Wingless wonders

Also, of course ge had a choice on who to play up top...

Did you ever stop to think that at the end of the day it was Freedmans choice to loan a second striker, maybe he wouldn't have done if he didn't want both to play.

White84 wrote:Don't disagree about eaves and Cavies but we have had the players to play 2 up top when N'gog was here with Beckford or N'gog Mason.Be good to see Beckford n Juke play together.

I would like to have seen Beckford play with Cravies at some point. I really think we have GOT to start using our own players and stop this business of sending ours out on loan to bring someone else's in temporarily. You simply cannot make a long term plan when you have players here on 50 day loans or even six month deals. 

Dougie has failed to motivate the players we have and that in my opinion is one of the two fatal flaws he has shown. The other is his stubborn refusal to change a "system" that isn't working for months on end. 

Let's be honest here, does anyone really feel Dougie is now some kind of tactical and motivational genius because he finally got two strikers on the pitch at the same time and we won ONE game? I can't help wondering in retrospect what might have happened had Pratley not gone off injured? Danns and Mavies worked well together but again I'm concerned as Danns is NOT our player. Come the summer when Danns, Mason, Juke and Trotter all head back to their parent clubs we're back to square one. Dougie got out of jail last season on the back of some great performances from the likes of Dawson and McNaughton and he might just do it again with Mason, Juke and Danns but this isn't the right way to go in the long term.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:

White84 wrote:Don't disagree about eaves and Cavies but we have had the players to play 2 up top when N'gog was here with Beckford or N'gog Mason.Be good to see Beckford n Juke play together.

I would like to have seen Beckford play with Cravies at some point. I really think we have GOT to start using our own players and stop this business of sending ours out on loan to bring someone else's in temporarily. You simply cannot make a long term plan when you have players here on 50 day loans or even six month deals. 

Dougie has failed to motivate the players we have and that in my opinion is one of the two fatal flaws he has shown. The other is his stubborn refusal to change a "system" that isn't working for months on end. 

Let's be honest here, does anyone really feel Dougie is now some kind of tactical and motivational genius because he finally got two strikers on the pitch at the same time and we won ONE game? I can't help wondering in retrospect what might have happened had Pratley not gone off injured? Danns and Mavies worked well together but again I'm concerned as Danns is NOT our player. Come the summer when Danns, Mason, Juke and Trotter all head back to their parent clubs we're back to square one. Dougie got out of jail last season on the back of some great performances from the likes of Dawson and McNaughton and he might just do it again with Mason, Juke and Danns but this isn't the right way to go in the long term.

We may find out Dougie is on loan as well!

I think Dougie always wanted to play 442 but didn't have the strikers - or defence - to do it until now.
He started with it in pre-season and we got whupped by Carlisle (Eaves and Cavies up front) and then at home to Betis (Beckford and Sordell)
Dougie started the season playing 442 at home using Ngog and Beckford up front but it didn't work so  then only used it when we were trailing at home and it still didn't work. 
I think Dougie lost faith in 442 as early as the Reading home game (August!)
The Beckford/Ngog combination just wasn't productive enough and when he occasionally threw Cavies into the mix that didn't work either. 

However at that stage of the season he was persisting with Lee and Eagles or occasionally Hall as wide men and we were getting murdered at the back, so it's not surprising Dougie went for 451 as we were marginally better playing that in our away matches.

With Cavies, Sordell and Eaves failing to impress and Ngog not really doing it until Dougie managed to get him off the books (masterstroke IMO) Dougie focused on defending and hoped we have some sort of attacking threat from our wingers plus one striker.
Great in theory, but they didn't hack it as they had defensive duties.

Now Dougie has made the defence slightly better helped by the return of Wheater from injury (so he doesn't have to play Knight who will be gone in the summer) and signed Mason and Juke who could form a decent partnership he has the option of playing narrow with two up front for the first time.

OK it worked against Watford, but sooner or later we'll get murdered down the flanks - unless we get natural FBs which is unlikely to happen.

But I do think that if Dougie sticks to 442 for home games at least we'll have enough to survive the season which is all he needs to do to get us through to the summer when everything will change.

I know Eagles is gone in the summer and Lee will be sold if a buyer can be found, but it would be nice to retain wide options. Maybe Dougie is hoping Hall etc will step up.