Are we better off without Guthrie starting?

[Loyal royal 247]

[/quote]
yes, guthrie is a waste and slows the play down

[Ian Royal]

Currently, but once we've established some form and got players moving, trying positive passes and generally confident we should be a better team with him back in the side. Provided he plays primarily in and around the centre circle and not almost exclusively just in front of our D.

Akpan and Williams seem to be the sort of player who can do a bit of spoiling work but like to drive the ball forward. So as long as both are playing well that seems to work. Just as Guthrie worked when he had Karacan's energy next to him or Baird's solidity. The difference between a midfield pairing of Williams/Akpan certainly seems to have much more about it going forward than Karacan(of old)/Leigertwood.

I wonder how viable Guthrie, Akpan and Williams are as a three with the wingers pushed on and Pog on his own. I think that has potential, although you'd want someone on the left with more goal scoring pedigree than McAnuff... HRK if he could come good. Or perhaps Blackman could make it his own.

[3points]

Guthrie whilst being a better passer than Howard seems to suffer similar problems in stamina and ability to close down his opposing player. He is a poor tackler judging by his yellow card count most of which are for silly fouls.

Totally agree - weak defensively and is always half a yard behind his opponent. Not sure if that's down to a lack of pace, poor positioning, or an inability to read the game. But it does cause his yellow card count.

[Eaststandman]

A Hot Chocolate song title answers this question most eloquently and it ain't 'Every One's a Winner' !

[floyd__streete]

For me the issue isn't as clear cut as just play Guthrie or not. The strength of the Williams / Akpan partnership is also a factor.

Yeah thanks for that

Next week, Avon Royal discusses when best to deploy an umbrella: "Whether or not it is raining at the time is also a factor".

You really do try so hard.

So what you've basically told us is that a player's omission from the side is partly dependent on the form of those replacing him?

I'd never thought of it that way, cheers, enlightening stuff

[Sanguine]

I think 'why be a cnut about it?' was the sentiment of Avon's post. Probably didn't see you'd written it.

[WestRoyal]

if we win with him in the team and he makes a big contribution like at the start of the season, people are saying he is vital. Because we spanked Bolton without him after a bad spell people are now questioning if he should be in the team. Jokes
Now the much maligned Akpan is key

Which way will the wind blow next

[Extended-Phenotype]

I know folk are going to need only the tiniest excuse to unleash their hatejiz over Guthrie due to refusingtoplayg8 but I do wonder how he might get on playing in a side that has apparently undergone a total U-turn in tactics since his departure?

Any chance Mr Guthrie might, like the rest of the team, fare better?

[Cypry]

I know folk are going to need only the tiniest excuse to unleash their hatejiz over Guthrie due to refusingtoplayg8 but I do wonder how he might get on playing in a side that has apparently undergone a total U-turn in tactics since his departure?

Any chance Mr Guthrie might, like the rest of the team, fare better?

The thing is, I simply don't see this supposed "complete change in tactics"...

We're still trying to play the ball out from the back, the difference is that the Williams and Akpan combination, for whatever reason, seem to have the ability to actually do something with it, something that since late November Guthrie seems to have struggled with, and we now have a left back who works as a wing back...I'd suggest that it's been more about personnel changes than a significant change in tactics...

In the Fans Forum, Adkins talked about his general ethos when in possession of the ball. Centre backs split, full backs push on to provide width giving the wide midfielders the option to stay wide or cut in and shoot. In that system a big part of the central midfields role is to provide an outlet, but also to cover runs between the split centre backs. Guthrie went through a period where he was delivering the former, however, he seems to have lost the confidence, or vision, to find a creative ball recently. All too often McCarthy has passed the ball to a wide CB, he's passed it to Guthrie, who has been facing our goal, been closed down and had no option but to pass back to either the defence or keeper. As far as covering runs goes, he's incredibly lazy - in the Forest game on several occasions they made runs into our box and I noted Guthrie stood stock still 5 or 10 yards outside our box no making any effort whatsoever to get back - he might as well have had his hands on his hips, his body language was simply awful.

In the last two games we've finally been given some width on the left by Obita, which balances the team much better, and means we now represent a threat across the whole width of the pitch - a much bigger problem for the opposing team. Akpan and Williams seem to have the work ethic to track runs, and get back when needed whilst still managing to press the opposition much higher up the pitch - Bolton created almost nothing against us, mainly because of their dominance of the middle of the park. They were also prepared to receive the ball facing up the pitch and were able to get the ball wide quickly, as opposed to facing their own goal like Guthrie has been doing.

Yes, we knocked some balls into the channels, but we've been doing that all season anyway, I think only one of the goals came from a long through ball, the second one, and that ball was from McCleary if I remember correctly? Pretty much every other goal came from us running at Bolton, or from a set piece.

To me, there's no big change in tactics, but the recent change in personnel has led to us being more balanced, and having a much harder working central midfield than we have recently had with Guthrie in there, and therefore more able to deliver the performance to go along with the tactics. Right now, I would have to say we are a better side without Guthrie, let's just hope he can recover from his injury and slot back into the side at some point (I do wonder if he's in fact been carrying this injury for a while and that could have contributed to his poor performances of late).

[Extended-Phenotype]

I don't see much of a tactical change either. Just don't see how folk who are waving tactical U-turn in my face can simultaneously declare so confidently that Guthrie would still be bollox if he returned.

[Ian Royal]

I don't see much of a tactical change either. Just don't see how folk who are waving tactical U-turn in my face can simultaneously declare so confidently that Guthrie would still be bollox if he returned.

Because they're more concerned with point scoring than balanced analysis?

[melonhead]

i agree with dave

[Extended-Phenotype]

Me too. I hated that 8 player formation he was trying out.

[Agent Balti]

Me too. I hated that 8 player formation he was trying out.

I like 11 players, it may catch on. It's the future.

[RoyalTJ]

Williams is MILES better and Akpan is the FUTURE. However, if they get injured, we will need Guff-rie.. [what a pun]