Flat back four and summer recruitment

cheshiregreen · Mar 28, 2021

The recent change to operating with a flat back four has, to date, seen positive results.

Looking ahead, will there be an impact on our summer recruitment?

As covered at the fans forum, all teams at the club are playing the same way, so, I am thinking a return to three centre backs will occur by August.

Of course, the management team may still want to have a flat back four, at times, which may mean recruitment of players with the ability to play in different roles to fit the formation.The spending of the budget will be particularly important to get the quality and flexibility needed.

Currently apart from Sawyer, who I suspect will not be offered a playing contract next season, I'd say we have nobody who can play as a LB in a flat back four. George Cooper is not defensively strong enough to play that role. Looking at yesterday's team and formation at Blackpool, I am not sure where George would play in that line-up anyway if Mayor is playing.

The right side defensive position will face the same issue, I can't see Moore operating in the role Edwards has filled in last two games next season like Cooper he is just not strong enough defensively.

What about the youngsters coming through? Return to my point about all sides at Argyle playing same way we will have players used to operating as wing backs not genuine full backs.

The summer recruitment should indicate the management approach to 21/22 and a potential return to three CBs. Dewsnip and Lowe will need to ensure their targets are still relevant and offer the flexibility to support a tactical switch when required or
maybe signing three good standard CBs will condemn the flat back four to a short term experiment again?

Interesting times ahead in the summer with a lot of personnel changes likely given number of players out of contract.

Tugboat · Mar 28, 2021

I think the direction for recruitment will be flexibility.

Lower leagues will always tend to have players that can cover at least 2 different positions.

Connor Grant and Joe Edwards are the prime examples of this and worth there weight in gold within the team.

davie nine · Mar 28, 2021

Ryan Lowe’s post Blackpool interview was interesting. On 3 occasions he seemed to be questioning whether ‘lack of experience’ was a cause of problems with conceding soft goals.
I think we can assume that the management team are, at least, considering that possibility for next season.

Tugboat · Mar 28, 2021

The irony being I wonder how well Canavan and/or Wootton would have faired in a flat 4.

cheshiregreen · Mar 28, 2021

Tugboat":1e4xov6z said:
The irony being I wonder how well Canavan and/or Wootton would have faired in a flat 4.

They didn’t do well in 18/19 under DA although Wootton didn't play many. RL played a back four away at Crewe this season but had to accommodate Wootton at RB then, but changed it back to three at the interval.

This is what prompted my OP, you have to have the players who can play the system and not shoehorn players into unfamiliar positions. Otherwise you end up paying salaries to players who aren't going to contribute as they don't fit the shape. Think of Wylde and Ainsworth in DA's last season, just a handful of games between them.

Knibbsworth · Mar 28, 2021

davie nine":pawyspex said:
Ryan Lowe’s post Blackpool interview was interesting. On 3 occasions he seemed to be questioning whether ‘lack of experience’ was a cause of problems with conceding soft goals.
I think we can assume that the management team are, at least, considering that possibility for next season.

I don't think Lowe should feel entitled to moan about that.

Whose decision was it to build a defence out of Opoku, Watts, Adam Lewis and Sam Woods? Young untested players who have no real idea of lower league football, just used to the gentle flow of the technical tippy tappy U23 league.

It was inevitable there would be some mental fragility coming our way with that approach and Lowe needs to take some responsibility for his recruitment.

If he signs them when their contracts expire, gets 250 league appearances out of them and a couple of league titles then it will have paid off. But if you neglect to spend any money on your defence, then pester clubs to take their young lads with 0 senior appearances, you can't really moan at what you end up with. Likewise when you get rid of two senior pros in January and replace them with two 21 year olds with no experience. Realistically what was Lowe expecting to happen? Did he think it was Tony Adams and Stuart Pearce that would be getting off the train?

mutley marvel · Mar 28, 2021

My thoughts exactly- as i have posted on other threads i seriously hope Lowe & Co spend some of the recruitment budget on the defence.

Lowe can have his philosophy but to push on & flourish next season he needs to as his says "keep the back door shut" & if that means spending money on getting decent, seasoned defenders then so be it

If not next season will be a repeat of this season

davie nine · Mar 28, 2021

He wasn’t blaming anybody else. Knibbs, and he may have been blaming himself. I, certainly, don’t think he was moaning about the players he has recruited.
As a young manager, he is entitled to reconsider his strategy, based on current experience, after less than a full season as a manager in League 1. Ok, he also had a short period as caretaker with Bury.
He has still got us into a relatively comfortable position and I would hope that next season we will have more experience in our central defence.

HC Green · Mar 28, 2021

davie nine":2g0e2228 said:
He wasn’t blaming anybody else. Knibbs, and he may have been blaming himself. I, certainly, don’t think he was moaning about the players he has recruited.
As a young manager, he is entitled to reconsider his strategy, based on current experience, after less than a full season as a manager in League 1. Ok, he also had a short period as caretaker with Bury.
He has still got us into a relatively comfortable position and I would hope that next season we will have more experience in our central defence.

At 42, Lowe isn’t particularly a young manager considering the ages of the other League 1 managers.
Argyle’s last manager got sacked when he was 43, so perhaps that the age when you aren’t given any allowances for the mistakes of youth.

Balham Green · Mar 28, 2021

mutley marvel":2ticmxad said:
My thoughts exactly- as i have posted on other threads i seriously hope Lowe & Co spend some of the recruitment budget on the defence.

Lowe can have his philosophy but to push on & flourish next season he needs to as his says "keep the back door shut" & if that means spending money on getting decent, seasoned defenders then so be it

If not next season will be a repeat of this season

Too much focus has been on the inadequacies of our defenders.(apart from yesterday). Individually they are generally ok. I like both Aimson and Opoku. It seems to be forgotten that we play an attacking system leaving us vulnerable especially to the balls down the channel which teams have exploited.

xmastree · Mar 28, 2021

Balham_Green":yk9cbh8n said:
mutley marvel":yk9cbh8n said:

My thoughts exactly- as i have posted on other threads i seriously hope Lowe & Co spend some of the recruitment budget on the defence.

Lowe can have his philosophy but to push on & flourish next season he needs to as his says "keep the back door shut" & if that means spending money on getting decent, seasoned defenders then so be it

If not next season will be a repeat of this season

Click to expand...

Too much focus has been on the inadequacies of our defenders.(apart from yesterday). Individually they are generally ok. I like both Aimson and Opoku. It seems to be forgotten that we play an attacking system leaving us vulnerable especially to the balls down the channel which teams have exploited.

Exactly, it's a very open system. If we continue to play it then our defenders will continue to be exposed, even if they are the "experienced" defenders that many are demanding.

Mark Pedlar · Mar 28, 2021

HC Green":1b9l5byz said:
davie nine":1b9l5byz said:

He wasn’t blaming anybody else. Knibbs, and he may have been blaming himself. I, certainly, don’t think he was moaning about the players he has recruited.
As a young manager, he is entitled to reconsider his strategy, based on current experience, after less than a full season as a manager in League 1. Ok, he also had a short period as caretaker with Bury.
He has still got us into a relatively comfortable position and I would hope that next season we will have more experience in our central defence.

Click to expand...

At 42, Lowe isn’t particularly a young manager considering the ages of the other League 1 managers.
Argyle’s last manager got sacked when he was 43, so perhaps that the age when you aren’t given any allowances for the mistakes of youth.

The last manager not only lost multiple games of football he lost control of his players and, more importantly their respect. Lowe would have to change his character completely to get to that state.

Gary Wills · Mar 28, 2021

Agree with that, the exceptional players you need in this Lowe system seem the defenders who are expected to knock it round as diversely as midfielders yet also have the defensive ability to snuff out relatively frequent counter attacks under said system.

Without a very capable defensive coach or obviously with nothing like a top-six L1 budget for acquisitions, it’s somewhat hard to envisage quite how anything like an exceptional back line will materialise next season or later.

But midtable L1 extremely entertaining football like what we’re getting this season is absolutely fine by me. For now.

demportdave · Mar 28, 2021

You may be happy with mid-table obscurity next season Gary but I doubt Lowe will be.

Hopefully, neither will the players he manages to get to come down here because he will have had to convince them that we are at least going to be in the Promotion shake-up. Why else would a player relocate hundreds of miles to a footballing and social backwater. It won't be because of the view from the Hoe or the proximity of the beaches.

I don't think the slow, walking pace, error-strewn football we have seen so much of this season is very entertaining, but I do agree with you regarding the quality and type of defensive signings we should make. Dewsnip and Lowe will have to be more pragmatic with the defenders they sign and how they want them to play.

Tippy-tappy Premiership Rookies passing the ball sideways and backwards 20 times to get past half-way, as well as the constant stream of individual errors, is not the way to go next season.

Lower-League Ronald Koemans don't really exist, but you can sign good League 1 standard defenders who can stop crosses, break up attacks and give the ball to the 2 sitting midfielders to initiate attacks.

oldage · Mar 28, 2021

demportdave":1gmyl17y said:
You may be happy with mid-table obscurity next season Gary but I doubt Lowe will be.

Hopefully, neither will the players he manages to get to come down here because he will have had to convince them that we are at least going to be in the Promotion shake-up. Why else would a player relocate hundreds of miles to a footballing and social backwater. It won't be because of the view from the Hoe or the proximity of the beaches.

I don't think the slow, walking pace, error-strewn football we have seen so much of this season is very entertaining, but I do agree with you regarding the quality and type of defensive signings we should make. Dewsnip and Lowe will have to be more pragmatic with the defenders they sign and how they want them to play.

Tippy-tappy Premiership Rookies passing the ball sideways and backwards 20 times to get past half-way, as well as the constant stream of individual errors, is not the way to go next season.

Lower-League Ronald Koemans don't really exist, but you can sign good League 1 standard defenders who can stop crosses, break up attacks and give the ball to the 2 sitting midfielders to initiate attacks.

:clap:

Flat back four and summer recruitment

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