Style of Football (WHU)

[jenkins89]

Following the recent run of mediocre results we've had, I was interested to try and gauge the general opinion of members on here as to what style of football you would like to see us play. I appreciate this has probably been covered over and over again but given the rumblings of disatisfaction with how we have lined up and played in recent games, I thought it might be worth a re-visit.

So, would you prefer us to play all-out attacking football which is fun to watch but ultimately dangerous, or do you prefer "winning" football as Sam put it, and using tactics designed to get points (win or draw)?

[HarrowInnHammer]

I'd prefer to go out and have a go of things away from home.

[the wren]

We should be playing like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZxvYy5-ekI

If Sam can't get us playing like that on our huge budget and have us in the top six then we should get rid of him and get Adkins in.

[Islington_Iron]

we should get rid of him and get Adkins in.

No thanks!

We dont have the quality so we have to play some pretty dogged football but it works. it seems people are forgetting the second half battering we gave to QPR. Tbh we could mix it up a bit and play better on the break but my only main criticism is that we are surprisingly **** at set pieces

[Bobby Orangeboom]

I'd prefer to go out and have a go of things away from home.

You mean like taking the lead at Arsenal, getting pinned back with a top strike by a German international, going behind via French International that cost 12m then further behind via a World Cup winner then conceding another two as we were caught up field trying ot get back in the game ?

[the wren]

Bobby Orangeboom"

You mean like taking the lead at Arsenal, getting pinned back with a top strike by a German international, going behind via French International that cost 12m then further behind via a World Cup winner then conceding another two as we were caught up field trying ot get back in the game ?"

Why the f*ck not? Our first team last night is worth at least £150m. Carlton alone is worth at least £20m and is a lot better than that Podolski has-been. I expected nothing less than 3 points last night having been in the Premier league for at least since August... .

[Hambrosia Stu]

I don't see the original question as an either or
Sometimes you have to be solid, sometimes you have to go for it. Sometimes you get both situations within 10 minutes in a game......

With what we have, and where we are, I have no problem with us playing the percentages. We are generally pretty good without the ball, and I appreciate that to compete you have to do the ugly things well. Which we do, and is the foundation around which we build everything else. Just as it should be

It's what we do with the ball that is more of an issue for me
Again, i have no problem with us going direct, playing a big front man, and all that entails
My big problem is as Islington says:-

Tbh we could mix it up a bit and play better on the break but my only main criticism is that we are surprisingly **** at set pieces

A major part of our problem, as it was last season, is that Carlton is so bloody isolated at times. I mean, what's the point of playing a big target man who can win the aerial duel and hold the ball up if he has no support. Kind of removes the point of having that type of striker if when he is successful at holding the ball up, he has no option to do anything with it. Kind of defeats the purpose of playing that way imo

Maybe if we mixed it up a bit more that tactic might have more success when we use it. But we are currently way too predictable, and it seems teams are sussing out how to deal with us

Along similar lines are our free-kicks. Generally corners haven't been too bad, but some of the free-kicks we've had recently are so predictable and unimaginative. There was one recently that just summed it up for me. Think it was against ManYoo (not sure though). We had a free kick plumb centre, about 35-40 yards out. Noble took it. He basically lofted it straight down the middle, into a crowded penalty box, and it was easily cleared. The best we could have hoped for was for the ball to drop somewhere in the box, and one of our players get the loose ball. But as the defenders were facing the right way to clear it, they were always favourites. It was just about the easiest thing we could have done to defend against. All too often it seems we just lob it in and hope for the best, rather than making something happen

We also seem to struggle in terms of making the right decision in wide areas. Again, all too often the ball is lofted into an area, rather than playing the ball to the player in the best position. It has driven me spare at times this season, how often the ball is crying to be cut back to someone attacking the edge of the box, but instead is just dinked up hopefully to the back post

I'm not unhappy overall, but there are things we could do a lot better, imo

[Bobby Orangeboom]

Why the f*ck not? Our first team last night is worth at least £150m. Carlton alone is worth at least £20m and is a lot better than that Podolski has-been. I expected nothing less than 3 points last night having been in the Premier league for at least since August... .

At last, some sense from the small Bird..

[jenkins89]

I don't see the original question as an either or
Sometimes you have to be solid, sometimes you have to go for it. Sometimes you get both situations within 10 minutes in a game......
...

I'm not unhappy overall, but there are things we could do a lot better, imo

Top post and agree with it all.

Surely somethiing is not happening on the training ground when we prepare for set plays and crossing drills. We've got the tools, I'm just not sure we're using the properly at the moment.

[Pompey Hammer]

get Adkins in.

While i don't agree what happened to the smug **** at the Scummers, there is no dam way i want him with us!!

[Hockley Hammer]

I'm not unhappy overall, but there are things we could do a lot better, imo

Very good post Stu, but I would revise the second part slightly to 'there are a lot of things we could do better'.

I do not like playing pretty football and losing. I want my team to fight for every point. They put the effort in and they get my respect.

They did for 45 minutes last night. I am at a loss to explain the first 10 minutes of the second half.