The problem currently as I see it...

[Awin]

Holloway has pulled a master stroke getting in Scowen and Freeman as well as having Luongo at the club. As these are the 3 best players at the club (smithies aside) he feels he needs to play all 3 in their best positions.

This insistence on playing 3 in the middle has an impact all over the pitch. With the 3 you can't play out and out wingers. You are limited to wing backs to offer any width. It means tinkering with either 1,2 or even 3 up front but that means all service needs to go through the middle or rely on the wingbacks getting up the pitch.

I DO love all 3 midfielders but can't see how you can fit all 3 in their best positions and get the most out of the rest of the squad.

Can't see him changing it but in my opinion but NEEDS to.

[Pinkie]

As andy hinchcliffe said last night we`re a good side and one of the best midfields in the division, and we`re a few players away from being a top ten side in his opinion, which is pretty much how most see us.

[Awin]

2 of you don't make most of us.

The whole setup is wrong at the mo regardless of injuries. The front line is a lucky lotto (with NO injuries), the midfield is always the same (even if you switch manning in or out) and the defense is as suspect at times as it gets (yes he had injuries there).

It is far too easy to setup up to play us as you know exactly how we will play.

[Pinkie]

Awin i just said it asin some can see it, not exactly the most so stop taking me to the exact point when non of us know mate! our frontline are scoring enough atm and whatever system gets tried there not taking the positions by the scruff of the necks

[Awin]

Pinkie I have always like the man, having known him personally during his first stint in charge.

I genuinely wish him to do well, more in fact that most other managers. I applaud his mostly astute signings. I laud his love of the club..... but...

He has signed players for a system he doesn't use. So determined is he to utilise the midfield 3 and his system that players are played out of position to stick to it even when we have players that could pksy in position in another system.

Up until the 93rd minute we never looked in it.

Badge thumping should never equal obstinance. Adaptability to injuries means changing a system if you dont have the players to play it, not shoe horn players playing out of position in to it.

I salute your loyalty but when it's bad you have to call it and last night Most of the match was.

[Pinkie]

I agree but hes also got quite a few of players here from before, like i said we`re a few players short for the system, but you need players for different systems aswell,.well ill take more of that then if you think that was bad mate i really will, i personally enjoyed the game but got frustrated aswell, but even though things just werent happening, and against a side who`ve won there last 4 aways, we did really well to still get the point, plus stop that 4 games losing streak.

[brightonr]

Holloway has pulled a master stroke getting in Scowen and Freeman as well as having Luongo at the club. As these are the 3 best players at the club (smithies aside) he feels he needs to play all 3 in their best positions.

This insistence on playing 3 in the middle has an impact all over the pitch. With the 3 you can't play out and out wingers. You are limited to wing backs to offer any width. It means tinkering with either 1,2 or even 3 up front but that means all service needs to go through the middle or rely on the wingbacks getting up the pitch.

I DO love all 3 midfielders but can't see how you can fit all 3 in their best positions and get the most out of the rest of the squad.

Can't see him changing it but in my opinion but NEEDS to.

It's not just you that sees it.

Unfortunately, the only one who doesn't is the idiot that matters.

[3London]

those 3 midfielders Play so close to each other that you could throw a small coat over them..we sign 4 wide players in the summer and Can't fit them in the team.

add to that Cousins and Manning as centre midfield the Balance of the squad is so wrong.

[Pinkie]

It's not just you that sees it.

Unfortunately, the only one who doesn't is the idiot that matters.

And what was everyone moaning about last season? him not sticking to his best team and formation, yet when he does it hes getting coated lol, we are a few players short of being a good team, and i cant see us changing formation would make a great deal of difference, even though pavs being wasted, but id also like to get shodipo involved, we have got the players, but i suppose if youre strikers arent getting enough goals anyway...

[Rangers77]

It's not just you that sees it.

Unfortunately, the only one who doesn't is the idiot that matters.

This. Saturday, Freeman being suspended, will prove that point. Because Mackie will start, probably with Smith (even Ollie can't now drop Smith......), and Cousins will be in the middle, Luongo pushing up, no one on the flanks. Some poor f acker shornhorned into RWB/ RB. Same old same old, I'm sure. Home win inevitable in those circumstances.

[3London]

And what was everyone moaning about last season? him not sticking to his best team and formation, yet when he does it hes getting coated lol, we are a few players short of being a good team, and i cant see us changing formation would make a great deal of difference, even though pavs being wasted, but id also like to get shodipo involved, we have got the players, but i suppose if youre strikers arent getting enough goals anyway...

the strikers are getting no goals because they are getting absolutely no service. you have 2 of the best headers of the ball in the division and absolutely no width to provide crosses for them. it is so predictable the ball goes wide to a wing back who passes inside to one of our 3 mids who pass amongst each other... ball gets passed back to Bapitiste or Lynch who boots either out of play or straight to the keeper. Happened time and time again.

[Pinkie]

the strikers are getting no goals because they are getting absolutely no service. you have 2 of the best headers of the ball in the division and absolutely no width to provide crosses for them. it is so predictable the ball goes wide to a wing back who passes inside to one of our 3 mids who pass amongst each other... ball gets passed back to Bapitiste or Lynch who boots either out of play or straight to the keeper. Happened time and time again.

As have said before, we are a few players short, if he goes with other players he`d be changing the formation, and relying on pav, shodipo or lua lua, non ofwhich can be 100% relied on atm, shodipo just back from injury, pavs was out of form, and lua luas been out of it for reasons! if he changed the formation and we struggled he`d get hammered again, plus we have a makeshift defence which have showed signs of playing well, even though we`ve been making the odd mistake and conceding!

[Shania]

The 3 in the middle were not positionally set up correct last night.

[Shepherds Mush]

Drop Mackie, have Wheeler or Shodipo (if available) one side, Pavel the other and Smith in the middle. Simple.

[Tarbie]

As andy hinchcliffe said last night we`re a good side and one of the best midfields in the division, and we`re a few players away from being a top ten side in his opinion, which is pretty much how most see us.

I actually completely agree that we are only a couple of players away from a good side. I also agree we have a very strong midfield. But we are also selecting way too many players in the wrong roles to accommodate a specific system, and we are going into too many games without a good enough game plan.

There is also often no Plan B. Ironically that wasn't the case last night, a fairly crude Plan B dug us out of a hole. But in too many games we fail to adapt and often get beat tactically.