The way forward.

That sounds like a Big Chris post I reckon.

Quoted from ginnywings

Or you can simply boot it over the top or into the channel for a billy whizz type, which is the way we went under Slade in our second season. In his first, we tried the pass and move stuff without too much success. Will be interesting to see which one we get now, or maybe a mixture of the two. I'm sure he will have learned a lot more in the last 11 years since he was here.

This tells me that he was cabpable enough to chnage a plan that wasnt working

A few simple ideas -

Play two real wingers to give width to attacks and draw out defenders from central positions, and then look for midfielders to add to central attacking options.

Play higher up the field and don't let opponents bully you in the last 15 minutes of games, until you're stuck on the edge of your own penalty area.

Have fit players who will last 90 minutes if not injured.

Practice passing to players who have the same colour shirt on, and if possible put it a bit in front of them to run onto at some sort of pace, not receive it at a standing start.

Don't be scared to shoot - it's not all about one star striker any more !

Quoted from ginnywings

Yes, you can dress it up all you like to make it sound like you know more than me about football, but at the end of the day, that is what it is. A structured boot over the top maybe, but a boot over the top all the same. Like MB said, there three ways to play; through the middle, over the top, or down the wings. The rest is just window dressing.

'Kin hell, bit insecure?

I thought it was a football debate.  You thought it was excrement and hopeful, I thought it was decent and tailored. That's it.

I've better things do to than wave willies and compare.  

Yes Mikey, good find.

Slade was one of the Howard Wilkinson school of managers. Howard used this strategy at Boston, Notts County, Sheffield Wed and Leeds, won promotion and the last ever First Division in 1992/3 I think. To an extent they were influenced by Graham Taylor and his research into the long ball game that we discussed on here when he died the other month. The principle is the percentage game, the law of averages. Over a season more chances will be created playing that way. Slade had noted that both Watford and Wimbledon had gone through the lower leagues with that method and Doncaster had just got promotion playing with a side built like brick sh!thouses.

The sort of player you need is a willing centre forward like Lump and some greased lightning like Reddy. In effect it is Ross Jenkins and Luther Blissett at Watford ten seasons earlier. In fact to some extent Ramsey used this with Hurst and Hunt in 1966. One of Charlton's goals against Portugal was made by Hurst running a ball down the channel.

We saw the worst version of this from Lyons but his variation was for every ball to go high towards the corners. He left the BP grass long and wet in that area to hold up the ball. Hurst's was to use LJL and when he left to use one long diagonal ball for Monkhouse to head on.

I think Slade proved more sophisticated and he is a problem solver. It will be interesting to see how he approaches the new season and if he has any signings in mind.

Quoted from diehardmariner

'Kin hell, bit insecure?

I thought it was a football debate.  You thought it was excrement and hopeful, I thought it was decent and tailored. That's it.

I've better things do to than wave willies and compare.  

Too insecure to wave my willy at you.

I didn't think it was excrement, just boring and not as sophisticated as Slade makes it sound. He didn't re-invent the wheel.

Quoted from ginnywings

Too insecure to wave my willy at you.

I didn't think it was excrement, just boring and not as sophisticated as Slade makes it sound. He didn't re-invent the wheel.

No he didn't ginny but to be fair it is very different to hoofball. The Slade/Wilkinson/Taylor method is to hit the ball hard and quite low so there is no time with the ball in the air for defenders to track it and get under it, elbow the striker out of the way, and send it straight back. It is a directed pass like a cross is a directed pass when a winger puts the ball into an area not necessarily picking out one player. It's not rocket science but it's more sophisticated than whacking the ball up in the air for defenders to win it every time.

Much as I would prefer to see the Buckley game I have a feeling Slade may feel a quicker attacking game suits the league we are in but we'll see. It will probably depend on what the players can do. As long as we get results and keep moving up I will be pretty happy.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

No he didn't ginny but to be fair it is very different to hoofball. The Slade/Wilkinson/Taylor method is to hit the ball hard and quite low so there is no time with the ball in the air for defenders to track it and get under it, elbow the striker out of the way, and send it straight back. It is a directed pass like a cross is a directed pass when a winger puts the ball into an area not necessarily picking out one player. It's not rocket science but it's more sophisticated than whacking the ball up in the air for defenders to win it every time.

Much as I would prefer to see the Buckley game I have a feeling Slade may feel a quicker attacking game suits the league we are in but we'll see. It will probably depend on what the players can do. As long as we get results and keep moving up I will be pretty happy.

I do get the concept and am aware it was more 'direct' than it was 'route one'. I'm just a lover of pass and move football and if Slade says the players are not good enough at our level to play that way, then he is not as good a manager as he purports to be. Flip chart managers like Slade complicate a simple game in my view.

Quoted from ginnywings

I do get the concept and am aware it was more 'direct' than it was 'route one'. I'm just a lover of pass and move football and if Slade says the players are not good enough at our level to play that way, then he is not as good a manager as he purports to be. Flip chart managers like Slade complicate a simple game in my view.

I usually agree with most things you say ginny, but I think you're dreaming of a golden era on this one. You see an awful lot more of gtfc than I do, but how many teams have you seen this season particularly, but over the last ten in general who have played that type of football? I would love it if we could do it, but the only times I've seen it from gtfc has been when we've had Buckley and/ or in the championship. The only other time was the early days under slade. It seems to me that you get out of the conference and league 2 by being hard working,fit, efficient with good team play with a smattering of talent if possible.

Quoted from forza ivano

I usually agree with most things you say ginny, but I think you're dreaming of a golden era on this one. You see an awful lot more of gtfc than I do, but how many teams have you seen this season particularly, but over the last ten in general who have played that type of football? I would love it if we could do it, but the only times I've seen it from gtfc has been when we've had Buckley and/ or in the championship. The only other time was the early days under slade. It seems to me that you get out of the conference and league 2 by being hard working,fit, efficient with good team play with a smattering of talent if possible.

Yeah, but we can dream. Buckley managed it and even Mills in the conference played a pass and move game, no doubt influenced by his time at Forest. I know it's not likely to happen, especially now that the game has changed a lot since the time of Buckley but it's something i would like to see at some point. I think it was Oxford in the F.A. Cup recently that gave us a football lesson at BP and they aint exactly a massive club.