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tom cavendish

Central midfield is rubbish

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Fer - Potentially a great player but he seems far too laid back for the vast majority of the time.Howson - It is extremely rare for him to create any chances for others to score and he is poor at being defensive.BJ - He tries hard and has a good go but he can''t pass the ball very well.Tettey - He is superb at winning the ball and laying it off but is out injured. The central midfield is weak without Tettey The best central midfield partnership has been Tettey and Fer.

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Johnson has been way off the pace this season. Maybe proof he isn''t upto standard for the Prem. Fer IS inconsistent but is superb on his day. Howson has had a good season but shouldn''t be expected to be a ball winner. Tettey does his role well and is limited.

All the talk of getting a winger seems ridiculous when we could do with both a number 10 and a good ball winner / distributor! It''s probably one or the other in january though due to limited fund!

I think centre mid is another area where it''s about a partnership. We''re yet to see one which consistently works.

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Johnson was way off the pace. He''s been pretty decent ever game since getting back into the team..l

Was one of a very small bunch today that actually tried. Was doing two (or three) players jobs today.

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Playing 4 in midfield against 5 will normally see you outnumbered. Our weak manager used to think that until he changed it to appease the fans and then stuck with it after a couple of fortunate wins.

If we set up the same against Man U we will get battered.

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Correction it will of course always see you outnumbered in that area. What that will normally mean is not enough possession. That has actually been the case in most of our recent games but we got away with it. Today we didn''t!

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We don''t really have a choice Jim Smih.

Howson won''t be fit, Tettey is out. Fer looked way off the pace today. Sticking Hoolahan in there isn''t going to help. If he could tackle, I''d suggest sticking Whittaker in at CM/DM.

But essentially, the midfield is going to get completely outdone against Manchester United.

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I beg to differ. I think sticking Hoolahan in there as part of a 3 man midfield would help hugely because he can actually keep possession and pass the ball. In addition having 2 cms out should not put us in this position. Should have held on to Fox who would have come in very useful right now.

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If the midfielders played in the centre of the park got the ball passed to them then maybe we would see how good they are!

 

But the ball gets hoofed over the top of them, they then join the defence and from then we don''t have a central midfield but a back 6!

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Who exactly is going to give Hoolahan the ball? And who exactly is going to do anything with the ball once Hoolahan has passed it too them?

Johnson''s passing was as good as anyone''s today, he was actually trying to get attacks going. That''s just plain wrong. It''s not what he''s good at, it''s not what he should be doing. But how is Fer going to improve his fitness levels in two days? Reds and Snoddy too. I heard Rooney wasn''t 100% today, but apparently he ran the show, again. Our three clearly not at 100% fitness wise players struggled greatly today, and will again Saturday.

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[quote user="Jim Smith"]I beg to differ. I think sticking Hoolahan in there as part of a 3 man midfield would help hugely because he can actually keep possession and pass the ball. In addition having 2 cms out should not put us in this position. Should have held on to Fox who would have come in very useful right now.[/quote]

I agree. Fox is the answer.

We''ve tried previously touted solutions in Hoolahan, Becchio, Van Wolfswinkel, earlier substitutions, attacking substitutions etc. Now that the players AT the club have been eliminated, players out on loan being the answer is the logical next step in the find a reason for us not winning every week witchhunt.

A bit like when we brought Cureton back from, erm, oh yeah Barnsley under Gunn.

If we brought Fox back and still lost would the focus move onto retired or possibly even dead players?

If so, I''d suggest Andy Linighan, Mark Bowen, Martin Peters, Darren Huckerby, Chris Sutton and Craig Bellamy as players who, at their peak, would definitely be useful to have around.

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The Tettey injury has been devastating. Johnson''s done alright, but he''s not got near how Tettey was playing.

Howson''s minor injury has also occured at the worst possible time. How on earth Johnson and Fer are gonna be able to play well against Utd I just don''t know. Fer has looked shattered for ages now, he needs a rest badly imo

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[quote user="Warren Hill"][quote user="Jim Smith"]I beg to differ. I think sticking Hoolahan in there as part of a 3 man midfield would help hugely because he can actually keep possession and pass the ball. In addition having 2 cms out should not put us in this position. Should have held on to Fox who would have come in very useful right now.[/quote]

I agree. Fox is the answer.

We''ve tried previously touted solutions in Hoolahan, Becchio, Van Wolfswinkel, earlier substitutions, attacking substitutions etc. Now that the players AT the club have been eliminated, players out on loan being the answer is the logical next step in the find a reason for us not winning every week witchhunt.

A bit like when we brought Cureton back from, erm, oh yeah Barnsley under Gunn.

If we brought Fox back and still lost would the focus move onto retired or possibly even dead players?

If so, I''d suggest Andy Linighan, Mark Bowen, Martin Peters, Darren Huckerby, Chris Sutton and Craig Bellamy as players who, at their peak, would definitely be useful to have around.[/quote]

If you read my post properly you would see that I simply said that Fox would be a useful option right now in response the the comment that the absence of Tettey and Howson means we have nobody else to play central midfield. In my view if Hughton was better at using his squad and being able to keep fringe players fit/interested then a motivated Snd fit Fox could play alongside Fer and Johnson and enable us to stick with Hoots preferred formation.

It should not be the case that 2 players missing means we have no other options.

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Obviously, as mentioned by others, the injury problems have made things difficult for us. We looked short in central midfield when the season started and we''ve paid the price for it a bit.

 

Tettey, Howson and Fer is a very good midfield trio for us and I have no problems with that as a first choice setup.

 

Beyond that you''ve got Johnson as backup to them but he generally doesn''t offer enough on the ball for this level and he''s not as good as Tettey in the holding role.

 

As far as today in particular goes we were clearly second best in the midfield battle. Johnson had a better game than Fer today, he kept battling for everything. But Fer hasn''t quite had the sparkling season that some have made out. He''s a very good player but a few times he hasn''t really given us a 90 minute performance.

 

Doesn''t help that Snodgrass was woeful (and not for the first time this season).

 

It''ll be good to sign another midfielder, it''ll be good to get Tettey back but the sooner Howson is back the better.

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If we wanted to put out a five man midfield with what we have available I''d be tempted to get Johnson to sit and have Fee and Snodgrass ahead of him.

I really want to see Shoddy have a crack more centrally where pace of the really fast type isn''t so essential. You then have the option of Whittaker on the right and Martin at full back. Or push Olsson to lw and bring Garrido in.

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I would worry about Snodgrass playing any more centrally than he already is. His use of the ball has been very poor too often this season.

 

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Said this since the start of the season, we''re far too lightweight in the center. For all their strengths we have nobody who can dictate possession, tackle well or have the ability to regularly play the striker in. Fer is way, way too laid back and needs a massive kick up the arse and Howson needs to be told the game is played over 90 minutes, not in few minute bursts with a big rest in between. We should have gone for Huddlestone, he would have been perfect and would have chosen us over Hull without a doubt

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[quote user="GJP"]

Well that''s nonsense about Howson.

 

[/quote]

He''s imo our best player. If he performed to his potential regularly he could play at the top level and be an England regular. He just goes missing for 70 minute periods every game and it''s so frustrating because when he turns it on we look so much better! I''d even say he''s the best finisher we have at the club as well. Yes I''m aware he didn''t play today but I''m commenting on his general contribution so far since joining us, if he had the same mentality of someone like Roy Keane for example he''d be amazing

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Hmm. Well I certainly agree he''s our best player but I''d struggle to criticise him for what he puts in to the game.

 

If anyone gives us 90 minute performances regularly I''d say Howson is that player. Rarely does he go missing, in my opinion.

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Johnson was one of the few good players today. Can''t believe Howson is being suggested as not good enough, he is developing into a good PL player. Fer had an appalling game today.

The problem today was with Howson and Tettey injured there was no option on the bench to replace a clearly off the pace Fer. That is a worry and something that needs rectifying in the window.

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Chicken surely if your going to consider putting Snodgrass centrally you''d be better off with Wes? He was good in the main for his 15 min cameo today (should have scored though), Snodgrass was having a bad game and deservedly replaced, a bit late for me.

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Is Howson fit for Man U ? If not - bandage him up & put him in anyway with Johnson & Fer at CM,

Hooper & Elmander as strikers, Hoolahan & Redmond on the wings.

Snodgrass is tripe ! Best position for him is in the front row of a bus back to Leeds. If that''s not far enough - then Scotland.

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I am starting to think Tettey might just be our best player... we lose so much when he is out.

When Man utd were winning the champions leagues, despite sides that featured Beckham, Giggs, solskjaer, ronaldo etc... united fans used to always say Paul Scholes was their best player for what he bought to the team..

Uniteds worst ever prem season under fergie came when Scholes missed most of it injured....

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Simple really - you can moan about centre half''s hoofing it forward (and yes Bassong did have a shocker) or playing it back to Ruddy, but no one in midfield showed for the ball to take it off the centre backs.

Howson DOES and boy did we miss him - Fer chose to have his worse game in a Norwich shirt and Johnson, simply not good enough (MOM - what were the sponsors drinking?)

Call it lack of confidence, ability or simply that they are not told to do that (tactics). Contrast it with Fulham and virtually every other club we''ve seen at Carrow Road - far more comfortable on the ball and sharper than us.

Total and utter tosh yesterday and Hughton''s summing up suggests he was either at a different game or is becoming a desperate man.

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[quote user="Gingerpele"]Who exactly is going to give Hoolahan the ball? And who exactly is going to do anything with the ball once Hoolahan has passed it too them?

Johnson''s passing was as good as anyone''s today, he was actually trying to get attacks going. That''s just plain wrong. It''s not what he''s good at, it''s not what he should be doing. But how is Fer going to improve his fitness levels in two days? Reds and Snoddy too. I heard Rooney wasn''t 100% today, but apparently he ran the show, again. Our three clearly not at 100% fitness wise players struggled greatly today, and will again Saturday.[/quote]

Gp your crazy obsession with BJ makes me laugh. It doesn''t work with BJ in there. He is carried by others too often, and when the others go off the boil he looks woefully exposed. Unfortunately we are very limited in CM. I''m not sure Hoolahan is the answer but he''s certainly worth a try. And decent manager with positive intent wouldn''t start BJ in premier league starting 11. He tries hard but that''s it.

Yesterday, given his so called strengths you often refer too, he should have dominated against an aging Scott Parker. But sadly he made Parker look 5 years younger.

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Lincoln your obsession with my ''obsession'' makes me laugh. My obsession is actually with complete parts like you who think you know what you''re talking about.

If your criticising him after Johnson! well give me strength. Just what I''d expect form you, a one hundred percent biased pathetic assessment of a decent player who you don''t like. Face facts mate, he''s playing. He''s been playing here fairly regularly for three seasons. He''s a premiership midfielder, get over it. He had to carry a midfield yesterday. Woefully exposed? He was one of three or four that actually looked like professional footballers yesterday.

And I hope you don''t rate Lambert, because he started Johnson a lot. And Swnasea bid for him. So....

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