The pace we have with certain players (who don't need pointing out) is something that CANNOT be matched by any of our next four opponents.

I can't see why we can't just go all out attack from the off, especially in the next game. If players tire then we can bring others on who are just as fast.

I would start with:

Given

Hughes - O'Brien - Distin - Bernard

(or swap Bernard for Dabizas and move Distin to left back)

As far as the forward line goes, :

Speed Solano - Dyer - Jenas - Robert Lua Lua

Bellamy could come on for Lua if it doesn't work, and one of the four forward thinking midfielders could join Lua up front, so the opposition doesn't know who is palying where. Speed can sit in front of the defence and play as a playmaker.

This would allow us to attack as much as we want, but still have the backup to defend any attacks from the opposition.

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2002

Answers

Given

Hughes - O'Brien - Distin - Bernard

(or swap Bernard for Dabizas and move Distin to left back)

As far as the forward line goes, :

Speed Solano - Dyer - Jenas - Robert

Lua Lua

Bad formatting there

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2002

Given

Hughes - O'Brien - Distin - Bernard

(or swap Bernard for Dabizas and move Distin to left back)

As far as the forward line goes, :

Speed

Solano - Dyer - Jenas - Robert

Lua Lua

Bad formatting again. :)

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2002

Basically, we are playing teams who have little or nothing to play for.

If we really go for it, with confidence and panache from the outset, the fans won't have a chance to get nervous. The fast pacy football will have the crowd up on their feet and this confidence will transfer to the team. It's not as if we are playing Liverpool and Arsenal, these are teams with non-spectacular records, especially West Ham, who are awful away from home.

We only really become poor after starting badly, then the crowd get on the team's back and it becomes a big negative farce. In away games we can comeback because the crowd are more supportive and there's less pressure to a certain extent, but at home against weak teams we MUST start brightly and take it from there.

In top gear we are capable of putting 6,7 or 8 past teams like West Ham. Why can't we play like we want to do that?

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2002

I know what you`re saying Paul, and I love your enthusiasm and obvious delight at the possibilities. Like Pit Bill though, I`m always on the lookout for banana skins, we`ve had the point driven home too many times....there are no `easy` games. (:o)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

Agreed. We need 7 points. To get it, we have to attack to get the goals thus getting the points. The time has come to take a gamble to win those points. Playing with what we been putting out in Fulham, Villa etc isn't going to get us those points. With Speed covering along with O'Brien, Dabs/Distin, we should have enough to counter any attack from the opp.

Another thing, while it was a great feeling as a fan to see your team come back from two goals down to win the game, think how it must have felt for the players out there. From what I can see on tv, they players seem to really enjoyed themselves in the last 20 mins and the spirit of the celebrations really shows how happy they really were to get the 3 points. Great for team spirit!

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

I'm thinking along the lines of the home support more than anything, which is second to none if we start well and continue like that. It only becomes poor after a nervous start and this then mulitplies as the players pick up the anxiousness and so on.

If we field a team full of pacy players there has to be one left unmarked. Any of our pacy players can deal with the ball quite well, and people like Robert are capable of brushing aside a single marker after being used to two.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

...or look at it another way.....

Any team that plays us must feel that they have to man mark Dyer, Shearer [he'll be back make no mistake], Robert, Solano and Bellamy [when he's fit]. Now, unless my maths isn't very good, that's 5 players you have to man mark out of a game. Impossible.

Add to that the unpredictability of Lx3, the pace of Bernard, the foraging runs of Distin and Hughes in the FB positions and we really are in a very nice position.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

Aye, I'm thinking along the same lines.

If BR can try to convince the team that the pressure is off (I know it isn't really) then they can play with a bit more freedom.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

The thing is skilful young players like KD, JJ, Robert, Lx3 and Bellamy only really know one way to play - all out attack. So, if you play them all that's what you'll get. However, in reality you have balance all that natural enthusiasm and talent with a formation that allows you to actually get the ball back when you lose it!

One thing that yesterday must surely have taught BR is that with the players he has available, playing with two semi-static strikers should finally be consigned to the dust-bin of history. That is most certainly not playing to our main strengths.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

I love the way we bounce from the despair of Fulham to the joy of today on the back of three goals in 17 minutes.

For me the most enjoyable performance/team formation I have seen was us beating an already relegated Forest 5-0 on the last day of the season in 97. Our foward line was Ferdinand, Shearer and Tino, this was just perfection, power, strength, guile, I was so happy that our new Scottish manager was taking football to the next level with his outlook !

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

We are all so happy because we have all been proved right. No Shearer and Cort = 3 goals in 17 minutes. We can all say, "told you so" at the moment.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

Clarky, that's what Speed was in the side for - to win the ball back.

I agree it probably wouldn't work against strong teams with something to play for, but many just sit and defend at SJP, we need to attack them and break them down. With a one goal headstart if we continue to attack we'll score more.

That was the mistake against Fulham IMHO. After taking the lead, we sat back and tried to keep the 1-0, even BR admitted that after the game. We don't know how to play defensively, KK's team would have stuffed Fulham after going 1-0 up, not try to sit on the lead and keep a clean sheet.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

BTW, nowt against either of Shearer or Cort as individuals, but as a pair they are a non starter.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

Paul,I reckon your 2nd formation looked top cass with speed doing the defensive midfield just infront of defence and the other 4 surgig forward.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

maybe the difference was bringing Bernard on ???

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

They were all the same formation, Jim, it was just bad formatting.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

It's highly unlikely Blackburn will be content to defend. They're battling relegation so will put up a fight.

Soton away....when did we last do well there?

Charlton, we should be able to beat if we go all out attacking. The worst thing we can do is sit back with the attitude that they aren't that good and have nothing to play for(our usual end of season habit). Another advantage is being the next match after Derby so the crowd and players will be feeling happy.

West Ham, who knows. Another team that has a habit of catching us in a moment of lost concentration. Not as easy as it should be.

I'll be with Galaxy and Pit Bill on the banana skin patrol for the next few weeks. I'm more optimistic than I was appx 24hrs ago, but won't relax until it's mathematically impossible for anyone to knock us out of 4th(or 3rd by Jacko's scenario!). ;-)

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002

The home games are the main ones, Blackburn are very poor defensively, we could afford to let in a few against them and still win. Charlton and West Ham are the main games though. If it works Southampton is irrelevant as our season will be over with another 9 points collected.

-- Anonymous, April 14, 2002