2016/17 Phoenix Preseason

I think he need to bulk up anyway , the shoulder dislocations were dealt with so shouldn't be an ongoing cause for lack of confidence. So  I don't really buy that as the long term reason 

that I think he needed to bulk up regardless. You could be correct, but like anything other players have come back from far worse injuries (usually lower limb which are far more likely to effect your confidence as a player) and manage to play with confidence (albeit with time). I just don't think that is the only or main reason he's not confident/performing.

What main reasons DO you think he's not confident/performing?

I don't think anyone (him, Ernie, anyone) knows what his best position is. That can't help.

no idea smithy, hence why I asked the original question. I dont't think you can blame it on a series of shoulder injuries that with dealt with over a year ago

that I think he needed to bulk up regardless. You could be correct, but like anything other players have come back from far worse injuries (usually lower limb which are far more likely to effect your confidence as a player) and manage to play with confidence (albeit with time). I just don't think that is the only or main reason he's not confident/performing.

I know there are a lot of comments now and previously about him needing confidence... so how much time do we give him?

I personally think his best position moving forward is RB because I just don't see him having the ability to take on and beat a player on the outside anymore, whereas he can still use his pace to create overlaps.

With McG, Kosta, Krishna playing attacking wide roles he's not going to see meaningful time realistically anyway.

The other thing is, he may well still get time as a winger. Of the three you mention, WeeMac plays on the left, or through the middle and Krishna will surely operate as a central striker this season (It's not like we're going to start Watson). If he has only Kosta to contend with, fine. I want him to play the Appiah role, coming off the bench late on to use his pace, but with the added bonus of being a competent fullback.

But if things go to plan, he won't get meaningful time at RB either. We're in the market for a RB, and I would be shocked if we didn't get one.

The other thing is, he may well still get time as a winger. Of the three you mention, WeeMac plays on the left, or through the middle and Krishna will surely operate as a central striker this season (It's not like we're going to start Watson). If he has only Kosta to contend with, fine. I want him to play the Appiah role, coming off the bench late on to use his pace, but with the added bonus of being a competent fullback.

Has anyone got any evidence at all that McGlinchey is any kind of a left winger? I've seen no evidence myself.

I think we'll see Kosta and Finkler as the wide players and Krishna as the 9. With Roly the 10 and some combo of WeeMac/A-Rod/Vinnie in behind.

We won't score enough goals, and we'll concede loads. Assuming we don't sign anyone more of any significance we'll fight it out for 5/6/7/8 again.

Has anyone got any evidence at all that McGlinchey is any kind of a left winger? I've seen no evidence myself.

Ernie's played Fenton in the mid field a couple of times. 

Has anyone got any evidence at all that McGlinchey is any kind of a left winger? I've seen no evidence myself.

I think we'll see Kosta and Finkler as the wide players and Krishna as the 9. With Roly the 10 and some combo of WeeMac/A-Rod/Vinnie in behind.

We won't score enough goals, and we'll concede loads. Assuming we don't sign anyone more of any significance we'll fight it out for 5/6/7/8 again.

But if things go to plan, he won't get meaningful time at RB either. We're in the market for a RB, and I would be shocked if we didn't get one.

The other thing is, he may well still get time as a winger. Of the three you mention, WeeMac plays on the left, or through the middle and Krishna will surely operate as a central striker this season (It's not like we're going to start Watson). If he has only Kosta to contend with, fine. I want him to play the Appiah role, coming off the bench late on to use his pace, but with the added bonus of being a competent fullback.

Everyone just take a chill pill. Seriously. These are early pre-season games for the Nix with absolutely nothing at stake for anyone involved, really not worth getting worked up over.

back to the football, can anyone tell me what us happened to Louis fenton as a player? They guy looks to have no confidence,

Looks confused in possession of the ball. I don't think he knows what his best position is, he sure is shark is not a left back. What happened to the guy who looked unreal early on in his debut season?

I would not mind waiting until we sign a full squad. Our other CB *could* be special.

Like any BENT lawyer I've left myself plenty of room to move. Dura is superb but ageing (sorry Dura). Fox is promising but inexperienced. Doyle will be excellent (I reckon he's got loads of assists in him) but we don't have a right back of any kind.

But another major signing could change things.

You'd be shocked? We've been looking for a right back for years!

Has anyone got any evidence at all that McGlinchey is any kind of a left winger? I've seen no evidence myself.

I think we'll see Kosta and Finkler as the wide players and Krishna as the 9. With Roly the 10 and some combo of WeeMac/A-Rod/Vinnie in behind.

We won't score enough goals, and we'll concede loads. Assuming we don't sign anyone more of any significance we'll fight it out for 5/6/7/8 again.

              A-Rod 

     Roly            WeeMac

             Finkler

     Krishna      Kosta 

Which is a bit light defensively but should be devastating breaking at pace. Hopefully we do that rather than attempting patient tiki taka around halfway for a while before losing the ball.

What formation have we been playing in pre - season??

Because Kosta isn't a left forward, for a start. Kosta is a touchline-hugging wide player. I think he'll play right wing. He certainly has been in preseason. I don't know why we would sign the best right wing in the league and play him at left forward? 

I agree my Finkler on the left call is a bit odd. But for me he goes head to head with Roly for the #10 and loses. I'm basing this on my hope and expectation that we'll play two deeper-lying midfielders to protect our back four. Finkler's an odd signing in that respect. I reckon maybe we grabbed him when we were worried that Roly would leave.

I think Roly will win the battle for #10, and so we have to fit Finkler in somewhere. I don't think we'll push Roly back into a defensive role he doesn't want and probably can't do, just to play Finkler in front of him. Instead, I think Finkler will be squeezed out wide.

But, another possibility is that Finkler will play deeper or that he and Roly will both play in advanced roles with just one holding midfielder. That's sort of what we tried to do with Roly and Weeman/A Rod last year though, and it didn't really work. 

Because Kosta isn't a left forward, for a start. Kosta is a touchline-hugging wide player. I think he'll play right wing. He certainly has been in preseason. I don't know why we would sign the best right wing in the league and play him at left forward? 

I agree my Finkler on the left call is a bit odd. But for me he goes head to head with Roly for the #10 and loses. I'm basing this on my hope and expectation that we'll play two deeper-lying midfielders to protect our back four. Finkler's an odd signing in that respect. I reckon maybe we grabbed him when we were worried that Roly would leave.

I think Roly will win the battle for #10, and so we have to fit Finkler in somewhere. I don't think we'll push Roly back into a defensive role he doesn't want and probably can't do, just to play Finkler in front of him. Instead, I think Finkler will be squeezed out wide.

But, another possibility is that Finkler will play deeper or that he and Roly will both play in advanced roles with just one holding midfielder. That's sort of what we tried to do with Roly and Weeman/A Rod last year though, and it didn't really work. 

Because Kosta isn't a left forward, for a start. Kosta is a touchline-hugging wide player. I think he'll play right wing. He certainly has been in preseason. I don't know why we would sign the best right wing in the league and play him at left forward? 

I agree my Finkler on the left call is a bit odd. But for me he goes head to head with Roly for the #10 and loses. I'm basing this on my hope and expectation that we'll play two deeper-lying midfielders to protect our back four. Finkler's an odd signing in that respect. I reckon maybe we grabbed him when we were worried that Roly would leave.

I think Roly will win the battle for #10, and so we have to fit Finkler in somewhere. I don't think we'll push Roly back into a defensive role he doesn't want and probably can't do, just to play Finkler in front of him. Instead, I think Finkler will be squeezed out wide.

But, another possibility is that Finkler will play deeper or that he and Roly will both play in advanced roles with just one holding midfielder. That's sort of what we tried to do with Roly and Weeman/A Rod last year though, and it didn't really work. 

I think you're right that we'll probably end up playing with two deeper midfielders, but I agree with Conan that Kosta and Krishna will play as wide forwards (or at least it's what I think is Ernie's plan). It's really the kind of set-up he favoured when he was at Victory, and now he seemingly has players to employ that kind of set-up here.

I don't think we'll have a #10 - as I said in a previous post, I think Finkler will be a false 9 (although that's stupid terminology, and I hate using it). Guess what I'm trying to say, I think that Finkler will be a quasi-forward tasked with some 'play-making' duties, and we'll rely on getting one of the 'wide' forwards and midfielders into the box to be goal-scoring threats. 

The problem that Ernie has right now (leaving the backline aside) is that it's hard to find 3 starting spots for Finkler, Roly, and WeeMac, without asking one of them to a) either play a position they're uncomfortable with, or b) where their ability isn't best utilised. Example A would be WeeMac being asked to play a deeper, more defensive role, and example B would be Roly filling that role. That could potentially be solved by playing a flatter three in the middle of the park (with A-Rod in the middle of that three), but we'd probably need to spend a decent chunk of the pre-season working on that. 

I also challenge anyone to give me any evidence that Roly wants to, or is capable of, playing 'box-to-box'. Tim Brown he most certainly is not.

What makes you think he is not capable of playing box to box? Spent most of his time in the Eiredivisie either as CB or DM. He is capable of bringing the ball forward from deep, can play as an adequate attacking AM, can score goals and has a good engine. What else is needed to be an effective box to box player?

I never saw him play in the Eredivisie, so I'm basing it on what I've seen of him in the A-League. Did you watch much of him in Holland? 

I haven't seen him come and get the ball off the back four for us. 

I didn't watch, no. But the stats are easy to find. I guess he does not normally pick up the ball off the back four for the Nix because that was never his role. Based on his attributes (what I have actually seen) and playing experience I would say there is evidence he would be capable of playing a box to box role.