Mackail-Smith Positioning

[Dalos]

Does anyone else think Mackai-Smith fails to get into the "correct" positions when we do on the odd occasions play ball into the box.

Ive noticied over the past 5-6 gmes, some good quality balls either from Lua Lua, Buckley, Vicente etc that are just begging someone to be attacking it around the near post area on the 6 yard line ie getting accross the defender

CMS also seems to be haning about the back post waiting for a world class ball. Surely Gus should be saying to him, just hit the 6 yard box every time. If the ball fails to get there, then fine but the point is the ball is getting there and the only guy who ever gets on the end of them is Barnes. I think CMS could more service definetly, but he gets more service than is made out.

 

[kano]

oops!

 

[kano]

OK ill bite.

Ill counter this with me frequently noticing CMS pointing into a gap between defenders, having to check and hold his run and ultimately having to find a new position after the chance to play him in passes by.

Sometimes hes in the right place and the ball isnt, sometimes the ball is there and hes not. Give it time

 

[brightn'ove]

is this groundhog day?

 

[brunswick]

he has no calm vision as running around at 100mph.....shame. i am not entirely sure we should keep him - great player is the right side that play thro balls and square /diagonal balls to run onto.

we are a ball to feet type team - not his game. this is fact for the "i love cms" people. love does not really come into it, it is about footballing matters.

 

[Dalos]

he has no calm vision as running around at 100mph.....shame. i am not entirely sure we should keep him - great player is the right side that play thro balls and square /diagonal balls to run onto.

we are a ball to feet type team - not his game. this is fact for the "i love cms" people. love does not really come into it, it is about footballing matters.

I agree we do not suit his style, but he still should be attacking the low balls played ino the box a lot better. I dont think it will be any better next season either, which is a shame as would be amazing for him to turn it around.

Just cant see it though, although the CMS brigade who are blinded by the fact he has done very little but still the last player to clap the crowd will disagree.

 

[Easy 10]

Does anyone else think Mackai-Smith fails to get into the "correct" positions when we do on the odd occasions play ball into the box.

Ive noticied over the past 5-6 gmes, some good quality balls either from Lua Lua, Buckley, Vicente etc that are just begging someone to be attacking it around the near post area on the 6 yard line ie getting accross the defender

CMS also seems to be haning about the back post waiting for a world class ball. Surely Gus should be saying to him, just hit the 6 yard box every time. If the ball fails to get there, then fine but the point is the ball is getting there and the only guy who ever gets on the end of them is Barnes. I think CMS could more service definetly, but he gets more service than is made out.

Agreed.

A PRIME example of this happened in the 1st half on Saturday when Buckley got to the byline and pulled it back. Had CMS been alive and actually attacking the near post (where he was), he'd have had a tap-in. Instead he was on his heels standing in the area waiting for the ball to arrive at his feet. He's not making the moves, and he's not getting across his marker.

Not just in the area though, his all-round sharpness seems to have gone. There was another attack in the 2nd half when we were pinging the ball around on the edge of their box. CMS had his back to goal, when the short pass was played to him, once again he wasn't ready for it, the defender got a foot in, and that was the end of the move.

His radar seems to be very much "off" as well with much of his passing when we're in good positions.

Despite all this I still rate the guy and hope we don't dispense of him in the summer. His attitude is first class but his confidence must be rock-bottom. Lets see him back fresh and invigorated, a couple of early goals next season will do him the world of good.

 

[Dalos]

Agreed.

A PRIME example of this happened in the 1st half on Saturday when Buckley got to the byline and pulled it back. Had CMS been alive and actually attacking the near post (where he was), he'd have had a tap-in. Instead he was on his heels standing in the area waiting for the ball to arrive at his feet. He's not making the moves, and he's not getting across his marker.

Not just in the area though, his all-round sharpness seems to have gone. There was another attack in the 2nd half when we were pinging the ball around on the edge of their box. CMS had his back to goal, when the short pass was played to him, once again he wasn't ready for it, the defender got a foot in, and that was the end of the move.

His radar seems to be very much "off" as well with much of his passing when we're in good positions.

Despite all this I still rate the guy and hope we don't dispense of him in the summer. His attitude is first class but his confidence must be rock-bottom. Lets see him back fresh and invigorated, a couple of early goals next season will do him the world of good.

Would love that to happen. Maybe a specialist striker coach would be a solution. Lets face it, Gus is a great coach but was a midfielder as was Charlie and Tanno a defender. CMS could probably really benifit from some targeted coaching on things like movement in the box etc

 

[Hotchilidog]

To be fair I think even Craig feels this may be an issue, which is why he said is going to spend some of his summer reviewing the game-film to see if he can make an adjustments to his play. I expect he will be massively improved next season.

 

[Biscuit]

I think his positioning is very good actually. I wouldn't say that's the reason he hasn't performed the way we know he's capable of. I think that comes down to the shape of our midfield and the type of service he's used to.

 

[Easy 10]

Would love that to happen. Maybe a specialist striker coach would be a solution. Lets face it, Gus is a great coach but was a midfielder as was Charlie and Tanno a defender. CMS could probably really benifit from some targeted coaching on things like movement in the box etc

He was the top scorer in England last season, so this isn't really something we should be expecting him to pick up and learn this summer to be honest, certainly not at his age. He should be in his prime.

Defenders in this league are FAR more athletic and smarter than most of the cloggers in L1, and thats something CMS has failed to adjust to so far. I'm hopeful he can address this, but if not, then we should be looking at some ex-Premier League strikers if we are at all serious about making a push next season.

 

[grubbyhands]

Is he our equivalent of Torres? Brilliant at previous club but doesn't (as yet) seem to fit in with our different style of play? Really hope he "cuts the mustard" and does it for us next season.

 

[Marshy]

This is the problem with playing 1 up front...

If he makes the near post runs you can guarantee it gets lifted to the back stick or vice versa..... again its a no win situation for him.

Sadly people will see that as making the wrong run, I see it as just plain bad luck !

 

[ROSM]

Actually in some reas his positioning has been excellent. How else do you think that Barnes got the space for the pull back on Saturday? CMS moves and takes two defenders with him which leaves Barnes available for the pull back.

This has been happening since day 1 - Buckley's late goa is created by Noone's trickery and ball through by which time CMS has dragged the defender into the middle. Against Portsmouth at home again.

Defenders go with him and his movement is what causes defences to lose shape.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Is he our equivalent of Torres? Brilliant at previous club but doesn't (as yet) seem to fit in with our different style of play? Really hope he "cuts the mustard" and does it for us next season.

Torres was scoring goals consistently for 5 seasons in La Liga, then 3 premiership seasons prior to going to Chelsea and struggling. CMS has only had 1 previous season in the Championship, got 10 league goals and was relegated.

From 3 seasons in the conference, 2 in L2, 2 in L1 and 2 in the championship, he has only ever got more than 15 league goals in a season twice.

He'd be the equivalent of our Torres if he'd smashed 20 goals a season in the Championship for the past 8 years. As it is, he is playing in probably the best team of his career, and he is being asked to play the best football of his career. The long and the short of it is he has to improve to stay in this side.

All the threads and talk about style's of play, new players to support him etc. are largely irrelevant to the fundamental fact he needs to improve.

I sincerely hope he does, he is a fantastic individual, and I hope it really does work for him.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Sadly people will see that as making the wrong run, I see it as just plain bad luck !

It's the dark art of being a striker! It is an unteachable quality to have a natural instinct for whether that ball will be near or far post. Confident quality strikers have a sixth sense for how all the players around them are moving and the best space to attack. Some, but not all of it is down to luck, a lot of it is plain old instinct.

 

[Easy 10]

Maybe CMS could get hold of Blackpools DVD of season 2011-12 and watch Kevin Phillips.

Over and over
Again and again

 

[drew]

Actually in some reas his positioning has been excellent. How else do you think that Barnes got the space for the pull back on Saturday? CMS moves and takes two defenders with him which leaves Barnes available for the pull back.

This has been happening since day 1 - Buckley's late goa is created by Noone's trickery and ball through by which time CMS has dragged the defender into the middle. Against Portsmouth at home again.

Defenders go with him and his movement is what causes defences to lose shape.

Think you need to look at the video again. Cms doesn't pull two defenders with him and credit to Barnes because he doesn't commit to the run too soon. Did the same a few weeks back when Vicente pulled the ball back and he scored.

As for CMS, he has been unlucky because our midfield, Vicente excepted, aren't quick enough and therefore miss his runs. However, i would criticize him for one move on Saturday when Vicente had the ball in the inside left position and was steaming forward and CMS ran from the right to the left. That drew the defenders with him but as Vincente is very much left footed, that took everyone into the area he needed to go to shoot! Had CMS pulled the defenders even further right that would have created more room for Vicente.

 

[4-p]

Part of the problem from both CMS & Barnes was their eagerness to score simply dragged then towards the goal as soon as we won possession. School boy error really. By the time someone was ready to play the ball, Macca was on the 18 yard line.
The idea is to hold their back 4 high so you have room to run into at the right time, which in fact Macca did well at on Saturday, just not well enough.
Ideally he'd hold them high get the ball, back to goal, knock it to a player facing their goal and spin off into a channel.
That would also require a centre midfielder to pay an early ball. we do have a habit of playing it square a lot in the middle, especially Bridders. It's Greer who seemed to hit the ball down the channels the most, he is the Frank leboeuf of the Championship after all.

 

[perseus]

Navarro to Macca v Sunderland.

I thought Painter made the most unproductive crosses, deeper than the channels though. Far post from deep. The success rate was low.