[Albion] Supporter frustration!!!

[Mikey19]

Why was Verbruggen so annoyingly slow at passing or kicking the ball out? It's not as if we were winning the game and running the clock down. Really frustrating for supporters. Release the ball quicker and stop fannying around in the defensive third. Gives opposition so much time to regroup..

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

It's another example of fans having very limited understanding of modern football tactics, and what the players are actually trying to do. The people next to me kept saying "he is wasting our time" when he was holding on to it, waiting for the right movement in front of him to play the ball and start the attack. It's like our fans haven't learnt anything in the last few years. It's unbelievable really.

I think they have, but it did seem that he missed his chance to clip it over the press on several occasions, and we’d be 4 on 4.

It is not always necessary to work it short, and if we do ‘clip it’ several times, it will create space to work it short.

 

[raymondo]

Why was Verbruggen so annoyingly slow at passing or kicking the ball out? It's not as if we were winning the game and running the clock down. Really frustrating for supporters. Release the ball quicker and stop fannying around in the defensive third. Gives opposition so much time to regroup..

I think it's because he's uncomfortable with this style of play... so he puts off as long as possible the choice he makes... it's not intuitive for him.

 

[Hastings gull]

It's another example of fans having very limited understanding of modern football tactics, and what the players are actually trying to do. The people next to me kept saying "he is wasting our time" when he was holding on to it, as if one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers in Europe is genuinely just standing there unsure what to do, rather than waiting for the right movement in front of him to play the ball and start the attack as they have been training all week / season to do.

It's like our fans haven't learnt anything in the last few years. It's unbelievable really.

But precisely because he was waiting and thus giving the defenders all the time in the world to regroup, there was no free movement, as the man to man marking made that so hard.

 

[goldstone]

Well we now have the opening question for the Fans Forum, replacing the why don;t we leave players upfield on corner

good question. And why don't we? Surely Enciso does little for us defensively at a corner so why not put him on the half-way line to occupy at least two of their players? Makes sense to me.

 

[raymondo]

I think Verbruggen is just another example of how everything Albion related is just shit now: The team, captain, manager, attack, defence, midfield, ground, pre match and post match entertainment and interviews, players trying to gee up the crowd, transport, food, transfers, etc. why can't we just be great like back in the day.

But surely the Buzz quizes are top drawer

 

[portlock seagull]

It's another example of fans having very limited understanding of modern football tactics, and what the players are actually trying to do. The people next to me kept saying "he is wasting our time" when he was holding on to it, as if one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers in Europe is genuinely just standing there unsure what to do, rather than waiting for the right movement in front of him to play the ball and start the attack as they have been training all week / season to do.

It's like our fans haven't learnt anything in the last few years. It's unbelievable really.

I don’t disagree. But is it Bart’s fault when dangerously passing out because his team mates haven’t created a decent one due to lack of movement; or theirs? Because several times yesterday he’d been better off pumping up field for a 50:50 rather than the risky pass outs where we lost possession anyway and might have conceded.

 

[SittingbourneSeagull]

it’s not like he had anyone to pass it to! the amount of times in the second half we ended up going long and losing the ball was infuriating, same against palace. it’s why this two man midfield doesn’t work. impossible to build up and work our way through as we just get overrun every time. and the front four are far too flat positionally, there’s zero movement. was even worse last night as usually pedro is responsible for getting the little touches and flicks which put our attacking moves together, but he was pinned up top in a position that really didn’t suit him. getting ‘another welbeck’ has to be on the agenda, it just simply doesn’t work without him.

Teams have worked out how we play out and dont press so high meaning that one of the midfield 2 are very rarely free for a pass out.

 

[SittingbourneSeagull]

He's waiting for the press to release it. But Brentford didn't press and sat back. It then looked like he didn't know what to do except stand there and wait for a press that didn't come, or eventually came.

Worked exactly to Brentford's game plan.

We had no Plan B apart from Hoof, which does not work.

Palace did the same

 

[macbeth]

Teams have worked out how we play out and dont press so high meaning that one of the midfield 2 are very rarely free for a pass out.

so imo there should be a third man there, to create a numerical overload in those buildup situations, rather than two forwards up top getting in each others way and massively congesting an already packed penalty area. in fact it seems blindingly obvious.

 

[Han Solo]

so imo there should be a third man there, to create a numerical overload in those buildup situations, rather than two forwards up top getting in each others way and massively congesting an already packed penalty area. in fact it seems blindingly obvious.

Generally I agree with that and its a more normal setup. But I'm quite keen on seeing if we can make the current "overload up front" thingie can work out and what the benefits are.

 

[A1X]

I think Verbruggen is just another example of how everything Albion related is just shit now: The team, captain, manager, attack, defence, midfield, ground, pre match and post match entertainment and interviews, players trying to gee up the crowd, transport, food, transfers, etc. why can't we just be great like back in the day.

Make Albion Great Again

We’re going to be doing so much winning. We’re going to impose tariffs on Chelsea. Such a beautiful word, people are saying thanks to me it’s the most beautiful word in the world, I don’t know. Then we’re going to rebuild our defensive free kick wall and make Palace pay for it.

 

[Arkwright]

I do understand why the keeper holds onto it. Most of the game, we had four on four on the halfway line, beat one, and it's four on three.
Personally, I think we should mix and match, so many times if the ball is played quick, the full backs have acres of space out wide.

 

[GT49er]

It's another example of fans having very limited understanding of modern football tactics, and what the players are actually trying to do. The people next to me kept saying "he is wasting our time" when he was holding on to it, as if one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers in Europe is genuinely just standing there unsure what to do, rather than waiting for the right movement in front of him to play the ball and start the attack as they have been training all week / season to do.

Thanks for enlightening us - but the right moment wasn't coming. If the bus ain't coming, don't wait for it! Go straight to Plan B.

Doing the same thing over and over again when it doesn't work is not generally regarded as the brightest option.

 

[Anger]

Make Albion Great Again

We’re going to be doing so much winning. We’re going to impose tariffs on Chelsea. Such a beautiful word, people are saying thanks to me it’s the most beautiful word in the world, I don’t know. Then we’re going to rebuild our defensive free kick wall and make Palace pay for it.

Will there be a baseball cap to go with this?

 

[Jeremiah]

I do understand why the keeper holds onto it. Most of the game, we had four on four on the halfway line, beat one, and it's four on three.
Personally, I think we should mix and match, so many times if the ball is played quick, the full backs have acres of space out wide.

Yep. Prime example was late last night. Brentford actually committed players forward and Verbruggen fell on the ball , he could have sprung up and bowled the ball out left to either Estupinan or Adingra, who had just their right back on them. Verbruggen didn't do it and decided to hold the ball and then drop it as his own feet and start the backward dribbling etc. The crowd were rightly incensed.

 

[A1X]

Will there be a baseball cap to go with this?

Made in Chy-na

 

[LamieRobertson]

Brand new account and first post…..come on Jason what do you think

 

[macbeth]

Generally I agree with that and its a more normal setup. But I'm quite keen on seeing if we can make the current "overload up front" thingie can work out and what the benefits are.

yeah i’m certainly open to the manager trying new things, he has every right to try and innovate, however with this, in my unqualified opinion, i just don’t see how it would work unless we planned to play more on the counter, where the numerical advantage would really make a difference. i also massively see the benefits when it comes to pressing from the front, which i gather is a core principal of FH’s, however they need to be very good at it as once the opposition break through there’s a massive gap in behind because of the numerical deficit in central midfield.

right now we see the two forwards and wingers almost play in a straight line from one side of the pitch to the other. i find their shape far too flat too often, and there never seems to be enough movement. my theory is that this is because the final third is simply to congested with all four of them there at once, especially when we play hoofball teams who pack their own penalty areas, and i think we miss the third man in midfield being able to box-crash and get chances from cutbacks (the two CMs in this system tend to drift to the outer corners of the penalty box to create one-two situations), as well as it not allowing pedro and rutter to drop deeper to create those link-ups on the edge of the final third that they’re really good at.

if FH can change something (and i don’t know what!) to maybe free up that front four and get a bit more fluidity then he might be on to something. looking at it right now though i think we’ll find it hard to win games when we have front four who are so static in that ‘straight line’ shape all the time, especially when ferguson and welbeck are out, and i also think it causes massive problems for us defensively and in build up

 

[Weststander]

good question. And why don't we? Surely Enciso does little for us defensively at a corner so why not put him on the half-way line to occupy at least two of their players? Makes sense to me.

What Liverpool have done for the last 9 years (as personnel have come and gone) is have three speed merchants comfortable with the ball on the edge of their box. Perhaps 10 different players have fulfilled this role. The moment possession is won, literally within a second, the trap is sprung. Alisson or Kelleher plays it accurately, they’re away. Countless goals scored.

Who could play those speedy roles for us in those moments? Pedro, Mitoma, O’Riley?

 

[drew]

Releasing the ball early and punting it up field are not the same thing. There were plenty of times when Bart had the ball in hand and either full back was available yet he delayed. It's not about doing the same thing all the time.