Let it go let it go - 14/15 Horns Darlings watch

Judging by comments on social media and their forum, lots of Reading fans think he's rubbish but a significant minority think that he's doing ok, it's just their formation and a lack of a decent passing midfielder that is making him look bad. The fans sticking up for him repeatedly point out that he is making excellent runs but no-one in their squad is able to play a through ball - something that was really clear in the Hull game on Sky that I recently watched.

It's a bit frustrating that when we got rid of Vydra the main reason given was that he couldn't/wouldn't adapt to the 4-2-3-1 system that we played throughout pre-season and a lot of people were saying that he can only play in a front two (which looks more and more like the case). He's now struggling badly at Reading who play him as the central striker in a 4-3-3 whilst we've reverted to a 4-4-2 where he could well have been useful cover...

 

No, we haven't...

 

Apart from last night when it was a mess, it looks to me like a 4-4-2 when we have the ball with Deeney dropping back when we don't have the ball. What do you think we're playing?

 

Interesting... So what do you think we are playing??

 

Yeah there was no recognisable formation yesterday, but here is the line up as announced from @WatfordFC on Twitter:

#watfordfc line-up v @SwansOfficial: Gomes (GK); Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Ake; Capoue, Watson; Behrami, Deeney (c), Jurado; Ighalo

Without sounding patronising, the semi colons indicate the end of a line so this indicates a 4-2-3-1 and it has been the same for every game this season. Granted at points during games we have switched to a 4-4-2 with Deeney pushing up from his position in the middle of the 3, but our primary formation is 4-2-3-1.

Aware I'm being anal.

 

While it is true that the formation has been announced this way pretty much all season, we've definitely adapted since the start of the season, where we played a very clear 4231. Once Ighalo became the focal point of the attack, we've moved steadily away from a 3 behind a single striker to a midfield 4 with one striker slightly behind the main striker. It's not as simple as 442, nor is it as simple as 4231. We basically have a strong, hardworking, narrow midfield 4 (usually), with Deeney an industrious striker playing behind the traditional number 9 role.

To go back to the original point, there's definitely far more room for a Vydra in our current formation than there was in preseason's formation. In the same way as there's room for Ighalo and Deeney in the same team. We've adapted.

Point is though, I don't think Quique would be playing like this if it weren't for the outstanding form of both Ighalo and Deeney (particularly Ighalo), and I think he'd be playing with a more traditional number 10 or attacking midfielder through the centre (Jurado in the middle basically).

My opinion on the matter is: Vydra is wasted at Reading right now, but he'd also probably be wasted here as as soon as our 'front two' stop playing so well, I don't think the solution on Quique's mind will be replacing one of the two, but a move to a more rigid 4231.

Phew...

EDIT: I even remember a game where it was clear the tactics up top had changed, but the central midfield two still seemed to be playing too deep. It may have been one of the 0-0 opening home games. I distinctly remember thinking Deeney and Ighalo were playing like a front two, but Capoue and Behrami were sitting so deep it created a massive hole in the middle of the pitch and there was no cohesion going forward.

Since then it's been more like a bank of four behind two strikers that work differently - Deeney covering more ground especially when out of possession, and Ighalo more of a classic number 9, looking to feed off mistakes and so on.

 

Also, just to show that the line up announced on twitter doesn't always reflect the actual formation, it's clear that Capoue was playing on the right hand side for a lot of yesterday's match, including at the very start. In fact, it looked at times as if there was a midfield three, with Watson or Behrami as the middle of that midfield. Behrami certainly wasn't playing right mid anyway as suggested by that line up.

 

Yeah yesterday the formation was broken, maybe we should've been playing as per the team sheet taking semi colons into account and setting ourselves up the same but reality was that it was far from it.

I think your right 352, 4231 will be rolled out again. But recently we have definitely been playing a form of 442 where it's more like 4411.
Hope that makes sense

 

Are we even able to get him back? I mean i know he's not popular with reading fans and their unlikely to get promoted but the management may still want him for this season.

We need a back up though and fingers should be pointed at the decision makers with regards to giving him a 5 year deal then getting rid

 

Jonathan hogg just got a straight red against Reading.

 

How will that affect the loan deal now?

 

haha sorry to hijack that conversation was just checking up on the fa cupt. Vydra has just scored a brace in 4 minutes.

 

Two for Vydra in 4 mins.

 

Flicking the v's at Reading fans now.

 

He has his hatrick now.

 

Would have scored one of Jurado's shots yesterday...

 

Lovely hat trick. Their gain.

 

Buzzing for him, hope he kicks on and proves a point.

 

Reading v Sheff W

FF with an assist, MV wins a penalty and slams it against the post

Half time 0-1

 

I see Muff have loaned fatty Tomlin to Bristol for the rest of the season. That worked out well!!

(sorry, not strictly ex-horn news)

 

He's not fat, he's big boned.