An Anderson like defender

[Branton Rover]

I’m all for defenders who can play and come out from the back with the ball like Frenchy. But we seem to lose out in the physicality stakes. I’m not necessarily advocating signing Anderson but someone of his ilk who as we saw on Saturday can be as affective in their box as they are defending our area. 

Give me a no nonsense defender every time who heads it, kicks it and basically clears his lines. I also like a defender who can mix it with the opposition

[Alan Southstand]

He's only 22, isn't he? Looks older, but I think he'd be ok next season at this level and could improve.

[Branton Rover]

Aged 24 perfect age to develop

[Colemans Left Hook]

i was really impressed how he scored the second goal shame rovers couldn't have got a penalty - for him to get a once in a life hat-trick
sounds stupid but i would try him out as a center forward in a practise match

[karldew]

We've give him the name 'mainline' because he turns like a bus. Played well Saturday and hopefully he will carry on playing well, even if he does take a while to change direction.

[5minstogo]

It's the sort of player we've missed in the last few seasons. Not pretty (pun intended) but does the basics and can chip in at the other end. I'd like to think we'd be interested in snapping him up in the summer. Offers something different to our other CH's.

[chrisd_123]

We've give him the name 'mainline' because he turns like a bus. Played well Saturday and hopefully he will carry on playing well, even if he does take a while to change direction.

So did Rob Jones but he did alright.

I like him. He obviously doesn't (yet) have that leadership quality Jones had for us but you need a defender like him in your ranks I feel. Just heads stuff away and is a threat in the opposition box.

He's never going to play much higher than L1 but he's an asset all the same. The right player next to him and you've got a strong defence on your hands.

[drfchound]

Two weeks ago in his first home game for us a bloke behind me was giving him stick from the first five minutes, telling everyone how poor he is.
The same bloke was fairly quiet on Saturday.

Anderson looks good enough as a L1 CB to me.

[Jonathan]

That challenge in the Charlton game said everything about him I thought. Practically everyone in the stadium had given up on it at that moment but he was totally focussed on getting the block in. Can’t help but warm to that kind of player. We’ll need that kind of resolute mindset next weekend.

[RoversAlias]

Two weeks ago in his first home game for us a bloke behind me was giving him stick from the first five minutes, telling everyone how poor he is.
The same bloke was fairly quiet on Saturday.

Anderson looks good enough as a L1 CB to me.

Think you were sat near me again Hound as I heard that bloke too, was calling him "bloody useless" after no more than 4 minutes and I just had to laugh.

[chrisd_123]

This is what makes me laugh about some fans. They expect a 6 ft 6 centre half to be able to do 12 step overs, take on 4 players and then spray a 40 yard ball into the path of the striker to score. Simple as that.

Anderson and players like him, do what they do. He doesn't pretend to be a magnificent footballer. His job is to defend and, the Charlton goal aside, that's what he's done. I wasn't at Walsall but I gather that if he was poor, he wasn't the only one!

It's easy to sing his praises after a clean sheet and two goals against a relatively poor side but I like what I've seen so far. He actually summed up the performance on Saturday. Just kept it simple.

[Mike_F]

It's horses for courses.

Ferguson firmly believes that the "best way to play football" is with three centre halves and wing backs. It may well be the best way to play the game if you've got the game's best players at your disposal but for my money, the best way to play football at this level (with odd exceptions when you've got the quality that SO'D had available) is to keep it reasonably simple and sign the best players you can get for a fairly straightforward system:

Decent 'keeper goes without saying

Two tall centre halves, ideally at least one with decent pace.
Quick full-backs with stamina who can overlap but also get back sharpish when possession turns over. Think how good Dumbuya looked at this level and he was technically average.

A midfield stopper who can put his foot on the ball and pick a pass
A more creative centre-mid/number 10
Two skilful wingers. Pace a benefit but not essential vis-à-vis Copps

A good combination of a big lad and a quick lad up front.

Of course the quality of those players, the strength in depth behind the starting XI and luck with injuries etc. all make a difference but sometimes it's easy to over-complicate it.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It's horses for courses.

Ferguson firmly believes that the "best way to play football" is with three centre halves and wing backs. It may well be the best way to play the game if you've got the game's best players at your disposal but for my money, the best way to play football at this level (with odd exceptions when you've got the quality that SO'D had available) is to keep it reasonably simple and sign the best players you can get for a fairly straightforward system:

Decent 'keeper goes without saying

Two tall centre halves, ideally at least one with decent pace.
Quick full-backs with stamina who can overlap but also get back sharpish when possession turns over. Think how good Dumbuya looked at this level and he was technically average.

A midfield stopper who can put his foot on the ball and pick a pass
A more creative centre-mid/number 10
Two skilful wingers. Pace a benefit but not essential vis-à-vis Copps

A good combination of a big lad and a quick lad up front.

Of course the quality of those players, the strength in depth behind the starting XI and luck with injuries etc. all make a difference but sometimes it's easy to over-complicate it.

Bloody hell Mike is Dave Penney.

I agree in many ways though, we try to play too complicated when we don't really need to.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Was very impressed with him Saturday. Not only for his determination in his defensive duties but many a centre forward would have been happy with his second goal.

An old fashioned type but looks like he wants to be here and is enjoying it.

[RobTheRover]

The best CB combos at our level are a player and a destroyer.

Remember what we did with Foster and Albrighton?  Still makes me smile over a decade later.

[Campsall rover]

It's horses for courses.

Ferguson firmly believes that the "best way to play football" is with three centre halves and wing backs. It may well be the best way to play the game if you've got the game's best players at your disposal but for my money, the best way to play football at this level (with odd exceptions when you've got the quality that SO'D had available) is to keep it reasonably simple and sign the best players you can get for a fairly straightforward system:

Decent 'keeper goes without saying

Two tall centre halves, ideally at least one with decent pace.
Quick full-backs with stamina who can overlap but also get back sharpish when possession turns over. Think how good Dumbuya looked at this level and he was technically average.

A midfield stopper who can put his foot on the ball and pick a pass
A more creative centre-mid/number 10
Two skilful wingers. Pace a benefit but not essential vis-à-vis Copps

A good combination of a big lad and a quick lad up front.

Of course the quality of those players, the strength in depth behind the starting XI and luck with injuries etc. all make a difference but sometimes it's easy to over-complicate it.

Bang on.
2012/13 comes to mind again. You either need a team like that with grit and steel where you have a strong spine and good wide men, or you need 8/9 players like we had in 2007/08 when nearly all of them were Chamoionship quality.
There are the 2 different formula needed to get auto promotion from this league.
It’s 4-4-2 for me unless you have the X factor in your team like 2007/08 and 2008/09 & 2009/10 when O’Driscoll could play any system he wanted. Intellegant players who could think for themselves.
We have some talented players now but only 2 who are anywhere near as good as that lot and one of them is still playing for us.
So keep it simple play a system that is comfortable and do not complicate it. OH & STICK TO IT. 
SIMPLES.