Are wingbacks the best option?

[johnp]

The only player we have who can reliably cross a ball is Freeman but he doesn't have pace to be a winger. Bright Samuel has pace but can't cross; same for the Pole who only has one foot and doesn't jink so is predictable. We don't have anyone who would make a decent right back. Perch is probably best of the bunch. Furlong simply loses his man too often wherever he plays - still has potential but way off Championship full back standard at the moment. Our strength is our midfield 3 which does not lend itself to a 442 since none of them are wide players. Robinson is fine as left centre half in a back three but never impresses me as a full back. Bidwell is OK as a full back but is not really a wing back (nor is Robinson a wing back). In a sense we're caught between a rock and a hard place as far as systems go. Need to decide strategy going forward and buy into the weaknesses and release the surplus.

[Shania]

Afraid this will be a question for the Ollie defenders to answer and explain

Silence is all I hear

[Jeems]

I believe this is the system we are trying to implement across all levels at the club and moving forward. Wingbacks are part of the modern game at the top level, so pretty sure it'll be like this indefinitely especially as we *should* be safe from relegation.

We tried doing this in the Prem when Rio and Isla came in.

[Pinkie]

Silence is all I hear

Silence shania as its the same things said by the same people every day 50 times and most threads lol, gets a tad boring in the end

[Shania]

Silence shania as its the same things said by the same people every day 50 times and most threads lol, gets a tad boring in the end

As boring and predictable as having a manager who keeps on playing square pegs in round holes, imo.

[Pinkie]

As boring and predictable as having a manager who keeps on playing square pegs in round holes, imo.

Yes hes playing loads out of position lol footballers should be able to adapt shania.

[hal9thou]

same things said by the same people every day

doesn't make them any less true.

If there was some attempt to remedy this clearly problematic issue on the park, we could all STFU.

IWingbacks are part of the modern game at the top level

This is not the top level. Everyone knows that you need exceptional players/atheletes to really function as wing backs, and they command high prices.

We may not have any natural old school wingers, but we dont have any proper wing backs either. What we do have is a striker with a high mins per goal ratio, despite getting minimal service from deep and wide and never knowing who - if anyone - is going to be feeding off him. It is a myth that playing a big man forces a long ball game on you. Ask Conti. You serve from the right places. Smith isn't in Andy Carol's class, but then neither are the defences we're supposed to be attacking. When WHU get wide and deep service to AC he is very dangerous, same is true for Smith at this level and his stats prove it. Our system marginalises our best attacking asset.

In a sense we're caught between a rock and a hard place as far as systems go.

Time we checked out the hard place for reasons given above. Been stuck on the rock for far too long.

[Jeems]

doesn't make them any less true.

This is not the top level. Everyone knows that you need exceptional players/atheletes to really function as wing backs, and they command high prices.

We cant fill our stadium, but it doesnt mean we dont need a new one - eventually. Everything they are doing is about preparing for the long term future. Preparing to play our smooth wingback driven formation in our new 40k stadium.

Think Ashley Young, Fabien Delph, James Milner, Victor Moses...Jamie Mackie? ;) Maybe thats why he likes buying wingers, because its easier to teach a wide man to defend, rather then a defender to attack.

The way I see it, is we could play full backs and finish mid table or practice our wing back system and finish a few places lower.

[Hitman34]

We cant fill our stadium, but it doesnt mean we dont need a new one - eventually. Everything they are doing is about preparing for the long term future. Preparing to play our smooth wingback driven formation in our new 40k stadium.

Think Ashley Young, Fabien Delph, James Milner, Victor Moses...Jamie Mackie? ;) Maybe thats why he likes buying wingers, because its easier to teach a wide man to defend, rather then a defender to attack.

The way I see it, is we could play full backs and finish mid table or practice our wing back system and finished a few places lower.

so, by this logic, we have been in preseason for two years?

[Jeems]

[/SIZE]

so, by this logic, we have been in preseason for two years?

Pretty much. When promotion or relegation is unlikely, its probably better to prepare for the long term and start blooding the youngsters who know the system already. They admitted that was the plan at the end of the last season, expect we went on a crazy losing streak.

[Olly]

In answer to the question, why argue with a club legend who knows more than we do?

[Tarbie]

Can't agree with anyone who says wing backs are the way forward for us. We've been trying it all season and half of last season, it just doesn't work with the calibre of players and the manager that we have. Yeah, Pep Guardiola and Antonia Conte make it look great. But they have world class players, a huge transfer budget, and great football brains. We've got a Championship squad, 2 bob in our pockets, and Ian Holloway. Let's not try and reinvent the wheel. Pick your team in the position they are best suited to and give yourself half a chance!

[WeAreQPR12]

Afraid this will be a question for the Ollie defenders to answer and explain

I guess I come under a Ollie defender as I am neither a fan but also I don't loathe him. IMO I think it is the wrong decision as we don't have a left wingback, I see furlong as the answer to the right, Ollie doesn't have the faith in his centre back pairing which is strange as he's made one of them captain but having an additional centre half is trying to disguise what he believes is one of our flaws, that's the only logic I can put to it

[Sleeping Giants]

Stupid question. Why does he continue with it when it doesn't suit us and has us struggling around the bottom of the division?

Is it right to play with wing backs???? It can be but first rule of wing back club is you need to have wing backs.

[acricketer]

Is it right to play with wing backs???? It can be but first rule of wing back club is you need to have wing backs.

The window is still open!