I think the best ideas to try are putting Dodd at CB and moving Mckain to Defensive mid, or getting Simon Elliot in.
Hard News2008-08-31 13:09:26
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Hang on. from memory of last nights game we were split down the sides to often. Whats with the bandwagon for Mckain? Him and Durantee were hardly our worst players in the back.. It was more Mully.Scottishbhoy2008-08-31 12:47:49
ive got a song that wont take long, Adelaide are rubbish.. the second verse is same as the first.. ADELAIDE ARE RUBBISH
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DODD!!!!!! FFS!!! How many have we conceded without him there......(this coming from a guy who missed the game last night...no replay until wednesday...what the hell! So yeah,i take this back if he play defensive mid last night)
ALthough brown will be ideal if he is ever fit
Tegal2008-08-31 12:49:18Allegedly
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We need Dood's grit through the middle, someone actually willing to take the ball off the opposition
You know we belong together...
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yer for sure id consider giving jon a crack in midfield with doddy shifting back to centre halffelipe2008-08-31 12:55:39
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yer for sure id consider giving jon a crack in midfield with doddy shifting back to centre half
You mean moving McKain forward to Centre Half and Dodd back to Centre Back......
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I wouldnt start Ferrante personally. Daniel and Brown in the middle
Wolfben2008-08-31 13:00:38
Wolfben2008-08-31 13:00:38
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Daniel a defensive mid 
Or you talking good ol' 4-4-2?
Allegedly
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My choice is Mckain moving up as he looks more comfortable on the ball than Dodd, but Dodd should definitely play at CB. Simon Elliot coming in would be a good solution too.
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ferrante is avg.. he shouldnt even be starting. you need one player there... Vicelich..
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lets not get too hasty with moving McKain around. Durrante and McKain are a solid partnership, but 2 people can't do it by themselves! We have to start thinking about what exactly Ricki is wanting our Def Mids to do, because it certainly isn't defend! I'd say that Ferrante needs to be dropped for Brown, providing he's fit, and partner him with Johnson in Centre Mid because Ferrante seems to be playing a too similar role as our 3 Att Mids. Have Brown and Johnson playing Def Mids, BUT get one to push up more (preferably Brown).
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lets not get too hasty with moving McKain around. Durrante and McKain are a solid partnership, but 2 people can't do it by themselves! We have to start thinking about what exactly Ricki is wanting our Def Mids to do, because it certainly isn't defend! I'd say that Ferrante needs to be dropped for Brown, providing he's fit, and partner him with Johnson in Centre Mid because Ferrante seems to be playing a too similar role as our 3 Att Mids. Have Brown and Johnson playing Def Mids, BUT get one to push up more (preferably Brown).
Finally...someone talking sense,and grasping what the defensive mid role is ACTUALLY for
Allegedly
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That because I've been playing in a similarly weak team this year aswell, where I have had to play Def Mid every game rather than my preferred Central role. 
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Ferrante to me is a box to box midfielder, all action type. Playing slightly ahead of the defensive mid, but getting back to help out, as well as getting up front. A fairly deep lying playmaker.
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lets not get too hasty with moving McKain around. Durrante and McKain are a solid partnership, but 2 people can't do it by themselves! We have to start thinking about what exactly Ricki is wanting our Def Mids to do, because it certainly isn't defend! I'd say that Ferrante needs to be dropped for Brown, providing he's fit, and partner him with Johnson in Centre Mid because Ferrante seems to be playing a too similar role as our 3 Att Mids. Have Brown and Johnson playing Def Mids, BUT get one to push up more (preferably Brown).
Yep didn't see the game...but last week it was Muscat who got beaten on several occasions, and turned the ball over because he didn't have any bottle to pass it...
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why is ferrante's position assumed? i dont think any of the midfielders can feel comfortable. none of them, including ferrante, has provided any spark at all yet. I cant recall one incisive pass or brilliant moment in three games from any of the central midfielders. Johnson was poor last night and Ferrante only better for being invisible.
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McKain looks more like a DM to me anyway.
a.haak
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I think the best way to strengthen the midfield is to get more people in there. We should slightly tweak the formation to be a 4-3-3 with 3 central midfielders and proper wingers.
To me it's not all the personnel, the tactics and formation have not been working. Now it might be we don't have the players for the formation/tactics or that they just need more time (which we are running out of) but I think we need to keep it simple.
With genuine wingers we can play with the width we want while still giving support to Smeltz and with the 3 centre mids we strengthen that area where we seem to have been found wanting too many times.
So I don't really want to get into who would play where as plenty of combo's would work but this is the sort've thing I'm thinking:
Hearfield Smeltz Bertos
Ferrante
Dodd Johnson
Lochhead McKain Durrante Mulligan
You still have your fullbacks up in support when they can but they (LOCHHEAD) need to remember their duties first and foremost is defence.
Or if we want to really get back to basics we could go with a proper 4-4-2 but if we do that Coveny needs to be one of the 2 up front as our target man to work off.
And then I'd use Daniel at LM, Johnson and Ferrante at CM and even Christie at RM but just keep the gameplan simple. As I said the actual players aren't that important to me it's playing in the correct manner and to a simple, effective gameplan.
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I recall reading when McKain was signed that he had played CM. He certainly has the ball control and range of passing to slot in there. Dodd is a good CD not a midfielder so a Mckain into CM and Dodd into CD works for me.
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No sh*t...
SYD International Airport:
"Urgent...Gate 25...This is last boarding call for Michael Ferrante flight ## to Wellington"...
Maybe it's gonna be Steven Old....Stevo2008-09-02 20:21:59
SYD International Airport:
"Urgent...Gate 25...This is last boarding call for Michael Ferrante flight ## to Wellington"...
Maybe it's gonna be Steven Old....Stevo2008-09-02 20:21:59
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Another "urgent call" for our Michael...
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Looks like either Mike boarded or there's gonna be some "Michael the Lover" action in Sydney tonite.
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Why were you at Sydney International airport?!
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Why were you at Sydney International airport?!
Two reasons really. 1) To catch a plane. 2) To find out one thing. Is Michael 'The Horse' Farrante really the greatest lover in Australasia?
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Brown for me (if he ever gets fit...)
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