Motd

[ferring seagull]

Shearer and Hansen were looking at Liverpool and showing Allen alongside Gerrard and the issue of passing the ball sideways or alternatively looking for the incisive pass forward.

There was a certain resonance to our situation last season.

Did anyone else see it ?

 

[5mins-from-amex]

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

 

[beorhthelm]

yes, and the comment from Hansen was bang on - look for the forward pass then the side pass to retain posession.

if you go sideways you allow the opposition to press you further up the pitch and if you make a mistake its dangerous. go forward and, while they can still press, they have to consider their own defense more.

 

[ferring seagull]

yes, and the comment from Hansen was bang on - look for the forward pass then the side pass to retain posession.

if you go sideways you allow the opposition to press you further up the pitch and if you make a mistake its dangerous. go forward and, while they can still press, they have to consider their own defense more.

Thanks Beo., that's is exactly what I was referring to !

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I was having this discussion with my dad, a Liverpool fan from the day but a Brighton enthusiast now, and my point was that they didn't understand what Rodgers is trying to do, or why. Maybe Gerrard doesn't get it either. It isn't about being boring or safe, it is a style of football which requires patience, intelligence and clever passing coupled with clever movement. Get it right and you pick holes in your opponents, especially when they are defending with as many numbers as Sunderland were. What it proved for me was that our football philosophy in thid country is still to play "percentages", and play what Gus refers to as 50/50. MOTD missed thr concept completely, especially Shearer who once again showed how old fashioned his approach is. Best stay on the couch there Big Al, leave management to the forward thinking.

Whilst on the subject of MOTD, I thought the Odemwingie interview they showed was bizarre. He didn't apologise, he didn't show remorse and he didn't come across as being respectful for the fact he dumped his teammates in a whole heap or bother. So for the panel to commend him was baffling to me.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Hansen on 40k an episode. Get him out and spend our license fee on something better while bringing in a real pundit on less money.

 

[The Buttery Biscuit Base]

I was having this discussion with my dad, a Liverpool fan from the day but a Brighton enthusiast now, and my point was that they didn't understand what Rodgers is trying to do, or why. Maybe Gerrard doesn't get it either. It isn't about being boring or safe, it is a style of football which requires patience, intelligence and clever passing coupled with clever movement. Get it right and you pick holes in your opponents, especially when they are defending with as many numbers as Sunderland were. What it proved for me was that our football philosophy in thid country is still to play "percentages", and play what Gus refers to as 50/50. MOTD missed thr concept completely, especially Shearer who once again showed how old fashioned his approach is. Best stay on the couch there Big Al, leave management to the forward thinking.

Whilst on the subject of MOTD, I thought the Odemwingie interview they showed was bizarre. He didn't apologise, he didn't show remorse and he didn't come across as being respectful for the fact he dumped his teammates in a whole heap or bother. So for the panel to commend him was baffling to me.

Spot on. Funnily enough I was having a chat with my dad about it.

Its about controlling games, always having the upper hand. Making the opposition chase the game and wear them out following the ball.
Alan Shearer saying that players should have been feeding the ball forward was silly, the players who were off the ball should have been moving better, finding positions so that easier passes can be made. The problem with Liverpool is that the players off the ball aren't being intelligent about the runs and movements they SHOULD be making. I think, I could be wrong, but 70% of the battle with Swansea's and our style is off the ball movement.

Essentially I'm saying Shearer should shut up and never go back into management...

 

[Jim Van Winkle]

Essentially I'm saying Shearer should shut up and never go back into management

He is favourite for the Southampton job when Adkins gets the boot next week. He has another relegation in him.

 

[SeagullSongs]

I thought it was pretty cheap.
Allen made over 100 successful passes in the match (so I've heard) so it's pretty easy for them to pick out a few 'negative' or non-adventurous passes to make a montage of.

 

[W.C.]

I will occasionally listen to what Hansen has to say on football tactics.

Shearer?? hahahahaha

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

It took a long while for Poyet to get across to our fans what he was trying to do. I would wager it is harder to get that style in at Liverpool where the spotlight is much brighter, but if he does they will benefit from it.

 

[Beach Hut]

I watched that bit and it really did prove how out of touch Shearer and Hansen are with the modern game, now had that been Sky Sports you would have been treated to a very comprehensive explanation from Neville.

 

[beorhthelm]

I watched that bit and it really did prove how out of touch Shearer and Hansen are with the modern game, now had that been Sky Sports you would have been treated to a very comprehensive explanation from Neville.

out of touch? because they advocate playing the ball forward rather than sideways or backwards? in general you cant score if you dont move up the pitch. you still give priority to retaining the ball but look for the forward movement first, that was the point. this is how Barca, Germany etc play, so i dont see whats out of touch about it. teams will happily sit off you and let you pass it round the back and rest themselves if they know thats all you're going to do with the ball.

 

[drew]

Think people need to differentiate between passing the ball forward and playing a long ball. I agree that the first option you should look for is a forward pass and I suspect that is exactly what GP wants. That can in many cases just be a 5 or 10 yrd pass. Second option should be sideways and third passing it backwards. What is important is speed of thought and movement from the rest of the team. If no one ahead of you has been able to get into space, pass sideways or backwards.

As for Hansen, I get fed up with their analysis. In the Arsenal game, for Gervinho's first goal, they highlighted in red the area and said that it was waiting for someone to run into that gap. Well, there is always a gap between the last defender and the goalkeeper that you could shade in. It would have been there in every game yesterday and in every game when Hansen played. The alternative is that when ever your team lose the ball, the defenders run back to the goal line!!!! Of course, that does mean the strikers will all be playing higher up the pitch but I'm sure Hansen has an answer for that. In yesterdays game, Gervinho broke through because the defender in front of him made the mistake of heading for the ball rather than sticking with the player!!!! It's very easy to stop the action when it suits and stick in a shaded box! I would love to see in depth analysis of many of the games that Hansen played in.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Hansen just sticks up for his mate Gerrard though. How often does Gerrard give the ball away by attempting one of his infamous long curling Hollywood passes that go straight out of play or to the opposition? It's been the curse of his England career.

Hansen took five of six of Allen's passes out of the hundred or so he made and created a montage to criticise him with, then used two of Gerrard's several dozen to illustrate his own theory. Sorry Alan, but that's bullshit. If Liverpool knew how to keep the ball, rather than lumping it forward, then they wouldn't be so shit. He probably thinks Barcelona need to twat it a bit more.

Shearer spent his entire career chasing hoofed clearances from the likes of Colin Hendry so what would he know?

How times have changed when we find ourselves getting frustrated at the dated attitudes of top level (ha!) pundits while looking favourably on the Albion's style of play.

 

[Del Boy]

I thought it was pretty cheap.
Allen made over 100 successful passes in the match (so I've heard) so it's pretty easy for them to pick out a few 'negative' or non-adventurous passes to make a montage of.

This, the same could be done with Xavi every week.

 

[New Carpet?]

ITV, piss poor as they are, pulled off a bit of a coup landing Lee Dixon in the summer.

I have no idea why the Beeb have such a dedication to Alan Shearer - consistently poor analysis and last night's discussion about Brendan Rodgers's style reiterated how much of a closed-minded football philosophy he has.

At least it's not Mark Bright sat on the MOTD sofa I suppose.

 

[stss30]

Hansen just sticks up for his mate Gerrard though. How often does Gerrard give the ball away by attempting one of his infamous long curling Hollywood passes that go straight out of play or to the opposition? It's been the curse of his England career.

Hansen took five of six of Allen's passes out of the hundred or so he made and created a montage to criticise him with, then used two of Gerrard's several dozen to illustrate his own theory. Sorry Alan, but that's bullshit. If Liverpool knew how to keep the ball, rather than lumping it forward, then they wouldn't be so shit. He probably thinks Barcelona need to twat it a bit more.

Shearer spent his entire career chasing hoofed clearances from the likes of Colin Hendry so what would he know?

How times have changed when we find ourselves getting frustrated at the dated attitudes of top level (ha!) pundits while looking favourably on the Albion's style of play.

In the past few years, Gerrard has been by far the best England performer in my view.

 

[beorhthelm]

Think people need to differentiate between passing the ball forward and playing a long ball. I agree that the first option you should look for is a forward pass and I suspect that is exactly what GP wants. That can in many cases just be a 5 or 10 yrd pass. Second option should be sideways and third passing it backwards. What is important is speed of thought and movement from the rest of the team. If no one ahead of you has been able to get into space, pass sideways or backwards.

which was the point they, at least Hansen, was trying to make.

Hansen took five of six of Allen's passes out of the hundred or so he made and created a montage to criticise him with, then used two of Gerrard's several dozen to illustrate his own theory. Sorry Alan, but that's bullshit. If Liverpool knew how to keep the ball, rather than lumping it forward, then they wouldn't be so shit. He probably thinks Barcelona need to twat it a bit more.

thats just it, Barca look to pass forward all the time, with players moving forward to make themselves available. this crabbing thing is more an Italian or South American style, and its alot slower that the Barca pace of game.

Barca is a bit of a special case though and no one else really plays like them (even the Spainish national). really we should be comparing and contrasting with the Germans, who've adopted our directness with the technical passing. remember, direct doesnt mean long ball.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Hansen just sticks up for his mate Gerrard though. How often does Gerrard give the ball away by attempting one of his infamous long curling Hollywood passes that go straight out of play or to the opposition? It's been the curse of his England career.

Hansen took five of six of Allen's passes out of the hundred or so he made and created a montage to criticise him with, then used two of Gerrard's several dozen to illustrate his own theory. Sorry Alan, but that's bullshit. If Liverpool knew how to keep the ball, rather than lumping it forward, then they wouldn't be so shit. He probably thinks Barcelona need to twat it a bit more.

Shearer spent his entire career chasing hoofed clearances from the likes of Colin Hendry so what would he know?

How times have changed when we find ourselves getting frustrated at the dated attitudes of top level (ha!) pundits while looking favourably on the Albion's style of play.

Absolutely spot on, and even threw in a HA, which I of course read in the voice of Edna Krabappel...

To everyone who is talking about only passing backwards/negative etc, if you retain the ball you can work your way forward in a controlled and effective way. Just because there's no forward pass immediately available, doesn't mean you won't get forward. How many times do we see Bridcutt pick up the ball in the middle with someone around him, so he'll knock it backwards to Greer so he can play it forward to Bruno/Bridge or whoever else. Would you prefer Bridcutt to try a low percentage ball forward just for the sake of not playing it backwards, or would you prefer to keep the ball and work it forward with control?