| Observations on our system and setup 17:47 - Mar 21 with 2660 views | blueM3 |
This may end up long winded or maybe short. Il see how I can articulate it!
Seen a few comments here and there that dig McKenna out occasionally with regards to systems etc. my personal thought is he sees slightly one dimensional. I’m not sure since he’s come in he’s ever changed from the 4-2-3-1 he sets out with. Obviously the system tries to utilise a left mid rolling into the 10 to allow Davis forward. But the fundamental lineup is the same structure. I may remember 1 game a while back where 2 strikers were briefly on together, but literally only the once.
There are times when change is needed. Every substitution is usually a ‘like for like’. It may involve someone swapping sides à la Clarke this afternoon. But no changes ever change the setup or system.
Is this a flaw in mckennas tactical nous? It’s one thing, especially at home, to stamp our mark on a game and let other teams react to our system. But there are also times where things don’t work. Certain systems don’t work against others. Especially if the opposition has done their homework.
There has to be a time to look at setting up differently and taking teams by surprise. 3 at the back with wing backs? 2 up top? There are pluses and minuses to everything. But we have seriously lost our element of surprise. Why not roll out against Birmingham with o Shea Kipre and greaves at the back and let Davis and Burns have the freedom of the wings for example.
Chasing a win today could have meant having 2 out and out strikers. Millwall changed their setup and completely confused us. Hence reverting to type and trying the ball out from the back all second half and getting pressured into mistakes. Ideal time to change things to counter that and make them rethink.
Taylor coming on for Neil was a good switch. BUT…. We lost our outball in the middle of the park for some reason. Both Azor and Taylor were dropping deep for goal kicks, our 10 was wide and it left a 20-30 yard radius in the middle of the park. Hirst wasn’t at the races enough to make anything from the floated balls into him from Walton’s goal kicks that didn’t go short. We let ourselves be penned in at the back and we got flustered. The only surprise was we didn’t lose a second goal.
I know this is seemingly a long ramble but there were many obvious flaws to what we did in the second half. We didn’t allow ourselves to attack with speed and fluidity like the first half. And that was our undoing. I have the utmost respect for what McKenna has achieved here and would love him to make a whole dynasty of success here. Fingers crossed on that one. He needs to be able to change things at the drop of a hat when it’s backs to the wall though. Having a different systems for different scenarios is vital for any manager wanting a long term success sheet.
Is it stubbornness? Is it naivety? I suggest stubbornness to a slight degree. I can’t imagine in the youth teams he’s worked through previously he’s only ever turned out a side in one system. I may be wrong and he may have done just that and had success. But when you’re one of the most targeted sides in the league, and not the surprise package anymore, you need to change things up.
This is in no way digging the man out, merely my observations. The frustration of not getting g the 3 points today makes it easier to point the finger at the flaws I personally see. And just maybe, changing it up may have put the wind up us, like Alex Neil did with his half time changes to Millwall. |  | | |  |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:48 - Mar 21 with 588 views | Meadowlark |
| Observations on our system and setup on 18:14 - Mar 21 by jasondozzell |
Personally think that's a complete misreading based on the erroneous assumption that 'formations' mean much any more. It's outdated to think that's 'how managers set up'. If you listen to early interviews with KM, he talks about how he doesn't believe in 'formations'. It's fluid and it's more about areas and responsibilities and how players connect.
KM is not one dimensional at all. But he believes in playing good football and connecting through the pitch at speed and finding spare man to allow that. Those are solid principles and I'm glad he sticks to them. |
The "at speed" bit is often difficult to spot.... |  | | |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:49 - Mar 21 with 593 views | jasondozzell |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:41 - Mar 21 by RetroBlue |
OP: ive postulated the same sentiments for the last 2 seasons.... he maybe a good coach ( an exceptional coach), but a manager? He's largely inexperienced in my view....he doesn't try create a system that gets the best out of his players. Instead he tries to get players to adapt / mold to his system. If they cant do it or wont do it they're moved on, ot simply dont play, and so the club moves on, to the next players ....55 players have come in to this Club over recent times and at great expense yet we still do not look cohesive... |
A good stab at worst post of the season here.
'He doesn't try to create a system that gets the best out of his players.' Truly staggering. |  | | |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:53 - Mar 21 with 569 views | jasondozzell |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:48 - Mar 21 by Meadowlark |
The "at speed" bit is often difficult to spot.... |
Not if you understand that since he's been here KM sides have gone slow to go fast. | | | |
| Observations on our system and setup on 20:18 - Mar 21 with 537 views | gsoly |
I think it's so, so easy to say 'he should do something different'. But the second you do that as a manager in the modern game, you lose the players. McKenna's greatest strength is his consistency. Does anyone question the shape/system when we win a big game? No. |  | | |
| Observations on our system and setup on 20:23 - Mar 21 with 530 views | bsw72 |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:41 - Mar 21 by RetroBlue |
OP: ive postulated the same sentiments for the last 2 seasons.... he maybe a good coach ( an exceptional coach), but a manager? He's largely inexperienced in my view....he doesn't try create a system that gets the best out of his players. Instead he tries to get players to adapt / mold to his system. If they cant do it or wont do it they're moved on, ot simply dont play, and so the club moves on, to the next players ....55 players have come in to this Club over recent times and at great expense yet we still do not look cohesive... |
Yet he somehow managed to turn a bunch of journeyman players into a double promotion winning team and while he struggled in the Prem at his first attempt (as a still relatively inexperienced manager), and been relegated, he is building another team which currently sits 3rd in the Championship with another promotion still in our hands.
I genuinely don’t understand why there is this weird narrative around McK and his supposed inability to adapt and/or manage players when all the evidence suggests different. |  | | |
| 'He's largely inexperienced in my view' on 20:31 - Mar 21 with 518 views | Dyland |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:41 - Mar 21 by RetroBlue |
OP: ive postulated the same sentiments for the last 2 seasons.... he maybe a good coach ( an exceptional coach), but a manager? He's largely inexperienced in my view....he doesn't try create a system that gets the best out of his players. Instead he tries to get players to adapt / mold to his system. If they cant do it or wont do it they're moved on, ot simply dont play, and so the club moves on, to the next players ....55 players have come in to this Club over recent times and at great expense yet we still do not look cohesive... |
ITFC is his first gig so well done on the great insight, Sherlock.
Your username and avatar are pretty ironic with regard how long we give managers to create winning teams. Doubly ironic given McKenna's record here thus far. |  |
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| Good one on 20:41 - Mar 21 with 495 views | Dyland |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:22 - Mar 21 by homer_123 |
How do you explain during KMs tenure the following …
We've played 3 at the back with Davis bombing forward
Two at the back with Davis and Clarke getting forward
We've played 5 at the back and Sat looking to play on the break
We've played out from the back looking to break the lines
We've hit channels directly
We've played long raking diagonal balls
We've played high tempo one touch foitball
We've played patient build up play
Davis playing as an inside forward
Davis playing as and outside winger
Greaves ending up in the oppo box
O'Shea driving forward and dribbling with the ball
Morsy and Luongo playing full backs covering runs
How is this one dimensional? |
Great question, which you won't get a response to of course. | |
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| Observations on our system and setup on 21:33 - Mar 21 with 455 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Observations on our system and setup on 19:28 - Mar 21 by gtsb1966 |
What pressure!!! The biggest budget in the league and on the highest wages by a long way. Why is winning the league or comfortably top 2 nuts? |
Why make things up? It doesn’t do your arguments any favours.
Wage bills aren’t in the public domain, but there are well researched estimates out there that have Leicester way ahead of us, and ours around 4th, close to Norwich, and behind the Saints and Blades. | | | |
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| Observations on our system and setup on 21:50 - Mar 21 with 432 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Observations on our system and setup on 18:14 - Mar 21 by jasondozzell |
Personally think that's a complete misreading based on the erroneous assumption that 'formations' mean much any more. It's outdated to think that's 'how managers set up'. If you listen to early interviews with KM, he talks about how he doesn't believe in 'formations'. It's fluid and it's more about areas and responsibilities and how players connect.
KM is not one dimensional at all. But he believes in playing good football and connecting through the pitch at speed and finding spare man to allow that. Those are solid principles and I'm glad he sticks to them. |
You only have to look at Azon’s heat map today to show how little the starting formation can mean. He spent a lot of time as a left winger. |  |
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| Observations on our system and setup on 23:10 - Mar 21 with 381 views | gtsb1966 |
| Observations on our system and setup on 21:33 - Mar 21 by SuffolkPunchFC |
Why make things up? It doesn’t do your arguments any favours.
Wage bills aren’t in the public domain, but there are well researched estimates out there that have Leicester way ahead of us, and ours around 4th, close to Norwich, and behind the Saints and Blades. |
Our manager earns the biggest wage in this league. Is that made up? |  | | |
| Observations on our system and setup on 23:23 - Mar 21 with 362 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Observations on our system and setup on 23:10 - Mar 21 by gtsb1966 |
Our manager earns the biggest wage in this league. Is that made up? |
Your evidence? The only credible information I could find was that late in 2025 Leicester (£1.3M) and Southampton(£1.1) paid their managers more than we paid McKenna(£1M reputedly).
It’s even harder to find information on managers pay than it is for players, especially with recent managerial changes, but if you have a solid reference please do share. [Post edited 21 Mar 23:26]
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| Observations on our system and setup on 05:59 - Mar 22 with 298 views | Blue_Moses |
| Observations on our system and setup on 18:44 - Mar 21 by SuffolkPunchFC |
I genuinely don’t get this view that KmK is rigid, or the system is fundamentally flawed. Sure, we don’t always get the result we probably deserved, but much of that is down to fine margins.
The stats show that we’re getting in the right positions, and creating a lot. There were 9 blocked shots today, very much like other games recently, and if you examine these closely you can see many of those could have resulted in a goal had it not been for some great defence. We could, and probably should have been 3 up at half time.
Add to that the 44 touches in the box.
KmK believes in a philosophy rather than any form of rigid system, and yes, he is stubborn in his belief in that philosophy. But the stats suggest that it’s delivering on the chances created, but the fine margins have often been against us. For the avoidance of doubt, before anyone hollers, ‘but we’re not down as having many shots on target’, blocked shots do not count as on target - you have to delve deeper into the available stats to know if a blocked shot was good/would have been on target. |
Sounds like we should have signed a striker... | | | |
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