Scott Wharton with and without the ball is so good.

343 working a treat. We've opened them up a few times but they've not managed anything on us.

Yeah but there are probably only half a dozen teams in the league who will let us play the way Blackpool did (442, loads of room in the midfield, loads of space in behind). Most teams, as we have found, are not playing the way Blackpool played - much more physical, pack the midfield, three at the back, pace on the wings - and we get easily beaten. So we need some different ideas imo. I don't think just playing like we did against Blackpool will move us forward.

Fantastic news. Really looking forward to seeing A Wharton, Travis, Buckley, Garrett all play and develop together in the midfield. They are all real talents, and it's early days but Adam potentially looks the cream of the crop.

Watford and Burnley are two games which stand out as very difficult. Every other game we have a shout in. I'd be disappointed if we don't stay in the 7th to 13th range, and near the top of that at that. In playing staff I don't actually think we are much weaker than last year. We shouldn't be expecting to finish lower. Our challenges imo have mainly been tactical. We haven't sorted out our best system and best team.

I agree generally, but I tend to think the 352 will let us double up on the right and left. Better than leaving Carter and Pickering one on one with their wide players. Basically we're going to have to play direct in behind their wing backs and get Brereton and Hirst to run the channels. But really however we play Watford have the players to hurt us unfortunately. There's not a 1 against 1 on the pitch where we clearly have the advantage and a number where Watford do. Hate being defeatist but that's how it looks on paper. But again it's the Championship - often we get surprised, so theres that to hold onto!

Totally agree with this. Sounding like a broken record but it's imperative we switch to three at the back and three in the middle. If we do that I think we will at least be competitive. If we stick with the 4231 Watford will just breeze through us. Huge boost if Scott Wharton is available. Not having Brittain is a huge issue, having Buckley there is the least worst of the bad options. Team for me : Kaminski Carter. Hyam. S Wharton Buckley. Morton. Travis. A Wharton. Pickering Hirst. Brereton

Yes

Really? I thought Watford have played three at the back pretty consistently?

Watford are the team absolutely ideally configured to beat us. I'll be amazed if we get any points. But I suppose it being the Championship we always have a chance.

Will be interesting to see what the polling is like. I think most of the public not aligned to the measures tbh.

Its a bit mad what's going on. Apparently according to that Mirror article BBC will ban all comedy shows for 12 days! I'm not a monarchist, but thought the queen did an incredibly hard role very well for decades and seemed a very nice person while she did it. But equally it's not something to cancel things for. AByway, probably straying into ICNBINF or WDWY territory so will leave it there.

Found a good article here. Football matches will be cancelled but only on the (somewhat Orwellian sounding!) Day of National Mourning which is 9 days from now - so Saturday 17th September. I guess they will just move to Sunday? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/everything-cancelled-closed-after-queen-27941592.amp

We can't really think of cancelling football matches because the queen's dead? What would that achieve? Why not close all the pubs.

From what I've read he's a left sided centreback and occasional left back by trade whose done a bit in defensive midfield too. I suspect he's been brought in to cover Scott Wharton as his primary role, but may get a crack at left back too if he's mobile enough.

Even if Scott Wharton is out I think we will still change to a 343 but Mola on left side instead of Wharton Kaminski Carter Hyam Mola Buckley Morton Travis A Wharton Pickering Hirst Brereton Reckon that should compete okay in midfield

Any good boozers for the game beforehand?

Missed the game yesterday so watched the full game back for my sins. We weren't that bad, but always looked like losing. We cut them open a few times early and late in the game. Scored a couple. Could have easily taken the lead in the first 10 mins. Yet I'd never say we looked like even getting a draw. Once Bristol City settled they were always comfortable. Always had an extra man in midfield, always had an overlap. That we were systemically not able to cope was obvious from around the 20th minute. Really City should have scored two or three first half. They were totally in charge. People have called out the passing around the back as being frustrating. But I don't think we intended to play that way, there just wasn't a pass on. City would regularly have five or six players strung across midfield with little we could do to find a man through them. That we didn't either start with three at the back or change to it later in the game I am going to put down to Scott Wharton still not being fit and Mola being totally new so we hadn't had time to bed in the approach. If that's not the case really unacceptable in my view as we are getting systemically done by teams in 343/352 is very clear and to just soldier on is ridiculous. That said once you take that we were tactically crowded out out of the equation I think there are some reasons for optimism. Hirst looks lively and technically solid, didn't get too much of a sense about how good he is in the air though. I like Hyam a lot. Carter I am not so sure about but did well. Dolan had a much better game, scored and an assist. Lots of negatives obviously but the one thing I would pick out is Travis is not a positionally disciplined player and asking him to play right back / right wing back is asking for trouble, especially when he has zero cover. Also generally across the side when we did create openings our final ball even when quite simple was really poor until the last third of the match. We have a talented squad which I think can push on and be a force in the league but we need to get the tactics right. I'm going to Wigan and I'm really hoping to see us setup in a way that addresses our challenges.

Agree Szmodics is baffling but can see the other additions bring something to the squad. Wish we'd used the Szmodics money for a good left wing back. Going to be a thorn for us. Mola is unknown quality to me. I'm hoping he is someone who surprises us and fills that left sided gap.

Yeah absolutely, I'm really confused how some folk don't seem to see it that way. A big part of the reason Wharton and Morton were brilliant against Blackpool but shite against Bristol is simply they had loads of room against one team and none against the other. Basic tactics imo. We need to make sure we don't get outnumbered in midfield.

Really key for us is if Scott Wharton is available. Without him we are nowhere near as solid. Unsurprisingly Id say it's absolutely critical we change to 343/352. RWB without Britain is a worry but as someone else mentioned I'd go for Buckley there. I'd keep A Wharton in there too. Until there's more team news would think something like this. I'd focus on absolutely murdering them in the midfield. Heavy challenges, close closing. And then trust our midfield to break and support the front two. Kaminski Carter. Hyam. S Wharton Buckley. Morton. Travis. A Wharton. Pickering Hirst. Brereton

We got dominated by Sheff Utd and Reading too, and edged out by Stoke, all who player three at the back. It's not just us, 343 killing teams who play four at the back has been a common pattern in modern football since Conte introduced it with Chelsea a few years back. That's why more an more teams play it. I had a look through the formations everyone is playing in the championship and it's pretty stark reading. Out of 24 teams in the Championship only 9 have played four at the back as their most regular formation - Norwich, Burnley, QPR, West Brom, Hull, Wigan (though they changed to 343 recently, and they will stick with it when they play us I think after their uptick in results), Cardiff, Blackpool, Rovers.

Not all the time, just against other teams that play 3 at the back. That said looking at the fixture list for the next 6 games 5 of the teams play 3 at the back (only Cardiff go 4231). So..... Yeah.

We've got all the players in now, window closed, and a week to prepare before Wigan. Hopefully S Wharton back as he is missed. We've got a 12 game run now till the derby with only the Watford tie looking a nailed on defeat. All 11 other games we should be competitive in. Really expecting JDT to make us a lot more solid, get a settled side together, and get some good results.

Not watching game as at kids party (*shakes fist*) but all I can say is Rovers in 4231 getting done by team playing 343. ... quel surprise.