midfield

[vlad666 203]

Probably stating the obvious here but our midfield is our problem area. I honestly think we''ll see a completely new midfield line-up next season. Ours is the weakest in the premier league and the amount of goals we concede with opposition midfielders running off our players is incredible.

[SYG 0]

Isn''t a midfielder our top goal scorer though?

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="SYG"]Isn''t a midfielder our top goal scorer though?[/quote]

That is hardly relevant. The midfield apart from the odd game have been poor as a whole.   The mix of players we have just hasn''t been of sufficient quality.     Slow, holding up the ball when they should move it on quicker,  poor crossing etc etc.   Without going through all the individuals which has been done many times on here,  the midfield has struggled.   Holt has quite often been in good positions to score and the ball just hasn''t been put in the right area.   The lack of service has I believe contributed to his  apparent lack of form - playing off scraps is just not conducive to keeping a striker in good nick.  

[vlad666 203]

and your point is?

 

[SYG 0]

That is my point

[Aggy 752]

Agreed. The wingers don''t have enough dynamism about them and the central positions just don''t have the right balance.

Snodgrass and Pilks are good enough, and EB is decent cover, but we lack a quality winger who can get his head down, go past a man and cross from the byline.

Centrally, BJ does a decent job of breaking up play. Tettey does a similarly decent job and at the start of the season seemed to offer quite a lot going forward too, but since the injury (and perhaps a bit before) he has gone off the boil a bit, certainly offensively. Howson shows glimpses but we can''t seem to find the right position for him and he seems to struggle to really grab a game by the scruff of the neck, a squad player for me. Hoolahan I thought looked creative today and perhaps we should have started with him from the off instead of Howson, he''s the only one centrally who I think is good enough to be starting, if played in that attacking midfielder role just off a striker.

We desperately lack a true all round midfielder who can break up play, pass, get forward and chip in with the odd goal. They don''t come cheap, but that''s what we need next. One would do; you can then play him alongside BJ/Tettey if we needed to tighten up, or alongside Howson/Hoolahan if we wanted to go slightly more offensive.

[York Canary 28]

I expect we''ll go for a quality midfielder if possible and a quality winger or at least a positive and direct winger. Can see us going for Redmond (though others are too) and a player from abroad in the middle? Wouldn''t mind McNanaman on the wing. McArthur would be decent in the middle (no chance of McCarthy unfortunately)