The need for a pacey midfielder

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Borodrew

Well-known member
Who can drive forward and commit others.

McGree very tidy but we have to have another threat when we're nullified out wide.

A midfielder with pace who can take a man on and pull players out of position.

Today's game has had me yearning for juninho.

How I would love anyone remotely similar to get on the ball and just get face to face and have a go at them to unlock something

Any threat through the middle would be acceptable
 
We need to look to play down the left more, for the last 3 games giles has been isolated and given hardly any service.
We are too quick to fall into the standard Jones direction which everyone has worked out. Many times against Sheff United Giles was a miles better option to pass to, however overlooked for another attack down the right.
 
I always consider the midfield as the most important part of the set up. We have pace in Giles and Jones. A couple of seasons ago we hadthe most dull trio of saville, howson and mcnair. If we are still playing 2/3rds of that then we will struggle again. I am not astute enough to know what will make a difference but we need a couple of more options in my opinion.
 
Borodrew said:
Who can drive forward and commit others.

McGree very tidy but we have to have another threat when we're nullified out wide.

A midfielder with pace who can take a man on and pull players out of position.

Today's game has had me yearning for juninho.

How I would love anyone remotely similar to get on the ball and just get face to face and have a go at them to unlock something

Any threat through the middle would be acceptable
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Surely thats who Jones and Giles are, both should be looking to take their man on and go forward,
Yesterday especially it was painfull to watch them both halt, and pass backwards sidewards. Now this may be to instruction , but it was just predictable and very easy to defend against. Jones is a shadow of the guy who first started last September. Hopefully its not down to managers tactics.
 
whinneybanksaint said:
Surely thats who Jones and Giles are, both should be looking to take their man on and go forward,
Yesterday especially it was painfull to watch them both halt, and pass backwards sidewards. Now this may be to instruction , but it was just predictable and very easy to defend against. Jones is a shadow of the guy who first started last September. Hopefully its not down to managers tactics.
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When your width is your only outlet and option though it can be fairly predictable.

One player in the middle beats a man and it draws opposition players towards the ball and creates those spaces out wide to exploit.

Yesterday none of the 3 in mf were brave. Everything was in front of them. All they had to do was shuffle from side to side whilst we passed in front of them.

Ramirez, even Tomlin, anyone of that Ilk, to get behind the midfield line and draw out players. It isn't necessarily about attacking through th middle, more about pulling opposition players in and making space for the wide men
 
You don't need particularly need pace in midfield. That isn't what we are lacking. The ball moves quickly enough. A slow player can beat a man. Pace is a bonus but not a requirement for that.

Bravery and risk taking are what is needed. It's easy to always play it safe. Too many people worried about not giving the ball away instead of trying to do something. Although, the 2nd half yesterday was the opposite. I presume Wilder told them that at half time because they were forcing and over hitting passes that weren't on.
 
We either need some legs, power dynamism and aggression in the centre to boss the opposition, break up play and start counters, or some top quality box-to-box number 8 types who are a cut above the opposition and can dictate the game with their quality.

I can't see us affording or atractting the latter, so I would go all out for the former.

We are slow, weak, timid and lacking in any sort of aggression or fight at centre mid and have been for some time. We are far too nice and far too easy to play against. Howson is a big part of the problem for me. He isn't fast, strong, a tackler, a talker or a leader. He rarely gets up in support and rarely boIIocks those not doing their jobs.

He has a terrific engine, is super fit, rarely injured and reads the game well in most situations though.

I think he normally looks better later in games as his fitness and athleticism allows him to keep going longer than more powerful players. He's also a great pro, has been a decent servant to us, gives 100% and offers adequate cover in a number of positions.

But, until we have some sort of foothold and control in the centre of the park we will always be open and struggle if we're not scoring two or three early doors every game.

The decision to let both Tav and Payero go and not replace them is looking more and more baffling. We needed an extra box-to-box player or a 1st choice starting DCM anyway IMO, to allow Crooks and Howson to be rested and rotated, since then we have lost Tav and Payero and loaned in Mowatt.

We need two centre mids who can compete and keep the starters on their toes and offer a more mobile, dynamic and aggressive threat than Howson/McGree/Crooks and seemingly Mowatt can offer.

I still have faith, we are 75%-80% a good team, add Muniz and a strong forward who can cause more problems for the opposition and a couple of centre mids and we'll be almost there.

I would happily stick Paddy back at LCB if it meant we could get a couple of midfielders in.
 
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More than one manager inc Jack Charlton believed a dependable strong spine in the team was the key. Can't remember if it was him who said something like: "Give me a keeper, centre half, centre mid and centre forward and the rest will look after itself." I realise it's probably a horrible misquote but someone out there will remember the actual thing.
 
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