What did Gordon Strachan mean?

[Surf's Up]

On the ITV highlights show after the Brighton game, the presenter said "Brighton were good" and Strachan replied "Brighton were good at what they do - but if you allow them to do what they do then you have problems".

It was very qualified agreement. What did he mean?

He meant that you have to nullify our passing game by closing us down high up the pitch like the majority of Championship teams do very well

 

[foul old ron]

I seem to remember Stachan saying that he loved the way we play on a previous show?

 

[KZNSeagull]

He meant that you have to nullify our passing game by closing us down high up the pitch like the majority of Championship teams do very well

Or not let us have the ball.

 

[BigGully]

He meant that you have to nullify our passing game by closing us down high up the pitch like the majority of Championship teams do very well

I thought that the whole post match chat was a little disingenuous to how Brighton played yesterday and I think some on here are too.

To think that Newcastle, that have probably twice the technical staff that we do, including a whole army of scouts and analysers didnt have a game plan to try to 'nullify' Brighton type of play is naive.

Undoubtedly Newcastle had a second string out, but I would love to see the wages of those Newcastle players as opposed to ours, many might be on developmental wages but a wee bit of research would tell you that they had some players with hefty wages too.

So I am less inclined to apologise for the inadequacies of their playing staff.

To think just to play 'a pressing game' is enough to discredit the skill and accuracy needed to pass like Brighton did yesterday is not fair to those players that executed it.

In many ways it is a unique way to play ( especially in the UK ) and we have seen that it will fail at time, but the alternative of smashing it long and picking up the second ball thankfully is something we aint gonna see for a long time yet.

So when it works so convincingly against a Premier League Club, I am going to enjoy every bit of it.

 

[Jesus Gul]

- Can we have a quick word Gordon?
- Velocity

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

It's obvious what he meant. If you stop us playing our game and press us hard. Then we have a problem, if you don't then the chances are we will make the other team pay. I expect we slip under a lot of prem managers radar, as they probably think they have the quality to out play us(which a lot don't, look at Swansea last season)..But in the championship the word is out, that's WHY we need another way of playing to fall back on, so we can mix it up a bit and give teams something else to thing about.

There are 2 ways of countering our play - sit tight and break fast or presshigh up the pitch on our CBs. This is what managers have worked out. If you do not do your homework teams will get slaughtered by us. When our style works it is a joy to watch - fantastic yesterday. However, I totally agree with Kev until Poyet adopts a plan B we will not progress.

 

[Questions]

A lot of Premier League teams give you more time on the ball than those in the Championship. They sit deeper and often try and break quick. That is fine when you have real pace and quality in your side. Yesterday Newcastle had neither.

 

[BigGully]

There are 2 ways of countering our play - sit tight and break fast or presshigh up the pitch on our CBs. This is what managers have worked out. If you do not do your homework teams will get slaughtered by us. When our style works it is a joy to watch - fantastic yesterday. However, I totally agree with Kev until Poyet adopts a plan B we will not progress.

Just a quick one for you ........ how many players are going to press high onto our CB and how does that effect the numbers in the defensive part of the pitch ??

With the goalkeeper we will have 5 defensive players with another 4 in the midfield all willing to receive and pass the ball, to overload that may take too many players and might open up an easy pass into our midfield that then would mean a real advantage for Brighton.

The way we play you might just get picked off that way.

This probably isnt the forum to try and become analysers, but its a pretty simplistic countenance of good possession play.

 

[chucky1973]

There seems to be a feeling within the game, that we can be stopped if other teams 'get about us' . Whether they are right or not, I don't know, as we seem to keep getting results.

dont agree totally, championship sides have in the most worked us out, hence only a few homes wins. teams sit back, zonal defence, frustrate us and then catch us on the break, we then struggle to break them down. we always need that early goal, aka Barnsley and Sheff Wed, then teams have to change and come forward more and then we tear them apart. Tempo is the key for me, when we play fast and fluent we are unstoppable against everyone.

 

[jevs]

I disagree. I think we need to get a couple more quality players in and get better at playing the way we currently play. I'd much rather we did that.

I think you've got to have a plan B, C and even D to be fair. One thing teams should do is to lean to play ugly for the one or two games a season when you need to nick a 1-0 at a very difficult ground. Not very nice to watch but sometimes it's just needed occasionally (cue all the "that's ripe coming from a supporter of a team who's been bought up playing proper football")

 

[BigGully]

I think you've got to have a plan B, C and even D to be fair. One thing teams should do is to lean to play ugly for the one or two games a season when you need to nick a 1-0 at a very difficult ground. Not very nice to watch but sometimes it's just needed occasionally (cue all the "that's ripe coming from a supporter of a team who's been bought up playing proper football")

But those 'difficult grounds' by implication are experts at 'playing ugly'.

Why would you suspect that suddenly you might successfully be better than say a 'Stoke' at the Britannia at playing like Stoke ??

Of course 'game plans' will change per game, but some are just trying to invalidate possession play at any costs.

 

[fleet]

I think it was if you let us have time on the ball we can hurt you. If you press we do not have a plan B and are not up to much.

 

[Rich Suvner]

There seems to be a feeling within the game, that we can be stopped if other teams 'get about us' . Whether they are right or not, I don't know, as we seem to keep getting results.

They are right, which is why the majority of our points come from the lesser teams or in games where people play an open style.

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

Just a quick one for you ........ how many players are going to press high onto our CB and how does that effect the numbers in the defensive part of the pitch ??

With the goalkeeper we will have 5 defensive players with another 4 in the midfield all willing to receive and pass the ball, to overload that may take too many players and might open up an easy pass into our midfield that then would mean a real advantage for Brighton.

The way we play you might just get picked off that way.

This probably isnt the forum to try and become analysers, but its a pretty simplistic countenance of good possession play.

In theory but El Abd and Greer are not great when pressed - Was it middlesborough who prevented Kuzcak passing out to the defenders ? Worked for them, also when we do play to midfield in these situations the next pass is often backwards or sideways allowing them to regroup.

I do not want longball but we need a little more pace and variation in our passing.

 

[Diego Napier]

I think the only way you can overcome teams closing you quickly is for the players around the ball to be quick to offer numerous passing angles to give options for the man on the ball

Good post - and that is the essence of Gus's style; lots of movement, lots of options.

Combine that with lots of pace (we're getting there) and lots of technical ability (which is a work in progress) and there is no need for this "Plan B" over which some posters obsess (assuming of course they don't really mean replacing Gus with Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis......)

 

[sydney]

He meant that if the opposition don't do their homework on how BHA play, they will get slaughtered.

You are a very good passing side when allowed to pass, stop the passing and mess up your game plan and there's a chance of a win. Most teams visiting the Amex should've worked this out. Pardew obviously, to his peril, thought it would be a walk in the park for his side

think pardew got caught out although he didn't have his top team available........we had them boxed apart from 10 mins in the second half after ameobi went ,before we scored.....this is where we need a player with experience to carry on with the job and not let a dead opponent back into the game.........

 

[BigGully]

In theory but El Abd and Greer are not great when pressed - Was it middlesborough who prevented Kuzcak passing out to the defenders ? Worked for them, also when we do play to midfield in these situations the next pass is often backwards or sideways allowing them to regroup.

I do not want longball but we need a little more pace and variation in our passing.

Fairpoint, this is why Poyet will not change his overall ethos, but the personnel might. ( this isnt a comment on El-Abd or Greer )

His Plan B is to play Plan A better.

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

Strachan couldn't put a decent team together with £500m at his disposal! The man is a managing dinosaur, like Alec McLeish, Steve Bruce, Mick McArthy to name a few.
Also he is a Scummer and in awe of our altogether better set up club.

That is all

TNBA

TTF

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Strachan's comment was answered for a spell when Newcastle went down to 10 men,could they sustain it or did we raise our game,bit of both as i saw it...

we played faster and that's what we need more of when being pressed

 

[Kazenga <3]

Just a quick one for you ........ how many players are going to press high onto our CB and how does that effect the numbers in the defensive part of the pitch ??

With the goalkeeper we will have 5 defensive players with another 4 in the midfield all willing to receive and pass the ball, to overload that may take too many players and might open up an easy pass into our midfield that then would mean a real advantage for Brighton.

The way we play you might just get picked off that way.

This probably isnt the forum to try and become analysers, but its a pretty simplistic countenance of good possession play.

The theory is you force the ball back to the goalkeeper by pressing on to the wing backs and the other centre back. When the goalkeeper has the ball you then press hard with your strikers marking the centre backs, 2 midfielders on the fullbacks etc meaning the only option is to kick it long. You are right in saying this will leave a man free in an advanced position but it takes an incredible pass to pick him out and plus whilst the ball is in the air you have time to get across and meet it. Being taller than them you will generally win possession this way unless they have a good hold-up player. Obviously you have to be very tactically adept to know when to press and how hard you press and it has to be a whole team effort otherwise you will be picked off very easily.