Holmes_and_Watson

wow! Smallbone takes a shot. It pings back, and 'Boro are away. Two running into the centre, with one of us just behind them had that not been cut out. I really, really wish osmeone would have a word with Martin about having cover for risks. We really overcommit.

Clearly, everyone knows exactly how Martin will set up. Everyone gets loads of joy putting it behind our tucked in fullbacks. That's nartually drawing out the centre halves, so we've gaps wide, and gaps centrally as they are pulled out of position. Needs a lot of cover from centre mid to get back centrally and deal with it. We're dropping deep now, which at least gives us some structure. The players don;t seem that sure about it though. Something that will need to develop under Martin, as we're so focused on getting forward under his system, we're celarly not developed aobut defending under certain situations. Like this one, the unexpected what to do when taking a lead scenarion 🙂

Baz claims it! Saints counterattack! When we do it, 'Boro have six players back. When opponents counter attack against us recently, it's been Smallbone or Edozie desperately racing back. 🙂

Martin emphasised the need for us to maintian the same mindset when we went behind. That applies to us going ahead too. We have to keep up the same mentality, as if we sit back, or let those passes become flatter and more defensive, we will get taken apart as per all the other games. We don;t look comfortable dealing with runners, as we leave so much space. So we have to be the ones pushing them back.

Just looking forward to seeing Martin's system at work, when we've got a lead, rahter than it having to adpat to being behind, which it/we don;t seem capable of dealing with. And as I type, we get a total let off. Looked a bit overrun... and again, another vital touch as they move into the gaps where more traditional teams would have had one of those full back chaps. 2 in a minute.

He is! All that work rate to cover those gaps down our flanks. And AA means goals! 🙂 Our more solid lineup, menas that hopefully, he won;t have to cover as much ground defensively, and can give more of that work rate to the attack.

Yay! Finally in front

Warfare

Reaction

Warehouse

Peter Rabbit. Free Agent. CHDAJFU?

This is what I was thinking. There seems to be a little surprise at our lack of patience that his super tactic isn't working yet. Because we've watched previous managers with super tactics fail to get results. It's new to him, but not to us. He has to realise that we wanted all of those previous managers to do well too. But he's not as different from them as he might like to think.

Our high posession, high press, high passing, front footed, aggressive, patient, disciplinarian, pally, waistcoat, pullover, stbbled, rapidly changing formation would certainly be different. Lovely.

Oak

Before Martin trots out with defensive progress... If we wanted a narrowly defeated, toothless side, we could just have kept Selles in charge. Actually, with Selles at least he had a plan of attack, using Alcaraz through the middle. Once we went behind under Martin, we had a Manning shot and that was about it. We were a midfield glaringly lacking JWP control, and an attack without that direct threat from deep that Tella had. We went through yet another window thinking we didn't need cover in defensive midfield. So, when Charles was moved from that role we ended up with a midfield with no control over the game. Aribo has a couple of things he does well. But it was more than offset tonight by glacial pace and waving his hands about to get teammates to pass to anyone but him. Smallbone looked fine when picking up space from JWP. By himself, he needs more specialist support, and a coaching team that can show him, and others, how to create an attack through the middle. We are a team with an error in them. And we're not alone. You get most teams to play out from the back under pressure, and there's going to be an error. Today it was Charles on two occassions, with Aribo giving it away on another. We had one pass out that was very similar to how we conceded against Sunderland. Desperate to pass out, even when the receiver has no clear out ball of their own. I didn't see too much of Martin's possession heavy, but with purpose, team. I was lots of passing back, without looking up, with no outcome. Some was to draw Ipswich out. But most of it was just by the numbers, on several occassions missing out better options, allowing Ipswich to reset and for us to lose any urgency. We're playing with the same up front as last season, to about the same effect now. We're having to wait on our injured new signing to even provide some competition. Sulemana is a pace merchant, only used when we're behind and the opponents are sitting back comfortably, leaving less space to run into. We bring on Stu and Alcaraz, who are direct, but again run straight into a compact defence. We had no clear plan on how to use them to unlock the defence. Just hope for the best stuff. KWP and Stu linked up decently. But nothing on the end of it. At one point we put a ball in for AA to win a header. It was laughable. Martin will no doubt trot out some positives, and how his system is developing and for us to be patient. All his predecessors thought they were progressing too. At a higher level. With similar outcomes to what we're seeing here. Hopefully Martin can actually make the changes necessary.

There were times we passed more to our own goal than our opponents. Lots of occasions where we didn't even look forward. Now, some were to get Ipswich to stretch. But most weren't. Most were by the numbers passes from players knowing they aren't asked to do more. Very few resulted in any concerted passing move, which was supposed to be Martin's trademark. Although we end up with plenty of long passes from our midfield, we still like to risk short, riskier passes from the back. We had one that looked very similar to the one that cost us a goal against Sunderland. Twice Charles got caught out. One goal conceded from that. Further up, Aribo tried and failed to take someone on. That was nearly another goal lost. The whole point of the possession is to avoid doing that. Losing it, the way we play, invariably results in an attempt on goal, as we race back or panic. We're going to have to break Ipswich down second half, which is going to require a heck of a lot more urgency than Martin usually sends them out with.

Scenic

Perspective

Good grief! An Ipswich spy has broken into our trainng nerve centre and somehow managed to take the two, maybe three seconds, needed to unravel our master plan! Confident we'll set up just the same way. They won't expect that, now we know they know. 🙂

They don't have the burden of revolutionising football that SR and Martin shoulder. Besides, Markers are for old school football tactics, and have been replaced by the Panicked Overcommitted Runbacks. 🙂

Interest

I think that's very harsh on Jesus, considering how it turned out.

Alternatively, Manning is at our club to watch Martin, while working with Piroe and Grimes. Only they know the truth behind Martin's plastic hair! When Manning is murdered (by all opposing attackers), suspicion falls on Martin. Will Grimes and Piroe be safe? Will they reveal the secret before being signed in January? And then Saints draw Swansea in the cup... On top of St. Mary's during another famous light show, Martin's mask is torn off to reveal... Osvaldo Ardiles! "A 0-0-10 formation with inverted false number 10s and no tracking back!" raged the villain on his way to the holding cell in the club shop. Another case solved by Hercule Piroe!

All right. Who edited Russ' playbook from "Without the ball, the inverted full-back will only remain in the centre of the pitch for a brief period." to "Without the ball, both inverted full-backs will only remain as close to the opponent's goal for a period long enough to allow a non specialist defensive midfielder to pray he's fast enough to stop the three opposing forwards."

Radio 5 shows were interviewing one of the journalists involved, as the TV programme was going out, as their main story. With lots of details. This morning, radio 4 and 5 were both interviewing at the same time, and both as the lead story. Rumours widespread enough that the journalists picked up the story from the acts of other comedians. Activity through the times these companies were employing him. It's not that cynical to know that the companies involved will be looking at themselves, even as they report it. From the journalists saying there's more to come to boost sales to the Beeb's over breathless reporting on itself to show news independence, while, elsewhere, their HR braces itself to deal with what's coming next. No doubt there will be others using it as a stick to further other causes. I've already heard BBC funding and disdain for online platforms being used as defences/ ways of sidestepping mainstream rights of reply. None of which anywhere near as important as it actually being reported, and for people like this, if true, facing justice. Zero sympathy for Brand or any others who are also brought into this for similar behaviour, covering it up or dismissing the victims.