Tactics - a new Worthy?

[sonyc 5,541]

Remember the "work ethic" mantra? The cautiousness of Worthington even 6 months ago? (and of course that Sutch substitution)? Now we have a new side of Worthy with an attacking 4-3-3 - like formation and a free Huckerby - "Darren gets the ball and off he goes....I have to encourage it" (Times today). Same person? Sure, you have to work hard in Div 1 and there''s no really easy games but are we not now seeing a more mature manager (and not just in his refusal to pick at other teams ..like certain others) who is willing to mix and match and at last attack - last year we''ve invited trouble sitting back, playing too deep - rarely this year. It just gives so many options and will trouble a few defences in the Prem
(touching a lot of wood here) but what kind of manager will he be in the Premiership?
He deserves the chance.

[Tacklebury 0]

I think over the past three seasons we''ve seen Worthy mature a lot as manager, and learn from his mistakes. Like you say, we''re not so cautious these days, we defend better, and in the last few games we''ve played some good football. I think an obvious example of how he''s improved is in his transfers - three years ago, Worthy believed Rivers, Easton, Libbra, etc. to be players that would improve our side. Now he''s learnt, and his signings this season have been excellent - Francis, Brennan, Hucks, Leon, and Sven (who, thank god, is proving the critics wrong!).

He''ll learn a lot in the Prem, even if we end up coming straight back down again, and we''ll be much better for his experience.

[USAcanary 0]

As a manager with certain resources you play to your strengths.

If you have somebody in your side who can scare defenders then play that way, if you lack midfield skill but have big strikers then often the long ball game is the way to go.

Lets say, god forbid, hucks and Leon could not play, then if you went for Matty and Iwan up front your game plan would change a LOT!

Horses for courses.

It would not surprise me if worthy went for 4-4-2 against Reading.
He knows that a draw is actually a good result.
People act as if we are going to win every game of the run in.
Its just not going to happen, the good news is that its also not going to happen to the teams below us.

The math is getting simple as I post this, Millwall are getting buried, WBA are drawing so a win vs Reading and a Sunderland loss will make us an almost certainty to go up.
If Sunderland lose and WBA draw today and we only draw thats a great result also with our GD.

[sheded 0]

Its not a new Worthy ! , like the rest of us he is always on a learning curve.......... the important thing to realise is that he is not interested in hype , he comes across to me as a very canny manager ! ...and very much in tune with the human side of managing a team , wasn`t it Brian Clough who had the same attributes ?...................... :o)

[FatMan Fat 0]

Perhaps his biggest asset is that he has influence with the Board?

[gazzathegreat 0]

have to agree with most of this, especially sonyc

i was amazed before the season began at some of the donkeys he was after, we saw one on saturday, most of the others have done nothing at w ham, w brom, etc

but then he got in hucks, crouch and harper and things changed

we are not the free flowing footie side we would like to be, but then we have to be realistic and wait for promotion so he has the cash to inject some more class (hucks standard) into the team

he is okay with me, his biggest attribute being his post match manner, do you really all want a warnock or royle or moore here, i think not, he is a young manager and we only learn by our mistakes in life, and he has made some (sutch at cardiff), but hey, if we are to get to the prem, let''s do it in style!!

good on you worthy, you deserve all the accolades, we are up there, no parachute payments, like WBA, sunderland, west ham - he has done well and will be rewarded in a month''s time

wow, what a season!!