The Defence | Vital Football

The Defence

Alfalf2

Vital Reserves Team
DC pulled no punches in the Mail yesterday with Lidds taking some flack:

“Things move on quickly and in large portions of those games Lidds [Gary Liddle] has been in there. People would say last year he was a big part of the record we had with him in the team where we hardly lost a game.
"That’s soon forgotten about because that’s not been the case in these friendly games so you move on and look to get better.

Clearly, Dave C has identified a problem. We all know that Liddle lacks pace at his age and has been exposed in the past by quick forwards and these recent friendly games have again cruelly demonstrated this. Now, I am puzzled why this is news? Liddle's lack of pace is well known, so he needs to be paired with a quicker player (Odusina) who can step in when speed is required, so what has changed? Is it that the new defenders we have signed are just as slow as Liddle so the defence is vulnerable to pace when Odusina is not in the team? If so, why blame it all on Liddle? Liddle is an excellent defender in many regards so it would be a shame if he falls out of favour. What do you others think?
 
Whilst it is evident that Lidds is lacking in pace, his positional sense was equally evident last season. Without having seen any of the preseason games, but reading the match reports on the OS and in the Mail, it would appear that the rest of the defence has pushed up too far leaving Lidds lack of pace woefully exposed!

As with every preseason Pools don't seem to be developing a system of play - even last season the 532 formation didn't develop until well into the campaign - this in part due to accommodating trialists along with the absence of forward players.
I fully expect that the cavalier 532 formation of last season will be ditched for a more pragmatic 442 early in the coming season. Lidds will probably spend much of the season on the bench, coming on to shore things up with his experience.
 
Liddle does look slow in the friendlies but he has often been left one on one and exposed which didn't seem to happen too much last season. He had a couple of good defenders either side of him in Cass and Johnson who now look better and better players than they were given credit for at the time.
 
Whilst it is evident that Lidds is lacking in pace, his positional sense was equally evident last season. Without having seen any of the preseason games, but reading the match reports on the OS and in the Mail, it would appear that the rest of the defence has pushed up too far leaving Lidds lack of pace woefully exposed!

As with every preseason Pools don't seem to be developing a system of play - even last season the 532 formation didn't develop until well into the campaign - this in part due to accommodating trialists along with the absence of forward players.
I fully expect that the cavalier 532 formation of last season will be ditched for a more pragmatic 442 early in the coming season. Lidds will probably spend much of the season on the bench, coming on to shore things up with his experience.
An astute post, OP, much appreciated. If you are right and I have no reason to doubt it, why is DC being so harsh on Liddle? If is not his fault if the other defenders push up too far, surely its about communication. By the way, OP, by looking on You Tube you will find brief highlights on all Pools games usually within 24 hours of them being played.
 
Liddle does look slow in the friendlies but he has often been left one on one and exposed which didn't seem to happen too much last season. He had a couple of good defenders either side of him in Cass and Johnson who now look better and better players than they were given credit for at the time.
Yeah, Johson and Cass were superb, there is no doubt but we got through the play offs without Cass including that superb defensive show away at Stockport so it cant just be about other players.