London Irish
Well-known member
We did play Ince - that was when we were most overrun
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Central midfield
- Thread starter Albion Dan
- Start date
We did play Ince - that was when we were most overrun
sir albion
New member
The midfield is bloody awful...No leadership and no creativity also no strength between them.
Totally agree with this. Also, although joe Bennett has been brilliant so far he is prone to try and take people on in dangerous areas and has been out muscled on a couple of occasions. I think our two biggest problems are being too lightweight (Bennett, baldock, tex, jfc, colunga) and poor decision making, especially trying to overplay deep in our own half.
Completely agree. I kept saying last night I don't know how Wigan never scored. We were out muscled so many times!!!
Brighton Mod
Its All Too Beautiful
Whilst others have complained about our strikers, I have maintained that it is our midfield that is failing both in its provision of opportunities and its ability to defend. Whether this is down to ability or strategy I don't know, but it is here from where the improvement needs to come.
We've been spoilt in the past with a holding midfielder in Bridcutt and to a lesser extent - Andrews last season.
We now have no one operating in that role which is why to my eyes it looks all wrong. JFK and Gardner don't appear to know who should go and who should stay back.
I noticed on a number of occasions when Wigan walked through our midfield that they had both retreated to form a flat back 6! Very odd.
Ince in front of the back 4 at the expense of JFK please with Gardner license to get forward a bit more.
We now have no one operating in that role which is why to my eyes it looks all wrong. JFK and Gardner don't appear to know who should go and who should stay back.
I noticed on a number of occasions when Wigan walked through our midfield that they had both retreated to form a flat back 6! Very odd.
Ince in front of the back 4 at the expense of JFK please with Gardner license to get forward a bit more.
Skint Gull
New member
LI, are you seriously not on a wind up? You accuse people of having an agenda against Sami and then have the nerve to say we were most overrun when Ince came on!
All the chances, all the free space their #18 kept picking the ball up in, all the last ditch blocks, all the danger to our goal pretty much immediately stopped when Ince came on.
I am not saying it suddenly made us play well because we were dire on Tuesday and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. However it did mean that the last 15 minutes, a time when you would expect a team who haven't won in a dozen games to be hanging on for dear life, went by relatively without danger.
Ince should have come on 10 mins into the second half, the fact that the coaching staff couldn't see this is frightening.
All the chances, all the free space their #18 kept picking the ball up in, all the last ditch blocks, all the danger to our goal pretty much immediately stopped when Ince came on.
I am not saying it suddenly made us play well because we were dire on Tuesday and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. However it did mean that the last 15 minutes, a time when you would expect a team who haven't won in a dozen games to be hanging on for dear life, went by relatively without danger.
Ince should have come on 10 mins into the second half, the fact that the coaching staff couldn't see this is frightening.
It feels like Stephens, March and Bruno have just fallen into a black hole. No news in AGES.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
I'd rather see JFC with a bit of license at the expense of Gardner in all honesty. I agree Ince should come back in the team now.
For Saturday, I would even say I'd be happy with Ince – JFC – Gardner at the expense of Texeira with Lua Lua and Elliott wide again.
I reckon Tex ahead of JFC - comfortably the more skilful, creative player.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
JFK!
funny how you can just repeat a typo…Anyway, Tex is the more skilful and creative, but also lightweight and prone to disappearing in the middle of a game. I guess I'm looking at Elliott / LuaLua / the CF to provide our creativity with our midfield three providing a bit of steel. If we play Tex, then I'd still play JFC next to Ince as a holding pair and bench Gardner.
This. Second half there was NO central midfield - looked terrifying. A team who can shoot from 20-30 yards would've utterly destroyed us on Tues.
JFK!
Anyway, Tex is the more skilful and creative, but also lightweight and prone to disappearing in the middle of a game. I guess I'm looking at Elliott / LuaLua / the CF to provide our creativity with our midfield three providing a bit of steel. If we play Tex, then I'd still play JFC next to Ince as a holding pair and bench Gardner.
Whilst Tex is more lightweight, JFC is hardly a bruiser and also goes missing a bit too much for me.
Either way we can agree Ince needs to come in. Personally my ideal 3 would be Ince and Holla with Tex further forward, if Holla can get back to his early season form.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Fair enough. I've been defending JFC a bit lately. He's really grown on me this season, in a team that's struggling he seems to be putting in 110% in every game. Not always working for him, but he's definitely progressing as a player, and if it's a close call I'd rather have him than a loanee to be honest. But like you say, it's a bit of size and muscle we need in there with Ince.
Marshy
Well-known member
I think my 3 would be Stephens, Ince and JFC when everyone is fit.
Marshy
Well-known member
JFC has been very good all season, the most consistently decent player we have in central midfield. Been let down by his partners of late for me.
I can understand that, and I do think JFC will turn into a good player, it feels to me like he's still working out what sort of player he is though.
Marshy
Well-known member
i think he knows he is better a bit further forward, and would rather play a bit further forward.
But with the lack of availability of Stephens, and with the likes of Crofts and too a slightly lesser extent Ince not being trusted to be good enough on the ball too take it off the back 4 he has to play the current deep role.
Hes making a damn fine job of it for me too, but clearly needs a bit more muscle around him, not the likes of Tex in a central birth.
I expected this. Keith Andrews was under appreciated and I could not see much wrong with his play last season. JFK and Gardner are meant to take turns at going forward. This is 4-2-3-1 played as it should be. Probably best for the Albion whilst Dale Stephens is still injured.
I thought the shape of Albion against Wigan was OK. Wigan played a spoiling game and filled the midfield at the expense of their attack. Referee played a spoiling game as well. They way to deal with a crowded midfield is to pass them to death (which we were unable to do) or play it long and quickly missing out their midfield. Rohan Ince is a destroyer rather than a passer, so the team selection made sense.
Same old story of wasting chances in the first half.
Wigan are a spoiling team. They did the same at Bournemouth and lost 2-1. Wigan made a change from deep defence from the opposition. I expect Blackburn will be the same.
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