Where Will Osborne Fit In

If Bulvitis plays like he did on Saturday every week, centre back!

If he can pass to a green shirt he will replace Bully, who couldn't even make a 5 yarder go where it was supposed to.

Bulvitus is a defender not an attacker - we were way too reliant on the CB's distribution on Saturday as there was nobody in Midfield offering good options to pass to. Fox was nowhere to be seen seeing as he is supposed to be the bridge between defence and midfield?

He was in the Carlsberg SWPL 'team of the week' as a midfielder.

Bully was dreadful with his passing this weekend, yes. But he's been excellent otherwise, he can have an off day. Osbourne's going to need to wait – better to keep the consistent partnership. The longer these two have played together the better they've looked as a pair.

Ps. Fox played a lot of rubbish passes too, but it was worth noting it didn't make him shy away from the ball or from trying something. Fair play. Bad week, good result, move on.

OwenJones":yokq8aa1 said:

Bully was dreadful with his passing this weekend, yes. But he's been excellent otherwise, he can have an off day. Osbourne's going to need to wait – better to keep the consistent partnership. The longer these two have played together the better they've looked as a pair.

Ps. Fox played a lot of rubbish passes too, but it was worth noting it didn't make him shy away from the ball or from trying something. Fair play. Bad week, good result, move on.

Click to expand...

When we are 1-down to a team with 10 men behind the ball and we're trying to create some attacking momentum, we need someone who can do a bit more than just drop back into the final third of the pitch to take the ball off one Centre Back only to play it square across the back to the other Centre Back who by now has had the space in front of him closed down by the opposition and so has to knock it back to Luke.

Adams rightly criticised the team for the slow tempo of the passing on Saturday. It would help if the 2 Centre Backs were encouraged to carry the ball forwards themselves rather than having it taken off of them whilst still deep in their own half by Fox, the would-be playmaker who slows the game down even worse than Dominic Blizzard used to.

Adams might go with a back three when Osborne is fully fit.
A 3-5-2 (or 3-4-1-2) formation with the wing-backs providing the width and Carey in the hole behind two strikers, the downside is that Tanner would miss out and would there be a need for Songo'o as a holding midfielder so it could be Fox and Smith behind Carey.
Threlkeld and Purrington would be excellent wing-backs.

That said, we are top of the league playing as a 4-2-1-3 formation so why change it to accommodate Osborne.

Now that Songo'o is a defensive midfielder Bully and Bradley have had no pressure on them for their place in the team, so hopefully Osborne will provide an option for Adams if one of the current centre-backs is off form.

I think Osborne will be back for the checkatrade trophy. For me this makes sense as he gets a first team start with little pressure on him, bearing in mind we already got one win in the group. I think the game is next Tuesday so allows Adams to give him another reserve outing first.

My worry is the forward line. Without that physical presence eg Matt last year and Garita this I think we are lightweight up front. That's not to say we don't have good, technical forwards but Goodwillie, Slew, Jervis are all players who want the ball to feet and in front of them. As demonstrated on Saturday when the space is cut out or Argyle aren't passing very well we lack any real penetration. Tanner has the ability but I feel doesn't contribute enough over 90 mins. Ideally it would be him that would be the guy to commit defenders and create opportunities for the other 3 to run onto.

For me we have decent players but they don't fit the system we play and this for me is Adams biggest problem. Solve it and exciting times ahead. Don't solve it and we will have more frustrating days like Hartlepool.

Spencer I still think has an important role to play. Play him in the hole where Tanner is and I think he would link the play because he wouldn't have the physical CB's literally on his back. You can then play Goodwillie or Slew ahead of him if Gartia is not fit. This way you have a player always pressing on the shoulder of the back line an their defence wouldn't be able to come so deep to mark Spencer.

LeonTheGreen":3pibnrrw said:

If Bulvitis plays like he did on Saturday every week, centre back!

Click to expand...

Indeed, competition is good. Players play well and keep their shirt, if not someone else gets it. Bully has done well but was a liability on Sat.

demportdave":1pmeq8ql said:

Adams rightly criticised the team for the slow tempo of the passing on Saturday. It would help if the 2 Centre Backs were encouraged to carry the ball forwards themselves rather than having it taken off of them whilst still deep in their own half by Fox, the would-be playmaker who slows the game down even worse than Dominic Blizzard used to.

Click to expand...

I disagree a bit in terms of what I saw on Saturday. I think the centre backs carried it too much rather than not enough. They needed the midfielders to come and move for it more. It was only ever a long ball or a little tap to Fox available. Fox picked the ball up quite a bit and tried a lot of crossfield and direct passes – unfortunately they were mostly rubbish! And he knew it. No worse than Bully and Bradley's passing but they're centre backs, they shouldn't be the ones responsible for playmaking.

OwenJones":207vofuu said:

demportdave":207vofuu said:

Adams rightly criticised the team for the slow tempo of the passing on Saturday. It would help if the 2 Centre Backs were encouraged to carry the ball forwards themselves rather than having it taken off of them whilst still deep in their own half by Fox, the would-be playmaker who slows the game down even worse than Dominic Blizzard used to.

Click to expand...

I disagree a bit in terms of what I saw on Saturday. I think the centre backs carried it too much rather than not enough. They needed the midfielders to come and move for it more. It was only ever a long ball or a little tap to Fox available. Fox picked the ball up quite a bit and tried a lot of crossfield and direct passes – unfortunately they were mostly rubbish! And he knew it. No worse than Bully and Bradley's passing but they're centre backs, they shouldn't be the ones responsible for playmaking.

Click to expand...

Exactly how I see it too. I want to see Bulvitis and Bradley with less of the ball at their feet, not more!

Agree about the midfield players. We need Fox coming back more to offer an outlet and to take the ball off them and dictate play from there.

demportdave":30z185ty said:

OwenJones":30z185ty said:

Bully was dreadful with his passing this weekend, yes. But he's been excellent otherwise, he can have an off day. Osbourne's going to need to wait – better to keep the consistent partnership. The longer these two have played together the better they've looked as a pair.

Ps. Fox played a lot of rubbish passes too, but it was worth noting it didn't make him shy away from the ball or from trying something. Fair play. Bad week, good result, move on.

Click to expand...

When we are 1-down to a team with 10 men behind the ball and we're trying to create some attacking momentum, we need someone who can do a bit more than just drop back into the final third of the pitch to take the ball off one Centre Back only to play it square across the back to the other Centre Back who by now has had the space in front of him closed down by the opposition and so has to knock it back to Luke.

Adams rightly criticised the team for the slow tempo of the passing on Saturday. It would help if the 2 Centre Backs were encouraged to carry the ball forwards themselves rather than having it taken off of them whilst still deep in their own half by Fox, the would-be playmaker who slows the game down even worse than Dominic Blizzard used to.

Click to expand...

Ah the old sideways pass debate, a criticism often directed at Hourihane .........