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Just to let everybody know if you are free tomorrow afternoon a strong reserve team are playing away at Exeter's training ground ko 2pm

crikey, does this mean nathan craig might actually get a game.

it seems to me he could play like zinedine zidane, score a double hat-trick and still not get in the squad.

I'm 100% with you there, not even getting on the bench is a shocker. In my opinion Harding and mansell just doesn't work they are to similar. All graft and no craft !

supergulls wrote:I'm 100% with you there, not even getting on the bench is a shocker. In my opinion Harding and mansell just doesn't work they are to similar. All graft and no craft !

Correction Supergulls - Mansell - all graft; Harding - NO graft. I've only seen the two home games but it looked to me as if Harding thought we were still involved in pre-season friendlies. Reports from the Northampton game suggest he was a little better (or less poor) - maybe being taken off in the Oxford game was a bit of a wake-up call for him. Here's hoping he will up his work rate and effort against Hartlepool on Saturday.

Any idea what's what?

Matt.

well this was a strange one, we were 1-0 down at half time and to be fair we was playing with the same slickness and urgency as we did against Cheltenham. I think Exeter only had two shots in the first half obviously scoring with one of them but it was pretty even possibly Exeter shading it. Now comes the strange bit in the 2nd half we came out with a formation of 4,2,2,2 which just didn't work and we got slaughtered. we were in each others way had no width and what more can I say. I have never seen a team line up in this manor. we had a strong side out which was

Thompson

Hutchings Deaman Mackenzie Cruise
Craig Lathrope
Sullivan Thompson
Yeoman Benyon

final score was 5-1 to exeter

That looks more like 4 4 2 or 4 3 1 2 / 4 3 3 to me. If so, it does not bode well for those who want to see Nathan Craig partnering Mansell for the first team.

That's odd, but understandable. All our wingers are involved every week with the first team. There's no point in sticking central midfielders out wide during a match where the idea is to assess players form. Who got our goal and how did NC do?

Matt.

Modgull wrote:That looks more like 4 4 2 or 4 3 1 2 / 4 3 3 to me. If so, it does not bode well for those who want to see Nathan Craig partnering Mansell for the first team.

How was it 442 or 433 I was there and listened to Alan knill telling them we are playing with 3 banks of two. We never had any wide men on the 2nd half . Lathrope and Craig sat just in front of the defence then Sullivan and Thompson were in front of them but not out wide directly through the middle and yeoman and Benyon were up top. I have never in all my years of football seen a team line up in this way. In the first half we were a conventional 442 with those players going out wide.

The 4222 formation is becoming more fashionable. I think Pelegrini used it at Malaga and has tried it for Man City v Newcastle. The middle 2 are given a free role and can go out wide to find space.

http://talksport.com/magazine/features/ ... air-197550

Sorry, I am a bit of a tactics geek.

If that is correct, surely NC should have played in the middle pairing as 'interiore' (playmaker)?

supergulls wrote: How was it 442 or 433 I was there and listened to Alan knill telling them we are playing with 3 banks of two. We never had any wide men on the 2nd half . Lathrope and Craig sat just in front of the defence then Sullivan and Thompson were in front of them but not out wide directly through the middle and yeoman and Benyon were up top. I have never in all my years of football seen a team line up in this way. In the first half we were a conventional 442 with those players going out wide.

Sorry Supers, didn't mean to doubt you - I thought you were reporting what had happened (which is not the same as what SHOULD have happened!). But since you had it first hand I can see your point - like you say that seems a strange tactic.

NA Gull wrote:The 4222 formation is becoming more fashionable. I think Pelegrini used it at Malaga and has tried it for Man City v Newcastle. The middle 2 are given a free role and can go out wide to find space.

http://talksport.com/magazine/features/ ... air-197550

Sorry, I am a bit of a tactics geek.

Interesting article NA. It does seem pretty flexible depending on how the game is going with the middle bank of 2 adding to the attack options when in possession. I would suggest though that the middle bank are going to need good engines and/or pace and trickery on the ball to carry out that role. Silva would be a natural for it at MC. Not sure he would fit into our wage structure here though =D

4-2-2-2 has been used by Brazil for ages, the full backs are effectively the wingers and everyone else is central. Quite ambitious to pull that off with Torquay reserves.

Gulliball wrote:Quite ambitious to pull that off with Torquay reserves.

Or not as the case may be?