it, KL can do it, but I'd still prefer a more aggressive central midfielder type.

[sMacLean]

Reach isn't particularly creative, a point and squirt winger. Hutch offers little either in that department.

 

It all goes through Bannan, the Brizzle fans said start of the game shut him down and we have little else.

 

Improving the wing play will probably have far more impact than central midfield for us. We definitely lack a box to box midfielder if Lee is done. We'll need several Prem loans.

[Luke]

not enough goals from midfield

with bannan and Hutchinson be lucky to get you 8 a season

 

close both down and you might as well have 9 men plus Hutchinson is made out of biscuits

lee is missing piece but 2 years Is hell of a long time to recover from

get a fit young midfielder in and we've cracked It

[bladeshater]

We need better than Hutchinson 

[83owl]

8 hours ago, torryowl said:

our midfield of hutch reach, boyd  & bannan  can stand up against most of the others in this division ….. 

No pace and little physicality in that midfield. Hutch is often injured and needs reigning in as he often chases the ball out to the full back positions. Boyd is average at best. We Hardly got a kick of the ball in the midfield against Leeds. 

[billyblack]

A sign a player and hope for the best strategy doesnt work like we have done. Thats why we end up playing players out of position. Said it before, we need to know what formation and tactics we want to play and then sign the players to fit. Fudging it wont work long term.