4-4-2 (10 Viewers)

Rasputin

Active Member
So the same as we played on Saturday then?

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Sorry mate. It will be me been a bit slow but I don’t teally get the whole child’s face thing.
 

Nonleagueherewecome

Well-Known Member
Coventry City playing 4-4-2 brings back horrible memories of the McIndoe - Doyle - S.Hughes - Bell midfield.

Just thinking about the awful football we played in this period sends shivers down my spine.
And yet Hughes and Doyle both won player of the year at the club in the Championship when we mostly played 442! That was before the awful Bell and McIndoe though....and Hughes lost it amazingly badly after his first 18 months at the club to the point that all he would do is pass it 5 yards sideways or backwards.
 

Nonleagueherewecome

Well-Known Member
I seem to remember during the Hughes era we played a lot of 4-5-1/4-3-3 with strikers out wide which never worked.
Ah Peter Reid and Morrell on the wing, genius.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
I must have stumbled into a parallel universe. We played 4-4-2 on Saturday.

I don’t think I am explaining myself well.

Yes I like a traditional 4-4-2

With each player properly fitted for each position. Such as the wingers as natural wingers with the remit to stay wide fly down the wings and get crosses in.

Yes Saturday is probably the closest to that for a while and we dominated and got 26 shots albeit only.

Whenever we go through a rocky patch I always think that would be the solution and yes Saturday I would hope supports this thought.

As I say Shipley for a natural winger in the future would help.
 

Nick

Administrator
I don’t think I am explaining myself well.

Yes I like a traditional 4-4-2

With each player properly fitted for each position. Such as the wingers as natural wingers with the remit to stay wide fly down the wings and get crosses in.

Yes Saturday is probably the closest to that for a while and we dominated and got 26 shots albeit only.

Whenever we go through a rocky patch I always think that would be the solution and yes Saturday I would hope supports this thought.

As I say Shipley for a natural winger in the future would help.

Can you post me the Euromillions numbers a few days after too?

He is saying the formation and lineup you were wondering if it would work was the one we used on Saturday...

All a bit strange.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
We played the formation you keep saying we should play on Saturday....

Yes we did and despite the draw with relative success. I just love that formation all the time.
I know that’s quite narrow minded but I have always enjoyed the football teams play when they use it right.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
Can you post me the Euromillions numbers a few days after too?

He is saying the formation and lineup you were wondering if it would work was the one we used on Saturday...

All a bit strange.

Yes I am finding your replies a bit strange sorry.
You will find I am not the sharpest but never mind.
Might hold off on creating threads again for a bit though !!!
 

Nick

Administrator
Yes I am finding your replies a bit strange sorry.
You will find I am not the sharpest but never mind.
Might hold off on creating threads again for a bit though !!!

You have just posted up the lineup from Saturday wondering if it would do any better, after it clearly had done better? Just a bit random.

It's like posting in June wondering if we will ever get a promotion.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
You have just posted up the lineup from Saturday wondering if it would do any better, after it clearly had done better? Just a bit random.

It's like posting in June wondering if we will ever get a promotion.

I think we will get promoted. I think it will be via the play offs again.

I was there on Saturday so I am aware of both team and formation.

I like 442 with genuine wingers a hard man and a creative midfielder a big man and a poacher.

I didn’t realise and still don’t really get why it is such a problem asking other posters if they get the impression over the years if we are better when we play 442.

As I say might just stick to posting on threads or just go back to a silent reader.

Never realised I could be so controversial sorry
 

Nonleagueherewecome

Well-Known Member
Oh for a team like that now, although Whelan for me was always a back-up striker and Froggatt would be LW.

Shaw should never have been more than a back-up either. Not quick, not tall or muscular, but reasonably decent positional sense to be a nuisance jockeying backwards trying to hold up play while other people got back. Had an annoying tendency to do that all the way from the halfway line and then decide to put a tackle in just inside the penalty area. Largely had the career he did here because he was a nice guy who didn't rock the boat.

I've actually been reading up loads on the mid-late 90's seasons as I update the Champ Man 97 DB to be more realistic. This is a great site: Coventry City match record: 1998

Think Whelan was injured for most of the start of the 97 season as it was mostly Dion and Huckerby up front. I can't see Noel playing until late November against Leicester. Trond and Macca CM (or even Boland, eep) and it looks to me like Telfer RM and Salako LM, until Salako was bombed out and I THINK Hall played LM for a bit (he was nippy back then) until Noel was fit. Start of the season was that painful period where Breen was stupidly played at RB, until we signed Roland to nail down that position and turn it from a weakness to our biggest strength. Then Breen gradually forces his way into CB, being clearly our best center-back IMO, with Williams sometimes playing as ballwinning CM due to knocks or the realisation that Trond wasn't very good (a role I actually preferred him in earlier on tbh as it's what he'd done at Derby very effectively.) When Whelan came back, he was usually played out wide left and he did a good job there.


What I had mis-remembered from that season is the importance of McAllister. It felt like a huge chunk of Dion's goals came from his corners, despite Macca flattering to deceive from open play. But he was actually injured from December and didn't play again that season. He actually went off at 0-0 in this match, and we proceeded to dick Spurs 4-0: Coventry City v Tottenham Hotspur, 13 December 1997

That match was also Hedman's first ahead of a fading Oggy, another turning point.

The next week, we signed Boateng. After 2 games to bed in, we proceeded to go on a run of 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in the next 11 games, including the 3-2 over Man U, the 3-1 at Anfield in the FA Cup, the 2-2 with Arsenal (Willo's red for Bergkamp kicking his own heels, booooo). Modlovan came in for the sole purpose of getting the winner at Villa in the cup. But then Oggy played against Sheff U to commit that clanger and we went on to play out mostly draws for the rest of the season.

Another thing I spotted in the famous opening win against Chelsea: Coventry City v Chelsea, 09 August 1997

We went from 2-1 down to 3-2 up with Kyle Lightbourne on the pitch instead of Darren Huckerby. You can only think that the Chelsea defenders were so bemused to see him that they totally switched off, but I can imagine in modern times there would be someone out there arguing online that we were more effective with him on the pitch!
 

Nick

Administrator
I think we will get promoted. I think it will be via the play offs again.

I was there on Saturday so I am aware of both team and formation.

I like 442 with genuine wingers a hard man and a creative midfielder a big man and a poacher.

I didn’t realise and still don’t really get why it is such a problem asking other posters if they get the impression over the years if we are better when we play 442.

As I say might just stick to posting on threads or just go back to a silent reader.

Never realised I could be so controversial sorry
Not saying it's controversial, just a bit random.....
 

Nonleagueherewecome

Well-Known Member
So simple but doubt that team ever took the field.

Konjic was a major sicknote and McAllister’ injury really improved the team. Whelan was played out of position and Hadji didn’t arrive til after the 1998 World Cup by which time Chippo was also here.

The best era 442 was more like:-
Hedman
Nilsson Breen Williams Burrows
Telfer Boateng Soltvedt Whelan
Dublin Huckerby

Subs included Shaw, Moldovan, Haworth (!) and Gavin Strachan

Just spotted this post-bang on what I'd make the best XI back then! Hedman was an improvement on Oggy at the time, Boateng transformed the midfield and was a massive upgrade on McAllister (and we really missed George when he had a knock for a while) and incredibly, Trond and Telfer were present in most of our great wins and good runs-I guess that they did bring a lot of effort and workrate and in Boateng and Whelan, had more skillful midfielders alongside them. Add the young promising version of Marcus Hall filling in wherever there was a vacancy, too. CD was a bit more rotational with Willo and Shaw rivaling for the role of Weaker Centre Back, and at times Dion partnering Breen with Moldovan up front (mostly didn't quite work as well, but we still had some good results).
 

JimmyHillsbeard

Well-Known Member
Just spotted this post-bang on what I'd make the best XI back then! Hedman was an improvement on Oggy at the time, Boateng transformed the midfield and was a massive upgrade on McAllister (and we really missed George when he had a knock for a while) and incredibly, Trond and Telfer were present in most of our great wins and good runs-I guess that they did bring a lot of effort and workrate and in Boateng and Whelan, had more skillful midfielders alongside them. Add the young promising version of Marcus Hall filling in wherever there was a vacancy, too. CD was a bit more rotational with Willo and Shaw rivaling for the role of Weaker Centre Back, and at times Dion partnering Breen with Moldovan up front (mostly didn't quite work as well, but we still had some good results).

Good results? We were unbeaten for half a season!
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Ok maybe I don’t explain things very well.
I will stick to just replying to posts for a bit till I get my head round things a bit more.

Or just revert back to your previous username?
 

oucho

Well-Known Member

Rasputin

Active Member
The diamond again is another "442 in all but name"

I think I need a name for the version of 442 that I like :)
Is their a name for the traditional version with a hard man a creative player. Two get your bums off your seats wingers who stick to the wings.
Two full backs who can cross a ball but mostly stay at the back.
One big bruiser defender. One more cultured and an imposing keeper.
A Big strong type of striker and a nippy clinic al finisher?
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
I think I need a name for the version of 442 that I like :)
Is their a name for the traditional version with a hard man a creative player. Two get your bums off your seats wingers who stick to the wings.
Two full backs who can cross a ball but mostly stay at the back.
One big bruiser defender. One more cultured and an imposing keeper.
A Big strong type of striker and a nippy clinic al finisher?
I think you mean "The Man U 1994 FA Cup winning side's 442"
 

Rasputin

Active Member
I think you mean "The Man U 1994 FA Cup winning side's 442"

Bang on actually :) :)

I would be that manager where people say you have no plan B.
As I honestly don’t see anything better than 442 with that type of set up.
When it’s done properly teams can’t live with it.
I am sure as already pointed out a few times here to be fair that there have been bad times with the classic 442 but my bias memory only thinks of the good times.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
Bang on actually :) :)

I would be that manager where people say you have no plan B.
As I honestly don’t see anything better than 442 with that type of set up.
When it’s done properly teams can’t live with it.
I am sure as already pointed out a few times here to be fair that there have been bad times with the classic 442 but my bias memory only thinks of the good times.

Problem is that you sometimes have to adapt to circumstances; if you're being overrun in midfield you may need to move to a midfield three, with a lone man left ahead. Or if you're finding the opposition attack streaming into your box, it makes sense to move to a flat back 3 with wing-backs covering the incoming runs from the flanks. Although, like you, I prefer 442 in principle, you can only play it when the match situation enables you to do so.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
Problem is that you sometimes have to adapt to circumstances; if you're being overrun in midfield you may need to move to a midfield three, with a lone man left ahead. Or if you're finding the opposition attack streaming into your box, it makes sense to move to a flat back 3 with wing-backs covering the incoming runs from the flanks. Although, like you, I prefer 442 in principle, you can only play it when the match situation enables you to do so.

That is the bit I struggle with, I just don’t rate any other formation or style.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
Formations are something you revert to when defending. When you are attacking it is about being fluid and stretching the opposition with movement and the tempo of each pass.

4-4-2 is okay but it is a bit the Ladybird Book of Football.
 

Nonleagueherewecome

Well-Known Member
Good results? We were unbeaten for half a season!
Oh yeah still good. After the Sheff U game it was P9, W2, D6, L1. Before the Sheff U game it had been P13, W9, D3 L1. Including an incredible run of 7 wins on the bounce!

In total, a record of P23, W11, D9, L3 in all competitions from when Boateng made his debut. Heady days indeed.
 
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COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member

Nick

Administrator
Rasputin, do your self a favour, just don't engage with these two, they're never wrong !





Life is too short.

You have no idea what is actually being discussed or the actual point, again.

Nothing worse than the pissed up old bloke in the pub who always pipes up talking gibberish.
 

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
You have no idea what is actually being discussed or the actual point, again.

Nothing worse than the pissed up old bloke in the pub who always pipes up talking gibberish.
Haha, is that the best you can come up with .

Your comment just proves my point.
 

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
It really doesn't prove anything, you have absolutely no idea what is being discussed but try to have a pop anyway.

Just as weird as the OP.
As you ALWAYS like to say, that's a bit RANDOM.

Your ALWAYS having a pop and not just at me either.

Anyway, you ALWAYS like to have the last word, so it's over to you.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
Rasputin, do your self a favour, just don't engage with these two, they're never wrong !





Life is too short.

I am a new poster, but I read stuff on the site last year and so I saw some of Grendel’s stuff. I don’t fancy becoming embroiled in that sort of thing.
Quite a few people have been ok with my thread and seemed to get where I am coming from so I don’t think it was that random.
Cheers furcyhe advice though
 

Nick

Administrator
As you ALWAYS like to say, that's a bit RANDOM.

Your ALWAYS having a pop and not just at me either.

Anyway, you ALWAYS like to have the last word, so it's over to you.
You haven't got a clue what's being said or the actual point though, have you?
 

Nick

Administrator
I am a new poster, but I read stuff on the site last year and so I saw some of Grendel’s stuff. I don’t fancy becoming embroiled in that sort of thing.
Quite a few people have been ok with my thread and seemed to get where I am coming from so I don’t think it was that random.
Cheers furcyhe advice though
To get where you were coming from you just need to read it..

Read stuff on here last year? Strange, you seemed quite the expert before.
 

Rasputin

Active Member
To get where you were coming from you just need to read it..

Read stuff on here last year? Strange, you seemed quite the expert before.

I don’t really get you to be honest.
Have never claimed to be any expert at any time.
If it’s ok with you I will just carry on posting.
 

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