[zippyandbungle]

Its got to the stage of the season where all games are must wins.
We cant afford to lose really, can we?
We must go for wins because were only just in front of the teams below us.
Its a tricky run in, if we do it, we have 11 games for promotion, i hope Maja gers fit asap, where is he?

It hasn’t
It’s the stage of the season where all you need to do is be slightly better than some of those around you and finish 6th.
Everyone always thinks their run in is harder
If you play the top teams they are difficult because they are good
If you play the bottom teams they are difficult because they are fighting
If you play the middle teams they are difficult because they don’t have the same pressure .
We could of course pick a settled team in a settled formation and perhaps make it a touch easier ,but it’ll all be fine and I’ll see you at wemberleeeee

[Albionic]

please can no one share that they have booked their hotel _ PLEASE

[zippyandbungle]

please can no one share that they have booked their hotel _ PLEASE

Well if they have,they are paying a fair bit
The Hilton for 2 adults 2 kids on the Saturday night is over £900 😂😂

[KYA]

Playing Norwich atm and it's like groundhog day we are often the better team but we just don't create clear cut chances.
We are not going to get promoted unless something changes I think we need to be more direct with a proper C/F upfront who can cause a few problems get the ball to ping around the box the current style is not doing it for me.

[robnewbold]

Looks like we will slip outside of POffs at this rate, which given the overall strength of the squad is really unforgivable.

[johnnyg]

I was, and still am, a huge fan of Mowbray, but what he's doing is just not working.
We will not make the PO's by continuing to do the same rubbish things.

We need to go for bloody broke and play 4-4-2 for the last 7 games. We have 4 strikers to pick from - Dike, Armstrong, Grant, and Lankshear.  For God sake, lets start two of them up top every game for the last 7 games and at least go down fighting, rather than slip out of the PO race with a whimper.

[timdon]

For the last 7 games of the season, I wouldn't play ANY of the players who are out of contract at the end of the season, or ANY of the loanees (with the possible exception of Lankshear if Dike isn't ready for a full 90 minutes). The planning and preparation for next season has to start now.

[baggiebof]

Personally I think the team picks itself and that we have two approaches, either one up top or we go with two. If we go one up top, I think we need Dike or Lankshear maybe up there to play off of. If we select two up top, I'd have Price on the right of midfield instead of Fellows to start, to give us a little bit more in terms of looking after the ball.

433/4232:

Wildsmith

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Molumby
Mowatt
Price/Swift/Diangana

Fellows
Dike/Lankshear
Johnston

442:

Wildsmith

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Price
Molumby
Mowatt
Johnston

Armstrong
Dike/Lankshear

[zippyandbungle]

Personally I think the team picks itself and that we have two approaches, either one up top or we go with two. If we go one up top, I think we need Dike or Lankshear maybe up there to play off of. If we select two up top, I'd have Price on the right of midfield instead of Fellows to start, to give us a little bit more in terms of looking after the ball.

433/4232:

Wildsmith

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Molumby
Mowatt
Price/Swift/Diangana

Fellows
Dike/Lankshear
Johnston

442:

Wildsmith

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Price
Molumby
Mowatt
Johnston

Armstrong
Dike/Lankshear

You would be the third manager this season that doesn’t consider Diakite but plays a very leggy Mowatt,what’s the thoughts behind this ?

[hardtobeat]

I think 352 would suit us better lining up something like
Wildsmith
Holgate
Barts
Heggem
Furlong
Price
Diakite
Mowatt
Styles
Grant
Lankshear/Dike

[graka]

Our main issue is the lack of creativity from midfield for whomever is playing up front
Mowatt and molumby doesn’t work
Swift wondering around doesn’t either
Mowatt and swift are good at ball retention but that is pointless unless we are leading
If everyone is fit I’d go 4-2-3-1

                                            Wildsmith

Furlong.           Bartley.                         Heggem.         Styles

                               Diakites.          Price

Fellows.                             Grant.                       Johnston

                                         Maja

Grant benefits from playing off someone who holds the ball up so in the abscence of maja I’d go Lankshear
Diakite offers us legs and protection and Price is the typical box to box midfielder we miss through the middle

[NJS]

Come on, from previous comments on here, surely thing right thing to do is to pick 9 outfield players who  can play to Armstrong's strengths?

[Hull Baggie]

Come on, from previous comments on here, surely thing right thing to do is to pick 9 outfield players who  can play to Armstrong's strengths?

I'm constantly amazed by how some posters can't grasp a simple concept such as if you are going to play a centre forward play to his strengths.
Armstrong is not going to win headers against taller defenders so why do we constantly lump the ball into the box.
If we are going to continue to attack in such a one dimensional way Mowbray needs to pick a forward that can do that.
Playing to Armstrongs strength doesn't mean that should be the only way we attack but another option when lumping it into the box isn't working.
It would make us less easy to defend against. Teams have worked out that if they cut out service from out wide we have no other way of attacking.
Yesterday in particular Armstrong, Fellows, Molumby and Grant all tried to make a good forward run that would have required a ball over the top to run onto but had to check their runs as the ball never came as it endlessly passed from side to side.

[NJS]

I agree you have to have a variety of attacking ploys but it's getting more and more difficult to discern Armstrong's strengths (or maybe just strength.).   

[baggiebof]

You would be the third manager this season that doesn’t consider Diakite but plays a very leggy Mowatt,what’s the thoughts behind this ?

I based the selection on how Mowbray wants us to play. I like Diakite and think he would suit us if we played with flying full backs or had an effective number 10 or if we played more direct but as we currently play, his lack of creativity/progressive passing wouldn't help. As it is, we are struggling to create clear cut chances and progress the ball, unsure he would help with that.

[graka]

I based the selection on how Mowbray wants us to play. I like Diakite and think he would suit us if we played with flying full backs or had an effective number 10 or if we played more direct but as we currently play, his lack of creativity/progressive passing wouldn't help. As it is, we are struggling to create clear cut chances and progress the ball, unsure he would help with that.

I think you are doing him a disservice there
He always seems to look for a forward pass
Mowatt on the other hand is the worst at playing sideways and backwards.
Maybe like swift yesterday scared to play forwards because neither of them can muster a sprint to regain the ball
Diakite would start in front of mowatt every game for me

[baggiebof]

I think you are doing him a disservice there
He always seems to look for a forward pass
Mowatt on the other hand is the worst at playing sideways and backwards.
Maybe like swift yesterday scared to play forwards because neither of them can muster a sprint to regain the ball
Diakite would start in front of mowatt every game for me

Quite possibly and I haven't seen much of him live to really judge. I do have access to passing data for the season, small sample size I know, but the stats show he plays only 2.69 progressive passes per 90, which outs him in the 4th percentile for his position this season, which suggests what I am saying could be true.

[Hull Baggie]

I agree you have to have a variety of attacking ploys but it's getting more and more difficult to discern Armstrong's strengths (or maybe just strength.).

His strengths are being able to use his pace to beat a defender, to link up with a bigger target man type player to collect knock downs, his ability to score goals.
He is good at dropping slightly deeper and bringing other players in...if they bother to move ( which is another issue have).
He most definitely isn't a lone striker and playing him as one isn't going to get the best out of him, which is denying us his biggest attribute and I'm sure the reason we loaned him...goal scoring.
His offside awareness is also a bit of an issue.
Play to his strengths and he just might get the goals that he was brought in to get.

[Standaman]

There are 7 games left and we still (amazingly) have a shot at the play-offs, as such we have to concentrate on getting an effective XI on the pitch, at the point we don't then we should be picking teams with one eye on next season.

With the return of Furlong I would leave the keeper and back 4 alone (Holgate as cover).

Okay, let's deal with the Armstrong issue. Is it him or is it us? I am starting to suspect it might be him and if that is the case then there is no point in tying ourselves in knots to fix the problem because we won't. However even if it is us we only have 7 games to fix the problem and frankly finding the solution in the 5th game won't help a whole lot. Maybe it is just going to be easier not to play him and look at alternative XI's.

There are 3 basic shapes 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1. With all of them there are variations on the theme and with all of them we have one big problem: we don't have a good left footed wide option. Well we do but not in a 4-3-3 and that's what we have been playing for the bulk of the season. I would be happy with Diangana wide left in a 4-2-3-1 (but that is something we haven't seen in a long while) and Styles there in a 4-4-2 but see above re the defence.

Maybe it would be easier to go with something we are familiar with. The 4-3-3. Working back to front. Centre forward rotate Dyke and Lankshear . Wide left, rotate Johnston and Grant. Wide right that is either Fellows or Johnston (although that depends on Grant playing on the opposite flank)

The midfield 3 is where the decisions get interesting. We can go with a double 6 and 10 or a 6 and a double 8. Personally I'd play Price but he would fit as either an 8 or a 6.

Going with a 10 the options are: Swift, Diangana, Bany or Mowatt. Swift and Mowatt are advanced playmakers but aren’t really breaking into the box nor are they offering a great deal defensively and both lack recovery pace.  Diangana offers an ability to take on players but when paired with Johnston is offering a similar threat. At this point Bany is a bit of an unknown quantity but looks to have a similar skill set to Diangana.

Behind a 10 it then becomes a question of who to play alongside Price. It is either Diakite or Molumby. I personally like Diakite in most circumstances because his defensive solidity and athleticism would allow Price to join the attack without him being overly concerned about what is behind him.

All that said at the moment Mowbray has a strong preference for Mowatt as a deep sitting playmaker and a long term preference for that type of player going back to Greening in his first spell with us as manager. Working with that then a Molumby and Price as double 8’s. Who is the 10? Answer: there is a no 10. 

All of this leads to

Wildsmith

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Mowatt
Molumby
Price

Johnston
Lankshear
Fellows

Does it fix all our issues? No and specifically I would like to see Diakite in that line up plus someone in the 10 role even Swift. However given the tactical preferences of our Head  Coach it will be competitive and give us the best shot of making it across the play-off line.   

[liverbaggie]

Its always been 352 for me
Its an attacking formation and a defending one

[gazberg]

Dood has posted that he personally spoke to Maja today. Maja is back in 2-3 weeks.


Dood also said 3-5 weeks out for Price. Ankle ligament damage.

[KN22]

Dood has posted that he personally spoke to Maja today. Maja is back in 2-3 weeks.


Dood also said 3-5 weeks out for Price. Ankle ligament damage.

Thank God for Dood eh 😂

[boingboing1989]

Thought Dike and Bany did enough to start Tuesday night for me, Dike really put himself about and if that cross was half an inch lower he'd of powered it in the back of the net. Bany had a few nice passes and was really eager for the ball, would like to see him get more minutes.

[KN22]

Thought Dike and Bany did enough to start Tuesday night for me, Dike really put himself about and if that cross was half an inch lower he'd of powered it in the back of the net. Bany had a few nice passes and was really eager for the ball, would like to see him get more minutes.

I agree on both points. They did well and Bany looks very useful and actually moves the ball quickly, a rarity in our team.

[gazberg]

Thank God for Dood eh 😂

What do you mean?