MK Dons (h) - League - 19th February 2005

[Burnside]

I have said for sometime that our defence does not contain any players that are skilled in the natural art of defending unless Roper or Bennett play. Emblen, Zigor and Wright have either played most their football in more forward positions or lack experiance of playing in a back 4.

To protect them with a narrow midield of 3 which sometimes contains 2 of Wrack, Standing, Daryl Taylor or Joe Broad is foolish. These players are also more gifted attackers than they are defenders. Osborn, Kinsella and Kris Taylor as the central 3 and we might be more solid.

4-3-1-2 does not give us defensive nubmers. It leaves us exposed and allows other teams space to create chances. This is why we look so dodgy at the back.

If we modify 4-3-1-2 at all it should be for 4-4-1-1 with Merse, Wrack or Surman as the one behind Jorge or Fryatt.

[SheffieldSaddler]

I would question that Bristol City are a decent side at the moment. Before they playd us they had only won 1 in 6.
MKs record away from home is appalling.
Great we have not conceded a goal in 2 games, but lets wait until we play some decent teams before we see if the system really works.

[ws4saddler]

Was that game rubbish or was that game rubbish. There was no passion there was no skill. It looked as if they did not want to play. Was it too cold for them? Was there anybody at the club that could fire them up? MK Dons were there for the taking , we gave them too much room , enough to flatter them. I read it that PM had conceded that we were going no where this season and he was tinkering with the system to find the right formula to play away for the rest of this season. If we cant get a win from games like this then we cant expect to be in the top half of the division. As for the right side of the team how can we play two players who cant cross the ball for a toffee and defend like schoolboys. I thought Aranalde had a poor game but not as poor as the two guys on the right. Where was the fight , where was the desire to win, where was the desire to score even one goal. Also it was a cold afternoon to watch this boring drivel.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

I'll agree there - however bad Aranalde might have been, he was considerably better than Wright and Daryl Taylor. This game was also the perfect example of Wrack working his socks off, but actually achieving nothing. As for the change to 4 3 12, yes we looked like we might actually score, but they looked like they were going to for the first time in the game every time they went forward. Let's not forget, on top of everything else, the ref saved us from not going in one down at hlaf time by inexplcably not giving them a nailed on, stone cold penalty!

Man of the match? Roper or Osborn - proably Roper, narrowly.

[Cannock]

You been on the pop Neil? :D

[dler]

The home results against Wrexham and MKD demonstrate clearly that we are where we belong - in the bottom half of the division. Until we can routinely beat these poor teams, we can't expect to be anywhere else.

[WS1]

I thought Merson was right to keep the same side that started at Ashton Gate.

Just imagine being one of the players droped from the game against MK Dons and then being asked to play at Luton on Tuesday night.

He had to keep faith with them but I felt he should have changed the team at half time.

But has many have said on here we had players not performing up to what they did at Ashton Gate.

My man of the match was Roper the one tackle/block in the second half stoped a certain goal for MK Dons.

[Fray Bentos is God!]

personally if id have been one of the midfielders making way for fryatt so we could go 442 id have understood

451 is not the way to go at home when the onus is on us to attack, 451 is to go away and be defensive but having the numbers to break when needed

as players they must have some tactical knowledge themselves and understood the decision

away 4-5-1

murphy, wright, aranalde, bennett (when hes had his break - bpool away?), roper, surman, k taylor, wrack, osborn, kinsella (when fit) and fryatt

i pick fryatt becasue he is much more mobile than leitao and we can keep to playing it on the floor

home 4-3-1-2

murphy, wright, aranalde, bennett, roper, surman/k taylor, wrack, kinsella/ossie, merson, fryatt, leitao/robinson

i thought the ref was a lot better than he was against port vale

[Pedagogue]

Gary - I wondered when any-one would mention Mr. Probert. I agree - he had a very good game, particularly compared with his comic performance in the Port Vale match.

The only slight criticism I would have made of him was his failure to caution Izale "Horizontal" McLeod (surely a certainty for the next British Olympic Diving Team?). This gentleman should book himself into the Milton Keynes Hospital for urgent treatment as his sense of balance seems to have disappeared!

[Magic Man Fan]

It disappeared in Derby a few years ago Leamore. I think he's searched high and low for it but to no avail.

[Fray Bentos is God!]

i agree mcleod (barclays) was up to his old tricks but when emblen brought him down it was nailed on if that was jorge or matty going down in front of the purple there would have been murders it was that nailed on

[ToeJoe Jnr]

Superb post Stu, very well summed up.

[Magic Man Fan]

I actually wasn't oppose to playing 4-5-1 yesterday, the fact we have kept two clean sheets is a remarkable success.

However Jorge struggled yesterday, there was a lack of supply to him and he never wins anything in the air so isn't the best person to play the lone striker. In fact I don't think we have anyone suited to play that role now Birch has gone.

It was obvious changes were need and fair play Merson made the right ones but too late in my opinion. He should have bought himself and Fryatt on at half time.

The test is now again for Merson, what does he do?

He should keep the same formation that we started with yesterday but I wonder if because we created little if he'll start with the side that finished yesterdays game. I hope not as we now have a stong defensive base to build on.

[Fray Bentos is God!]

i think at luton well stay the same at 451 but against bradford well have a more open and creative system

[geoffwhiting]

I agree with Gary Ellison, players have to (and will) understand that certain games require certain formations/tactics, and we should pick a side to do a job, not simply keep to the same 11 because they did a good job last time out. The team at Bristol City should obviously be starting again at Luton, but not so yesterday.

So the starting formation was not right yesterday, and as a result we did not get at them and encouraged them by allowing them far too much of the game. We then changed it too late as some have already said. We also publicised it (as good as) several days ahead, which I doubt went un-noticed by the MK Dons management and surely made their plans for the game much easier. Fair play to MK Dons, they set out their game plan and did a very good job on us for much of the game.

But when we changed, did we really change it tactically, or did we change it simply because Ozzie (who was having a good game again) was clearly feeling the effects of his foot injury and had to come off. If it was entirely tactically, then why did Fryatt and Merse not come on at the same time? Makes me wonder if we would have changed at all if Ozzie had been OK.

I always value Stu's opinions above many others, but I thought we were really poor yesterday, Mark Wright and Daryl Taylor in particular formed a very shaky right hand side at times. Also I definitely thought (unlike Stu) that there was a danger of us losing. They could have had two penalties - one each half - I'd have wanted both of them if those incidents had happened at the other end. And but for Roper's amazing (and fair) last ditch tackle, they would surely have scored.

I thought it was only in the closing stages that we really attacked them, got in some decent shots that tested their keeper or were blocked by their defenders, and looked like actually winning the game.

Finally a mention for my favourite subject - referees - and a pat on the back for an unexpectedly decent and sensible performance yesterday. Maybe he's learning, but don't hold your breath! :D

[KJC]

I felt for Merson today and told my old man that he was onto a loser whatever happened. Had we changed to 4-3-1-2 and not won, he'd have been whinged at, had he kept 4-5-1 and not won, he'd have been whinged at.

100% correct there Stu, the critics new they had plenty of ammunition if we didn't get 3 points.
Cannot really blame him for sticking with the team that did so well at Bristol, and he did well to change things so early in the second half.

What dissapointed me was the number of poor individual performances...
Jorge, although he worked tirelessly as usual and was constantly harrowing their defense, he never really threatened goal.
Daryl Taylor is still a very raw talent, doesnt yet seem to have a "footballing brain" and went for the wrong option a few too many times. Maybe he should be sent out on loan?
Thought the full-backs had a mare defensively, although (I'll probably get shot down for this) I do see potential in Mark Wright.

Our centre halves did well today and I also thought Fryatt looked dangerous when he came on but the ball never fell kindly for him.
Merse did ok when he came on too, played a few "killer balls" that I thought our forwards should of taken nore advantage of.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

The problem with Merson when he came on was Daryl Taylor! Because Taylor didn't seem to be able to grasp the fact he was supposed to one of the midfield three and kept wandering out to the wing, Merson was having to play a lot deeper than normal, where he is not only a defensive liability, he's a lot less efeective. I do wonder whether Taylor has a brain, after watching that.

[Magic Man Fan]

This is the problem with changing formations, especially during a game. As has been said before, footballers aren't the brightest sparks. There's a lot to be said for finding a winning system and sticking to it.

Its just finding it thats the hard part!

[Stu]

This is the problem with changing formations, especially during a game. As has been said before, footballers aren't the brightest sparks. There's a lot to be said for finding a winning system and sticking to it.

Its just finding it thats the hard part!

Now I'll agree there completely... We tried 3 formations yesterday and it ultimately led to a complete lack of shape in the midfield in the end.

If he'd just gone straight from 4-5-1 to 4-3-1-2 it may have been easier, but that switch to 4-4-2 in between didn't help.

I'll stick my neck out here and say if Osborn had stayed on, I think we'd have won as he gave us stability in the middle of the park and really seemed to give Taylor a bit more license to get forward. When we lost Osborn, we seemed to lose the midfield battle and that meant it drifted into an aimless boring draw.

Quite glad to see Osborn putting performances in, and not surprised that they're coming in a shape where he has options out wide, rather than being forced to play intricate balls through the middle that isn't his style.

Quite looking forward to Tuesday, as I think we'll win for some reason and I sit next to Hatters ST holder at work.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

You've been saying all season that the midfield would look better with options out wide and My God it did!

[Guest]

It was a result you would expect from an inconsistent mid table 2nd division team. I know hindsight is great but playing 4-5-1 at home is acomplete joke. Ok it did well at B City but at home against a very average side albeit a well organised one was asking for trouble. I thought too many players looked as though they just had to turn up and they would win after last weeks result. The full backs were terrible and i hope he isn't going to pick Wright at right back next season he just ain't good enough. Zigor was useless from his first kick of the game to his last. Osborn and Kris taylor had good games but Darryl Taylor was a major dissapointment and didn't quite seem to know what to do. Surman i thought was poor the game just seemed to pass him by. Jorge never looked like scoring and really struggled in this formation. Also why did the manager switch from 451 to 442 and then quickly to 4312 why didn't he just bring himself and Fryatt on at the same time and switch formation once. Play offs merse should stop kidding himself.

[Zippy]

Oh MMF, I thought you had got over the Birch thing, but you're still finding a way to bring him into conversation.

Have you tried hypnotherapy, or Birch patches?

Let's be honest he ain't working wonders at Kiddy, would he be doing the business for us if he was still at Bescot, I think not.

[philthesaddler]

Personally, although i didn't say it before the game, i would not have stuck with the same team/formation we played at Bristol. MKD were a team there for the taking, and if we are going to climb this league, we have to beat teams below us, thus playing an 'away' formation was, in my opinion, a bad decision.

We all know merson is the most influencial player on the pitch, whether in a good way or a bad way, but he has to start at home against poorer sides. I'd have rather seen him change the formation because sticking with the 451 is a cowards way, he's knows that whatever the result, he'd still have people agreeing with him to stick with the same formation because of the result at bristol. He also knew that if he changed it and lost, there would be no-one backing him up. Cowardly management in my view, but he'd be right to stick with this formation at luton, but the next home game we need two men up front, and merson sitting behind them.

[Magic Man Fan]

Zippy, I only mentioned Birch because he's the only player we had who could hold the ball up which is an essential part of playing the lone striker (like Bradbury did so well at Palace away last - did you go or are you just a homer/homo?) I wasn't discussing the merits or Birch.

Anybody with a brain care to disagree with me about the qualities needed to be the lone striker?

[London Saddler]

Absolutely awful game against a very poor outfit on a bitterly cold day. By playing this formation we gave Franchise the respect as if they were AC Milan. They have the worst but one(yes even worse than ours) away record and the worst but one number of goals conceded away from home but can hardly have believed their luck as they got the point they had come for handed to them on a plate

Defensively we were ok and rarely troubled except to deal with Mcleod's dives and Ropes was MOM. Distribution though was poor especially from Wright.
Midfield were non existent going forward. Daryl Taylor was ok in the 1st half but faded in the 2nd. I was not at Bristol City but have seen Surman twice at home and both times he has been totally anonymous. Wrack as usual ran around a lot like a headless chicken without actually achieving anything
Up front Jorge worked hard and actually won quite a few flick ons but with no support, this was pointless

Some people say our play offs hopes have now gone. Not true, since they were never really there in the 1st place!

[tinned]

I agree, London. With Jorge ploughing a lone furrow upfront he needs support from his midfield. Where was the overlaps ? In the second half especially, too many times we had 7 or 8 players standing on or around the half way line with their thumbs up their arses whilst Jorge or Jorge and Fryatt tried to carve out chances by themselves.

I agree that Osborn had a particularly good game. However, the cynic in me agrees with the previous poster that it is strange that this upturn has occured just in time for contract re-negotiation.

[Neil Ravenscroft]

Seriously, it's probably more to do with playing a formation that suits him far better. Lots of young legs round him to do the "hod carrying" and a release ball to some wingers!

[Zippy]

Zippy, I only mentioned Birch because he's the only player we had who could hold the ball up which is an essential part of playing the lone striker (like Bradbury did so well at Palace away last - did you go or are you just a homer/homo?) I wasn't discussing the merits or Birch.

Anybody with a brain care to disagree with me about the qualities needed to be the lone striker?

Ok fair enough, but I do feel it's time you let go of Birch. What's the point in saying if Junior was here, if Darren Byfield was here. They are in the past same as Birch. Live in todays world not yesterday.

We could also try accupuncture to help you over this problem. :lol:

[Magic Man Fan]

There's enough pricks on here without needing any more from acupuncture :lol: