What's happened to the 4-4-2 formation???

I can't stand a striker up top on his own.... I just think it's utter shite to watch the "goal scorer" getting marked out the game. Not just talking about Bolton.

If you look back at your fav time watching football when was it??? I've spoken to loads of my mates and they all say 96-06/07....

We all have different reasons as to why, but common theme was it was end to end 4-4-2 vs 4-4-2 a lot of the time. Big Target Man and a small pacey lad up top nicking goals with 2 wingers crossing and 2 full backs overlapping. 
Was end to end

But now it looks like damage limitation, short passing it up from the back... It's absolute dross to watch, I stopped watching premier league the year after Leicester won... I used to watch a lot of league of Ireland too but same happening, very diffensive tip tapping it around between the CBs FBs and the goalie.

Yorke/Cole united
Flo/Zola Chelsea
Henry/Berkamp arsenal
Quinn/Phillips Sunderland
Owen/Heskey Liverpool....
Shearer/Owen england
Quinn/Keane Ireland


Im of the belief that a striker needs a fellow striker
to work with

Maybe I'm just a dinosaur, but I think 4-4-2 is the way forward to get bums on seats in stadiums, and decent results... The only knack is you've got to be solid in defense which we clearly aren't but I don't think we are far off.... We've been much worse

If we're talking in general terms I strongly disagree with you about the Premier League, it's fantastically entertaining and some of the football by the likes of City and Liverpool is a joy to watch.

In terms of Bolton, playing two up top isn't an option seeing as we don't have two fit strikers, but even if they were fit none of them are good enough for this level. Like you I'd prefer to play 4-4-2 with two wingers but you need a strong central midfield to play that way - something we don't have.

At the end of the day though, doesn't matter what formation or tactics you employ, if the players aren't very good you're fooked.

Natasha Whittam wrote:If we're talking in general terms I strongly disagree with you about the Premier League, it's fantastically entertaining and some of the football by the likes of City and Liverpool is a joy to watch.

In terms of Bolton, playing two up top isn't an option seeing as we don't have two fit strikers, but even if they were fit none of them are good enough for this level. Like you I'd prefer to play 4-4-2 with two wingers but you need a strong central midfield to play that way - something we don't have.

At the end of the day though, doesn't matter what formation or tactics you employ, if the players aren't very good you're fooked.

I guess we will have to disagree on premier league, don't get me wrong there is moment of class, but I find it's gone very defensive, much more safe possession based and, I think you will agree with the last point, much more rolling around on the floor fake injuries. It drives me mad. I miss the Roy keanes, viera, essien, Campo, Davies, Barton, thatcher, they were great tough tackling but could play ball too.... I must say I don't watch as much but after Leicester won the league I just couldn't sit through games, and to be frank I only watched Leicester season because it was Leicester... But looking back a lot of games were poor.... It's only me and few friends just got talking other night (I'm the only Bolton fan) and we all agreed that we just don't think these seasons have the same feeling or memorable.... Think we agreed city winning league on last day was last good season (personally hate that day but can admit it was great).

I will agree though that we can't play 4-4-2 at the moment but still think a switch to 4-4-2 is needed this year.... I think Williams and in particular Lee are ok in midfield, we have decent wingers and full backs, CBs could do with being improved.
I like Doyle too, a lot actually. I know he gets a bit of stick but he's actually done pretty well and always puts a shift in. But I think he needs another lad in to help and work off of..... I'd nearly use delfonso as the target man and Doyle off of him lol just to see

If you go back far enough teams would play 3 strikers and two wingers - including us --- the days of Willy Morgan at Burden Park etc....
As for today I hate one striker up there - I agree two for me all the time.  Like many teams we never have an out ball from corners etc. 
Doyle spends too much time in our half tracking back or going from one side of the park to the other.....workrate is fine but be smart with it --- but the result is he is knacked after 60 minutes.

You have to have a rock solid defence to play 442 these days and be prepared to spend long periods of the game out of possession - which is obviously not Evatt's - or most modern manager's style.

Burnley are one of the few teams that do it and yesterday's game against a resurgent West Ham was a perfect demonstration of the issue - in this case against a 4231 system. West Ham tried to exploit the gaps between the lines forcing Burnley to sit deeper and defend for the entire game which they did fantastically well because they've got two of the best CBs in the prem - Tarkowski and Mee - and Nick Pope in fine form behind them. Packed defence and some incredible tackles and saves kept West Ham out (although they should have had a pen TBF) but as an attacking force Burnley offered little.

Can't see 442 working for us. We simply don't have the defensive quality required, opposition teams could play through and around us and we lack pace to score on the break.
Theoretically our midfield should be bombing into the box to play off and support the striker, but our approach play is so turgid and over-elaborate that the opportunity seldom arises and our midfield players lack the box to box athleticism required to influence both ends of the pitch anyway.

I'm going to throw my hat in the ring here. 
I enjoy 442 and that thing about having a great defence, whilst somewhat true, is also a false economy.

The strength in defence playing 442 is that you have four full time defenders, which makes the defence inherently stronger than 532 or 352 where the full backs play up the wings, like all the way up, half of their job is to get forward. In a 442 the fullbacks don't even really need to cross half way, think of Phil Brown feeding the ball to David Lee
 The wingers did the attacking. 
Then you need two good engines in centre mid because they need to be able to get back as soon as we lose the ball. 

Meanwhile the centre forwards would be free to conserve energy for the next attack. Yes they had to move around. But they didn't need to put a Doyle style shift in.

I think Bolton could possibly be stronger with the 442 than we imagine.

Our rather permeable defence might do better if all of our defenders were all back, all the time. And then out of possession the wingers drop back to double up.

Lee and Williams would probably suffice in the middle and would actually benefit from the balance of the team. 

Then with Doyle AND Baka up top we carry an attacking threat that is otherwise missing, which is the long ball would be an option and keep the other team guessing.