Monk _ I've just realised you were talking about Ian Pearce when I thought you were talking about Stuart.

And your memory is dodgy as Rio was always part of the back 3, the crucial part of that back 3, throughout the whole time we played it (apart from the last 5 months of it's existence, the 5 months after he was sold).

Zarate played as the 2nd striker today, in a 4-4-2, different role from Nolan's role in the 4-5-1 (the main difference that Carlton wasn't so isolated)

Never been a fan of the 'in the hole' expression. British journalists first started using it to describe the Number 10/ Enganche/ Triquartista role in foreign teams because we didn't have a name for that position because the position didn't exist in English football, but now it seems to have got confused as term for the deeper 2nd strikers. Back in the day, nobody said Dalglish, Beardsley, Pop Robson, Goddard, McAvennie, Cantona, Sheringham were 'playing in the hole' - they were simply strikers, the 2nd striker who came a bit deeper and operated off a main striker withi n a 4-4-2 - that's the role Zarate was playing today.

Last Edited By: Clack Aug 24 14 2:40 AM. Edited 1 times.