Long ball V passing game

[Life After Bobby]

What I want to see when we have a team defending high is some fast passing up to Harley, or Noone, to slip the ball in behind the defence to CMS to run onto. I'm sure that's where a lot of his goals came from at Peterborough with Boyd playing him in. They were not a team hitting it long to a big forward. McLean is strong, but hardly a target man for teh long ball.

Absolutely, and it appears from the 442 piece that this is what Gus wants us to do. Sometimes we just don't pass it around fast enough. This doesn't have to be forward passing - since part of the purpose is to look for and create gaps in the opposing team by pulling them around. But it does require other players getting into good positions to receive the ball. If you look at Spain, for instance, whoever's on the ball will usually have at least two players who are ready to receive the ball from pretty straightforward short passes and once the pass is made the receiver will, very quickly, also have a couple of options.

 

[Gritt23]

Absolutely, and it appears from the 442 piece that this is what Gus wants us to do. Sometimes we just don't pass it around fast enough. This doesn't have to be forward passing - since part of the purpose is to look for and create gaps in the opposing team by pulling them around. But it does require other players getting into good positions to receive the ball. If you look at Spain, for instance, whoever's on the ball will usually have at least two players who are ready to receive the ball from pretty straightforward short passes and once the pass is made the receiver will, very quickly, also have a couple of options.

Exactly. Our style of play doesn't get "found out" as you go higher up the Leagues, it just needs to be done at a faster and faster pace.

 

[Rugrat]

I thought we played quite a few long balls yesterday.

Yes I agree and got us going a few times too. Coventry defo had their front men covering our back men so maybe a question of no choice. Arsenal get mentioned a lot as similar style but I (had to) see them a lot last season and the big difference is the control they had in MF .. quickly out of defence into MF and moved on from there ... this (CMF) is where we're missing a beat. Can't deny an as much as I think he isn't up to it Harley performed better Saturday but I can't help think that if we're expecting everything to go through him it then we'll have a long wait and will continue to pass it around the back or speculatively punt up looking for Paynter to release CMS which was another thing being tried Saturday without too much success

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

What I want to see when we have a team defending high is some fast passing up to Harley, or Noone, to slip the ball in behind the defence to CMS to run onto. I'm sure that's where a lot of his goals came from at Peterborough with Boyd playing him in. They were not a team hitting it long to a big forward. McLean is strong, but hardly a target man for teh long ball.

Definately this
I was trying to get this over with the OP. Trouble is our current midfield is not quick enough, this was how Peterborough and CMS scored so many goals last season.
Really wish we had signed Boyd as well as CMS.
Maybe in January, live in hope.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Dean Wilkins was one of the BEST LONG PASSERS of the ball ever to wear the stripes FACT.

That is NOT hoofing. Who remembers those lovely fast balls about an inch off the ground FIZZING their way to Barham and Walker

Herendethelesson.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Exactly. Our style of play doesn't get "found out" as you go higher up the Leagues, it just needs to be done at a faster and faster pace.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I think you mainly need more technically adept players who can receive the ball in tighter and tighter situations i.e. enable more options and have the ability to use these options. Spain do not seem to worry if a team mate has a player breathing down his neck..they will try the pass and not loose possession.

 

[fly high]

We're certainly not doing the long diagonal ball out to the wing - I sit in WSU and can clearly see the opportunity to pass it diagonally to a player in acres of space, usually on the left wing, and the pass never comes - and this has been the case pretty much all season.

It's not just WSU you can see these opportunitles, as you say 'player in acres of space, usually on the left wing' begging for the ball, can see it clearly even from low down in NS

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's not just WSU you can see these opportunitles, as you say 'player in acres of space, usually on the left wing' begging for the ball, can see it clearly even from low down in NS

Indeed. From the North Stand it was easy to see Coventry's no. 31 Cyrus Christie, a defender, consistently left in acres of space on the right wing on Saturday.

 

[Gritt23]

I'm not sure I agree with this. I think you mainly need more technically adept players who can receive the ball in tighter and tighter situations i.e. enable more options and have the ability to use these options. Spain do not seem to worry if a team mate has a player breathing down his neck..they will try the pass and not loose possession.

It goes together though doesn't it? If you play a passing style of possession footvball, then to try and do it quicker and quicker, you need increasingly "technically gifted" players. Spain are the extreme, and the playing of a fast pass to a teammate who appears to be marked is incredible, but to take a less stratospheric example, look at Arsenal. That is a passing style, similar to ours, but done at a faster pace.

All I'm saying is that we don't need to view our style as "found out" just because some teams can stop it. I say, we stick with this style of play, but just improve the side so that we can play it at a higher tempo.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

We are TOO SLOW which gives the opp time to regroup. So yes, not so much found out as need to be QUICKER.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

CMS will certainly be feeling frustrated at doing all the work for recent goals only to see somebody else's name appear on the scoresheet; I'm thinking Harley v Barnsley and Keogh (o.g) yesterday. Poor bugger runs himself into the ground for precious little reward stats-wise.

He should have finished the OG opportunity himself though - wouldn't you expect a £2.5m striker to do this when one-on-one in that situation? I broadly agree that he gets too little service, but when he has had the chances his finishing has't been up to srcatch.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It goes together though doesn't it? If you play a passing style of possession footvball, then to try and do it quicker and quicker, you need increasingly "technically gifted" players. Spain are the extreme, and the playing of a fast pass to a teammate who appears to be marked is incredible, but to take a less stratospheric example, look at Arsenal. That is a passing style, similar to ours, but done at a faster pace.

All I'm saying is that we don't need to view our style as "found out" just because some teams can stop it. I say, we stick with this style of play, but just improve the side so that we can play it at a higher tempo.

I'm totally with you on the idea that it's not our style that has been found out. And I agree our passing needs to be smarter, crisper and faster but it does not need to be much faster. Spain, IMHO, do not play very fast. It's more down to movement and ability to receive and keep the ball in almost any situation. To a degree I think English football supporters are programmed to think that if something does not work it needs to be done faster i.e. plan b is plan a with more urgency. Slightly faster maybe, but also we need to be smarter and technically better.