| Long Ball to Smith 13:16 - Apr 16 with 1125 views | enfieldargh |
Seems that route one is possibly the preferred route of/style of play for our defenders.
This surely cant be an Olly choice seeing as he has bolstered our midfield with ball playing midfielders.
If we are going to hike it up to Smith then why waste time with Smithies passing it short to the back four[ Lynch(main culprit in the games Ive seen)] and instead Smithies who I think has a more accurate throwing or kicking ability just sending it up there.
If the back 4 are disobeying orders why then are they not replaced for continuing with this archaic and often fruitless exercise? |  |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 13:25 - Apr 16 with 1113 views | TacticalR |
With all the talk of 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 the possibilities of using court martials has been completely overlooked.
Having said that, isn't this a problem that has plagued us all season, the only difference being that before we were playing even more fruitless long balls up to Washington? |  |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 14:27 - Apr 16 with 1037 views | londonscottish |
The rot set in (again) at Derby.
The weekend was fun but the football was unwatchable at times. Route one all the way.
Shame as the 4/5 games leading up to that one were great.
Passing from the back/fullbacks/pacy wingers/great crosses in from Pavel, etc.
Maybe this group can only pull it off against the lesser teams? |  |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 14:36 - Apr 16 with 1026 views | hoopdog |
| Long Ball to Smith on 13:25 - Apr 16 by TacticalR |
With all the talk of 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 the possibilities of using court martials has been completely overlooked.
Having said that, isn't this a problem that has plagued us all season, the only difference being that before we were playing even more fruitless long balls up to Washington? |
Quite right ! But the long ball is due to the lack of any sort of quality holding mid fielders hence our best results have came with Ollie using a c/b there (Hall )
Surely a couple of m/f enforcers is a must in the summer one to play and one as cover to enable the defenders to have the option to play a shorter ball out |  | | |
| Long Ball to Smith on 14:38 - Apr 16 with 1023 views | Northernr |
Holloway said at the fans forum that the players were too quick to go to that, so one would presume/hope it's the out ball rather than the ball - though he was quite direct first time around here.
It's not necessarily a bad thing per se but we don't play it well at all. We don't get men around Smith to pick up the ball as it drops or gets flicked on - Yeni and Pawel way too wide of him for that at the weekend. And we don't play good, targeted balls to him, we just sort of lump it up there, and that's because it's usually Lynch or, even worse, Onuoha doing it.
I think it's just a lazy way out for a team who thinks the season is over and is losing confidence in itself. I hope it's that anyway, rather than a deliberate ploy. Either way stop it. Stop it now. |  | | |
| Long Ball to Smith on 15:36 - Apr 16 with 969 views | TacticalR |
It's like launching missiles at random countries.  | |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 17:20 - Apr 16 with 843 views | BromleyHoop |
| Long Ball to Smith on 14:38 - Apr 16 by Northernr |
Holloway said at the fans forum that the players were too quick to go to that, so one would presume/hope it's the out ball rather than the ball - though he was quite direct first time around here.
It's not necessarily a bad thing per se but we don't play it well at all. We don't get men around Smith to pick up the ball as it drops or gets flicked on - Yeni and Pawel way too wide of him for that at the weekend. And we don't play good, targeted balls to him, we just sort of lump it up there, and that's because it's usually Lynch or, even worse, Onuoha doing it.
I think it's just a lazy way out for a team who thinks the season is over and is losing confidence in itself. I hope it's that anyway, rather than a deliberate ploy. Either way stop it. Stop it now. |
Holloway said in his post match against Brighton that the idea was to play Washington as far away from Smith as possible thereby splitting the oppo central defenders. They certainly did this, there were miles between them at times. The thinking was for the midfield, and principally Morrison, to pick up the knockdowns from long balls to Smith and attack through the space between the Brighton defenders. This makes Morrisons performance even more ridiculous as he did nothing of the sort and played deep. He's thick as mince that boy.
If you're gonna play long ball and have a plan behind it rather than it just being the lazy option, it helps if your team carry out the game plan.
It s a strange game plan though as we've looked best when we've played on the deck through midfield with Luongo and Freeman and occasionally Ngbakoto and Wsolek chipping in. |  |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 17:29 - Apr 16 with 828 views | Northernr |
| Long Ball to Smith on 17:20 - Apr 16 by BromleyHoop |
Holloway said in his post match against Brighton that the idea was to play Washington as far away from Smith as possible thereby splitting the oppo central defenders. They certainly did this, there were miles between them at times. The thinking was for the midfield, and principally Morrison, to pick up the knockdowns from long balls to Smith and attack through the space between the Brighton defenders. This makes Morrisons performance even more ridiculous as he did nothing of the sort and played deep. He's thick as mince that boy.
If you're gonna play long ball and have a plan behind it rather than it just being the lazy option, it helps if your team carry out the game plan.
It s a strange game plan though as we've looked best when we've played on the deck through midfield with Luongo and Freeman and occasionally Ngbakoto and Wsolek chipping in. |
The opposition do have a say in this as well of course, and if you were an opponent you'd be more than happy with Onuoha and Lynch clubbing it forward so maybe they double up elsewhere and leave those two free when we have the ball deliberately. | | | |
| Long Ball to Smith on 17:36 - Apr 16 with 818 views | BromleyHoop |
| Long Ball to Smith on 17:29 - Apr 16 by Northernr |
The opposition do have a say in this as well of course, and if you were an opponent you'd be more than happy with Onuoha and Lynch clubbing it forward so maybe they double up elsewhere and leave those two free when we have the ball deliberately. |
Which is precisely the point I made in the comments section of your review of the Bristol City game. As an opposition manager you'd tell your team to leave Onouha as the spare man and an easy outlet for Smithies every time cos he'll do one of two things; aimlessly knock it up to Smith or nervously carry the ball forward and lose the ball within seconds. | |
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| Long Ball to Smith on 07:59 - Apr 17 with 618 views | BostonR |
Holloway does not have a plan B so it's hoofball - end of. Onuaha has been poor in possession all season and not just since Holloway arrived. The problem with Onuaha is no manager has the foresight to tell him to just defend and pass the ball to a player who can actually play football when he has possession. Most of the time he turns back towards goal and either plays it square or back to Smithies. As long as he is in the team we are not moving forward. Hall is far better player and we just need to find a "proper" centre-back to partner him next season. |  | | |
| Long Ball to Smith on 09:01 - Apr 17 with 558 views | Roller |
As usual Holloway is getting sold short here. We regularly employ two or three different formations during a match, so the accusation of no plan B is simply wrong. Neither Onuoha nor Lynch are particularly good in possession and if there is no simple pass available, and an opposition player comes within 5 yards of them, they panic and play a long ball; when they try to get clever they general cough the ball up.
If Holloway sees playing 3 at the back as the way forwards, ideally we will sign an experienced ball playing centre half this summer and I'd dearly like to see Niko Hamalainen given a trial in the left wing back role before this season is finished. As far as I'm concerned we are not experimenting with the right players. |  | | |
| Long Ball to Smith on 09:18 - Apr 17 with 544 views | LadbrokeR |
Flint Bristol city's tiny centre back didn't work it out 😂 | | | |
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