My Team

[Saint Canary 0]

This is the team and formation I would most like to see played by Worthy when everbody is fit:

                Green
Colin  Docherty Shackell  Drury
       Marney Safri Hughes
                Huckerby
          Ashton McKenzie

Formation - Firstly I want to start with the formation, for me this is the only way we can accomodate our most talented player without exposing our defence.  Playing Hux wide exposes our left back whereas he goes "walkies" when playing as a striker and leaves us with effectively one up.  Giving him a "free role" should allow him more space to hurt the opposition and not be double marked on the touchline all the time.  Secondly this formation accomodates for the lack of wide midfielders in our squad, well at least the lack of players who''s prefered position is wide midfield. 

Defence - Now i''m sure many of you are going to jump on the fact I have put the Doc in the team but let me explain.  The Doc adds muscle to the back four and in this league teams are just going to try and bull dozer their way through.  I say let the Doc mark the bruisers and Shackell take the other strikers.  Colin is in the team now so we may as well give him a chance and Drury is the best option at left back.  Another point about the Doc, he presents us with a good target from corners and free-kicks.

Midfield - A midfield 3 of Marney, Safri and Hughes should have enough quality on the ball and enough bite in the tackle to control a midfield. 

Attack - Quite clearly both Mckenzie and Ashton are a both out of form and Deano seems to have struggled with a few niggling injuries since pre-season.  I''m certain there are goals in these two and with Hux being given a licence to roam he should be able to provide more ammunition for the front two. 

Feel free to laugh at this suggestion if you like but I feel this formation and team selection would give us a much more balanced team.

[Bentleys Slicked Back Greasy Hair. 0]

I would prefer that team to what we have at the moment as something has got to be done, however I would prefer to play the 4-5-1 like England did against Wales.

Green

Colin Doherty Shackell Drury

Safri

Marney Jarrett Hughes Huckerby

Ashton

Safri playing where Beckham did, protecting the defence and distributing balls down the wings and through the middle. I know we wont score a bundle like this but we would be solid at the back and get the odd one or two goals with Ashton, Huckeby and Marney All running at there defence.

[Mook 0]

That''s not the only way to accomodate Hux, bearing in mind he is actually a forward.

Green

Colin Doherty Shackell Drury

Marney Safri Hughes Brennan/McVeigh

Huckerby Ashton

[ZLF 271]

[quote]This is the team and formation I would most like to see played by Worthy when everbody is fit: Green Colin Docherty Shackell Drury Marney Safri Hughes Huckerb...[/quote]

Wholeheartedly agree with you on doc and about giving hux a free role; he remains our most influential player and we should base out attacking game plan around him. 

However I do have concerns about the middle of the park. With hux on a flank your analysis of hux leaving us exposed is accurate.  What we are left with is the self same midfield 3 you suggest trying to cover the width of the park and they end up being too thin across the pitch and or outnumbered as with the leeds game.  It has left us weak in every game this season and in most last year.

To me getting a competetive midfield is essential in this league.  Being able to dominate the middle of the park means more possession, real full pitch width protection of the defence and opponents box threatening support in attack.  More possession and the midfield support for the attack should mean more chances and more goals. 

To do this hux cannot play in midfield.

With a 5 man midfield being more popular I do not think it is possible for a 3 man midfield to give me the midfield competetiveness I crave.  So we must have 3 or 4.

So we play a 4 man midfield and have to play Hux as our most talented and influential player.  As such he has to either play in place of one of the defenders OR one of the strikers.

Given the vulnerability of our defence and lack of potential of a clean sheet going to 3 at the back, unless accompanied by a real 5 man midfield, is too scary to contemplate.  As such we have to stick to 4 at the back.  With a solid midfield supporting them hopefully the full backs would be able to push on.

Ashton is clearly, even when off colour, better than Leon and so, given the players I have, feel a 4-4-1-1 is the best option when all players are fit etc.

Green

Colin  Doc  Shacks  Drury

McVeigh Safri  Marney Brennan

                  Hux

     Ashton

This system means the midfield must be close enough to Ashton to enable him to have the interplay he enjoys when hux inevitably works left or right.  A further benefit of playing further up the field is that we conceed less ground to our opponents and get the ball back from them earlier.

From what I have seen so far Marney is a better partner for Safri than either of the new signing but I do not think he is really up to the task, right flank may be Marneys best position for us longer term - in fact apart from Safri I would want new player in all the midfield positions   

OTBC   

[Northern Canary 0]

i think you are right. However putting hux there will pretty much mean he will go out wide to the left. So i would choose 4.3.3 
 
                Green  
 
Colin    Shackell   Fleming/Doherty    Drury

       Marney  Safri  Brennan

       Ashton   Mckenzie  Hux

Its pretty much the same.

Alternatively i think we could use a 442. and give jarrett a chance while Hughes is injured, he most be quite good if we bought him.

So maybe.
 
               Green

colin   Shackell   Flem/doh   Drury

Marney   Safri   JArrett   Brennan

        Ashton    McKenzie

Brennan should definatly be in the team imo

[Putney Canary 0]

The problem I have with Hucks up front is that he drifts left, leaving a huge gap between him and the other striker, leaving him isolated (this also happens with him in left midfield mind, especially if Drury isn''t feeling brave enough to push forwards too).

On previous posts I advocated a 4-1-3-2, with Hucks on the left of the 3 man midfield and Safri playing the holding role in front of the defence. This means both he and Drury could push forward, and Safri can come across and cover if the attack breaks down.

ZLF you have previously advocated a 4-2-3-1 which I also like the look of, more defensive in nature with more cover but still allowing Hucks (again on the left of the ''3'') to run at the opposition defence. Would this formation allow Safri to play with Brennan as the ''2''?

-----------------Greeno-----------------

Colin/MLJ----Flem/Doc----Shacks----Drury

-----------Safri---------Brennan---------

-----McVeigh-----Marney-----Hucks------

-----------------Deano-------------------

Or put Marney on the left, and Hughes/JJ in the middle... to be honest I''ve not seen enough of them to judge their respective merits. If we do have the personnel for these structures, the combination of 4-1-3-2 for when we need goals and 4-2-3-1 for when we need to be defensively tighter could well work for us, and get the best out of Hucks.

[rieg77 0]

[quote]This is the team and formation I would most like to see played by Worthy when everbody is fit: Green Colin Docherty Shackell Drury Marney Safri Hughes Huckerb...[/quote]

I agree entirely with this post.

Firstly The defence looks spot on to me. Flemings clearly had it so its time to give the Doherty/Shackell partnership a chance to flourish. They are the future...for now at least.

The 3 in midfield looks good too although I might be tempted to play Louis Jean instead of Marney.

Hucks has to be given a free role in order to flourish.

Right now, the front 2 has to be McVeight and Ashton. When Mckenzie and Thorne are fit, that might change.

Lets hope that Worthy is on the same wavelength.

[JP 0]

My norwich best 11 would still be:

Green

MLJ Doherty Shackell Drury

Marney Hughes Safri huckerby

Mckenzie Ashton