Blues boss Paul Jewell says he is yet to decide whether to scrap Town’s diamond midfield when Town take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in a week’s time. The system, which saw his side to a run of results which took them into the play-off places, has come under scrutiny more recently after three successive defeats.

Jewell says Town have to take care not to overreact: “What we’ve got isn’t completely shattered, it’s not completely broken. What you’ve got to do in times like this is try and keep a cool head and keep believing that what you’re trying to do is right.

“We’re not doing too much differently to what we were doing three weeks ago, we’ve just started making basic errors and are getting punished for them.

“Perhaps people have got wise to our system. Maybe we’ll change the system, maybe we won’t.”

In the second half of Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Doncaster the Blues switched to a more traditional 4-4-2 with Josh Carson and Lee Martin out wide, while the Town manager could return to the five-man midfield employed earlier on in the season.

Photo: Action Images

shaunminx added 14:51 - Nov 10 Ummm hang on Paul. Conceded three scored none with the diamond. Scored two and conceded none without the diamond. I'm no Sherlock Holmes but....
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irishtim added 14:56 - Nov 10 cmon pj if your not sure wat r u at mate? we needrecovery now
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cornishnick added 15:07 - Nov 10 It's not about systems, it's about players doing their jobs. After HT without the diamond on Saturday, Martin and Carson may have nearly changed the game, but remember the last time those two played (without the diamond) we lost 7-1 at Peterborough
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MarkITFC added 15:39 - Nov 10 Jewell isnt going to come out and say yeh were going to be playing 442 with carson and martin on the wings is he ? he isnt going to give away our tactic , lets hope forest set formation and players up to play against our dimond then we play 442
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Garv added 15:43 - Nov 10 That was with Delaney and Ainsley remember cornishnick.
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martleshamitfc added 16:07 - Nov 10 Surely it is about outwitting the opposition, the last few games we have been easy to suss , press back the full backs and we have no width and stop the midfielders their passing game, snuff out any service to our forwards and attack with pace!
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muhrensleftfoot added 16:09 - Nov 10 One of our problems with the diamond, is that the one in front of the back four needs to be a defensive midfielder. Bullard isn't that man. He would be better at the front of the diamond. Perhaps Hyam could play at the back of the diamond. It would mean dropping one of our old men. Prefer 4-4-2 though, as it is naturally more attacking formation. As long as he doesn't start going back to the 4-5-1 with us pumping long balls to a lonely centre forward.

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Surco72 added 16:48 - Nov 10 The main reason the diamond hasnt worked for the last three games is that Jimmy has had three poor games and the majority of the passing that makes the system work goes through him . The same as Blackpools promotion if Adam had a bad game ,same as QPRs promotion if Taarbat had a run of bad games so did QPRs form .You need your core players on form and we have had Sonko and Bowyer missing and Jimmy off form .

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HARRY10 added 16:53 - Nov 10 Here's a suggestion Mr Jewell. Keep this to yourself and your coaching staff. Fans want to see results, not hear your ruminations on every point. We had enough of that with the mad as a hatter Keane. Let your players do the talking on the pitch. Then maybe at some very latter date you can bring out your autobiography and enthrall us all with how you did it, until then keep your thoughts focused on the training ground, not the press room.

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AlanMahon2011 added 17:12 - Nov 10 4-4-2 or relegation. Your choice
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algarvefan added 17:34 - Nov 10 His comments hardly inspire confidence do they, if he doesn't know then who the feck does???? Come on PJ, lets get this sorted :)
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algarvefan added 17:35 - Nov 10 Oh and well said Harry10 my thoughts exactly!
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SWBlue86 added 17:39 - Nov 10 PJ knows what he is doing is just keeping the opposition guesing. He is hardly going to come out in the press 9 days before a game and tell everyone the formation he is going to go with. "Here Mr. Cotteril this is the team and formation I am going to go with. You now have over a week to prepare your team accordingly"
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WaltownBlueNaze added 18:11 - Nov 10 Team to play Forest: Stockdale Edwards Sonko Collins Cresswell Bowyer Carson Andrews(Capt) Bullard Martin Chopra Some width and pace in the team - Andrews can support Chopra knowing Bowyer is behind tidying up.
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bluearmy4life added 18:18 - Nov 10 Sort it out PJ. You have to have formation changes and tactics at the back of your mind. The diamond worked well for 6 games thats it. Stockdale Edwards Sonko Collins Cresswell Carson Andrews Bullard Martin Chopra Scotland Playing 4-4-2 with plenty of width a pace IE Carson and martin With a mix of experience in there to back it up. If we continue to play the diamond and keep getting thrashed every now and again you can expect some critiscm simple as that. Your to predictable Paul this has to change.

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fourth added 18:36 - Nov 10 Pj is not a fool. Would he tell the world what he was really about? It's ALL tongue in cheek. The cheeky northern chappy.
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jas0999 added 20:02 - Nov 10 Idiotic. PJ needs to concentrate on sorting this mess out rather than comment on formations in the press. May all be a red-herring, BUT please stop acting like a comedian and think of a plan A, B and C. It's obvious to all that PJ has failed to deliver since the Pompey game. He has got it horribly wrong, just as he did against: Reading, QPR, Leicester, Watford, Swansea, Norwich, Southampton, Northampton, Hull, Millwall, Doncaster and Peterboro ... that's just naming a few! How people think after 10 MONTHS PJ is the man for the job is simply beyond me. It's PJ's team now. No more excuses please. Scrap Dad's Army and build a team for the future or the board must act - before attendances drop to less than 15K.

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h32 added 20:03 - Nov 10 Another example of the Manager not really having a clue - and no one senior to him seemingly too bothered either .................... what a shambles. I would have thought that the declining attendance figures would have been more of a concern than they obviously are to these people. Whatever some of the ex / retired ITFC players, and stalwarts, must think of all this - I really don't know.

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jas0999 added 20:03 - Nov 10 p.s. if PJ reverts back to the 4-5-1 then I fear for this club. It's what's cost us several thousand fans so far.
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h32 added 20:09 - Nov 10 ............ wonder what the likes of Bill Shankly, Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby would make of this 'magic' word - DIAMOND. Not sure we are allowed to post without mentioning the word ..........
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broomfield123 added 20:29 - Nov 10 Diamond is a jewells best friend
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Garv added 20:43 - Nov 10 What part of this article includes any quotes from Jewell making jokes? So Jas you might as well have listed EVERY game Jewell has lost in charge of Ipswich and said 'he got it wrong'. Ok so what about: Doncaster (last season), home Doncaster, away Sheffield United Burnley Bristol City last season Bristol City this season West Ham Coventry Middlesborough Brighton...where he got it right? What a about them? Do they not count? So if we play 4-4-2 at Forest and lose, what do you blame it on? We can all suggest formations and whatnot we'd prefer to see, but to suggest we know better than the manager is stupid.

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bobble added 20:45 - Nov 10 1-10 is always best
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Lightningboy added 20:57 - Nov 10 Doesn't matter what formation PJ puts out,if the players aren't up to it then we've got no chance..some of our squad need to really start pulling their weight - week in week out,not just for 3 or 4 games at a time. Seems to have been a recurring problem over the last 5 or 6 years - we go on a decent run,get within a couple of points of the top 2/play-off places ,then implode.

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Bergholtblue added 21:54 - Nov 10 Portsmouth showed the rest of the league how to beat Town and that was to man mark the midfield. Norris kept Bullard very quiet and the full backs were made to defend rather than get forward. With a better strike force Portsmouth would have won that game. It doesn't matter what formation you play, man mark our midfield and it will not function and it is easy to mark because we have no real movement. Bring Bullard forward to pull the strings with pace on the sides and we may have a chance.

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