[drewks]

The more I think about it, the more I realise that AI in fact IS the biggest problem - I am starting to agree with all of you doubters!
It's one thing being organised, but any team needs to score goals to survive, and to do that you need pace, creativity and flair - or at least a will to get forward in numbers when possible.
I'd agree that our squad certainly has the capability to do this without question - in this respect it's probably the best equipped squad we've ever had in our PL history - so if it's not happening it HAS to be down to the coach and his philosophy.

Stairs - a 'Humble Pie' smiley please

[WBA-Josh]

A lot of our best moments in our past 4 years of Premiership football have come when we had pace in the team. The first 4 months of the 2010/2011 season we had the pace of Thomas, Tchoyi and Odemwingie. After Hodgson took over, we had Vela to add into the list. We battered Wolves with Odemwingie and Thomas out wide and then had a good end to the 2011/2012 season with the same pace out wide. In the first few months of Clarke's reign we had Odemwingie and Lukaku with pace. In our good mini run last season after the signings of Sessegnon, Amalfitano and Anichebe, we beat Sunderland and Man Utd and drew with Arsenal and Stoke with the pace of Sessegnon, Berahino and Sinclair. Everything then went downhill when Clarke started playing Amalfitano and Brunt out wide with Sessegnon as the only player with pace.

The problem is that we can all see it that we need more pace in the team but AI cannot. AI is currently taking us back to the 2011/2012 season when Hodgson ruined the hard work that Mowbray and RDM had put in to make us a passing team in favour of incorporating his outdated, rigid 4-4-2 formation with no fluidity and no movement which failed at Liverpool. When Hodgson's job was on the line, he swallowed his pride, binned his outdated ideas and changed to an attacking 4-3-3. What followed was the demolition of Wolves and a climb up the table.

We can continue with the deep-medium defensive line that we are currently using, it is just the attacking play that needs to be changed. For this 4-2-3-1 formation to properly work, we need at least 1 quick winger in the team. We have that in Varela when he is fit enough to play and he will add another dimension to our attacking play. The combination of Sessegnon playing behind Berahino is great and should be kept so those 3 are sorted. On the right side of the formation can then be someone like Brunt or Dorrans to add some balance to the team. If we want even more attacking impetus then we have Blanco to add in to the team who does have plenty of pace and is very good on the ball. He may not have as much pace as Varela and Sessegnon but it is still plenty. A goal he once scored for Metalist Kharkiv came from the use of his pace. He picked up the ball on the outside of the box, ran at the defence, jinxed his way through them and finished well. I would also add Yacob in to the centre of midfield alongside Gardner, Mulumbu or Morrison to give us proper defensive protection. Every team needs at least 1 proper holding midfielder. Even Barcelona of 3-4 years ago had one.

Hopefully AI bins his safety first approach in favour of a more attacking mentality in the next few matches. He has the International break to start working things out. It doesn't have to be the above which is just what I would do but it needs to be something. The only problem for us is that our next 2 matches are away at Chelsea and Arsenal at home. That will probably mean the same stale team.

[santasabaggie]

What's people's feelings on Sess ?
It seems there are mixed feelings about him - some say we only win when Sess starts, some say he's a lazy little sh1t. In my opinion he doesn't contribute anywhere near enough and goes missing for long periods of any game only having occasional flashes such as the goal versus Man Ure. Can't really say he could be used as an impact sub as he was hardly noticed when he came on against the Toons.
I'd much rather have someone who would give 110%, gets involved and at least try's.

On his day he'd walk into any side in the league but like most players of his DNA, he
doesn't have his day regularly enough and to tell the truth, that's probably why he's
playing for us.

For all his frustrating attributes, we don't look like we're going to create when he
doesn't start.

The other thing is, as a dribbler, you need players in more advanced positions than you
to be most effective. In order to keep the defenders guessing, you need to have players
right and left so you're able to shape a pass and drop the shoulder.

Defenders at this level will dominate most dribblers if they know he has no choice but to
take them on.

And that's a lot of the problem with Sess being ineffective. When he was at his best last season
in the period when we beat Man United away, we played a 4-5-1 with Saido on left and
Amalfitano on the right. We broke with pace and purpose. When Sess picked up the ball he often
had both of them in front of him as well as the striker and the defenders didn't know what
he was going to do.

Irvine's formation however seems to have an emphasis on defence. I can rarely remember
a midfielder being in front of Sess when he's picked up the ball at all this season. In fact, there's
often a 30 yard gap between the forwards and midfield players. Making it extremely difficult
to take players on because they know exactly what he's going to do.

For me, he has to start. But would be far more effective in a 4-5-1 with wingers who actually
got beyond the forwards and look to be a goal threat from open play. I think he'd be a real
threat if he played for a side like Swansea who have the likes of Dyer, Montero and Routledge
always bombing on and looking to get in behind.

This is why we need to get Gamboa and Varela into the side asap. Even Blanco looks a good player on the rare occasions he has played.