Midfield holding role and Nicky Butt

[TRon]

Is it really necessary for Butt and only Butt to play this position? Granted we don't have a specialist alternative, but Keegan used Lee Clark in that role, so why not go for a Guthrie/Zog combination through the middle? I mentioned this before but Robson was forced to use Zog and Ambrose against Man U a few seasons back and they did very well. Zog is prone to losing the ball in possession , but then Butt is worse. We would have some running right through that midfield at any rate. Worth a go?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Not sure, what you really need in the holding role is to be able to get around the pitch. You also need someone else in midfield who will do a bit of attacking.

 

Butt is so sluggish around the pitch, and conservative in possession, that I'm not sure he can cut it there anymore.

 

I really wanted us to get Muamba when he went to Bolton, would have been ideal IMO.

[HongKongMag]

I agree. Butt's good and definitely has the attitude to compete.. but time is taking it's toll, he's giving it away to much lately and not keeping up. Good fallback though!

[Guest MrSundlofer]

Yes but it will never happen.

 

We don't want to gamble with that central midfield. Our managers during the years have seen Butt as a safe card in the midfield. A battling midfielder with influence and hard tackles. Sadly, this is so wrong. He should have played football 40 years ago.

[Ronaldo]

Butt's fucking woeful man, rather Guthrie and Geremi tbh, once Beye returns

[Guest Edd]

Guthrie could do a good job in the holding role IMO, but if you're talking about only playing 2 in the middle then I certainly wouldn't want Zog to be one of them.

[Guest Heneage]

Give it Cacapa.

[Lenny]

Going by what we've got I'd ideally like to see Guthrie and Barton put together. It would be a pretty hard working pairing with at least some ability. If you have Jonas and N'Zogbia either side pushing on both could cover well as well.

[BONTEMPI]

Is it really necessary for Butt and only Butt to play this position? Granted we don't have a specialist alternative, but Keegan used Lee Clark in that role, so why not go for a Guthrie/Zog combination through the middle? I mentioned this before but Robson was forced to use Zog and Ambrose against Man U a few seasons back and they did very well. Zog is prone to losing the ball in possession , but then Butt is worse. We would have some running right through that midfield at any rate. Worth a go?

 

I'd play Bassong there

 

Stronger faster and can head the ball away rather than straight up in the air.

[Guest MrSundlofer]

Is it really necessary for Butt and only Butt to play this position? Granted we don't have a specialist alternative, but Keegan used Lee Clark in that role, so why not go for a Guthrie/Zog combination through the middle? I mentioned this before but Robson was forced to use Zog and Ambrose against Man U a few seasons back and they did very well. Zog is prone to losing the ball in possession , but then Butt is worse. We would have some running right through that midfield at any rate. Worth a go?

 

I'd play Bassong there

 

Stronger faster and can head the ball away rather than straight up in the air.

 

That's where we should have used Faye this season.

[Guest Heneage]

Bassong is too one footed. But Guthrie would work like. Id love to see pace and youth of Guthrie and Zoggy in the middly.

[WhatTheFunk]

 

One of the biggest mistakes we've made as a club recently was not breaking the bank for Lassana Diarra.

[TRon]

Guthrie could do a good job in the holding role IMO, but if you're talking about only playing 2 in the middle then I certainly wouldn't want Zog to be one of them.

 

I am just fishing for options to get away from a pedestrian midfield tbh. Butt, Geremi and Cacapa are all slow and immobile. Xisco and Owen aren't lightning quick either, I am just looking at combinations which could give us a bit more off the ball running and keep up with the opposition as it were. The Arsenal model if you like, but obviously we can't match their quality.

[Guest Heneage]

 

One of the biggest mistakes we've made as a club recently was not breaking the bank for Lassana Diarra.

Harry claimed £15m deadline day bid. Us?

[STM]

Is it really necessary for Butt and only Butt to play this position? Granted we don't have a specialist alternative, but Keegan used Lee Clark in that role, so why not go for a Guthrie/Zog combination through the middle? I mentioned this before but Robson was forced to use Zog and Ambrose against Man U a few seasons back and they did very well. Zog is prone to losing the ball in possession , but then Butt is worse. We would have some running right through that midfield at any rate. Worth a go?

 

They actually used Steven Carr in a holding role in that match and infact Souness was in charge.

 

Nicky Butt is pathetic. Easily my least favourite player in our squad, in terms of chances that he has had. My opinion is that Geremi could play there, so long as he had someone with legs playing along side him.

[tmonkey]

Abdoulaye Faye looked excellent in the role against Chelsea. Big, strong, relatively mobile, good touch, good tackler, decent in tight situations. Although we didnt see it much, he has an excellent shot on him too. Miles, miles better than Butt.

 

Could, and should, have played there far more regularly. Keegan may be a good manager, but he's not perfect, and Butt's reputation and bullshit aura of being an excellent midfield battler/leader with a great attitude ensuring he was a guaranteed first teamer was one of Keegan's mistakes.

[TRon]

Abdoulaye Faye looked excellent in the role against Chelsea. Big, strong, relatively mobile, good touch, good tackler, decent in tight situations. Although we didnt see it much, he has an excellent shot on him too. Miles, miles better than Butt.

 

Could, and should, have played there far more regularly. Keegan may be a good manager, but he's not perfect, and Butt's reputation and bullshit aura of being an excellent midfield battler/leader with a great attitude ensuring he was a guaranteed first teamer was one of Keegan's mistakes.

 

I was actually surprised at how good Faye looked in that role on the rare occasion he was played there. It was a bit of an eye opener how good we could look with a powerful, athletic player in the position.

[Guest MrSundlofer]

Coloccini and Barton wouldn't be that bad either.

[Willow]

whats barton doin now, still banned?

[TRon]

whats barton doin now, still banned?

 

When Barton's back I think a fair few would want him and Guthrie in the middle. Until then, it's just a case of finding a combo that doesn't look like condemned men.

[Tooj]

I'm sick of hearing of all this talk about holding midfielders and attacking midfielders. It seems to be an obsession with fans today. madras knows what I'm talking about as we've mentioned this several times over.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm sick of hearing of all this talk about holding midfielders and attacking midfielders. It seems to be an obsession with fans today. madras knows what I'm talking about as we've mentioned this several times over.

 

Interesting point, it was probably the era of Vieira, Petit, Keane and Makelele that did it, everyone wanted a classly player in the middle who could break up the play.

 

It is quite fashionable though, how many premier league teams have a true holding player I wonder?

[Tooj]

I'm sick of hearing of all this talk about holding midfielders and attacking midfielders. It seems to be an obsession with fans today. madras knows what I'm talking about as we've mentioned this several times over.

 

Interesting point, it was probably the era of Vieira, Petit, Keane and Makelele that did it, everyone wanted a classly player in the middle who could break up the play.

 

It is quite fashionable though, how many premier league teams have a true holding player I wonder?

 

I don't think in their primes Keane and Vieira were holding midfielders though.

[hakka]

I don't mind Butt in the holding role as long as he is supported with a bit of pace either side or ahead of him.  Butt is slow, but he still can read the game and close a man down or make a great tackle to break up play.  His game tends to turn shit when he realises that nobody else is attacking from midfield so he takes it upon himself to play it forward.  Problem is that he is dump at forward passes, long passes and long shots.  Sure, he has his moment where he does get them right, but 80% of the time he fails to make decent forward passes/shots.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm sick of hearing of all this talk about holding midfielders and attacking midfielders. It seems to be an obsession with fans today. madras knows what I'm talking about as we've mentioned this several times over.

 

Interesting point, it was probably the era of Vieira, Petit, Keane and Makelele that did it, everyone wanted a classly player in the middle who could break up the play.

 

It is quite fashionable though, how many premier league teams have a true holding player I wonder?

 

I don't think in their primes Keane and Vieira were holding midfielders though.

 

Are there any then?

 

Even if they weren't 100%, I can see why they were labelled as such, protecting the back 4 and getting a foot in all over the place. You're right though, they did get up and down the pitch a lot.