Playing the gus way

[Herne Hill Seagull]

The bloke next to me spends most of the game moaning anyway, but most frequently it's "No, (insert player name here), get it forward!" He said that as a backwards pass was made moments before Sparrow's shot which James tipped over for a corner.

It's frustrating to listen to because if feels like some people still can't get their heads around the way Poyet has us playing, after two years of watching it. The fact is, it ain't going to change while he's manager. No amount of complaining about it is going to make a difference - we've all heard what he's said on this.

Edit: In response to Moshe Gariani's eloquent defence of his own frustrations with it. I genuinely don't mind watching it. I do like seeing us pass the ball, retain and recycle possession, and quickly got used to the fact that it can sometimes be ponderous and a bit overdone. That's a price I personally think is worth paying for the style of play, and for the beauty of it when it does work well. I wouldn't trade last season, for example, for anything. We've had barren years of teams working their arses off, getting the ball forward in the time-honoured Division 4 manner, and still losing every bloody week, as we bumbled along at the arse end of the entire League. So the constant passing hasn't yet, for me, got old at all.

 

[Bexhillian]

I agree with that to some extent but if we played percentage football like most teams in this league i think we'd get smashed out of sight by more physical teams

 

[dac1980]

The old saying goes...."the ball never gets tired" and this is so true, pass and move, short and simple, make the opposition work and bring them out of position to create the gaps, be patient and punish when you can.
It all becomes more difficult when the opposition camp in their half and are always happy letting you play in front of them which is when you need a bitof class to make that something happen.
Keep on playing guys.

 

[Gary Gurr]

Wasn't suggesting for one minute that we played this way all the time, just the style of game I enjoy. We have shown potential for playing this way and as Gus says we need to be patient. I thought Swansea gave a great demonstration of this type of football yesterday!

 

[Moshe Gariani]

It's frustrating to listen to because if feels like some people still can't get their heads around the way Poyet has us playing, after two years of watching it. The fact is, it ain't going to change while he's manager. No amount of complaining about it is going to make a difference - we've all heard what he's said on this.

I genuinely don't mind watching it. I do like seeing us pass the ball, retain and recycle possession, and quickly got used to the fact that it can sometimes be ponderous and a bit overdone. That's a price I personally think is worth paying for the style of play, and for the beauty of it when it does work well.

Good post. I can't disagree with the sections quoted above and it might help me move my own thinking along a bit...

I don't, however, allow the argument that says "So, would you rather we were hoofing it up to a donkey in Div 4...?" because that obviously isn't the point...

We are lucky enough to have a really good squad of players available to Gus - notably in recent times CMS, Bridcutt, Noone, Lua Lua, Calderon, Sparrow, Buckley, Hoskins, JFC, etc who are all skilful and/or pacy. I would love to watch them being used as a part of a more attacking brand...

But I agree it is not going to happen so I should just get on with enjoying the passing game.

 

[Scoffers]

It's frustrating to listen to because if feels like some people still can't get their heads around the way Poyet has us playing, after two years of watching it. The fact is, it ain't going to change while he's manager. No amount of complaining about it is going to make a difference - we've all heard what he's said on this.

We went through this at the start of Gus's reign, now we have 10,000 more supporters who weren't at Withdean who are doing the same thing!

 

[itszamora]

You're right, we're actually totally shit and haven't gone from the League One relegation zone to the middle of the Championship by passing the ball.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

I don't, however, allow the argument that says "So, would you rather we were hoofing it up to a donkey in Div 4...?" because that obviously isn't the point...

I'd hope that I wasn't implying such a simplistic defence, Moshe. It's just that those days are still sufficiently fresh in my own memory to make me much more amenable to the occasionally laborious style we see now than I might otherwise be.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Bloody love the Poyet way, possibly the best football I've ever seen us play. No one around us moaning, will only get better as young and new players get into the first team.

 

[Husty]

You're right, we're actually totally shit and haven't gone from the League One relegation zone to the middle of the Championship by passing the ball.

'passing the ball' =/= 'slick passing game' but do carry on sugartits

 

[Surf's Up]

We're all on a learning curve with the passing game, including those fans who didn't go to Withdean last year. But gradually as the season has unwound we've increased our movement off the ball and the pace at which we play the game. Its still work in progress but believe me it will get better and better.

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

I love the way we pass and move (but sometimes a bit more moving might help) but sitting in WSU with the panoramic views of the game unfolding does create its frustrations - 5000 of us can see the forward option when often the bloke with the ball can't! Against Brizzle there were several examples in the second half when a bit more vision would have seen us cut them open with ease.

I often wonder why Gus (or Charlie or Tanno if not playing) don't sit upstairs for the first half - the perspective on the game must be totally different to sitting pitch side and could have a big influence on half time team talks and tactics for the second half.

 

[Danny-Boy]

The passing sequence immediately before Calde's goal was good to watch in that it went on for so long and eventually made it forward... the net result was the opportunity for our fullback to take a potshot attempt on goal as we hadn't managed one in the previous 15 minutes...

The football before the goal was definitely not "great" unless you are using some esoteric technical criteria with which I am unfamiliar. A large and bouyant Amex crowd had been rendered almost mute by the preceding action.

I don't want to get into a position where I am the one doing the slagging off. My simple point of view is that the exaggerated possession football which is our "identity" is often not very exciting to watch.

All very disloyal and blasphemous I know but an honestly held opinion with some basis in fact.

A "potshot" indeed, I think if the Albion player forward hadn't dummied (or maybe he didn't but couldn't reach) to deflect the ball, James might have been able to push it over the top. He just had to wait that split second to see if he had to cover the other side of the goal.

Not a wonder goal IMHO.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I love the way we pass and move (but sometimes a bit more moving might help) but sitting in WSU with the panoramic views of the game unfolding does create its frustrations - 5000 of us can see the forward option when often the bloke with the ball can't! Against Brizzle there were several examples in the second half when a bit more vision would have seen us cut them open with ease.

I often wonder why Gus (or Charlie or Tanno if not playing) don't sit upstairs for the first half - the perspective on the game must be totally different to sitting pitch side and could have a big influence on half time team talks and tactics for the second half.

Agree with this. Slightly hypocritically (!) I actually said loudly on Saturday, for the benefit of a moaner near me, that "it is very easy to see the passes from up here"...

The match analysis video footage that Gus and Tanno look at after the game has the tactical viewpoint. I guess they don't see value in trying to change things on the hoof (no pun intended..).

 

[HH Brighton]

Bloke on WSU block H about 7 rows from the front was constantly shouting out 'get it forward' on Saturday. Had noticed him before shouting out but he was a pain in the arse on Saturday. Turned round and gave him a dirty look but he wouldn't make eye contact.

 

[We're the Stripes]

Gus' supposed 'stubbornness' will only benefit us in the long run. We are still a of year or two away from where we want to be, in terms of building a squad strong enough to successfully carry out our passing game on a consistent basis. Yet at the same time we are lightyears ahead of most in that our coaching staff (including Luke Williams) realise the direction in which the game is headed - and stand by those beliefs. I think that is where some fans appreciate what is happening at this club, and others do not.

 

[WATFORD zero]

These defence splitting passes that are obvious for everyone to see are probably the same 3 or 4 passes that you see the pundits drooling over on MOD every Saturday night. It may have escaped your notice that it takes 15 hours of premiership football to come up with those each week, yet it seems that we miss those sort of 'opportunities' by the hatful.

We have now been playing good football for 18 months. It is getting better and we are getting quicker, but it takes time.

 

[Dave the OAP]

my only critism i have, and i wasnt there saturday so I don't know if it happened, but I get frustrated when we pass around the back and then into midfield, and although CMS and the wingers are looking to push up, we take an age to pick someoen out ( more than not passing it back). I know its churlish and only looking for something to moan about, but that is how I see it sometimes. Apart from that teh days of hoof it up have long gone.

 

[BBassic]

We should thank our lucky stars that we don't support Swansea, who have made the sixth highest number of passes in EUROPE this season.

Apart from two promotions in three years and being mid table in the Premiership, they have achieved NOTHING by ignoring route one football.

Spot on.

 

[Mendoza]

This is my latest blog, inspired by this thread

Style over substance? | FanZone | Blogs | Championship | Brighton | Brett