Why Szmodics rarely tracks back beyond the centre circle? I like him staying forward as it allows to spring far quicker from defence into attack but on the rare occasions he does track back he can be liability, prime example first goal conceded against Rotherham. Dack used to come into defensive positions looking for the ball, it was a major problem when defenders were looking for an outlet ball. Granted his immobility then prevented him getting quickly upfield so was one of the contributing factors of our slow forward play in the past.

I love this modern day lingo. At the end of the day it boils down to the fact we are playing with two players up front.

Whole heartedly agree and eventually patience will run out. Then they drift out of the league.

I think there is no norm from Dolan which is the frustrating part. He will do something every half dozen games or so that is why he is here not a premiership club. There are plenty of players do that. The problem is that over time people will remember the good points not the bad and they will become better players then they actually were.

But how does playing a midfielder who doesnt track back very often not leave you short. Then like the first half last Saturday playing two midfielders who didn't track back leave you short. I understand that the forward midfielder arriving from deep creates space but an intelligent 2nd forward will drop off to create space. Playing two up top literally is just cancelled out by centre halves unless they can move and draw out and create space.

I know Im being thick but whats the difference between having two playing up front and having one up front and a midfielder who rarely drops back behind the half way line, which is how we play at present?

It seems to happen when JRC plays central. He seems to like playing further forward than his position. When at full back he goes into midfield. When in midfield he drifts upfront. Thats fine if we are playing two other midfielders as when Dunn had Flitcroft and Tugay protecting. Today though we've already got Sammie playing high it leaves us wanting in the midfield especially with Tronsdtat playing so deep.

First half Saturday, JRC spent all his time playing ahead of Dolan. It was the main reason we were exposed in midfield especially Sammie so advanced as well. There was little cover for Pickering on Saturday and little for Hill once Britain was replaced.

Yes he should. Any team with internationals throughout and the forward option of Gestede, Rhodes and King should have reached the p layoffs minimum. I will defend him in that he came the club had just gone through the Kean, Berg and Appleton fiasco and so he stabilised that. People praise Mowbray for stabilising the club but Bowyer did it better IMO. I know Coyle was a disaster for the club but Mowbray still had time to prevent relegation and failed before stabilising it.

It would leave the Full backs very exposed but with Szmodics in the position he plays presently it is like playing with two central forwards any way

Byrne wasn't it? Signed by Coyle hardly played for us. Season after given the freedom of Oldham because Mowbray was scared of Oldham's right back

Only in reverse as we paid the wages not the ECB [or its equivalent]

I would never call Faz or David Mail midfielders they both wore no.6. No. 6 usually was one of the central defensive pairing. No.4 or 8 were the midfielders

I stand corrected.

Genuinely can't remember any bids only talk I can think of was Everton preparing a bid but then they signed Maulpey instead

How many times have we said we shouldn't be losing to them? Any victory should be enjoyed. How many times have weve been told by opposing mangers, we are the best team they've played when weve lost to them? Refreshing to hear praise when we've won

We only whinge when we are winning!

Agree with this. The issue is with gaping hole in our midfield because our third midfielder Szmodics is playing so high up the field then at best one of our defenders is playing midfield, usually two of them so we are outnumbered at the back. So with the two at the back overloaded mistakes will happen. Even with the world's best defender and keeper will struggle playing effectively 4-3-3 but in reality that formation is 3-2-1-4 or even at times 2-2-2-4 or even against Sunderland in the 2nd half 2-1-3-4. It would be great if we had forwards who could take chances but we haven't.

It is the reason we are stretched, one midfielder taking off the defenders one to cover the middle third and then Szmodics in the final third taking the glory. Unless the wide forwards are prepared to play deeper its why teams can pass through us

Way he is playing at the moment, there wont be any silly offers

So principally we are playing as a 4-2-4. Suicide

Am I missing something? We have a three we seem to forget that Szmodics is supposed to be a midfielder not an attacker.

Much as I enjoy the attacking play upto the business part of the scoring goals and as much as I think Pears need dropping. The simple maths of probability is that the more shots rain in on our goal the more chance the keeper will make mistakes. At the end of the day if we had Friedal, in his prime, in goal this season we would be conceding goals. Our new keeper gets better every game he doesn't play.

or we dont and we go down.

So is this where we can maintain the Alan Nixon knows Jack Sh*t where he just repeats his Adam Wharton is being looked at 'put in any premier club here' until Jan?