A team to charm neutrals and madden the faithful

[TopGun]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/nov/17/championship-southampton

 

The Guardian's take on Wolves game.

[alpine_saint]

I note with amusement that despite the fact I am being slagged off on here for passing certain judgements on that game withóut seeing it, those in the press that did see it are passing the same judgements.

 

1. Whatever dominance we had in the second half, we lost the game in the first half.

 

2. Whatever pretty and entertaining midfield and forward play we can offer is totally undermined by our rubbish defence (note the cryptic comment about Perry too...)

[trousers]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1086379/Soton-1-Wolves-2-Iwelumo-nets-insists-wont-mess-Scots.html

 

Iwelumo was full of praise for Saints, who have lost too many experienced players because of their financial crisis but are being expertly coached by Jan Poortvliet.

 

Iwelumo said: ‘Saints are a fantastic side for a team with an average age of about 19. They are one of the best footballing sides I have come across in a long time.

 

‘They made it hard for us even with 10 men, they found space and were comfortable on the ball. At times they were fantastic to watch so it was a great result for us. I’m sure they will get out of trouble.’

 

Southampton don’t believe they are in for a relegation struggle and their delightful style of passing belies their lowly situation.

 

They hit back through Alex Pearce’s headed goal and, despite Jason Euell being sent off for a challenge with Richard Stearman which could have resulted in red cards for both of them, were unlucky not to earn a point.

 

Central defender Pearce, on loan from Reading, said: ‘We showed what we are capable of, especially in the second half with only 10 men.’

 

Next up is a trip to Reading, yet coach Poortvliet insists: ‘The boys never know when they are beaten. We are capable of beating anyone in this league — why not Reading?’

[Roman]

What's most worrying about that report is the set of figures at the end of it:

 

Gates halved in five years

Season tickets down from 21,000 to 9,000

A fall of 9.8% in gates last year

A fall of 25% this year.

[Bailey]

What's most worrying about that report is the set of figures at the end of it:

 

Gates halved in five years

Season tickets down from 21,000 to 9,000

A fall of 9.8% in gates last year

A fall of 25% this year

 

Agreed.

 

Those figures make for pretty grim reading.

 

It's going to be a long wait before attendances start to pick up again.

[Scummer]

Season tickets down from 21,000 to 9,000

A fall of 9.8% in gates last year

A fall of 25% this year.

 

I'm not sure we ever had 21,000 season tickets. Not sure it's as low as 9,000 now either.

 

The rest sounds about right though.

[rpb]

I note with amusement that despite the fact I am being slagged off on here for passing certain judgements on that game withóut seeing it, those in the press that did see it are passing the same judgements.

 

1. Whatever dominance we had in the second half, we lost the game in the first half.

 

2. Whatever pretty and entertaining midfield and forward play we can offer is totally undermined by our rubbish defence (note the cryptic comment about Perry too...)

 

Perhaps the problem with your posts are that you are continuously undermining the team - we do have problems in defence but are also, at times, playing some amazing football; many of us are encouraged by this fact as it's of far better quality than we have seen in a long time but you dismiss it as 'pretty' or 'entertaining'...

[saintwarwick]

I'm not sure we ever had 21,000 season tickets. Not sure it's as low as 9,000 now either.

 

The rest sounds about right though.

 

We had 21,000 season ticket holders in the premiership certainly in our last season, it is now down to 9,500.

[saintwarwick]

Perhaps the problem with your posts are that you are continuously undermining the team - we do have problems in defence but are also, at times, playing some amazing football; many of us are encouraged by this fact as it's of far better quality than we have seen in a long time but you dismiss it as 'pretty' or 'entertaining'...

 

You have to excuse alpine, he only see's the negative side never the positive side.

[aintforever]

we do have problems in defence but are also, at times, playing some amazing football

 

I'm fed up with hearing this, football is as much about defending as it is attacking - look at the stats/league table - we are NOT playing good football. We are playing open attractive attacking football, which looks good going forward but clearly DOES NOT WORK in this league with these players and this manager.

[fanimal]

Sorry, but I have seen 7 or 8 home games in my year away, only seen 2 goals v Ipswich, last win I saw was Hull 4-0, Bristol City last week we did not have a shot on goal in the first half - how on earth is that Amazing Football??!! Every time I come back I am told we played fantastic last time but I have seen no evidence, albeit limited I accept and I may just have been very unlucky?

[rpb]

Sorry, but I have seen 7 or 8 home games in my year away, only seen 2 goals v Ipswich, last win I saw was Hull 4-0, Bristol City last week we did not have a shot on goal in the first half - how on earth is that Amazing Football??!! Every time I come back I am told we played fantastic last time but I have seen no evidence, albeit limited I accept and I may just have been very unlucky?

 

"Amazing football at times" was the quote. We have also been dire at times - seemingly when you attend! I guess it depends on whether you look on the bright side or not...

[Frank's cousin]

Its a big dilemma as a fan, we want and are pleased to see the team trying to play in a proper way, on the deck with a passing agme designed to entertain, but many have become disillusioned as the results dont improve. As fans we want both- entertainment and results - one without the other simply wont do especialy as our future in this division is put in jeopody as a result.

 

If we were financially stable, had a modicom of investmnet available, had a bit more experience that had us comfortable in mid table - then the idea of patience whilst the team as a unit gels and develops playing this style would not be a problem.

 

So there you have it - yup great to playing this way and getting the plaudits - but it does not put bums on seats or guarrantee survival and progress if we dont get the points on the board.- simple really.

[VectisSaint]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1086379/Soton-1-Wolves-2-Iwelumo-nets-insists-wont-mess-Scots.html

 

Southampton don’t believe they are in for a relegation struggle and their delightful style of passing belies their lowly situation.

Believe it guys, we are in for a relegation struggle. If people continue to believe, like Jan, that things will be alright, we will find ourselves in Division 3 before anyone has realised.

 

It can still be fixed, but Lowe has to realise that he has to forego his principles and realise that his experiment will not work while we have a coach in charge who thogh he may technically have some good ideas, is floundering in the English league.

[broncoboy]

Lots of people are keen to say nice things about our football but ususally because they have taken three points off us. As seems, likely that we will lose two or three of our best player by February then we are definitely in a relegation battle.

 

The fact that crowds have halved since our premiership days say it all. Fans dont want to watch their team constantly lose at home. Nobody wants to pay money to see the opposition fans having a great day out.

 

 

Nothing much to be cheerful about at St Marys

[Wes Tender]

Perhaps the problem with your posts are that you are continuously undermining the team - we do have problems in defence but are also, at times, playing some amazing football; many of us are encouraged by this fact as it's of far better quality than we have seen in a long time but you dismiss it as 'pretty' or 'entertaining'...

 

The amazing football you talk about is all in midfield. As such, there is little end product up front with one striker and the defence is weak too. Therefore we have the worst home record of any team in the division.

 

Does it not occur that some teams allow us to play this pretty football to our hearts' content, safe in the knowledge that they can close us down comfortably in the final third, or even if we get the ball in the box, our strikers are crap at this level? On the other hand, with the formation we play, once the opposing team get the ball, they all know that they can exploit our defensive weaknesses out wide and at set pieces, where the youngsters are too naive without an older, more experienced defender to help them hold their shape and discipline.

 

Frankly, for myself, I am getting heartily fed up with paying to watch every home match so far and coming away celebrating just one win in the division, regardless of the prowess of the opposition. Sod the pretty football; give me some winning football.

[Graffito]

Believe it guys, we are in for a relegation struggle. If people continue to believe, like Jan, that things will be alright, we will find ourselves in Division 3 before anyone has realised.

 

It can still be fixed, but Lowe has to realise that he has to forego his principles and realise that his experiment will not work while we have a coach in charge who thogh he may technically have some good ideas, is floundering in the English league.

 

Just to clarify, your solution to our lowly league position is that we must all believe we will be relegated and Lowe must sack the coach?

[Wes Tender]

Just to clarify, your solution to our lowly league position is that we must all believe we will be relegated and Lowe must sack the coach?

 

Lowe shouldn't have appointed the coach in the first place.

[cambsaint]

I wouldn't mind six or even seven talented youngsters if we had two half-decent experienced centre backs who could read the game, an experienced midfielder who could read the game, and a proven goal-scorer, on the field from kick-off.

 

We are sleepwalking to relegation, but chanting the mantra "Our football is too good for us to go down ",we slightly remind me of the excellent West Ham team who really were far too good to go down. (But they were far far better than us, and with an inept manager they went down. cf. Spurs this season.)

[Graffito]

I wouldn't mind six or even seven talented youngsters if we had two half-decent experienced centre backs who could read the game, an experienced midfielder who could read the game, and a proven goal-scorer, on the field from kick-off.

 

We are sleepwalking to relegation, but chanting the mantra "Our football is too good for us to go down ",we slightly remind me of the excellent West Ham team who really were far too good to go down. (But they were far far better than us, and with an inept manager they went down. cf. Spurs this season.)

 

Agree with the first paragraph.

 

I doubt very much anyone at the club is sleepwalking to relegation given the dire financial consequences. My reading of JP's comments is that he is trying to maintain the confidence of his young and inexperienced team.

 

BTW didn't West Ham go down under Brooking? ...could be wrong about that..

[Wes Tender]

I wouldn't mind six or even seven talented youngsters if we had two half-decent experienced centre backs who could read the game, an experienced midfielder who could read the game, and a proven goal-scorer, on the field from kick-off.

 

What you're talking about here is a spine, isn't it? It's absolutely fundamental isn't it? You can see it, I can see it, nearly everybody can see it except those who pick the team and buy or loan the players.

[Charlie Wayman]

We cannot wait for ever for this team to click. 'Promise' must one day have it's 'delivery'. Nearly 20 games in with no change in fortunes is stretching the learning curve hypothesis to its credible limit. Time for Jan to buck the smokey's and get his feet planted.

[wild-saint]

I note with amusement that despite the fact I am being slagged off on here for passing certain judgements on that game withóut seeing it, those in the press that did see it are passing the same judgements.

 

1. Whatever dominance we had in the second half, we lost the game in the first half.

 

2. Whatever pretty and entertaining midfield and forward play we can offer is totally undermined by our rubbish defence (note the cryptic comment about Perry too...)

 

your still a skate ****. excuse my dyslexia

[offix]

.... we do have problems in defence but are also, at times, playing some amazing football;

 

No, "amazing football" would be winning football.

 

"Pretty football" is not per definition Winning Football.

"Amazing Football" involves good tactics, great skills, great teamwork and WINNING!

If any of those factors is missing, specifically the 'winning" part, it is by definition NOT amazing football, it might at best be pretty but ineffective.

[egreog]

Its "pretty football" but its "pointless" football too when losing is such a regular feature...........so "pretty pointless" football is whats on show..........stand by for more plaudits at Reading from the winning manager!!

[alpine_saint]

your still a skate ****. excuse my dyslexia

 

I still seem to know a f**k of a lot more about the situation of the team you profess to support than you do though.....

[AndyNorthernSaints]

We've got the best passing side in the league :-)

Saints are the new Crewe :-(

[CB Fry]

Just to clarify, your solution to our lowly league position is that we must all believe we will be relegated and Lowe must sack the coach?

 

 

Yes.

 

There is no way the current regime are going to stop us going down.

 

The only thing that will keep us in this division this season is Forest and Doncaster continuing to be worse than us, and another club going into administration and losing ten (or more) points.

 

Frankly I am sick of "keep the faith" and sick of "we're playing brilliant stuff".

 

I am not the most regular match goer, I make no claim to be (you'll notice, unlike Alpine, I keep my mouth shut about matches I haven't seen) but I have seen us live three times and on TV three times and all six times we flatter to decieve. Even when we're at our "best" we're ineffective - lots of pretty tappy triangles, but no finishing, and often not even a final ball.

 

And I went to our best game at Derby, where, granted, we were really good for one half of football, but we were pretty bloody average in the first half, and being that we kepp getting told how we are going to "build on" things, that good half of football was in August and we have yet to better it from what I have seen, heard and read since.

 

So I am sick of "we're going to build on" the occasional good results we've had. Because we've done nothing of the sort, and we're winning the number of games that a relegation team would win in this division by law of averages.

 

I'm going to Reading, and I am expecting us to get tonked.

 

So yes, sacking the manager is not an unreasonable thing to ask.

 

There are actually some experienced managers around that might just turn our season around if they start now.

[NickG]

I note with amusement that despite the fact I am being slagged off on here for passing certain judgements on that game withóut seeing it, those in the press that did see it are passing the same judgements.

 

1. Whatever dominance we had in the second half, we lost the game in the first half.

 

2. Whatever pretty and entertaining midfield and forward play we can offer is totally undermined by our rubbish defence (note the cryptic comment about Perry too...)

 

oh the pleasure and amusement you gain at reading something negative about saints! sad.

[benjii]

Yes.

 

There is no way the current regime are going to stop us going down.

 

The only thing that will keep us in this division this season is Forest and Doncaster continuing to be worse than us, and another club going into administration and losing ten (or more) points.

 

Frankly I am sick of "keep the faith" and sick of "we're playing brilliant stuff".

 

I am not the most regular match goer, I make no claim to be (you'll notice, unlike Alpine, I keep my mouth shut about matches I haven't seen) but I have seen us live three times and on TV three times and all six times we flatter to decieve. Even when we're at our "best" we're ineffective - lots of pretty tappy triangles, but no finishing, and often not even a final ball.

 

And I went to our best game at Derby, where, granted, we were really good for one half of football, but we were pretty bloody average in the first half, and being that we kepp getting told how we are going to "build on" things, that good half of football was in August and we have yet to better it from what I have seen, heard and read since.

 

So I am sick of "we're going to build on" the occasional good results we've had. Because we've done nothing of the sort, and we're winning the number of games that a relegation team would win in this division by law of averages.

 

I'm going to Reading, and I am expecting us to get tonked.

 

So yes, sacking the manager is not an unreasonable thing to ask.

 

There are actually some experienced managers around that might just turn our season around if they start now.

 

I agree completely.

 

We get worse with each game I see.

 

Got to love the Daily Mail's verdict of "expert coaching".

[wild-saint]

I still seem to know a f**k of a lot more about the situation of the team you profess to support than you do though.....

 

Sounds like an admission that you are indeed a skate. Also which one of my posts are you judging you knowledge against mine? I recall only calling you a skate **** based purely based on the negative comment on everything you post. Not even a hint of positive regardless of how dire the situation is.

[Saint Fan CaM]

The amazing football you talk about is all in midfield. As such, there is little end product up front with one striker and the defence is weak too. Therefore we have the worst home record of any team in the division.

 

Does it not occur that some teams allow us to play this pretty football to our hearts' content, safe in the knowledge that they can close us down comfortably in the final third, or even if we get the ball in the box, our strikers are crap at this level? On the other hand, with the formation we play, once the opposing team get the ball, they all know that they can exploit our defensive weaknesses out wide and at set pieces, where the youngsters are too naive without an older, more experienced defender to help them hold their shape and discipline.

 

Frankly, for myself, I am getting heartily fed up with paying to watch every home match so far and coming away celebrating just one win in the division, regardless of the prowess of the opposition. Sod the pretty football; give me some winning football.

 

 

Well that pretty much sums up my feelings also, although I am not sure the other team lets us play pretty footie as such - the tactics we play LETS THEM dictate the match result. With a lack of 4-4-2 option being played, we don't change our game and so all the opposition have to do is score 1 or 2 early goals and we're fooked, usually when we play at home. And then they shut up shop. They must laugh at the immaturity of JP's tactical nouse.

 

For all the pretty passing, some essentials tactics we do not seem capable of are...

 

1. Getting to the byline and crossing. If we do, no-one is there to attack the ball because they're all too scared of a fast counter attack and so sit back too deep.

 

2. Threading a ball through a defensive line and then taking a shot. We ALWAYS seem to want to walk the f-ing ball through umpteen defenders and into the back of the net! IT AIN'T F-ING WORKING JAN!!!!

 

3. Have a man or two over in attack - what is the point of having supposedly fit 19-20 year olds, when they cannot run the length of the field as a single unit? The only element of surprise we dish up for the opposition is that we DON'T SHOOT when we have a chance!

 

4. Actually making any kind of deadball situation count. What the fook do they do in training?! I've lost count of the number of times a corner has not cleared the 1st man! We miss two pens in one half of one game. We NEVER seem to deliver a free kick into the box that has any resemblance of causing trouble.

 

LASTLY - the most emphatic best two goals scored this season IMO (at SMS at least) have come from headers, from an on-loan defender - Pearce. Or to put it another way - these goals were scored by APPLYING THE BASICS - no fancy footwork, just honest to goodness basics.

 

And what the hell does that say about Wotte and his fancy ideas for the reserves also eh - what are they teaching them FFS?!?! WE NEED TO GET BACK TO BASICS...playing 4-4-2.

[rocknrollman no2]

I dont much care for this "Total football" nonsense.

Give me rough,ugly,hard or whatever you want to call it,but please make it WINNING football.

[saintwarwick]

I dont much care for this "Total football" nonsense.

Give me rough,ugly,hard or whatever you want to call it,but please make it WINNING football.

 

We are talking football here not some porn movie

[rocknrollman no2]

We are talking football here not some porn movie

 

Its probably more fun watching the second option(apparently).:-)

[badgerx16]

we have the worst home record of any team in the division.

 

Pretty much the worst in the entire football league, apart from Grimsby.

Premiership - Blackburn W1 D2 L4 / Wigan W1 D2 L3

CCC - Saints W1 D3 L5

League 1 - Colchester W1 D2 L5

League 2 - Grimsby W0 D3 L5 / Barnet W1 D2 L5

Conference - Lewes W2 D1 L6 / Forest Green W2 D1 L6

 

:mad:

[saintwarwick]

Its probably more fun watching the second option(apparently).:-)

 

It is (so I've been told )

[eelpie]

What's most worrying about that report is the set of figures at the end of it:

 

Gates halved in five years

Season tickets down from 21,000 to 9,000

A fall of 9.8% in gates last year

A fall of 25% this year.

 

Supporters want to see goals. Supporters want to be entertained. Goals make an entertaining match if they are in the opponents net - not ours. Lowe's biggest own goal is to deprive the team of our experienced goal-scorers.

 

Stupid man.

[Chez]

Supporters want to see goals. Supporters want to be entertained. Goals make an entertaining match if they are in the opponents net - not ours. Lowe's biggest own goal is to deprive the team of our experienced goal-scorers.

 

Stupid man.

 

if we had kept Rasiak, Saganowski and John wouldn't we be bankrupt by now though?

[um pahars]

if we had kept Rasiak, Saganowski and John wouldn't we be bankrupt by now though?

 

There was no way that we could have afforded to keep all three of those, but how about at least one of them?????

[Roman]

if we had kept Rasiak, Saganowski and John wouldn't we be bankrupt by now though?

 

Would we? Not even one of the three?

 

I don't know the answer to that, let alone how to balance the cost of keeping and playing them against the cost of bringing in the raft of younger squad players like Forecast, Gasmi, Pulis, Smith, Peckhart and Robertson. Or how the worrying cliff-drop in gate receipts factors in to this.

[Wes Tender]

Yes.

 

There is no way the current regime are going to stop us going down.

 

The only thing that will keep us in this division this season is Forest and Doncaster continuing to be worse than us, and another club going into administration and losing ten (or more) points.

 

Frankly I am sick of "keep the faith" and sick of "we're playing brilliant stuff".

 

I am not the most regular match goer, I make no claim to be (you'll notice, unlike Alpine, I keep my mouth shut about matches I haven't seen) but I have seen us live three times and on TV three times and all six times we flatter to decieve. Even when we're at our "best" we're ineffective - lots of pretty tappy triangles, but no finishing, and often not even a final ball.

 

And I went to our best game at Derby, where, granted, we were really good for one half of football, but we were pretty bloody average in the first half, and being that we kepp getting told how we are going to "build on" things, that good half of football was in August and we have yet to better it from what I have seen, heard and read since.

 

So I am sick of "we're going to build on" the occasional good results we've had. Because we've done nothing of the sort, and we're winning the number of games that a relegation team would win in this division by law of averages.

 

I'm going to Reading, and I am expecting us to get tonked.

 

So yes, sacking the manager is not an unreasonable thing to ask.

 

There are actually some experienced managers around that might just turn our season around if they start now.

 

We occasionally have our differences of opinion, but on this matter we see eye to eye. I have seen all the home games and can't remember when we have played well for both halves. As Jan has said before, we would be awesome if we played for 90 minutes as we did the first/second half (delete as appropriate). Well, why can't they? That last game, we had an advantage of possession and it was a joy to watch, all except for one thing. I found myself becoming frustrated at the sideways and backwards passing and found myself shouting "forward" and "attack".

 

Perhaps we ought to get some chants of those two words going in the hope that the message gets through to the players that we will not score many goals unless we get the ball into the box.

[Micky]

Some interesting points raised in the thread - I like many have only seen the televised games and frankly am underwhelmed by what I have witnessed. Sure there have been times when we knocked it around pretty well, but apart from the Lallanna goal at QPR (which at the end of the day counted for nothing) I have seen little end product from this so called total 'football'.

 

I have said it before on here - at this level, most teams will allow you to play pretty stuff in front of them - they'll love it, they don't have to defend FA. We rarely appear to get behind teams and make them defend - it all just peters out to nothing. We are totally ineffective at finishing from range (come back Stern) and so pretty damn easy to defend against.

 

As for defensively - well from what I've seen from highlights and live games - pretty farcicle, a little comedic, men with guide dogs would probably be more adept in most situations.

 

All of that said - don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up on the lads (hoping for another 5 - 6 Preston like performances and results...!).

 

But, our style of football appears to me to be pretty much ineffective, this time last season many were saying that they wouldn't want the likes of Billy Davis here because of 'his' (Derbys) style of football - I wonder whether many would now change their minds and settle for 'effective' football over 'pretty' (and lets be honest - ineffective) football?

[Torrent Of Abuse]

I note with amusement that despite the fact I am being slagged off on here for passing certain judgements on that game withóut seeing it, those in the press that did see it are passing the same judgements.

Actually, Alpine, you're slagged off because (to use a movie-analogy) you're the guy in the disaster film who shrieks out "Oh God, Oh God, we're all going to die! DIIIIIEEEE I tell you!" until someone grabs him, slaps him and shakes the hysteria out of him.

 

No-one doubts the depth of the pile of p00 we're in, but many on here doubt the wisdom or helpfulness of complaining about the smell every 30 seconds.

 

As for the match review, it would be a nice read if we were mid-table but, as many others have pointed out, we're actually up sh1t street at the mo. An experienced defence would go a long way to making this team seem half decent. As it is, we seem intent on doing things the hardest way possible.

 

But, our style of football appears to me to be pretty much ineffective, this time last season many were saying that they wouldn't want the likes of Billy Davis here because of 'his' (Derbys) style of football - I wonder whether many would now change their minds and settle for 'effective' football over 'pretty' (and lets be honest - ineffective) football?

I think a change of style like this would probably kill the team completely. It's one thing bringing in a new manager but to get kids who have been brought up passing the ball and introduce them to the direct style would just ruin everything. If we wanted the direct approach, we should have committed to it while we still had some wily old pros at the club who might have taken to the direct game.

[Saint Bones]

There was no way that we could have afforded to keep all three of those, but how about at least one of them?????

 

Yup - Surely one was worth the gamble. For me either Rasiak or John.

 

Good to see Robertson getting some goals in the ressies - he should be on fire by the time his loan ends :mad:

[chivvy1664]

IF you could have one I would go for Saganowski as he is the most mobile of the three and probably the cheapest.

 

Although John is better at hold play and has been more prolific.

 

Rasiak is still good but is slow and lazy, but prolific and better in the air.

 

Kenwyne Jones would have been awesome in this side!

[saintwarwick]

IF you could have one I would go for Saganowski as he is the most mobile of the three and probably the cheapest.

 

Although John is better at hold play and has been more prolific.

 

Rasiak is still good but is slow and lazy, but prolific and better in the air.

 

Kenwyne Jones would have been awesome in this side!

 

All three are different in their own way and whilst I agree we cannot afford to keep all three we should be able to keep one so I am going for Rasiak as he is a goal poacher. Normally I would go for the more mobile Saganowski but I think we need someone who is receiving the ball from the style of play we are now used to and for that we need someone in the box receiving crosses or picking up loose balls. He may not be mobile but he does find the back of the net.

[Frank's cousin]

Actually, Alpine, you're slagged off because (to use a movie-analogy) you're the guy in the disaster film who shrieks out "Oh God, Oh God, we're all going to die! DIIIIIEEEE I tell you!" until someone grabs him, slaps him and shakes the hysteria out of him.

 

No-one doubts the depth of the pile of p00 we're in, but many on here doubt the wisdom or helpfulness of complaining about the smell every 30 seconds.

 

As for the match review, it would be a nice read if we were mid-table but, as many others have pointed out, we're actually up sh1t street at the mo. An experienced defence would go a long way to making this team seem half decent. As it is, we seem intent on doing things the hardest way possible.

 

 

I think a change of style like this would probably kill the team completely. It's one thing bringing in a new manager but to get kids who have been brought up passing the ball and introduce them to the direct style would just ruin everything. If we wanted the direct approach, we should have committed to it while we still had some wily old pros at the club who might have taken to the direct game.

 

Nthing to add ( for once) - sums it up perfectly.

[Micky]

I think a change of style like this would probably kill the team completely. It's one thing bringing in a new manager but to get kids who have been brought up passing the ball and introduce them to the direct style would just ruin everything. If we wanted the direct approach, we should have committed to it while we still had some wily old pros at the club who might have taken to the direct game.

 

Tend to agree - this current crop of players probably wouldn't be suited to a complete 360 degree turn and change of style.

 

But I wonder - at the end of the day (season) will it transpire that this total football was a mistake and perhaps a more direct approach might have bore more success. Time will tell I guess.

[Wes Tender]

Tend to agree - this current crop of players probably wouldn't be suited to a complete 360 degree turn and change of style.

 

But I wonder - at the end of the day (season) will it transpire that this total football was a mistake and perhaps a more direct approach might have bore more success. Time will tell I guess.

 

Although only youngsters, we are talking about professional footballers here. I'm assuming that their understanding of the game is that playing formations are not set in concrete, that a manager can discuss tactics with them before a game and make changes to the formation which they can implement. Surely they understand the concept of playing wing backs, playing with a sweeper, one in the hole, etc. and that if one or two players are instructed to play in a certain position, or to mark a particular player, they can do that. If not, then they shouldn't be playing football at this level. The proposition that they would be uncomfortable playing 4-4-2 having attempted to play so called total football, is bizarre.

 

Regarding Billy Davies, the original suggestion that he is only capable of playing teams with a route one strategy having sparked this particular discussion, I think that this is a misconception. I believe that BD is a pragmatical manager, well able to make the best of whatever he has available to him and play to their strengths.