Highlights v Port Vale

Quoted from mariner91

They've also got the luxury of a manager who has been there for nearly 12 years.

Well 12 year’s ago Russell Slade was our manager, whatever happened to him ?
😂

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Can see both sides of this luckily Slade has players that can mix it and should be able to cover both tactics. Sometimes route one seems the best option but with wide men and a decent midfield e have the best of both worlds. With our defence this maybe our saviour.

I think it was Nathan Clarke yesterday in interview that was challenged by Radio (not) Hull to..." are you a long ball side ?" ... his response was along the lines of ;
NO ! ...we have ball players but first 15 mins or so the game plan is we hoof the ball (he said a different word but cant recall the actual word he used) into areas, channels etc ( ermmmm thats hoofing it Nathan ..) and then later into the game we start to play it,,but we definatley dont just hoof ( or other word) it, !!

Got the impression that half the camp want to play and half the camp will follow orders.

Hoof it into the space behind the defence will drop them back a few yards and give you space in middle BUT the opposition will have the ball and have plenty of room to move into.
Jesus just play football, he have the players to do so. Knock it about, get it out wide, whip in a cross.

Tactics like that and Guardiolla better start looking for a new job!!

Quoted from lukeo

Hoof it into the space behind the defence will drop them back a few yards and give you space in middle BUT the opposition will have the ball and have plenty of room to move into.
Jesus just play football, he have the players to do so. Knock it about, get it out wide, whip in a cross.

Which is what we did well yesterday!

Personally I don't want to see us over playing at the back and prefer to see us play in the final third. Only lost once in the last 6 games yet to listen to Pep sonofmadeley you certainly wouldn't think so!

Further to my earlier comment that it looked like we’d convinced Andres Iniesta reject a lifetime contract at Barcelona and join Town - I see Andrea Pirlo has announced his retirement today. Coincidence? I think not.

I remember listening to Sam Allardyce.

He said its not just hoof ball, its hitting it forward into space, so you can clear your lines and get forward and out of danger.

Passing around in your own half is achieving nothing and just putting you in danger incase of a small simple mistake, like a slip.. (gerrard for example)

We don't have the luxury of ball playing defenders like you see on the TV...

Thats the problem, too many people see football on TV, and these are played by players that earn 100k a week and are world class.

Our players are not world class, they are not millionaires...

Reality check is needed at times to remember we are in the 4th tier of english football

I'm always quite pleased when we play a team who are confident to try and pass it around at the back. At our level, you're invariably going to be given one or two chances by these teams given the limitations of the players.

Obviously, this wasn't quite the case against, say, Portsmouth last season, but they were paying higher division wages and therefore had higher division players who are more capable.

Ultimately, pass the ball if you've got the time and the space, but don't end up going side to side for the sake of it if it means you're just going to end up passing it back for the keeper to whack upfield. You'd be better off chipping the ball up the line or into one of the corners in this situation. Too often, we try to pass the ball when there isn't really the opportunity to do so (considering the ability of our players) and end up slicing attempted clearances into touch when hurried.

Ok so it’s hoofball when we lose and clever long passes when we win right? 🤔😉

Exactly.  

Obviously, we'd all like to see more passing, especially when we get the ball in midfield, but longer balls forward are sometimes necessary and I'd like us to see us be a bit better with this. In particular, we know Macca isn't the most accurate kicker of the ball so I'd much rather see the full-back or central defender knock the ball forwards (assuming they have the time and opportunity to do so) instead of passing it back another 20 or 30 yards for Macca to whack forwards.

It shouldn't need to be said, but hitting a long ball towards Dembele should only be attempted if it can be put over the defender's head in to space or into Dembele's feet. He's game and will attempt to win the aerial challenges but he's on a hiding to nothing given his diminutive size!