Pass pass pass pass

Status
Not open for further replies.


Im mates with an ex pro a premier league one who played with s some top players.The last time I spoke to him he was telling me how possession football is killing the young lads coming through as teams are obsessing with it and basically coaching all the natural instinct out of players and turning them into robots they are all just clones of each other

DoctorMick said:
So only Man City can retain possession? No teams in the lower league ever do it!


Yes, that’s exactly what I plan to do.
Click to expand...
We don’t have the players to retain possession don’t know how many times I have to respect myself the centre backs aren’t good enough on the ball we just go around in circles for ten minutes at a time then they give it away
 
Last edited:
Whitburnmakem said:
We don’t have the players to retain possession don’t know how many times I have to respect myself the centre backs aren’t good enough on the ball we just go around in circles for ten minutes at a time then they give it away
Click to expand...
You know Willis isn’t good enough on the ball already?
 
Whitburnmakem said:
We are in league 1 man and you want us to play like Man City the players don’t have the ability !!! Have you heard of the saying you can’t polish a turd
Click to expand...
It’s one of the easiest things to train. It utterly amazes me that that we can’t do it.
You can’t train pace, but you can train once touch football. These players are earning thousands a week and you are telling me they will never be able to pass the ball.
The difference Man City have is where and how they pass it due to the positioning of the players, and they do more inventive passes due to awareness and vision.
We don’t even move off the ball to receive a pass which is why we are easily marked out of the game. There are never any 3rd man runs.
Thats the major failing of us. First game last season we passed and moved and pressed, we had an energy, the players made runs.
Now was that due to Ross or embarrassment at being 3rd tier and wanting to right wrongs. Now it’s mostly holding a shape with diagonal balls to find a wide man who has to do something.
We’ve been a static team for as long as I can remember, it didn’t really improve with poyet we just became better at passing.
If a manager could gaurentee they’d get our players moving off the ball I’d appoint them now.
 
Somehow I feel like a manager who had a vision of what he wanted to see on the pitch would be drilling his players on said style. Imagine thinking a professional footballer isn’t good enough to pass the ball 15 yds then move to an open spot and support the ball. We’re absolutely fucked. :lol:
 
Venkman said:
Really? Feels like the more direct we are the more it plays in to the oppositions hands.
Click to expand...
I don’t agree with the OP at all.

The most frustrating thing is not being able to take advantage quickly when we do gain possession - attacking quickly when the opposition isn’t set is the key to a lot of goals made by quality football teams.

If “going direct” is a quick forward pass, particularly if we can keep Watmore fit then I’m all for it.
 
Venkman said:
Really? Feels like the more direct we are the more it plays in to the oppositions hands.
Click to expand...
Yes we did get caught out numerous times when attacking, mainly thanks to a slow midfield and no cover for full backs.
Whether it was because we were being direct I don't know but we were tactically naive.
 
oddbod said:
I have gone through the misery of 45 pree seasons and yes the results dont matter as they ae all about fitness and bonding new team members mostly off the pitch!Only the celtic game with the dullard in charge when we were trounced by a celtic c team was predictive of the season to come as if you cannot even try against celtic there is something critically wrong with your squad!We are nomarks now playing nomarks pre season going through the motions until the season starts and only then can we judge!
Click to expand...

I disagree. Last year we got better and better with each pre season game and when the season started we went on a really good run
 
mackempt said:
I don’t agree with the OP at all.

The most frustrating thing is not being able to take advantage quickly when we do gain possession - attacking quickly when the opposition isn’t set is the key to a lot of goals made by quality football teams.

If “going direct” is a quick forward pass, particularly if we can keep Watmore fit then I’m all for it.
Click to expand...
Direct isn't hoof ball, our midfield were caught out many times by opposition centre backs returning a long clearance.
 
Perryqhill said:
Totally understand the concept of working the opposition around and keeping the ball and picking the time to make runs etc. What we ended up doing last season was passing for the sake of it and would would see the odd player make a forward run but then there was no real intent to get the ball forward or support. we'd the pass it about working it back to a defender who would then proceed to hoof it forward anyway when pressed, generally losing it.

Given we have a lot of smaller players who are reasonable on the ball, especially at this level it's absolutely bizarre how we weren't more positive and better on the ball.

Either the players are being drilled to play the way they or they aren't being given the confidence and belief to play in a more composed attacking manner as it's not natural to them.

Unfortunately I think a lot of it stems from the manager.
Click to expand...
Agreed. We have good enough players at this level to be a lot better in possession.
 
parsonjohn1985 said:
I disagree. Last year we got better and better with each pre season game and when the season started we went on a really good run[/QUOTE
As the bard said the past is prologue fella history makes last year a blip and not the norm and we were playing shite last season and only had a good start because we actually had a striker who could put the ball in hte back of the net!( yes i know its so unusual)so we had good results early doors but the actual football was woeful!
Click to expand...
 
rocky said:
You can still pass the ball and move. My under 18 side do it pretty well
Click to expand...
This is the essence of proper football. Bill Nicholson's Spurs did it in the 60s; the Dutch 'total football' was based on it in the 70s; and all the best modern teams do it as if by instinct. I hate it when we play stone-age football, crunching tackles and booting it 50 yards, usually out of play. With most of the current squad, their second touch is a header. I don't give a fuck about pace. I want to see players who can pass to each other, and their next move being to take the return.
Sunderland have always played their best football at pace but with players that could pass to each other. Reidy had the full-backs and wingers combining all the time, exchanging passes and gaining ground. Reid himself, as a midfielder, would always receive the ball and try to turn and make ten yards upfield, because then the men in front of him could look for space for him to pass into. And it was almost always forwards, not back.
I think we might have one or two players who are capable of this pass and move style, but sadly JR seems more concerned with shape and possession. As several have said, this is a coaching issue.
 
Alright to knock the ball around if your players have football brains, but subbuteo football doesn't work on the pitch.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top