Birmingham City: Fans reaction to Chris Lepkowski's view on Big Eck's tactics
RJS: What about playing a 4-3-3? With the personnel we have at the moment this would probably suit us better. When we moved to a 4-3-3 against Bolton we scored the equaliser. Ferguson could play as the sitting midfielder and Bowyer and Fahey could play alongside him allowing them the freedom to get forward. Upfront you could have Benitez and Phillips playing eitherside of O'Connor (until Jerome is back). Playing this formation would definitely help us get more goals - we are still too defensive at the moment. The best decision McLeish has made this season is dropping Carsley as he is too defensive minded. So now lets take the next step and move to a more attacking outlook.
NekoCaseShouldMarryMe: Brilliant article. Tactics should be left to Mcleish. I think we'd be losing by 2,3 or even 4 if we tried to play all out attack like some fools suggest. I also can't believe some people are demanding that McSheff replaces Fahey! Is this the same McSheff who has been absolutely dire for two years and can't hit a barn door with a banjo? And as for the stupid comment that we don't have goalscoring midfielders, that's just ridiculous. Fahey, Larsson and Bowyer are proven goalscorers. Probably more so than our strikers O'Connor and Jerome, and definitely more than Chucho, who has yet to register in English football.
People need to forget this obsession with formations and realise we are a newly promoted team which has spent next to nothing on new players. Personally I think we're doing very well considering.
Hoovehand: Pompey, Villa, Stoke and Bolton played extreme defense for large parts of the matches. We struggle to break down teams with ultra defense.
This leaves you vulnerable to dropping points from a single moment of sloppy defending or mistake. You need to be solid for this to work, and we weren't solid and were totally unlucky to concede the second goal against Bolton.
Fin: It's great to see so many people debating and sharing opinions on their views on the current squad, and where the strengths and weaknesses lie, this is the place to do it.
However it sickens me to hear our fans shouting 4-4-2 whilst the team is playing, do you really think that encourages our team to play better? Do you really think this is a good advertisement for blues to bring in better players?
Whether i agree with the tactics or not, whether I believe AM is tactically sound or not is irrelevant. Im a 'supporter', not a critic, and im worried many of our fans are forgetting what the word supporter means.
I had an operation which meant i was unable to go saturday, however i did watch the game live at home and it made me cringe listening to AM's hundreds of assistant managers telling him what they recken he should be doing. It cannot put a positive effect on the players on the pitch and i condemn anyone who says otherwise.
To the subject of our tactics, we've played 4-5-1 against Manure and we created many chances, same against spurs and we do that because they are a better team, and they have bigger squads and Bolton are no different. They have been a much longer established premier league side than we have so lets start by giving them a bit of respect. If the authors info is correct, and Elmander has cost more than our team put together, then it shows where they stand financially in comparison to us.
Traore and Bale couldn't and wouldn't come to blues for their respective reasons, so we become a little bit limited to what we can bring in. Apparently Tainio was brought in to support the ageing legs of BF, LC, and DJ as niether BF of LC would last a full season and IMO i would not play DJ again in the prem.
I do agree however about Fahey playing on the left as Jaf has said, he should be playing in the middle as his passing is the best out of the midfielders, but McSheffrey is obviously not the answer and it saddens me to say so.
4-5-1 has made BCFC a competative side for now with what we have, and lets not forget we've played well in most matches. But with the injection of money that AM will receive in new year, lets judge him then rather than project a negative effect on the players.
KRO
Blue72: I agree with all the comments but I think a lot of fans was moaning about bringing on another striker to 1. support Chucho he covered every blade of grass in the last third of the pitch and 2. To get us back in to the game the thing is the two goals that was scored against us was because players switched off plain and simple nothing to do with formations I think we need to give Alex a bit more credit he has a very good pedigree with what he has achieved with International and Rangers so lets see when he finishes his business in January what players he brings in we are in this together we have to not think all doom and gloom Alex is the only manager we have had with a good managerial back ground Keep Right On
Eric: Good article and I agree that fans pretending that they know more about his squad than McLeish are harmful to the cause of Birmingham City Football Club. Be SUPPORTERS not MOANERS.
Elmotrueblue: from day 1 McLeish has never been liked by sum braindaead idiots in the crowd. I think that we honestly should stay up with the teams around us. Next home again I would love to hear 30,000 Blues fans chanting McLeish's name, but thats never going to happen.
BlueBrummie1: Went to the Hull game and would agree McSheffrey had a good game but i would play 4-4-2 for one reason O'conner gives us more height at set plays defending and attacking
