Full backs

[siddiqi_drinker 14,635]

Just now, onefootwillie said:

With the full backs we have we are better going to a back 3. The problem is Alves , Cardoso, Bates and Wilson I don't know you could get and 3 out of the 4 to regularly perform well. 

WHEN YOUR MIDFIELD is non existent your back line is on a lose,lose situation.  We play with no midfield, been like that since Warburton. 

WHEN a 19yo central defender is your best midfield player you are totally fucked

[Howsitgoing 4,281]

The opposition managers know that our weakness is the poor full backs and  more often than not  successfully sets up the team to their advantage with this in mind. This has been an on going issue for a long time know. Tavernier has cost us more goals than he has ever assisted or scored, the amount of misplaced passes he contributes too is abysmal and the fact he also can't defend makes it obvious that his level should of stayed at the Scottish championship.

[Bigdave30 8,701]

We knew 3 seasons ago that tav couldn’t keep hens out of a midden and when the standard of opposing footballer rose from binman to semi compitent professional he wasn’t looking so much like the blue Cafu either.

Wallace spent his best years in the lower leagues and looks like his best days are behind him.

John is a squad player of average ability.

Hodson is not a footballer.

[onefootwillie 1,518]

49 minutes ago, siddiqi_drinker said:

WHEN YOUR MIDFIELD is non existent your back line is on a lose,lose situation.  We play with no midfield, been like that since Warburton. 

WHEN a 19yo central defender is your best midfield player you are totally fucked

True even with Jack and Dorrans back we are still way way light . Kranjar and Pena don't really add much and just take up wages . Holt too lightweight at this level. I would rather they gave Barjonas a run to see if he has got it.

[Tenerife Bear 1,748]

All our full back options are bottom 6 standard. 

[Malkytfp1 18,594]

We really are crying out for Defensive full backs. What i'd give for a Sasa Papac.

We need full backs who can tuck in and also win their share of headers in the box. We conceed so many goals due to that.

Think its easier to get a defesnive full back to go forward than teach an attacking full back to defend.

Personally i'd like to see us go 3 at the back and use the wing backs.

[Tom0411 1,226]

Just thinking when was the last time one of our fullbacks "tucked in" behind our centre backs to clear a ball. Honestly can't remember it happening very often.

[MuirhouseBear 291]

On 23 December 2017 at 16:24, CottonRunt said:

We really need to go to a back 3 imo.

Elton and Tav are a massive asset going forward.

Also means we can have a 3 man midfield which would stop us being bullied off the park. 

Agree with this. 

The only issue is we don't have 1 competent centre half never mind 3. 

[K.A.I 36,183]

Our full backs are ridiculously bad they frustrate me like fuck every game 

[TMB 14,167]

On ‎24‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 08:28, onefootwillie said:

With the full backs we have we are better going to a back 3. 

Our full-backs would be fantastic in a back 3.  I remember MONs team played a 3-5-2 and at the peak of their powers one of their full-backs was Didi Agathe who was absolute shite.  They would've loved guys like Tavernier and candeias back then.  Tavernier and John should be utilized in a 3-5-2 and trusted to be the width of our team.  Wallace and John competing for the left side, Tavernier and Candeias competing for the right side.  Get a target man in next to Morelos and start firing balls in to the opposition box.

[theclothmonster 1,707]

Our central midfield is a massive problem but it's not down to them that Tav gets turned inside out every game. It's not down to the midfield that all four of our fullbacks have an aversion to stopping the crosses come in, hell Murty criticised them a couple of weeks back for this and it made fuck all difference. Hodson plays like he was dragged out the crowd to make the numbers he is that fucking gash. 

[piperpete 3,186]

On 24/12/2017 at 00:04, Courtyard Bear said:

Fullbacks that defend ????

Just stopping cross after cross coming into the box would be a start. 

Our cutting crosses out is woeful and embarrassing.  The amount of clean crosses opponents swing in against us is unreal for the sake of getting a leg or even their arsed to stop it reaching the danger area, then the Center half’s ball watching the lovely crosses is criminal.

[TMB 14,167]

It's not the full-backs exclusive responsibility to prevent crosses from entering the box.  Opposition teams often hit high balls in to the box from deeper areas.  Against Progres, and the first league game against Motherwell, it was Windass who failed to prevent a cross from coming in so the midfielders shoulder some defensive responsibility too.  I'm not trying to single out Windass for criticism I'm just highlighting the role of the midfielders in all this as well. 

The way I see it, If an opposition team wants to get balls in to your penalty box then that's what will happen.  Long balls straight up the middle from CBs, set-pieces, wide areas, they'll find a way.  It's about dealing with those high balls when they inevitably do come in.  Back in the day we had dominant CBs in our defence partnered with a Keeper who would come out and catch everything in the air.  Our current CBs and Keeper just aren't commanding their area and look vulnerable to the high ball and physicality of opposition players.  Scottish football isn't loaded with fantastic crossers and target men we're just shite at dealing with them.  I think we've lost a good amount of goals to set-pieces, especially corners, in the last few years.  Opposition teams know we struggle physically and they set out to outmuscle us and get plenty of high balls in to the area.  Boyd was a prime example of at that during the last game against Kilmarnock he bullied our CBs at times and he was first to balls coming in the box - Moult did the same thing to us during our league cup exit.

Having an extra CB and allowing the 2 full-backs to become more like wingers in a 3-5-2 would probably help matters in the short-term.  We really need to get a spine of big physical guys back in our team again because we've been found out.  There's some very average teams in this league beating us because they have bigger guys who are willing to fight harder.