Forshaw update

[Balham Green]

He used to but it seems to have disappeared from his game. He's reluctant to get near the opposition goal these days because I don't think he trusts himself to be able to get back if we lose the ball.

By the time he gets up there the ball is coming back as noone can hold it up!

 

[Argyleloyal]

I agree. This data analysis is all well and good but are we seeking perfection when a player has 80% of what we need? Seems to me the targets identified are completely unrealistic in terms of cost and availability.

We only had one target and that was Coburn, poor planning in my opinion

 

[pafc jack]

Foster made some very strange decisions but trying to reshape the squad in January to the degree he did (and was allowed too) is right up there as one of the worst. Wright scar Edwards butcher et all might not be good enough going forward long term but killing what we had in collectiveness and spirit without quality was poor management to say the least.

I agree strongly with this, although at the time I wasn't super opposed to everything that happened.

Each individual decision could be defended in isolation, e.g. "Butcher not ideal at this level". But there was the cumulative impact of alienating multiple senior players and bringing in particularly young loanees.

Also, much of it was poorly thought through strategically. Sell a CB - Gillesphey - and try to move on Scarr too, but only bring in a loan (Phillips) who we'd never sign on a perm at the end. Leaves you two CBs down at the end (plus Galloway out of contract), madness!

Same for centre mid. 3 loans recalled and sells Butcher on top. Bring in two particularly young loanees and one permanent (known to be serially injured). One unlucky injury to Gyabi and we're painfully short.

I don't think players like Gyabi and Devine are anywhere near as bad as some make out individually, but the whole January revamp left us with a younger, inexperienced, injury prone squad, lacking in playmaking midfielders.

I can only guess that Foster wanted to be able to spend more ASAP? So rushed the process of phasing out players he perceived to be not good enough.

 

[Mark58]

By the time he gets up there the ball is coming back as noone can hold it up!

Craig Noone! Those were the days...

 

[Montybulldog]

We have to change formation for Millwall. The space between the front 3 and the central midfield pairing was ridiculous in the first half, and should have been tightened up earlier than half-time. Everyone around me could see it but not those who mattered, unfortunately. And when they did it was too late.
Options are now woefully thin, as we basically have 2 fit midfielders (Randell and Houghton). We either play 4-3-3, put Edwards next to Houghton and push Randell up as the 8, or (as I would do), play 3-4-1-1-1, still playing Edwards as a DM, but bringing Whittaker inside to play as a 10 and linking with Hardie or Bundu as the central striker, and having Randell sitting in front of the 2 DM's, and attempting to play forward to feed the front players and the wing-backs.

Or here another option for MF,

Left Mumba, CM Randell & Divine, RM Bundu

Edwards or Houghton in a sweeper role between CM and defense in possession can push up to add an extra man in MF, which would add extra physicality and allow wide MF playets Bundu and Mumba to push forward in support of strikers.

Out of position the sweeper role picks up loose balls or can drop back to support defense.

 

[Montybulldog]

Out of possession

 

[JannerinCardiff]

We only had one target and that was Coburn, poor planning in my opinion

Wonder if we'll go back in for Coburn in the summer?

 

[Argyleloyal]

Wonder if we'll go back in for Coburn in the summer?

I hope not considering they messed us about in the summer