Parma Ham's Tactics Masterclass 7

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Mrs M, I think coaches see something different to some fans in Martin. Let''s have a go at putting the case for the defence...

Martin is what I would term a structural player. He moves into three quarter areas and has natural tendencies that help bring out good attributes in others around him. He is a catalyst for the pattern of play we are trying to achieve.

Ryan Giggs riled at a journo - in defence of Roy Keane near the end of Keane''s career - and observed "yes, but what you don''t see is that he makes every other player play 10% better just by being there"

Now before we proceed let us clarify that Martin is not Keane-esque in stature, nor does he necessarily drive the team forward as Captain via an unstoppable force of will. I use the quote to make a different, tactical point.

In a coaching sense, Martin is a modern centre back, in a way that Michael Turner is a less good version of John Terry. Who is arguably a very good version of an old-fashioned English Centre back.

As you - and others - have observed, Martin can get caught out by big, strong 2D long ball strikers, the likes of which exist in the Championship and below. He is not alone in that , nor do I feel he is especially vulnerable, but I''m prepared to concede the principle.

What he does do is very important for the shape of the side however. He moves into between-the-lines three quarter positions comfortably, steps into pockets of space with the ball in areas between defence and midfield and between centre back and full back. This is crucial when with the ball and when defending without it.

It is crucial for a number of reasons that may not be immediately apparent, as their benefits are often tangential. Because he is naturally comfortable doing this, he tracks high class forwards into spaces where they drop off from the defensive line and come deep into midfield. If he doesn''t do this, somebody else has to. But what about the job that they are already doing? And the next guys Job?

This is where coaches and mangers focus on the team shape, the pattern of play, the whole. Not the individual actions or skills of players, but rather how things connect together and the consequences that actions have on others.

Without wishing to compare Martin to Baresi or Maldini, we can think of it in business terms. A crunching tackle by Turner looks fabulous, a fine block, a big header, an important clearance. But actually the real skill is in not having the problem, avoiding the drama before it becomes such. This kind of efficiency is unspectacular,''because it often involves no action - or praise - at all.

Martin is not the greatest centre back in the Premier League, he may not even be the best Centre Back at Norwich, but he is the kind of player that coaches want in their side at a higher level.

Parma

[hogesar 9,672]

Brilliant thread. It''s one''s like these which re-affirm that overall this is the best NCFC forum out there.

I particularly like your last post Parma. I don''t mind Martin at CB and don''t understand the amount of criticism he gets. The fact that post Neil Adams, RM remained our CB spoke volumes to me - the coaching team, the one''s who know what they''re talking about, wanted him there. It''s therefore great to see an explanation from you as to what he offers, that people miss. I admit to being one of those, I do not even notice some of the things you mention but it does add up.

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Very eloquently put Parma, and the Russ Martin doubters should read that post (more than once), nail is, as they say hit squarely on the head, not just a good football master class, but delivered in a clear concise context.

Your explanation I can relate to 2 great examples of the importance of teamwork, first being several years ago, I sat on the same table as a certain Wayne Shelford, ex All blacks captain and one of their youngest and most successful captains, and he explained how they prepared for every game by how the individuals combined to keep shape and manage the game to their favour, after each match (which they always won) they would look back as a team, and analyse where points, fouls, or possession had been lost, and look to avoid that in the next game, when analysing they never blamed individuals for errors and when discussing who lost possession or was in the wrong position, they would refer to the player number not name, eg number 10 had strayed 15 yards forward creating a gap etc, and from that work to stop repeating.

The second example was a documentary on the red arrows, where teamwork and trust in each other is obviously paramount, and they do the same after every exercise, they review positioning etc and always refer to each others as numbers, a lesson on learning together and not undermining.

Like many on here who would have played football at some level (doesn''t matter what level you played at) think of the best coaches / managers you played with, and why did you consider them the best ? same think of the not so good ones, and why did you not consider them so good ? the best ones I saw always explained in a language that would be similar to Parma''s example on this post, and would always be working on team shape and pattern of play, with each individual having specific responsibilities, but the pattern (formation) with several default patterns (formations) called upon.

As supporters it is sometimes hard to work out why or what a player is doing, is he sticking to the pattern the manager / coaching staff laid down, or is he "doing his own thing". Russ Martin is a classic example, and too often its easy to criticize.

Well done Parma, great post.

[Molly Windley 76]

Looks like will we lose Russ Martin to a top six club then with multiple approaches expected and a bidding war.Who should we replace him with?

[mrs miggins 0]

I''m afraid I can''t concede that Martin makes the rest of the team play 10% better, I can understand how Keane does, or Tettey, Wes for example, but Martin isn''t a really big player for us, yes he does well stepping into play and this is his main attribute (I''ve also been impressed with his long range passing this season as well), but I think too much emphasis is being putting on him being able to make the team tick, like Tettey does for example

He does well mostly with the ball and does represent the modern CB as you say when he steps up into play, however is this good enough considering his positioning defensively is questionable? (I sit in line with the edge of the penalty box at CR so spend most of my time watching him and Bassong work together). His heading from long balls to him are suspect and we saw Tettey having to try and rush back to support him towards the end of the season which then invites more pressure as the opposition push up even further if your defensive mid is coming closer to his defence. He''s not a liability by any stretch of the imagination though, I''m not suggesting this, I''m suggesting he''s simply average as a centre back.

Tackling as well is a big issue as is reactions (or lack of them, such as closing down), I don''t think I need to go into this too much as we''ve all seen his strengths and his weaknesses.

My point is that we can buy a CB who not only is comfortable on the ball, moving into these pockets of space, but who can also do the dirty work when needs be. We are going to be under a lot of pressure this year, we not only need a centre back who is good on the ball like Martin is, but who can also be strong enough and brave enough to ensure goals conceded are kept to a minimum. Martin''s ability on the ball is good but his primary defensive duties are not up to a level in which we should accept as our regular CB pairing when there are many players capable who have these attributes.

As previously discussed, I hope to see Martin used on the right once again as Whitts as right back is a worrying prospect considering his thoughtless runs beyond Redmond and his masquerading runs with the ball with no-one behind him which in the premier league will become an obvious weakness to exploit within our team. Martin still has a large role to play, but not at centre back imo, not because he''s poor, but because we can realistically get an improvement.

The previous poster, I think it was Ray, made a the point that all defenders let goals in, including John Terry who''s a very good CB. The point I am trying to make is that we can buy better defenders who will concede less goals. Martin is not a bad CB, but we can get a player who is both comfortable on the ball, like Martin certainly is, but can also carry out immediate defensive duties. To just focus on one aspect of Martin''s game and disregard his weaknesses (tackling, heading, pace etc) is short sighted. I do think it''s important to point out the positives in his game like Parma has done, but lets not forget the big picture, lets be more ambitious than Whittaker Martin Bassong Olsson at the back when we have the chance to improve the team. Olsson has been fantastic in this league as has Bassong in his first season. Martin i''m sure will start there if AN selects him but my worry is that because he''s not a great CB it will obviously cost us. I expect us to bring in a CB and I hope we get someone who has the same role as Russell Martin does, but who can also simply header the bl00dy thing.

[Ray 111]

Mrs,

Fully get your post but surprisingly! I don''t agree with all of it.

The extra 10% does not necessarily need to be from on the pitch performance, although I think it does in many respects, it can come from off pitch, besides the 90 mins on the pitch there are many hours off the pitch.

IMO his positioning defensively is not questionable per se, of course just like others he is caught out sometimes. In fact as I (and others) have stated his positioning is very good, but is often not appreciated as you can''t see what doesn''t happen.

His heading, again just like others, sometimes goes astray, but IMO very often he is very clever with his distribution all round, subtle side headers, chests down, etc. Is he as good as heading a ball as Seb, who of course is the go to man for high balls, possibly not, after all Seb is taller, but the one that got away from him against Ipswich was made whilst running backward and where were our midfielders? Apart from Tettey and the oppo, the next person to appear in our box was the ref!!

The centre back you are looking for who is as good as RM with the ball yet even better in the air, etc already plays for a top 6 side and earns £100 per week, we can''t afford that so whilst I agree it would be great to improve every position on the field, IMO we have a damn good guy now, who I think is improving with age.

I echo others on here, by saying isn''t it great to have a reasoned debate without resoting to slanging matches and with people who accept willingly that other people have opinions too, all of which are valid, well they are to them of course!!!

[mrs miggins 0]

"The extra 10% does not necessarily need to be from on the pitch performance, although I think it does in many respects, it can come from off pitch, besides the 90 mins on the pitch there are many hours off the pitch. "

I suggest you haven''t fully understood my post as I not only think we should keep him, not only because I think he''s a good leader (which many others have questioned) and a good person to have in the dressing room, but I also think we should play him...just on the right.

"The centre back you are looking for who is as good as RM with the ball yet even better in the air, etc already plays for a top 6 side and earns £100 per week, we can''t afford that so whilst I agree it would be great to improve every position on the field, IMO we have a damn good guy now, who I think is improving with age."

Disagree with this entirely. Firstly £100 a week isn''t very much in football terms, though i''m sure you meant £100k. But if you just look at names we were linked to last time we were in the PL; Alderweireld. Just had a fantastic season who''s both comfortable on the ball but also has great awareness, can tackle, header etc effectively. Fonte is also a very good passer of the ball who plays with him.

I''d hate to think that Martin at CB is the best we can do. It''s not that he''s bad at CB, it''s just he not brilliant either

[Ray 111]

Mrs,

I got your post, was just replying to one or two points you made in solation.

Glad you spotted the deliberate error (yeah right) yes 100k.

I too like both the players you mentioned, but I sort of put S''ton as a top six club, albeit they came 7th. Certainly players of this quality and experience would cost a great deal, fee and salary.

To improve I think we would have to spend quite a bit and I feel there are other areas this money could be put to better use.

If we are looking for a youngster to come good, then IMO we could do worse than bring Gafaiti on, I wached the U21 game v Chelsea (last game of the season) when he came on 2nd half having been out for best part of three months, and given he had been out for a while, I thought he looked very assured against some quality players.

[mrs miggins 0]

I wouldn''t put the possibility of us getting these types of players out of reach. The thing is to remember when this player joined (Alderweireld) Southampton were tipped to struggle having sold their best players, imagine if we had stayed up the season we went down, we would''ve been right in contention to sign him as well.

As for Gafaiti, come on man this is the premier league we''re talking about here, I can''t help but feel many of the posters are underrating the opposition we are going to be facing. The youngsters we have need to be loaned out imo asap to get the experience against professional footballers in the professional english leagues.

[mrs miggins 0]

and he cost just £6m as well. (according to many reports)

[Ray 111]

Mrs M,

By bringing on, I meant, a short term loan or two. So at least we are in agreement there.

Also, FYI, there were a few Prem clubs after RM last season, not top 6 admittedly but one or two decent clubs, he chose not to move, whether that was because he would be back up or whether it was because his ambitions lie here??

[mrs miggins 0]

I''m not sure what you mean by this statement Ray. Does this prove that he''d be a good CB in the PL...after (basically) playing all season at RB? Whether or not clubs were after him, I personally didn''t see him linked and haven''t seen any sources with this info, but even if this is true, it doesn''t mean anything. I think Martin is a good player and can play regularly in the PL and hold his own, just playing at RB.

[Ray 111]

Mrs M,

Didn''t mean anything really, other than other managers rate him. It wasn''t made public but I wouldn''t say it if it wasn''t fact.

Tea beckons and then a pint or two, so catch up later, which given my alcohol intake may or may not be a good thing, or tomorrow!

[mrs miggins 0]

have fun

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Mrs M,

Whilst always a great preferrer of team over individuals - and not one to over-focus on single players - I really do like Alderweireld, who I would agree is a very good example of a superior modern centre back.

Should we be able to attract him, je suis preneur...

Parma

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Molly, your flippancy (unwittingly) makes a very valid point, that Ray and Mrs M''s discussion touches on.

In business when recruiting, a major factor in employing key staff is "will they stay?"....

Not just "do they want a job as...,", but more specifically "do they want this job (that I am offering, in my Company".

Martin is thoroughly capable, able to perform in a way conducive to team shape and somebody who is not likely to leave. The top 6 may well not want him, but he is unlikely to move to a mid-table premier club (and as Ray knows, hasn''t).

In Norwich''s current position, having players that are more than good enough, are affordable, won''t leave, won''t cause disruption if occasionally dropped, but that won''t be poached by the top 6 may well be the pragmatic apex of our immediate reality (and arguably of all outside the top 8 of the Premier League.

Parma

[tricky974 61]

Hoolihan is different class and I think most teams want a player like him works hard rarely looses the ball but does not score is the only problem the other thing is who can you get in to replace him any player like Wes costs a fortune or teams just don''t want to sell.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Watching the England game reminded me of another key point which is relevant to footballers, Norwich and the also Martin debate.

Psychologically humans (and footballers) revert to what they really are - their baseline level I am sporting context - under pressure.

England played nicely for 30 Minutes I thought, coming off the lines, playing and receiving balls in tight areas, making 3 yard passes just to change angles slightly, being unafraid to dribble into space with the ball (even to make an aforementioned 3 yard pass, just to keep the opposition pulled and moving). When a poor goal was conceded however - despite it being a catalogue of careless individual errors - almost exclusively all 11 players became positionally rigid, released the ball quickly and carelessly upon receipt and reacted to "danger"''half a second before it was there.

This is so key. Maldini, Baresi and the greatest defenders (Ferdinand was far better than most of England realised) take the extra half second. This allows better decision-making, more time for a midfielder to cover / make a passing angle / more time for you to try to keep possession for the team.

Under president he England players reverted to safety-first fear tactics and didn''t want to receive balls in "risky"''areas. risky according to who? It wasn''t risky at nil nil, England had 70% possession. Italians, Spanish, Germans would recognise that the error was unconnected to the previous good play. No need to change.

Crucially they would also have a higher tactical )and technical, sorry)!baseline to "drop"''to. Their natural game - tactically, structurally and technically - is more deeply drilled, more fundamentally understand, more carefully practised from a younger age.

If you like: "you are as good as you are at your worst"

Coming back to Norwich and Martin; because his game is - naturally - between the lines, moving into three quarter areas, keeping the ball, wanting to move it 10 yards into midfield areas - he will do this under pressure, against better sides, better players. As a coach you know for sure he will do this, it is who he is, how he plays.''it is his baseline (even at his worst).

Now this point is not to be an apologist for Martin - indeed it is not now even especially about him - but when coaches look to build teams, that want and need to build around things that they can (as far as possible) rely on happening on the field, even (or rather especially), under pressure.

Parma

[R Mellie 0]

As much as I was enjoying what looked like a fantasy scouting and trolling thread on the Lee Darnborough thread, I had a re-read of this one again, and felt it deserved a bump up the page.

As other posters have commented, this is a fine example of football /Pink Un discussion at its best, my thanks to Parma and all who contributed. I hadn''t spotted some of the things pointed out re Martin, and it''s always good to learn or consider something new.

In terms of signing off, I''m unsure whether to say something like "Vindo has spoken" or to provide readers with some obvious risible scouting thoughts on potential something or others as I don''t really want to come across as a bit of a twonk. If anyone has any preference, feel free to let me know.

[lake district canary 4,531]

Agreed Vindo.  Discussing players/tactics with someone with real knowledge makes for interesting reading. Parma''s insight is invaluable and he talks a lot of sense in depth.   Martin, for instance, comes in for a lot of criticism on this board at times - unfairly imo - and I often think it''s because people think of him still as a right back and can''t handle the thought that he can swap to CB, but there are plainly not so obvious reasons why he is good in that role and Parma explains it well.   

[mrs miggins 0]

People can handle the thought of Martin at CB as we''ve seen him play there all season, and has played well in the majority of the games. People have have acknowledged that he is good on the ball, and like Parma says, moves into the midfield well.

However, people have also acknowledged that he isn''t strong enough in the tackle, doesn''t header very well and gets beat in the air a hell of a lot of times; just imagine him up against the likes of a Pulis team.

On the other hand, not every team in the PL is like a Pulis team, or a top 6 team (by definition) so as I say, I think he''ll do ok, he''s an average CB, the point in, we CAN do better, so why don''t we?. From this we have to ask ourselves where we can improve, especially as we have the money to do so. Now, we of course need cover for LB, but where is the weakness in our first team? Parma has suggested that it is Tettey, as I have said I personally disagree with this, imo it is at the back. The weakness of our team lies in the CB and RB slot, however Neil realises this, and has been clever in amending this.

With Whittaker, we know his positioning is poor, not just defensively but offensively as well when playing with Redmond in front of him. When AN first came in we saw Whits try to overlap Redmond when there wasn''t an opportunity to do so, gallivanting foreword without a care in the world. AN has been very clever in fixing this problem which he has had to do partly because of Whits'' incapabilities. When AN came in we had a much more rigid system than we did leading up to the end of last season.

We then saw Redmond dropped around March time in favour of having Howson on the right and BJ on the left in order for our full backs to become part of our attacking moves which they are very good at. This was important for when Redmond was starting to be regularly introduced again as what we saw at the end of last season was Redmond not sticking to the right, Whittaker not making mistakes and the whole team looking like a proper unit, but how?.

Instead of Whittaker hopelessly running up the wings when theres no need due to the pace of Redmond, (instead he should''ve simply just supporting his runs) what we started to see introduced was both Hoolahan and Howson alternatively going back into the right midfield slot to cover Redmond who''s been given a much more free role when we''re in possession, which enables Whits to overlap, becoming essentially a right winger. Because Hoolahan has dropped deeper we''ve we''ve been able to cover the gap behind him. Very clever Mr Neil.

Below is a youtube link to the cup final v Boro, I have given the times which show the (only) highlights, yet it also shows what I''m on about so give it a watch.

12:25-12:55 - hit the bar

18:20-19:00 - redmond''s goal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M9Vj9ZRXG8

15:00-15:39 - (Jerome''s goal just if you''re interested, I didn''t include it because, as we know it was from a punt foreword so it didn''t bring Whittaker/Hoolahan/Howson/Redmond into play)

Although I''m sure everyone who goes to games has noticed this, for those who haven''t gone this season (without any streams in the championship), it may be interesting perhaps. We see a much more fluid system:

Instead of a rigid system that we saw when AN was first here, and especially when Adams was here, we have a much more fluid system which has had to happen and just shows how well AN has got them drilled and playing to their strengths, especially Whits''.

My worry is that next season we''ll be under more pressure from players who are more confident and who can exploit our weaknesses. Atm when in possession, as I say, Whits is more of a right mid. imo this is a bit of a worry because I think we can get someone a lot better than him, with more skill and pace, yet I also think we can get someone better than Martin.

These two players have helped us get back up, but we must remember that they are not the reason why we are up, they are a part of it. As a club we should always look to improve the squad where we can. AN has built a good system here, I just believe we can do better than Martin and Whittaker. It''s not that I dislike Martin, it''s simply that I think we can do better; it''s not that I, or anyone else can''t ''handle the thought'' of him at CB, it''s simply that we can do better.

[mrs miggins 0]

I imagine that''s why we''re also apparently trying to get Yedlin, who is both known as a right back and right mid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGWL_MJkgLE

Youtube vids of players don''t tell you how good they are, but they do tell you the sort of runs they make....and how quick they are, and he''s very quick.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Some really good stuff in there Mrs M, well done.The right sided issues you are identify and Alex ''s solutions for them are well observed. Naturally moving forwards, rather than "creating faults to cure a fault" as they say in golf, we can certainly expect different personnel to improve that area.Bear in mind however, that players will do things differently with different players around them. So even though three right-sided players are seen to have issues that need covering [say  Redmond, Whittaker and Martin as you highlight], it may be that the change of a single player allows others to behave differently [and perhaps shine more], than in the current set up.A small caveat, when I advise that the first priorities will be signings in the Tettey and Hoolahan roles, this is precisely because they cannot currently be suitably replaced if injured  - and the tactical influence of their roles so important on the structure of the pattern of play - that more than one player for these precise roles must be found at this level or the risk to our potential success is too high.Parma

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Excerpt from Tactical Calcio (and relevant to Norwich in the top league):

" Within the beautiful game there is undoubtedly a cold correlation between revenue and performance, but it isn’t entirely symmetrical; sometimes systems and styles have a lot to do with. Tactics have a way of subverting the banality of modern day football, allowing the financial underdog to prosper occasionally. In this sense Italian football is in a relatively strong position, benefiting from the realisation that in these times ideas cost a lot less than new players.

On the contrary, in spite of its vast riches, the Premier League is in danger of becoming a vacuum for innovation, where the most obvious solution to an issue on the field is to spend money off it. Personality cults and a focus on the individual will not allow for legacy-building teams, while the chairman’s chequebook has become a lazy preference for squad development, even overshadowing the training ground. This is a luxury Serie A simply cannot afford, though perhaps, at least on the evidence of the last year, that is not to its detriment.

Italian football may no longer be the first, second or even third choice destination for the world’s elite players, but it continues to remain a home for tactical inspiration. While wage bills decrease annually, Italian clubs with solid tactical foundations seem to be in their strongest position for many years in comparison to their continental rivals. Calcio’s revival is further clarification that, while money is spent, ideas retain their value.

[PurpleCanary 5,561]

[quote user="Parma Hams gone mouldy"]Excerpt from Tactical Calcio (and relevant to Norwich in the top league):

" Within the beautiful game there is undoubtedly a cold correlation between revenue and performance, but it isn’t entirely symmetrical; sometimes systems and styles have a lot to do with. Tactics have a way of subverting the banality of modern day football, allowing the financial underdog to prosper occasionally. In this sense Italian football is in a relatively strong position, benefiting from the realisation that in these times ideas cost a lot less than new players.

On the contrary, in spite of its vast riches, the Premier League is in danger of becoming a vacuum for innovation, where the most obvious solution to an issue on the field is to spend money off it. Personality cults and a focus on the individual will not allow for legacy-building teams, while the chairman’s chequebook has become a lazy preference for squad development, even overshadowing the training ground. This is a luxury Serie A simply cannot afford, though perhaps, at least on the evidence of the last year, that is not to its detriment.

Italian football may no longer be the first, second or even third choice destination for the world’s elite players, but it continues to remain a home for tactical inspiration. While wage bills decrease annually, Italian clubs with solid tactical foundations seem to be in their strongest position for many years in comparison to their continental rivals. Calcio’s revival is further clarification that, while money is spent, ideas retain their value.[/quote]As others have said. a brilliant thread. This latest post raises a question I had been lazily coming round to posing for a week or so now, which is; what is the next tactical innovation? In very general terms (having read Wilson''s mistitled Inverting the Pyramid) football has over many decades moved from attack - a few defenders and plenty of forwards - to defence. So now you have teams playing with only one striker, or even none.Although is is too simplistic to regard that trend as purely defensive. A key aim, as I understand it, has been to bolster midfield, on the basis that possession is nearly everything. If you have the ball the opposition does not, and that is hardly defensive. Witness our second goal at Wembley.Is there something tactically new on the horizon, or have we now tried every formation there might be, so that we start retreading Ramsay''s Wingless Wonders or the seven forwards of the 1870s!

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

I agree

https://twitter.com/Holtamania/status/612044584068214784

[Jim Smith 2,317]

On the Martin debate apologies if this has been covered above but I think there is probably an argument to say he will be more suited to playing CB in the prem than he was in the championship. I don;t know the stats so this may be completely wrong but I would imagine that centre backs in the championship have to deal with a lot more high balls and headers than in the premier league and that has generally been where he has struggled (having a tendency to get caught under the ball and thus outjumped by strikers).

My perception is that he copes better for Scotland at international level as he has less of an aerial bombardment to deal with and perhaps it will be the same in the premier league.

[mrs miggins 0]

Parma and yourself Jim have made a good argument to keep Martin at CB. I think you''re right when you say his game is probably more suited to the Prem as he won''t have to deal with as many high balls as he has done in the Championship, however my point is that he and whittaker are the weak links in the team and we should look to buy better players (as well as an attacking mid). We''ve recently been linked with Van Dijk who is exactly the type of signing we should go for (although are probably unlikely to get him with Sunderland and Swansea interested as well). He''s better than Martin with his feet (his main asset) but is also good defensively and quick. We need to add to the weakest parts of our team, I think the discussion is just about where that exactly is.

[Jim Smith 2,317]

I agree Miggins. Our biggest defensive area of weakness is undoubtedly that right back/right sided centre back channel and I feel we desperately need more pace in there otherwise it will be exploited even more than it was at times last season. For that reason, despite the fact he may have a few defensive frailties, I am pleased at the links with Yedlin because it perhaps shows that the need for more pace at RB is on Neil''s radar. It is perhaps harsh on Whitaker who finished the season well but i think its an area we can improve in.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

Purple, that sounds like a nice challenge..

...perhaps 8 ought to be an original tactical innovation..

Parma