Re: Planning Ahead - 2026/2027 - Who Stays / Who Goes?
BigBarryBoozerDocky91BigBarryBoozerDocky91BigBarryBoozerDocky91BigBarryBoozerDocky91BigBarryBoozerDocky91El Mayorharry hibbs..and what do you do if we finish 15th on 60 points again...sigh and say 'give it another year - I'm sure it'll come right in the end' ?
Of course no one knows what will work - but what is for certain is that 5 champ seasons of average keepers weak defences uncreative midflielders and impotent strikers has shown that what we have and have had ain't cutting it.
This is only the second champ season under Knighthead and the first where we’re not dealing with the financial mistakes of years gone by.
We do need to bring in players but we need to build and consolidate rather than rip it up and try it again and again cos that will not work - and will become another PSR trap.
Completely agree. We will have a new manager and likely a new system. I wouldn’t mind a few loans to replace departing loans. But other than that if we go in 1/2 quality players in replacement positions only. I’d be happy. We need a centre mid and goalkeeper as a matter of urgency, ideally another centre back also. (Just in terms of starting positions)
Where has anyone said the system is changing?
Well I’d be amazed if we replace Davies with another manager who loves slow paced sideways and backwards. So i felt it was a reasonable assumption. If it doesn’t happen then I think it really confirms KH need to stick to stadium planning and employ someone who understands football as they clearly don’t,
But that isnt the system is it? The system is a possession based game, by and large. The problem has been it's execution. You can play a possession based style of play that is succesful, we saw it in L1. Ultimately, the recruitment to continue that style of play in a higher standard of league hasnt been good enough meaning inconsistency at best and a total shit show at worst.
The club have decided to go in that direction, the DOF has brought it up at Open Houses etc. They've talked about the data and how teams with more possession will by and large be at the top of the league than bottom.
Unless I have missed it, they havent come out and said they are changing and moving away from that Philosophy.
For me, keep the style of play and philosophy but dont keep over thinking the players that can fit into it. You can play a target man in this style of play, you can play an actual 10 in this style of play. We dont need to keep reinventing the wheel, shoehorning players into it.
I don’t think the recruitment is to blame. I think this system would make MSN significantly worse than they were.
And yes I would say it’s the system, we play possession ONLY for 90% of the games with very slow build up etc.
The same Barcelona team I’ve just quoted also had moments where they were very direct with quick breaks, which we very seldom try to do.
I watched a lot of Leicester Rodgers football (ex Leicester fan) and it was more or less the same. With having 2 anchored centre midfielders which is the preference. Even with Solis coming in and being more mobile than the others, for a box to box midfielder he’s not upfield as quick as most would be, which is largely by design as we don’t like to commit bodies in fear of a counter attack.
So yes I would say it’s the system, and I would say the system will not be same next year.
It’s the execution of a possession based game. It’s on the coach and recruitment team.
The style of play won’t drastically change even with a new coach but as now have an actual out ball and modern 9 in Priske we will be able to get the ball forward and more importantly keep the ball in forward areas.
Keep the style of play
Sign players / put those players in a traditional 433/ 4231, like the majority of teams play. So target man 9, wingers, attacking 10 or Stanno, Two midfielders who can keep possession while also defend and attack.
Defence takes care of itself
I don’t think it is execution in terms of the system. This 4-2-3-1 has two anchored centre midfielders, a that is clearly by design as all of our players are the same, even Solis is quite slow going forward.
That is a system. I don’t expect us to have that system going forward.
I’m not talking about a change in formation etc but to system will be different. It’s been 2 years now, we haven’t accidentally been slow for 90% of those games. That is the system. As someone said it’s ’low Risk football’ I fully expect it to be different next year and will be amazed if it’s not.
Because if that’s your system, you are simply reliant on a forward line that quite frankly need to be a level above where they are playing to break the holes in an organised defence sitting back.
Instead of bringing Barcelona and Leicester into the equation, why don’t you look at how most teams set up in 2026 and you will see it’s partly the recruitment and partly the coach why we have failed this season.
Most teams set up in a 4231 or 433 with more often then not a third attacking midfielder as the 10 and an actual focal point 9. Haji Wright, Vipotnik, Conway etc as well as 10s like McGree, Rudoni, Azaaz etc. Balanced.
We’ve barely played with either over the past three years. It’s been a mix of slight build / diminutive strikers like Stanno and May / Kyogo who play on the shoulder and languid and slow second strikers / 10s like WW or Ducksch. It’s either trying to shoe horn players into a system and re invent the wheel or fit a system around players that are not suited to the English game.
The signing of Priske goes a long way in creating that true balance that’s needed. An actual out ball and a way for the team to not be as overreliant on Stanno to do all of the work up front.
We can try and play all the football we want but If you haven’t got the right players in the right positions, especially in forward areas, then the whole thing falls apart. Having players unable to do the basics isn’t going to help anyone, no matter how clever they seem to be.
Next season our front 4 will be Priske as the 9 Gray on the left, Stanno or another actual attacking midfielder 10 in the hole, and one of Roberts and Vicente on the right. A much better and balanced attack.
We’re not far off, we need a few new faces, get rid of the players who don’t / won’t fit a long term successful championship blues team and appoint a head coach who can be flexible and adaptable to different teams and different set ups.
In all honesty. I feel like you’ve actually proving my point here regarding the system change.
I am a big fan of the ‘the simplest explanation is the most likely’ and we have already established in other threads, that Davies says what he is looking for then the recruitment team goes out and gets a few names etc and eventually Davies can veto it. I do not think we was after those types of players, to end up getting exactly the same sort of players, so as you’ve pointed out, we’ve gone and got exactly the same style of players, do you not think that’s because that’s what was being asked?
I said this early Feb and got a bit of stick, but it was my gut at the time, has been confirmed with Vicente and is looking truer and truer for me. Those January signings felt like a recruitment shift, and they felt they the recruitment team went out and bought them without really consulting Davies, because they, like you identified we needed these types of players.
But we are talking not about a system change though, hopefully a better and consistent execution of the system due to a change in personnel in the areas I've identified is what I hope will happen. We will still try to play it out from the back at times and try and work the ball between the lines. Just because we have a target man doesnt mean that will drastically change.
For you, it seems to be that you believe a change in system all hinges on the centre of midfield, but for me, its about getting that balance right in those front 4.
The two midfielders that play deeper in a 4231 are normally a mix of a creator / passer and more defensive minded player. Blues got that balance wrong last Summer and should really have signed a Frank Onyeka / Azor Matusiwa type then rather than a Doyle but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Paik is good enough to play in the Championship and would fit into most midfield twos in the league IMO. The issue was always what was around him. With Solis and Doyle leaving and probably Leonard too it means we need two new options. Two players that we sign, not loans and two that can play box to box roles for sure but also be technicaly good enough in tight areas to keep possesion, I havent seen Solis be able to do that so far which is why I wouldnt spend £8M on him, no matter how great he is running with the ball.
For me, like I've said previously, the biggest issue has been the link between the midfield two and the 10/second striker and 9 and the inability for balance and a structured front 4 that works in the Championship/English football. Shoe horning in this very specific WW/Ducksch type player has been baffling to me from the start and hopefully this season is the end of that experiment. We now have the 9, a genuine focal point 9 and that will hopefully give Stanno the opportunity to develop into a more well rounded attacking player playing off Priske. As well as that, sign an actual 10, someone that can take the ball and move with it, take a player on, isnt afraid to be tackled, none of this one touch, scared of contact bollocks.
It is a system change though just not a formation change isn’t it.
Like you’ve just established, in Davies era we haven’t had a true number 9, even since bringing Priske in he hasn’t been regular, we’re now on about getting a different style number 10 to play a different way and be more creative. What I said is I expect us, as you say, to get someone next to Paik who is more aggressive going forwards and quicker.
So we’re on about changing the roles and personnel of 3 integral positions, that is a system change. Even by your own admission it’s 2 which is still a variety of system.
As I pointed out earlier, our ‘possession based system’ at present is slow short passes, that has been the case in the whole tenure whilst not being very direct at all. I expect us to have a change in that. As I’ve said that is system not execution, unless his execution has magically failed into something akin to similiar to the manager he spent 10 years under. The far more likely explanation is it’s by design.