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A central midfielder. Compo wants a midfielder to take the ball off his CB, pass it into space for a winger to run onto, before the winger plays it back for the midfielder to smash it into the top corner from the edge of the box. That's it. On repeat. Compo forgets that this is very difficult when you're playing against 12 men camped inside their own box. Compo is also living in the 50s.

Almost there. One of the inside forwards was usually a little bit back from the front line, so on the blackboard it was 3-3-4. On the field the reality became 4-2-4 when the cb dropped back on the fbs taking the defensive hb with him. The attacking hb still had defensive duties - intercepting the opponents’ forward passes, countering an attacker, receiving the ball from his own backline. Then his duties changed to attack - passing to his inside forward or carrying it forward himself to a better position for the pass. Very rarely, pace Professor @compo, unleashing the shot himself. In your mind’s eye, draw a line back from the centre circle to the line of the penalty box. Extend the penalty box line to the touchline. That gives you two imaginary rectangles left and right, the fiefdoms in which the hbs, left and right were lords. They would be expected, however, to get involved in stramashes in their own penalty box especially the defensive chap and occasionally the attacking chap might find himself in the opponents’ box. All of this goes out the window when your hbs are Greig and Baxter.

The only thing I'd disagree with is the Right-half as a modern Right-wingback. That's just incorrect; a wingback hugs the touchline.

San Siro.

A half what? 😆

Lads d'yer reckon you could do a thread on this? It's a good read. @compoisn't far wrong in pining for ye olde game, nothings new now it's just tweaked. Case in point being the WM Hungary deployed that's so common now. Heck, teams defending in a 4-4-2 is pretty standard practice at the top level - people scoffed at that 'formation' in the late 90's for lacking imagination. As an aside to that, defending will always win you leagues which is why you've seen Arteta and Guardiola be more pragmatic in their shapes this season whilst the rest of England has just decided to wing it at the back. Our title challenge this season collapsed as soon as our defence did - if we maintained our form in defending pre Motherwell to the end we'd have pissed the league. Hopefully Clement agrees and goes back to being solid first and foremost - the game at Hampden makes me think he will. Bit of a tangent haha.

It’s not the big tree that’s for sure

I love this forum for everyone’s views on the tactics part of the game lots of interesting comments on it it’s tip-top . But I’d love to see some wingers in the Henderson and Jinky mold in our game

Sammer, Mattheus and der Kaizer were the best, Koeman up there. Baresi very much more of a stopper than a creator IMO.

You keep referring to Coatbridge, I know more than a few very staunch Bears from Coatbridge and have even been a Rangers pub there.... 😉 😀

Basically what you see today, but reversed: Man City play a 4-3-3 on paper, but in attack it morphs into a 3-2-5. What you're describing is a modern #8. Your imaginary rectangles are virtually what is called the half-space today - with the exception that it doesn't go to the touchline and leaves a central channel, too. Yet a #8 will be expected to cover those areas regardless.

Eddie Turnball would in my mind have been a good example of a half back who could tussle in and around his own penalty box then break upfield to play the killer pass or be involved in a killer one-two with a team mate but i watch lots of these modern boys and to me it looks like they are all reading a different recipe .

OK - so in your conception it's more of a 3-2-5. (How Man City line up today.) It's pretty much the same, though. I still maintain that a Half-back is the equivalent of a central midfielder - who, as you say, can go wide, but are nominally central, like a #8 today.

But where do the regista, trequarista, mezzala, libero etc come in to play?

From my East German "Picture Vocabulary" of 1957 ... The Goalkeeper The Right Back - The Left Back The Right Half - The Centre Half - The Left Half The Outside Right (or Right Winger) - The Inside Right - The Centre Forward - The Inside Left - The Outside Left (or Left Winger) ... what a sight to behold. I'd re-name them today as ... The Goalkeeper The Right Centre Half - The Left Centre Half The Right Wingback - The Defensive Midfielder - The Left Wingback The Right Winger - The Right Forward - The Centre Forward - The Left Forward - Left Winger ... and it would be totally fine for 95 % of our Scottish games.

You may not have noticed but these clubs play in the English Premier league, which is watched by millions of people all over the world. We play in a league that no foreigners (apart from Oirish people in Coatbridge) watch or are remotely interested in.

A defensive/attacking left or right midfielder. The equivalent of the central mid was one of the inside forwards nominally left or right.

Did anyone see the female walking race where the Spanish girl was celebrating her third place and bronze medal got to busy showboating and the Ukrainian girl overtook her serves her bloody right i say but it's about time these walking races were scrapped if you watch them no one adheres to the rules

You're mistaken.

You seem to have fallen into their trap, asil. A F*nian is not a Catholic or a Celtc supporter. A F*nian is someone who wants a united Ireland. The Scotland support is full of these nationalist types (Scottish and Irish nationalists share a common enemy and are much of a muchness).

All we need to sign are half backs who can take a pass from their defenders at the half way line then play the ball into space for his team mate who should have the sense to be running into and his job is easier all he has to do is return same ball to his half back who will have moved in or around the box to thump it home it's quite a simple task ,

That was then, asil, this is now. I wonder what Richard Gough or David Robertson think.

Desk top replicas might sell well.

The most "Celtic" thing ever....