Watching less well off (so less talented) Premier League teams trying to play out from the back is akin to watching Lemmings leaping from a cliff edge.
It’s the way the modern game has gone. It’s no bad thing, as it encourages even defenders to be more technically adept, and to pass out from the back rather than hoof it. I wonder when Nathan Jones will receive the circular about it ?
you can only pull it off with players who are comfortable on the ball - you rarely find this type of player at L1 level
I don't understand why intelligent football managers feel the overpowering urge to try and force their moderately talented footballers to try to play like the freakishly gifted 0.01% of their breed who inhabit the handful of top teams in the Elite leagues and earn £300K per week. I'll admit though, that when those managers and players get it wrong the results are hilariously entertaining. Give me a long punt up to a big bloke who is great in the air and knows how to hold the play up - any day of the week.
The reason why managers don’t play the percentages is because even successful managers like Moyes get hounded out for doing so
The long ball can be very effective. But it should be mixed in with short passing and movement. Johnny Haynes was one of the best passes of a ball that I have seen. He often passed it long.
There’s a big difference between a long pass & a long hoof. Glenn Hoddle was magnificent at long passes.
Terrible scenes at Fiorentina tonight, with one of their players appearing to have a heart attack on the pitch.
I wondered about that too. If Plymouth have no money, is Rooney doing the job for a greatly reduced wage? Or is he just trousering the last few quid they do have to their name.
Well played Tamworth knocking Burton Albion out of the FA Cup on penalties The 3rd Round draw is at 7pm tonight I believe. Hope we don't get Blackburn Rovers. We always seem to get them. A glamour tie please...
Brentford up for sale for £400m It just goes to show you how much is possible, and how quickly, when you appoint a quality manager and have an intelligent owner. To put it into perspective, CAFC was last valued at around £12m …compare that to £400m for the Bees.
Brentford are an amazingly well run Club, with much to be admired about them. And I know the value of anything is what somebody is prepared to pay. But £400m? I'd be surprised if their whole squad is worth half that much. If somebody buys Brentford FC for that price, they are going out on a pretty long limb in my view. Especially if the new owner is daft enough to make ill-judged changes. Brentford could sink without a trace (as quickly as we did) if the delicate balance they have now is disturbed. I wonder what the combined value of our whole squad is. £5m maybe? Probably a lot less. Beyond those players we haven't got any assets at all.
