Time For Change?

Last updated : 15 September 2005 By Matt Bottom
Sam Allardyce has had great success employing the 4-5-1 system at Bolton for many years now and in the early years it was a stroke of genius.

5-0 against Leicester after our return to the Premiership sums up what a great tactic it was and with Ricketts playing as a lone striker the formation seemed to work a treat.

Teams came to attack newly promoted little old Bolton and this was there downfall. The midfield was packed and with a counter attacking style of football that could win games, teams found it hard to brake us down.

This tactic has seen us through to European football and a top six finish in the Premiership but has it now run its course? Last week when I sat watching the Blackburn game I couldn't seem to work out what we were trying to do. Teams now come to the Reebok, like Blackburn, to defend and try and hit us on the break or conjure up a 35-yard wonder goal.

They matched our system man for man and we didn't have any ideas of how to break them down. They sat back and soaked up the pressure and we didn't look as if we had a plan B.

We are now looked upon as a top side in the Premiership compared to when we first came up and now we have moved on as a club, maybe it's time Big Sam moved this system on too. Players like Diouf, Pedersen and Vaz Te are nothing more than wasted in the wide positions as we've seen when on the odd occasion they have played through the middle. When super Kevin Davies was injured mid way through last season we saw Diouf occupy the central role and score goals. Pedersen is also much more effective as a centre forward and I think a two man forward line could now be the route to go.

4-4-2 is a commonly used formation but this takes a man out of central midfield where we are strong with Nolan, Campo, Speed and Okocha to name a few.

So maybe 3-5-2 could be used with Jaidi, N'Gotty, Ben-Haim and Hunt all able to play in a three at the back. Gardner could revert to his left wing role with Stelios on the opposite side. The three in the middle would stay the same but most importantly the threat of two strikers would be there without Davies getting isolated on his own.

So to today and to our first ever European Cup fixture. Sam will most definately keep the same formation and I think we will win comfortably. But in the Premiership things will be different from now on as Wanderers status has grown.

I'm not saying Sam should change the system as it has been one of the main reasons for our success of late. But if we are to move forward and keep this top sixth status, he needs to change something as 0-0 draws could be aplenty at the Reebok this season.

Is it time for change? Only the great man himself Big Sam knows and I think i'll leave it up to him to decide too, eh.