BFTG - Stokies

[Snowflake Royal]

Hi Seth.

I enjoy how you're so in love with Swift that when he's atrocious you have to give him a joke mark instead of being honest and admitting he was poor.

Hey bro. I refuse to mark him seriously while he is being played out of position. You may note I was openly critical of him in my last BFTG. I am not avoiding criticising him. He was poor. The worst player we had on the pitch? No. But did he contribute to our defenders issues? A bit yes. Did he do a poor job linking midfield to attack? Yes certainly.

He doesn't fit the tactic unless he is part of the central 2. (I saw it as a Christmas tree formation - I might be mistaken) Playing him in the same position as Bacuna or Rinomhota will guarantee poor performances. It's too deep.

How are you btw? Any news? Gossip?

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

[Zip]

I'm a little late to the party but I love giving my unsolicited opinion.

I thought we did very well. Stoke were superior in most positions but approached the game like a preseason friendly. We showed a lot of tenacity and desire which is rare but seems to be becoming less rare.

Jaakkola - 7 - He's doing really well. His instinct for positioning that I praised in the last game was strong again this game. His kicking is still poor.
Yiadom - 7 - Suffered again from our high WB tactics but coped much better. He attacks so well. Classy player.
Ilori - 5 - Thought he was poor. Not many of his passes came off for him. Played Afobe onside for their equaliser.
Blackett - 5 - Poor as well. I was surprised how poorly our CBs coped considering they are both adequate at this level.
Gunter - 6 - I think he did well in attack but suffered from a lack of support from this in front of him. Played high but was slow to run back.
Rinomhota - 7 - Legend. Chuck him a 4 year contract.
Bacuna - 5 - Thought he was shite.. bad at tackling and poor passing.
Swift - 10 - MOTM - Incredible. He is a god amongst men. Didn't put a foot wrong.
McCleary - 5 - Poor. 1 good cross in the first half. Was probably demoralised by constantly being fouled and nothing called for him.
McNulty - 7 - Nice goal. Happy for him. Still 4th choice.
Loader - 6 - Gets an extra point because I like him xoxo.

Meite, Barrow and Baldock all get a 7. They changed the game. Baldock put in a real shift and showed what we have been missing on the left. Barrow scored and hopefully will get some confidence back. Meite was close to being our best player. Great instinct.

Agreed about all three subs and good to see someone else thinking Baldock did well when he came in. He worked his socks off.

[NewCorkSeth]

Hi Seth.

I enjoy how you're so in love with Swift that when he's atrocious you have to give him a joke mark instead of being honest and admitting he was poor.

Hey bro. I refuse to mark him seriously while he is being played out of position. You may note I was openly critical of him in my last BFTG. I am not avoiding criticising him. He was poor. The worst player we had on the pitch? No. But did he contribute to our defenders issues? A bit yes. Did he do a poor job linking midfield to attack? Yes certainly.

He doesn't fit the tactic unless he is part of the central 2. (I saw it as a Christmas tree formation - I might be mistaken) Playing him in the same position as Bacuna or Rinomhota will guarantee poor performances. It's too deep.

How are you btw? Any news? Gossip?

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

[NewCorkSeth]

I'm a little late to the party but I love giving my unsolicited opinion.

I thought we did very well. Stoke were superior in most positions but approached the game like a preseason friendly. We showed a lot of tenacity and desire which is rare but seems to be becoming less rare.

Jaakkola - 7 - He's doing really well. His instinct for positioning that I praised in the last game was strong again this game. His kicking is still poor.
Yiadom - 7 - Suffered again from our high WB tactics but coped much better. He attacks so well. Classy player.
Ilori - 5 - Thought he was poor. Not many of his passes came off for him. Played Afobe onside for their equaliser.
Blackett - 5 - Poor as well. I was surprised how poorly our CBs coped considering they are both adequate at this level.
Gunter - 6 - I think he did well in attack but suffered from a lack of support from this in front of him. Played high but was slow to run back.
Rinomhota - 7 - Legend. Chuck him a 4 year contract.
Bacuna - 5 - Thought he was shite.. bad at tackling and poor passing.
Swift - 10 - MOTM - Incredible. He is a god amongst men. Didn't put a foot wrong.
McCleary - 5 - Poor. 1 good cross in the first half. Was probably demoralised by constantly being fouled and nothing called for him.
McNulty - 7 - Nice goal. Happy for him. Still 4th choice.
Loader - 6 - Gets an extra point because I like him xoxo.

Meite, Barrow and Baldock all get a 7. They changed the game. Baldock put in a real shift and showed what we have been missing on the left. Barrow scored and hopefully will get some confidence back. Meite was close to being our best player. Great instinct.

Agreed about all three subs and good to see someone else thinking Baldock did well when he came in. He worked his socks off.

Took me a while to warm to him but he's a real goer. He should have his position nailed on. Barrow can be am impact sub until his form drops off.

[sandman]

Hey bro. I refuse to mark him seriously while he is being played out of position. You may note I was openly critical of him in my last BFTG. I am not avoiding criticising him. He was poor. The worst player we had on the pitch? No. But did he contribute to our defenders issues? A bit yes. Did he do a poor job linking midfield to attack? Yes certainly.

He doesn't fit the tactic unless he is part of the central 2. (I saw it as a Christmas tree formation - I might be mistaken) Playing him in the same position as Bacuna or Rinomhota will guarantee poor performances. It's too deep.

How are you btw? Any news? Gossip?

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

We're in a relegation battle, we can't afford to have people who "shouldn't have to defend".

[Snowflake Royal]

Hey bro. I refuse to mark him seriously while he is being played out of position. You may note I was openly critical of him in my last BFTG. I am not avoiding criticising him. He was poor. The worst player we had on the pitch? No. But did he contribute to our defenders issues? A bit yes. Did he do a poor job linking midfield to attack? Yes certainly.

He doesn't fit the tactic unless he is part of the central 2. (I saw it as a Christmas tree formation - I might be mistaken) Playing him in the same position as Bacuna or Rinomhota will guarantee poor performances. It's too deep.

How are you btw? Any news? Gossip?

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

Jesus Chrimbo... I'm sorry, I do like you and I know you mean well, but you are so clueless it's painful.

In one sentence you say he can only play central midfield (where he freaking was), and in the next you say you'd have played him left forward. Absolutely zero credibility.

You have to be at least a division better than you're playing to not have to do any defending. Swift is barely good enough for this division in the first place.

[NewCorkSeth]

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

Given we don't really play with an attacking midfielder behind the striker and he was in central midfield... that's one hell of a uselessly restrictive play style.

Oh for sure. But if we play a 4-3-2-1(with the 2 being inside forwards not wingers) or a 4-2-3-1 swift could play in those roles. As things stand I think we should be playing a 4-3-3 as we discussed in the leeds(?) game thread so Swift should be a sub.

I certainly don't like him being shoehorned into a team. Equally I would dislike Kelly in the role Swift played in the last game.

[Hound]

Personally would keep Swift as an impact sub until he shows some sort of form again. I like him coming on after an hour or so and running at the defence

I very much suspect that’s what will happen for a while as well

Barrow, Swift and someone like Bod make a very decent trio to bring on against a tiring team

[NewCorkSeth]

I'm fine. Not really

Tee hee hee, out of position! You wag. He was LCM. If he can't cope with having defensive duties (which he can't - I also think he was far and away the worst player on the pitch), then he shouldn't be playing - and won't be the second we have a viable alternative probably.

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

Jesus Chrimbo... I'm sorry, I do like you and I know you mean well, but you are so clueless it's painful.

In one sentence you say he can only play central midfield (where he freaking was), and in the next you say you'd have played him left forward. Absolutely zero credibility.

You have to be at least a division better than you're playing to not have to do any defending. Swift is barely good enough for this division in the first place.

Did you change your post or respond twice to the same post?

I'll clarify what I meant. I thought that in the Stoke game we played 2 central attacking mids rather than 2 wide forwards or wingers. I may have been mistaken. What position did you think McCleary and Loader played in the last game?

[NewCorkSeth]

Personally would keep Swift as an impact sub until he shows some sort of form again. I like him coming on after an hour or so and running at the defence

I very much suspect that’s what will happen for a while as well

Barrow, Swift and someone like Bod make a very decent trio to bring on against a tiring team

Yeah. I agree. I'm Swifts number 1 fan going by the last few weeks but he doesn't fit into the team right now.

As impact subs go Swift and Barrow are as good as we've had since relegation.

I would hope to start Bod and have McCleary on the bench.

[Zip]

Personally would keep Swift as an impact sub until he shows some sort of form again. I like him coming on after an hour or so and running at the defence

I very much suspect that’s what will happen for a while as well

Barrow, Swift and someone like Bod make a very decent trio to bring on against a tiring team

Yeah. I agree. I'm Swifts number 1 fan going by the last few weeks but he doesn't fit into the team right now.

As impact subs go Swift and Barrow are as good as we've had since relegation.

I would hope to start Bod and have McCleary on the bench.

So do we start Meite up top together or play one of them wide? I’d quite like to see Meite and Loader up top

[NewCorkSeth]

Personally would keep Swift as an impact sub until he shows some sort of form again. I like him coming on after an hour or so and running at the defence

I very much suspect that’s what will happen for a while as well

Barrow, Swift and someone like Bod make a very decent trio to bring on against a tiring team

Yeah. I agree. I'm Swifts number 1 fan going by the last few weeks but he doesn't fit into the team right now.

As impact subs go Swift and Barrow are as good as we've had since relegation.

I would hope to start Bod and have McCleary on the bench.

So do we start Meite up top together or play one of them wide? I’d quite like to see Meite and Loader up top

All fit?
-----------------Jaakkola
Yiadom---Moore--Ilori---Obita
Rinomhota-Ezatolahi-Bacuna
Bodvarson---Meite---Baldock

Walker
Blackett
Gunter
Swift
McCleary
Barrow
Loader

Best team I think we have if all fit with the subs to cover injury and formation changes.

[Hound]

Yep that pretty much. Would have McCleary in for Bod but otherwise the same

[Zip]

Yeah. I agree. I'm Swifts number 1 fan going by the last few weeks but he doesn't fit into the team right now.

As impact subs go Swift and Barrow are as good as we've had since relegation.

I would hope to start Bod and have McCleary on the bench.

So do we start Meite up top together or play one of them wide? I’d quite like to see Meite and Loader up top

All fit?
-----------------Jaakkola
Yiadom---Moore--Ilori---Obita
Rinomhota-Ezatolahi-Bacuna
Bodvarson---Meite---Baldock

Walker
Blackett
Gunter
Swift
McCleary
Barrow
Loader



Best team I think we have if all fit with the subs to cover injury and formation changes.

Yep that would be a good side although we are so poor on the counter attack which is why I might include Barrow ahead of Baldock as we lack pace on the break.

[NewCorkSeth]

So do we start Meite up top together or play one of them wide? I’d quite like to see Meite and Loader up top

All fit?
-----------------Jaakkola
Yiadom---Moore--Ilori---Obita
Rinomhota-Ezatolahi-Bacuna
Bodvarson---Meite---Baldock

Walker
Blackett
Gunter
Swift
McCleary
Barrow
Loader



Best team I think we have if all fit with the subs to cover injury and formation changes.

Yep that would be a good side although we are so poor on the counter attack which is why I might include Barrow ahead of Baldock as we lack pace on the break.

True. We lack a player capable of holding up the ball up front but the work rate of Bodvarson and Baldock is incredible. That's our advantage with this side. Ezatolahi would free up Bacuna to focus on transitional plays while still being well capable of pressing opponents fast.

From Goal Kicks we send Bod and Meite wide right to aim at with Baldock filling in centrally. In attacking scenarios Baldock, Meite and Bodvarson can move fluidly between each other's positions, Bodvarson in particular is good at receiving the ball out wide and holding onto it in a corner (something he's surprisingly poor at centrally) but all are capable of crossing and playing wide.

Rinomhota has shown in his few games how much he can add to this side. Without him I don't think we could play this formation or tactic. We would be too weak in midfield.

[John Smith]

McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

What drivel

[Snowflake Royal]

Yeah I think he's central or nothing! Like the way Gylfi struggles at Tottenham because they played him as a AML.
I know I use the Ozil example a lot but there are players who shouldn't have to defend. I think Swift can be one of them.

I would have played him in McClearys spot. Actually having said that McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

Jesus Chrimbo... I'm sorry, I do like you and I know you mean well, but you are so clueless it's painful.

In one sentence you say he can only play central midfield (where he freaking was), and in the next you say you'd have played him left forward. Absolutely zero credibility.

You have to be at least a division better than you're playing to not have to do any defending. Swift is barely good enough for this division in the first place.

Did you change your post or respond twice to the same post?

I'll clarify what I meant. I thought that in the Stoke game we played 2 central attacking mids rather than 2 wide forwards or wingers. I may have been mistaken. What position did you think McCleary and Loader played in the last game?

Changed it when I re-read yours.

4-3-3 both times. Leeds - Swift was in McCleary's Stoke position or Left Forward - where he was poor, with Bacuna or Rino in Swift's Stoke position (where he was awful) and Kelly central of the three midfielders, which was Bacuna v Stoke.

Difference between Leeds and Stoke was Kelly generally staying deep, whereas Bacuna got forward, meaning no one was really just screening the defence, though Rino was getting forward and doing his defensive duty on his side.

In fairness, I think Loader struggled with his positioning

[NewCorkSeth]

McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

What drivel

You don't think? McCleary always put in a shift in terms of defensive work. Maybe it's just because every other winger we've had since he joined (bar Jobi) was poor at defending that I think that.

[NewCorkSeth]

Jesus Chrimbo... I'm sorry, I do like you and I know you mean well, but you are so clueless it's painful.

In one sentence you say he can only play central midfield (where he freaking was), and in the next you say you'd have played him left forward. Absolutely zero credibility.

You have to be at least a division better than you're playing to not have to do any defending. Swift is barely good enough for this division in the first place.

Did you change your post or respond twice to the same post?

I'll clarify what I meant. I thought that in the Stoke game we played 2 central attacking mids rather than 2 wide forwards or wingers. I may have been mistaken. What position did you think McCleary and Loader played in the last game?

Changed it when I re-read yours.

4-3-3 both times. Leeds - Swift was in McCleary's Stoke position or Left Forward - where he was poor, with Bacuna or Rino in Swift's Stoke position (where he was awful) and Kelly central of the three midfielders, which was Bacuna v Stoke.

Difference between Leeds and Stoke was Kelly generally staying deep, whereas Bacuna got forward, meaning no one was really just screening the defence, though Rino was getting forward and doing his defensive duty on his side.

In fairness, I think Loader struggled with his positioning

Ah. See I thought against Leeds we switched to a 4-4-2 in the second half with Rinomhota on the right and Swift on the left and Swift was very poor there.
Against Stoke I thought it was like this:
---------GK
RB--CB--CB--LB
-CM--CM--CM
-AMCR--AMCL
---------ST

With Swift playing that left CM slot poorly. If it was that formation I think Swift would be much better in the AMCL role. Not that I think it's a formation we should continue with.

Perhaps something to keep in the back pocket if chasing a goal against a side with slow defenders.

In any side without an AMC I think Swift won't be capable of showing his best. Hence why I think he should be an impact sub.

[John Smith]

McCleary wouldn't be a bad shout for a CM slot. He's losing his legs a bit for the wing but he still has the power, intelligence and passing ability. He's even a handy enough defender.

What drivel

You don't think? McCleary always put in a shift in terms of defensive work. Maybe it's just because every other winger we've had since he joined (bar Jobi) was poor at defending that I think that.

The furthest back he could go is a RWB. Is that a defender? Or would you have him partnering Moore?