[Albion] Genuinely what would you have done/do?

[Balders]

So playing one in CM was suicidal and we shipped three goals, we change to 2 CMs in the second half and ship four goals - dammed if you do or dammed it you don't!

Left Back

Who would you pick from our recognised Full Backs:

Lamptey
Veltman (needed at Right Back)
Estupinian - Injured
Igor - Injured
Hinsh - (needed at CM) not match fit
Kodioglu - Injured
Milner - Injured
Solly (at a push) Injured

What do you do with CM?

Baleba - ill/Injured
Ayari - ill/Injured
O'Reilly - not match fit
Gomez - not match fit
Hinsh - not match fit
Milner - Injured
Weiffer - Injured
Gruda - not a recognised CM
Joe Knight - fit

and what formation would you have played?

So if we are going to sack a Manager who on paper has only lost 6 out of 24 EPL games (25%) and has us at mid table, which is the stated aim, who will you replace him with?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I suppose we could have played all three CMs and tried to defend out a point but it's not our style. Fab thought he'd try something, it didn't work, he won't try it again.

We're obviously not going to sack him, we are going to be patient, because patience is what is needed at this stage of the manager and players and clubs development.

Obviously many many fans are not patient nor prepared to be, so there will be quite of lot of angst I guess.

 

[Balders]

I suppose we could have played all three CMs and tried to defend out a point but it's not our style. Fab thought he'd try something, it didn't work, he won't try it again.

Yep - we could have gone full on "anti football" a la Everton, but we don't want to watch that shite apparently.......

 

[DJ NOBO]

I suppose we could have played all three CMs and tried to defend out a point but it's not our style. Fab thought he'd try something, it didn't work, he won't try it again.

That’s not good enough.
He is paid a lot of money to get those decisions right.
Or at least get close.
Or at the very least not the direct opposite of right.

 

[Soton Seagull]

I'd have taken a look at our depleted squad and set up to be difficult to beat and perhaps nick one on the counter.

 

[brighton_tom]

I think for todays game, given our injuries to midfield and how good Forest have been, I would have just played more cautiously. Not 11 men behind the ball, but Hinsh, Gomez, and O'Riley starting in midfield, dont commit too much forward early on, play for the counter attacks and see if you can frustrate Forest. Sometimes you've got to realise when things are stacked against you.

 

[mothy]

I would have played 3-5-1-1

Webster, dunk & jpvh. Packed 3 midfielders in front of then. Velts on right & tariq on the left

& made sure forest didn't run riot through the middle

& I'd have dropped Bart for anyone who was available

 

[Bold Seagull]

Webster and put Van Hecke holding?

What I wouldn’t have done is play a front 5.

 

[aolstudios]

That’s not good enough.
He is paid a lot of money to get those decisions right.
Or at least get close.
Or at the very least not the direct opposite of right.

Without enough players to possibly get it right, ffs

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

I said to a friend today that Forest had something to prove after last week and we should have gone for a low bock approach and counterattack.

 

[Balders]

Webster and put Van Hecke holding?

What I wouldn’t have done is play a front 5.

That massively backfired at Fulham last season from memory?

 

[Bold Seagull]

That massively backfired at Fulham last season from memory?

and today didn’t?

 

[A1X]

The only thing I think we could have done was after the opening 20 minutes and at 2-0 we should have made changes there, maybe gone to 3 in midfield to provide proper support for Hinshelwood to shore things up and see how the game develops from there, or possibly gone to 3 at the back with Webster on and moving one of the CBs forward into midfield

 

[TottonSeagull]

I would have probably not let them loose 7-0!!!

 

[Balders]

and today didn’t?

So what are you saying, try it again - fair comment I suppose because I don't think there were many other options!

 

[Berty23]

We could have gone three centre backs or we could have gone two or three centre midfielders. Going with 5 attackers and one half fit teenager in midfield was insane. It is impossible to defend it imo.

 

[Krafty]

Why do we have so many injuries? I feel like we have more injuries this season then we ever did last season, and that was with an additional competition!

 

[Balders]

We could have gone three centre backs or we could have gone two or three centre midfielders. Going with 5 attackers and one half fit teenager in midfield was insane. It is impossible to defend it imo.

But we only shipped three goals with one half fit teenager in midfield, we shipped four with a conventional central midfield set up in the second half, which suggests to me that the formation wasn't the main issue, of which there were many.

 

[um bongo molongo]

We used to have a manager very good at these kind of problems. He’s now at West Ham.

I think what he’d have done is either Played 4-3-3 :

- Webster at LB,
- Gomez or O’Riley alongside Hinsh (playing 45 mins each) and Rutter ahead of them

Or 3-4-3
- Veltman Dunk and JPvH
- Mitoma LWB, Lamptey or Minteh RWB
- Hinsh and either O’Riley or Gomez in the middle
- Welbeck with Pedro and Rutter left and right of him

 

[DJ NOBO]

Without enough players to possibly get it right, ffs

That’s a very generous point of view, with regard to the manager.
Gomez and O’Reilly could have reinforced the midfield or play with an extra defender.
It may not have been enough but at least it would have made sense in the difficult circumstances, unlike the starting XI which was guaranteed to fail.