Educating people to the way we play

[Rookie]

When Gus first came in and at some early stages last season we had the 'get if forward' or 'stop wasting time' etc etc but they quickly disappeared when people realised it was working. Noticed last night that around me in the WSL had quite a few of the shouts returning which pissed me off.

So how do we educate those who maybe didn't come to the Withdean and have not seen the way we play that this is our style and we keep the ball and its not time wasting.

 

[Commander]

I heard this in the North as well last night. We played about 4 passes around the back, created some space to push forward and the guy behind me shouted "What are we doing, get rid of it!". Idiot.

 

[The Oldman]

Same in WSL. Non STH around me not appreciating our style of play. "Get rid of it" was the favourite and as for daring to pass the ball more than 2 times, well!
Having said that we are not playing the passing game as well as we did last season. Maybe early in the season or new players bedding in.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

My new friend Dave next to me in WSL does not like all this "messing around at the back". I told him that if he doesn't understand it and get used to the idea of retaining possession and looking for spaces, he'll have a bloody long season.

It isn't as slick as last year yet - but it will be. And I've already noticed some small variations and a willingness to dink the ball over the defensive line from midfield. Think we'll do well - and the "pro-hoof it forward" merchants will comne into line.

 

[Gritt23]

I think we will get a LOT of this through the season. What quietened it down last season was that we were winning handsomely, and we top of the table. You look pretty stupid slating a style of play when it's so successful, but this year we will be losing more games than last season, and that will bring impatience and people wanting us to resort to just LUMPIN' it forward.

Sad but true.

 

[scamander]

Must admit I was pretty surprised to hear the long-ball advocates sat near me. Brighton were playing a neat passing game that looked to draw the Gills in narrow so they could hit the space made out wide. This worked really well in the first half - the Gills midfield were drawn to the ball on one side and then space was created on the opposite flank which was exploited with a quick switching ball and attack. Had the Gills in all sorts of trouble. The full back (Fuller) was really exposed by this and both wingers were having Xmas when up against him.

Contrast that with the hoofball that Gills were using, it gave the ball straight back to Brighton each time. Unfortunately the vestiges of the 'English way' still survive which sees utter panic if the ball stays on the floor for more than three passes.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Thers no way i am gong to complain if the team play the way gus asks them too...however there r times wen a team do need to hoof it forward ..and last night there wer a number of times wen i believe we shud hav moved it forward more..opposition teams know the way we play...and u cud c they wer pressing dunk/greer et al and by not moving it forward we were creating problems fro ourselves....also u cud c the runs buckley/noone were making ..(on saturday MS) ..tht just werent being utilised by players not looking to move the ball quicker.....but like i say no way am i going to criticise the team and shout at them

 

[LamieRobertson]

OT ..did u notice how when gills had a goal kick everyone bunched up on one side of the field..looked really weird

 

[beorhthelm]

i do worry sometimes that the pass at all costs mentality means players dont put the ball out when required. in the Spurs game Brezovan was caught out by a poor back pass then compounded with a poor pass back... sometimes row Z is the best option. when teams press us hard, in numbers and deep in our half, we can look prone to errors that will cost us.

what im saying is, even though i understand the style, i feel nervous about it sometimes and mutter "get rid of it" a few times.

 

[Randsta]

Sometimes its good to mix it up the odd long ball never hurt and it will take teams by surprise!

 

[DanielT]

heard some behind me on Saturday saying similar things. i explained at the top of my voice "that's how we won the league!" - at least the JCLs are letting us know where they are!

 

[scamander]

the problem is that with this style it's easy to identify when it doesn't work (i.e. a player mispasses at the back) but you don't get the contrasting example of a fail when the ball is needlessly pumped forward and this starts a move where a goal is conceded.

I don't know how Barnes normally plays, but he doesn't seem a target man and your more creative players are the wide ones which makes it very difficult to link them up if you play it long to a lone forward.

 

[NMH]

I look forward very much to the return of Adam el-Abd, to bring some sensibility and trustworthiness to our defense again.

From what I've see so far, we lose formation easily at the back and in the middle too, and get into close situations what can lose us the ball quickly.

Up front there's a bit of ball-hogging, and the old crosses-straight-to-keepers like that bloody Currie used to serve up all the time.
Last night on the left, our player chose to get closer in and ended up dumping it into the side netting.... with two spare unmarked men at the far post to chip to for almost certainly higher chance of goalscoring.

We are often wasteful with our possession - and this league will find us out way more than the last one could. We will get pressured to let go of possession, and get caught going forward on this pitch..... just as we can also do that do opposing teams too. Maybe early days to say because Gus hasn't settled on a consistent team yet.

 

[Seaber]

I like the way we started to play the occasional long ball, to mix things up, but we played it far too often last night. How anyone could prefer to watch hoofball to football is anyone's guess.

 

[Scampi]

I was pleasantly surprised by the complete lack of anyone near me (east stand) calling for the defence to hoof it forward.

 

[Rich Suvner]

Brighton were playing a neat passing game

Last night our passing play was quite wasteful and dangerous.

If we give possession away at the back like we did several times in the first half particularly, we will be punished in the Championship.

I'm all in favour of Gus's approach to the game. But, as others have noted we seem rusty at the moment, and I feel our passing play in the last two games (early days admitedly) has been a little too reserved and at times dangerous. I'm not advocating anything other than keeping the ball on the floor, but we've looked our most dangerous and exciting this season when people have taken a more positive approach to our play (e.g. Noone and Buckley)

 

[Rich Suvner]

We desperately need someone more creative to play in the middle ahead of Bridcutt - currently we're a little obvious in our approach which is down the wings or nothing at all. CMS, for one, will benefit from somebody splitting the defence with useful through balls.

 

[Commander]

however there r times wen a team do need to hoof it forward

I keep hearing this and I don't understand it. When are these times? How often do you see Brazil hoof it? What about Spain? Barcelona? Do they ever hoof it? This is why we cant win the World Cup, this mentality in the English game.

 

[NMH]

I keep hearing this and I don't understand it. When are these times? How often do you see Brazil hoof it? What about Spain? Barcelona? Do they ever hoof it? This is why we cant win the World Cup, this mentality in the English game.

Yes, but the nail in our last World Cup coffin was a ball from the goallie that soared all the way over our players to a German who made it look like candy from a baby to put it joyfully in our stupid fuckwit net. Useless England rubbish that will never ever again threaten to go any closer to a trophy than Tunisia.
Of course, we are unlikely to ever come across sides as pathetic as England in the Championship, mind.

 

[Hotchilidog]

We desperately need someone more creative to play in the middle ahead of Bridcutt - currently we're a little obvious in our approach which is down the wings or nothing at all. CMS, for one, will benefit from somebody splitting the defence with useful through balls.

There did appear to be a Bennett shaped hole in the midfield last night. This possibly explains the renewed interest in Ryan Harley.