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Post by paz on Dec 31, 2021 11:51:01 GMT
I came across this video of a midseason rundown of every league 2 side so far.
We are mentioned around 16:15
While his assessment of us is full of praise, I was somewhat surprised to hear that we have apparently made the least passes in league 2. Not that I am complaining about it! but I have always seen us as a team that moves the ball around quite well. Or perhaps I am getting mixed up with the fact our play is usually quite exciting. I have noticed since our midfield was hit with injuries we had started to play longer balls and counter more, perhaps this has affected the overall stats..
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Post by Del on Dec 31, 2021 12:05:15 GMT
I think you will find that as we don't play the ball out from the back very often this will skew the stats.
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Post by paz on Dec 31, 2021 12:47:40 GMT
I think you will find that as we don't play the ball out from the back very often this will skew the stats. True. We seem to be very direct from the back and then play our football in the final third and the midfield when at strength. I usually don't like to talk tactics so scouts don't make notes, but I'm sure If me and this YouTuber know about it then the other team's do 😁 |
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Post by baboonfish on Dec 31, 2021 12:52:16 GMT
We're definitely direct and that doesn't surprise me at all, but so are most teams who come up from non league. They have to be. Flair is crushed at that level.
No coincidence that orient and Harrogate are the two most direct teams I've seen us play and we struggled to press them (lucky to beat Harrogate).
Teams at this level play out from the back and have aspirational managers who don't want to be known for hoof ball, because no club in the top leagues will employ them. Different game now. Nobody is looking for the next Tony pulis. The lower leagues used to be very direct, but pitches were worse and managers could still get jobs playing the Charles Hughes winning formula way (John beck at Cambridge being perhaps the most ardent fan of this style).
Almost no teams play actual kick and rush long ball, except where Tom Denton is involved. Our style is based on high press and moving the ball forward quickly and is highly effective against teams at this level with mediocre ball playing defenders. It's a perfectly acceptable style for us, and I'm sure Matt gray would love his side to play possession football but then we wouldn't be sitting pretty near the top of the league.
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Post by shaneaib on Dec 31, 2021 13:10:28 GMT
I have a recollection of Matt on his first meet the manager saying that his style was to get the ball into the oppositions penalty area or thereabouts. While he wasn't advocating hoofing the ball over the midfield to the box it did have a light touch direct style. Personally I enjoy watching sutton when we play the ball on the floor. But a manager needs to tweak tactics according to who we are playing. Tactically we don't want to be predictable.
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Post by Stewart on Dec 31, 2021 13:38:14 GMT
I think you will find that as we don't play the ball out from the back very often this will skew the stats. True. We seem to be very direct from the back and then play our football in the final third and the midfield when at strength. I usually don't like to talk tactics so scouts don't make notes, but I'm sure If me and this YouTuber know about it then the other team's do 😁 Maybe this helps show how we like to get the ball forward quickly.  |
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Post by is4 on Dec 31, 2021 14:10:57 GMT
Thanks Stewart for the chart it sertainly shows the direct approach we play.
It seems that we are to predictable in the style of play.
How does the forum feel if we were to play it more on the ground so as to mix it up a bit.
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Post by Stewart on Dec 31, 2021 14:27:27 GMT
Thanks Stewart for the chart it sertainly shows the direct approach we play. It seems that we are to predictable in the style of play. How does the forum feel if we were to play it more on the ground so as to mix it up a bit. I don’t think we have the players to play short intricate passes in the final third. |
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Post by is4 on Dec 31, 2021 14:29:47 GMT
I quite agree with you Stewart.
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Post by garethl on Dec 31, 2021 14:44:59 GMT
Del is right in that more than half these stat passes are the defences/goalkeepers passing amongst themselves. The very best teams can do this but break through the opposition shutting down. Swindon for example did this well against us in the first half of our match. Many in the league can’t. Walsall at our place a great example in that they would muck about in their own third time after time and just end up hoofing it. We’re definitely on the direct side. Our best football is when can mix it up and switch play well, when our wide players are both involved and our centre midfielders get on the ball and move it quickly too. I don’t think we’ve hit our best form yet. I also think we sometimes have a bit more time at this level (against some teams) than we realise/take advantage of.
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Post by ganderpoke on Dec 31, 2021 16:39:41 GMT
I would prefer if we played a few more passes in the middle rather than the long ball game but I suppose if you lose the ball in the oppositions half then its better than in your own (eg Tanto at Tranmere). Our style does mean that we can spend more time without the ball than with it which doesn't look that great from a spectating point of view. Its really just a case of making the long ball count - If Omar or Bennett get on the end of it or Tanto can chase down one hit into space then fine, its the hurried hoofs to no-one (or even off the pitch) which we need to cut out.
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Post by paz on Jan 1, 2022 3:12:22 GMT
Yeah I think you have to have more than one way of playing or you get found out. I think when we have a fit squad we can knock it about ok when at home. But to be fair, the club has been so busy and moving so fast Matt just needed to get a good side out their playing as a unit and getting the job done, which he has done. I suspose from here on as its looking like we will stay up, he will try and add other eliments to the game. But at this level its very hard to get technical players who can adapt like players in higher leagues... This is life in league 2 I guess.
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Post by davethegrave on Jan 1, 2022 16:01:30 GMT
Wasn't football fun before pundits, analysts and statiscticians got involved.
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Post by baboonfish on Jan 2, 2022 18:21:42 GMT
And internet forum tacticians........................... People have discussed their team's tactics and selections down the pub for longer than even you've been alive Billy. Why else would anyone bother with a football forum? Certainly not to talk about cricket 😉 |
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pauld
Youth Team Player
Glory hunting since 2017
Posts: 131
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Post by pauld on Jan 4, 2022 16:28:34 GMT
I feel as though we've been more direct over the last couple of months. Dont know if deliberate, or just juggling some difficult playing conditions (wind primarily); juggling playing 11 and formations; or just teams working us out a bit and pressing us more. Thoughts?
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