mikeosullivan
Vital Squad Member
I included this in my player ratings. Overall, we are a mess. We have struggled badly against any team that comes to the Bank and plays a high press, yet we stubbornly stick to our guns and play out from the back with no tactics apparently to do anything else.
It doesn't affect us as much away from home as home teams rarely use a high press - the onus is on them to attack. At home it is just too easy for teams to counter our style. This has been going on for at least six months, and our home form has been both appalling as well as frustrating and slightly boring.
Griffiths doesn't help. Watch when he has the ball at his feet how many seconds it takes him to play a 15 yard pass to one of the centre backs. Its at least 3 or 4 seconds - and that gives a high press more than enough time to put the pass receiver under pressure.
Even when the centre backs do have time, the only midfielder who shows for a pass is McGrandles. There is no movement from the other midfielders, so often the only pass available is a long ball to a forward. And we just can't play a long ball, whether from the centre backs, from the full backs, or from Griffiths. We struggled with long balls even when Hopper was fit.
My question is why, when this has been going on through the whole of 2021, we have developed no plan B to play out in a different style? You can tell when Griffiths has to kick long that he is doing it as a total last resort with no planning apart from that silly kick out to the right aiming at Poole's head.
I can just imagine Danny & Nicky's team talk on Monday - probably the easiest tactical session they have ever had to take.
I am puzzled. We have an experienced coaching staff. Another poster mentioned the word "stubborn". Is that it? "My teams play out from the back. Full stop."
It doesn't affect us as much away from home as home teams rarely use a high press - the onus is on them to attack. At home it is just too easy for teams to counter our style. This has been going on for at least six months, and our home form has been both appalling as well as frustrating and slightly boring.
Griffiths doesn't help. Watch when he has the ball at his feet how many seconds it takes him to play a 15 yard pass to one of the centre backs. Its at least 3 or 4 seconds - and that gives a high press more than enough time to put the pass receiver under pressure.
Even when the centre backs do have time, the only midfielder who shows for a pass is McGrandles. There is no movement from the other midfielders, so often the only pass available is a long ball to a forward. And we just can't play a long ball, whether from the centre backs, from the full backs, or from Griffiths. We struggled with long balls even when Hopper was fit.
My question is why, when this has been going on through the whole of 2021, we have developed no plan B to play out in a different style? You can tell when Griffiths has to kick long that he is doing it as a total last resort with no planning apart from that silly kick out to the right aiming at Poole's head.
I can just imagine Danny & Nicky's team talk on Monday - probably the easiest tactical session they have ever had to take.
I am puzzled. We have an experienced coaching staff. Another poster mentioned the word "stubborn". Is that it? "My teams play out from the back. Full stop."