I think (hope) we have found our away formation for the rest of the season

[Jim Smith 2,610]

Just back after a night away post match. Very good performance. for me both centre backs played very well, Crofts was obviously excellent along with Wes (as seems to be the case every week at present) and Holty gave a great exhibition of how to play the lone striker role although should have had a couple himself.

Only slight criticism would be that we took our foot of the gas and cruised the second half when I felt there were probably more goals there for the taking but thats just being greedy. I honestly think with the midfielders we have at our disposal and their technical ability that formation makes us very difficult to play against for any side. Their centre backs didn''t know who to pick up, Wes kept popping up all over the place and having Crofts and Fox both in the middle also gives us a bit more solidity defensively. When Surman gets properly fit (he was knackered after an hour and I was surprised Korey didn''t come on) and if Lansbury actually decides to turn up (as opposed to yesterday when he was awful) we will be a real handful for anyone.

Barnsley fans must just hate playing us. We always seem to roll them over regardless of form/league position. A very enjoyable day out!

[Petriix 3,219]

I hope we keep the same formation against Preston. 4-5-1 can be seen as a bit negative but the way we played it on Saturday was very attacking yet seemed to also look ok defensively.

[Morisons Prozac 0]

Agree with your points but feel you are being a bit harsh on Lansbury who wasn''t too bad.

[Carra Rud 0]

Agree with you Jim on Lansbury and Surman. Lansbury has been pretty poor of late but it''s been overshadowed because he''s been scoring. Where is was playing against Doncaster I''ll never know.I think people are looking at Surman and believing he''s unfit. Believe it, he really is that slow. No doubt he could be quality of the ball but I don''t think we have seen it yet.

[Salopian 1]

I was one of many willing to consider the 4-4-1-1 formation or the 4-4-2 one with Hooly as a striker.

He has good close control, can beat players in the tightly crowded penalty area, and has a fair shot with his left foot. (He lacks height to be an effective header of the ball, and his right foot is not so productive.)

It was perhaps bound to work aginst a team as poor as Barnsley. Whether it would work against better defenders is another matter. They could nullify any Holt threat, and we would have to depend even more on midfielders scoring.

Incidentally, according to this morning''s Telegraph, we have had more chances at goal than any other team in the Championship, 442, after another 15 or so on Saturday. Leicester are now second, ominously.

Holt is a great captain and player and a very good striker, but he does miss an awful lot of chances. If PL could pick up a loan striker who regualrly converts chances into goals, I think that 4-4-2 would be a good formation to maxmise our chances. I aqccept that selecting the midfield then becomes a problem!

I doubt whether PL will find anyone good enough to sign. In this event, Saturday''s formation could be our best, both defensively and in allowing our goal scoring midfield getting forward. Much would depend on the opposition involved.

[blahblahblah 2]

"It was perhaps bound to work aginst a team as poor as Barnsley. Whether

it would work against better defenders is another matter. They could

nullify any Holt threat, and we would have to depend even more on

midfielders scoring."In these situations, Holt is likely to pick up free-kicks, which means that we need to be on our game at set-pieces.  But this would be the case whether or not we had another striker, who are as rare as hens teeth.Arguably, we only have 4 "quality" teams left to play, at least in terms of league position :Preston H 24Leicester A 7Bristol H 16Hull A 9Scunthorpe H 22Swansea A 2Watford A 12Forest H 5THEM A 14Derby H 18Portsmouth A 13Coventry H 17In Lamberts boots, would you seek out a loan striker when your team is scoring nearly as many goals as the league leaders ?I must say that our home games look great when you put league positions against the teams we have left to play.  In the past, Norwich seem to have done well against top teams and struggled against the poorer ones.  It seems different this season though.

[Shaun Tilly Lace 0]

[quote user="Frank"]I hope we keep the same formation against Preston. 4-5-1 can be seen as a bit negative but the way we played it on Saturday was very attacking yet seemed to also look ok defensively.
[/quote]

Yes, I see no reason to change anything for the Preston match.

[Yellow Rider 0]

[quote user="Frank"]I hope we keep the same formation against Preston. 4-5-1 can be seen as a bit negative but the way we played it on Saturday was very attacking yet seemed to also look ok defensively.
[/quote]

Don''t think that formation will help us at home though. If anything it will make us even narrower in our play as a result of which we over elaborate and have no width / pace. Saturday it was ok (in fact first half was excellent) - it will work better away as we get more space with the home side pushing up. At FCR sides have worked us out and our approach is predictable. That''s basically why we have struggled to break teams down and have lost / drawn games as a result.  

[chicken 0]

@ Carra Rud: I take it you haven''t seen him in any of his other 10 appearances then? (Surman that is).

I saw him pre season and he was quick, I saw him in a few games before christmas and he was quick.

To say that he isn''t unfit and is actually that slow just highlights that you are basing your opinion of him on what? Two games. His knee injuries may well have slowed him up a bit but we shall see.

As for he could be quality on the ball, I go back to my first response - have you not seen him play before?

[paul moy 235]

If you''ve got a winning team, stick with it and don''t tinker. That was almost the best performance of the season, so barring injuries and suspensions we really must persevere with it.

[Excited Canary 19]

[quote user="chicken"]@ Carra Rud: I take it you haven''t seen him in any of his other 10 appearances then? (Surman that is).

I saw him pre season and he was quick, I saw him in a few games before christmas and he was quick.

To say that he isn''t unfit and is actually that slow just highlights that you are basing your opinion of him on what? Two games. His knee injuries may well have slowed him up a bit but we shall see.

As for he could be quality on the ball, I go back to my first response - have you not seen him play before?[/quote]

To be fair that is exactly what the Wolves fans said when we signed him; technically brilliant but not quick enough.

[Ivana_rubyatitz 6]

[quote user="Excited Canary"] technically brilliant but not quick.
[/quote]

Reminds me of a certain Ian Crook from back in the day, and lack of pace never stopped him from being the best midfield player I have ever seen for us.

[Carra Rud 0]

[quote user="chicken"]@ Carra Rud: I take it you haven''t seen him in any of his other 10 appearances then? (Surman that is).

I saw him pre season and he was quick, I saw him in a few games before christmas and he was quick.

To say that he isn''t unfit and is actually that slow just highlights that you are basing your opinion of him on what? Two games. His knee injuries may well have slowed him up a bit but we shall see.

As for he could be quality on the ball, I go back to my first response - have you not seen him play before?[/quote]Yes I have seen him in his other ten appearances, minus the training games (Pre-season). I am basing that on what I''ve seen this season, funnily enough.We haven''t seen enough of him to say he''s quality on the ball.[quote user="Excited Canary"] To be fair that is exactly what the Wolves

fans said when we signed him; technically brilliant but not quick

enough.[/quote]Yes, and the Southampton fans.

[Carra Rud 0]

Don''t get me wrong I like him, it''s just he hasn''t lived up to the hype people are basing he him on.

[Lewie - Holt Our Saviour 0]

Pretty sure the formation was 4-2-3-1 ...I may be wrong though but i''m 90% sure about that..

[Dion Dublin=Legend 0]

[quote user="Yellow Rider"]

[quote user="Frank"]I hope we keep the same formation against Preston. 4-5-1 can be seen as a bit negative but the way we played it on Saturday was very attacking yet seemed to also look ok defensively.
[/quote]

Don''t think that formation will help us at home though. If anything it will make us even narrower in our play as a result of which we over elaborate and have no width / pace. Saturday it was ok (in fact first half was excellent) - it will work better away as we get more space with the home side pushing up. At FCR sides have worked us out and our approach is predictable. That''s basically why we have struggled to break teams down and have lost / drawn games as a result.  

[/quote]

I disagree - with Wes often drifting left on Saturday he, Tierney, and Surman tore their right flank to shreds.

[Gingerpele 0]

[quote user="Lewie - Holt Our Saviour"]Pretty sure the formation was 4-2-3-1 ...I may be wrong though but i''m 90% sure about that..[/quote]

Since when has 4-2-3-1 not been 4-5-1? Its still 5 in the middle. you might as well say the diamond is 4-1-2-1-2 but know one does.