[Albion] So, who do we play like?

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Was having a chat last night about our tactics and style and trying to work out who we play like, or who we're trying to play like.

I don't agree we look like a German team, Bayern for example play with width in Ribery and Robben. If anything their national team plays how we USED to play, a typical back four, 2 holding or deeper midfielders, and attacking 3 from midfield providing width (i.e. Muller, Ozil, Polodski or other) and a front man. They press more than we used to, and get further forward, but the actual tactical setup isn't that much different. To my mind most German sides I've watched play in much the same way, or a variation of it - I've not seen this tactic of getting your full backs as high as possible providing the only width for the team. Of course they attack, help provide width, overlap etc. but not like us where our full backs rarely have someone in front of them to immediately give the ball to.

So if TB did get Hyypia in to change our style with attacking full backs providing the width, who is the template? Rodgers at Liverpool perhaps? I'm struggling to see or believe the whole concept can even work, especially in the Championship. I'd welcome some insight to whom people think we are trying to be like. The only time I remember full backs doing this was back in the days of a back five with 3 centre halves one as a sweeper.

Perhaps if Sami had someone experienced next to him like Sammy Lee, the elder man could have taken him to one side and said that it's not working, lets try something else. That doesn't appear to be happening, we appear to be blaming the results on the squad whereas even with the addition of 3 or 4 new faces - I'm still worried that tactically it's all wrong anyway.

Discuss.

p.s. I'd only be advocating changing the manager if he refuses to change what he's doing tactically. If I was TB I'd be sat down asking him why he isn't trying something different, and if not why not etc. Sometimes a manager can just stumble on something that suddenly works, I just don't think Hyypia is looking flexible enough to make that stumble.

Mainly this season we've been playing like a bunch of *****.