Jack Colback


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In all three games i don't think we've managed one five minute spell where we controlled and dictated the pace of the game.

Not Colbacks individual fault but a clear sign that we still badly need a better quality CM player that can pull the strings in a game fir at least a short space of time!
 
In all three games i don't think we've managed one five minute spell where we controlled and dictated the pace of the game.

Not Colbacks individual fault but a clear sign that we still badly need a better quality CM player that can pull the strings in a game fir at least a short space of time!

It doesn't really matter who the 2 in the middle are, that isn't the way we play. We don't prize possession, we soak up the pressure and take high risk passes in the hope they will pay off a few times in a game, and then soak up the pressure again when it doesn't work.

Colback is actually a very good possession footballer, but our movement off the ball is not the kind that maintains possession. We try to get the ball forward as soon as we can, only turning back when there's no opening to move forward into.
 
I fail to see the attraction with Allen. Seemed to do nowt IMO.

Agree with this, mind. I think he's shite.

He has absolutely no intention of turning and moving the ball forward. He's happy to recieve it from the back four and give them it back.

As for Colback, I thought he was neither good nor bad. Had an average game.
 
I don't necessarily agree with this as I thought Catts was in front of the back four. He was the only midfielder looking to pass it forward. When Colback moved back we shoved Seb in who was non existent and Campbell on the right meaning Catts was covering much more ground :-( if anything, Gardner yesterday did more than Larsson full stop, yet he stays on the pitch. We got some decent signings in the summer, rose had an ok debut but with our lack of depth still, we have certain players who play no matter how rubbish they are performing, and they get 'lack of match fitness' excuses left right and centre.

Catts yesterday was all over the shop. Athletic and committed. How come he is up to speed?

I fail to see the attraction with Allen. Seemed to do nowt IMO.

He likes his tippy tappy football. What pissed me off yesterday was Gerrard sitting deep and we just didn't push them onto the back foot enough.
 
In all three games i don't think we've managed one five minute spell where we controlled and dictated the pace of the game.

Not Colbacks individual fault but a clear sign that we still badly need a better quality CM player that can pull the strings in a game fir at least a short space of time!

We can get away with it when Sess is remotely at the races as he can give the attacking drive from the middle of the pitch. When he's about 10 yards behind the pace of the game then we become extremely predictable and easy to defend against. This also causes problems for McClean when Johnson doesn't play as the midfield is very narrow. Larsson tends to play very narrow and it is easy for teams to crowd out McClean. When the gets the ball and the midfield is deep he has very few options. Go back to the left back or try and take a couple of players on.

Once Johnson is playing and stretching the pitch and Sess starts getting the ball and acting as a pivot then having deep, defensive midfielders shouldn't be a problem...
 
In general I think the OP is utterly wrong on his view of Colback however i'm surprised so many thought he played well in midfield yesterday - personally I thought cattermole had much the better game but people seem quite split on this one.

I thought Colback, playing further up the field, was much more involved than usual and initially that worked reasonably well with Cattermole playing deeper. Our shape wasn't improved when he dropped to left back and Cattermole seemed to become less effective.

I've watched Colback come through the reserves and to me he always looked as though his role would be more of an attacking midfielder.
If I remember correctly he scored fairly regularly at reserve level from the old 'inside left' position, and if I had any doubts it was more physique than technique.

With the exception of his finishing, I think he's progressing quite nicely. Not spectacular, but I genuinely think there's more to come from the lad.

Yes, his passing was a bit rusty yesterday, but he wasn't alone in that. I thought most of our lot looked short of game time compared to Liverpool, who weren't exactly brilliant, but seemed a touch sharper all over the field.

A midfield of Colback, Cattermole, McClean and Johnson, on paper at least, should be pretty effective.
 
Cattermole was much better today. Broke up play more effectively and his passing was superior to Colback's.

I'd disagree. Cattermole is given the role to just sit and defend, providing little else to the team whilst Colback is asked to get forward as well as defend, meaning Cattermole has arguably the easier role. The majority of the time Colback lost possession was in advance positions where he had to force a pass.

I must admit I dont think it was Colback's best game but thought he was equal if not as good as Cattermole. Colback at least provided an option going forward and got in some good positions (something he gets criticised for not doing enough on here). Yes he was wasteful in those position as were most of the Sunderland players including McClean and Sessagnon, but he was at the very least in those positions.

I think he has the technique to be more clinical in those positions but possibly not the belief. He would be better, IMHO, playing the deeper midfield role with a more creative player playing alongside him which would allow him to dictate play.

Ask yourself if you could see him one of the other top 15 teams in this league and you can add Catts to that. We were shite in possession and taht's becasue our CM's are half a mile behind the forwards.

Both did a good job defending etc but as a team on the attack we are fucked. O'neill thinks wingers are supermen who constantly get in the final 3rd and deliver fantastic crosses so our forwards can tap them in, he's showing his age imo.

For me a lot of the reason why the midfield pair were pushed back was because Shelvey effectively played as a third midfielder and Sessagnon provided little in the way of support meaning at time Cattermole and Colback were marking three players. The Liverpool formation was a lot more fluid than our set up.
 
It doesn't really matter who the 2 in the middle are, that isn't the way we play. We don't prize possession, we soak up the pressure and take high risk passes in the hope they will pay off a few times in a game, and then soak up the pressure again when it doesn't work.

Colback is actually a very good possession footballer, but our movement off the ball is not the kind that maintains possession. We try to get the ball forward as soon as we can, only turning back when there's no opening to move forward into.

I tend to agree

But even MON would agree we haven't had enough of the ball the last 2 games.

Could be a number of reasons but we usually have a bit more of the play than this.

Think the main reason is Sess's slow start
 
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