Target Man?

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S

smidgen

Active Member
Jan 24, 2011
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Rural Norfolk
The match commentator on BBC 5 Live last night referred to all three Barca goal-scorers - Pedro, Messi, David Villa - as "hobbits". He was talking about their size.....

All forwards, all small and fast men.

It's a different game (not just a higher level) where almost everyone on this forum is pleading for a big 'target man'.

Thoughts anyone?
 
My thought is that Barca have more than enough quality throughout their team that they dont need a plan B
 
Barcelona have one system and they stick to it, whoever the opposition is.

If we had the quality of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa and Pedro, then we could play the same way.

Unfortunately, with the money available to us we can't get players who can hold onto the ball for an entire 90 minutes, so we do need that plan B.
 
its all about options i think.

if your tactics are to outplay the opposition on the ground you need good little players who can make runs off the ball.

if that doesnt work and the ball isnt sticking upfront, make a few changes and get a target man upfront and lob the ball up to him to hold up & lay off.

i just hope that NP's plan A isnt long ball....
 
i agree you dont have to start with a target man, and there other ways to play...but also agree that you need a plan b..the option to put somebody in there when chasing a goal..
plus a targetman isnt always somebody 6 foot plus, who wins headers for fun..its just somebody who can keep the ball, hold it up, and bring others in...messi is there targeman..he just keeps it from the halfway line <laugh>
 
Barcelona are probably the best team I've seen in my lifetime, if football worldwide starts moving away the 'hoof it to a big target man' principle then it's the best thing that could happen to the game. People want to see balls played to feet and players with skill.
 
I seem to recall JanVanMan of HessleRoad having that kind of effect when brought on as a sub (but then, we didn't have a ****-hot goal-scorer, or two, when he was a player with us).

Just goes to show the vast difference between Tigers and Barca; and Championship teams are usually out-classed in the Prem, fail, and then return.
 
The rules of the game have changed so much in recent years that the adage 'a good big un is always better than a good little un' has been turned on its head.

The likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are midgets as Jamie Redknapp described them last night but players go down with the slightest touch these days and this gives the little technically gifted guys total freedom to express themselves.

Spanish people are relatively small in stature and their skills have meant they tended to be easily brushed aside on the football pitch - not any more though.

Clearly league football is a different level of class albeit you can see that even NP sees the worth of playing without a target man - bringing on a big man such as Adebola would give you a plan B though.
 
I've seen a few Brighton games and it appears that the seagulls are trying to emulate some of the Barcelona game with their passing play. What they are missing is keeping closer together as a unit. This whole idea of 10 yard passes seems to make great sense, but you need players who have excellent ball and movement skills.

Why can't other teams try to adapt this model?

It sounds like Fergie is already thinking about how to develop his team's play.
 
suttontiger said:
The rules of the game have changed so much in recent years that the adage 'a good big un is always better than a good little un' has been turned on its head.

The likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are midgets as Jamie Redknapp described them last night but players go down with the slightest touch these days and this gives the little technically gifted guys total freedom to express themselves.

Spanish people are relatively small in stature and their skills have meant they tended to be easily brushed aside on the football pitch - not any more though.

Clearly league football is a different level of class albeit you can see that even NP sees the worth of playing without a target man - bringing on a big man such as Adebola would give you a plan B though.
Click to expand...

I don't think we're moving away from the big player era.

The Spanish league has never been any different; they all try to play football like Barcelona. Even if you go down the divisions and to youth level, all teams pass and move, press and close down, attempting to emulate the Barca team. Obviously they aren't all as good as them, but their attitude is the same.

The great thing about our game is the variety of football. In the PL you get teams like Arsenal, Tottenham and even Bolton now who's philosophy is attatcking, attractive football. You then get 'results' teams like Stoke, Blackburn and Everton to an extent.

Having so called attractive football across Engand is a fantasy and it will never happen. The further down the leagues you go, the more 'hoof it and head it' the tactics get (for those of you who watched the League 2 play-off final, you know what I'm talking about).

If we are to ever start playing football like they do in Spain the fundemental aspects of grass roots football have to change. Under 11s play on full sized pitches - in Spain you don't do that until Under 14s. Playing on big pitches at such a young age gives young footballers a 'get it to the front man' mindset, and that's why across the board in England we don't play stylish football.

And yet we wonder why we have the best league in the world...
 
H-D city till I die said:
I don't think we're moving away from the big player era.

The Spanish league has never been any different; they all try to play football like Barcelona. Even if you go down the divisions and to youth level, all teams pass and move, press and close down, attempting to emulate the Barca team. Obviously they aren't all as good as them, but their attitude is the same.

The great thing about our game is the variety of football. In the PL you get teams like Arsenal, Tottenham and even Bolton now who's philosophy is attatcking, attractive football. You then get 'results' teams like Stoke, Blackburn and Everton to an extent.

Having so called attractive football across Engand is a fantasy and it will never happen. The further down the leagues you go, the more 'hoof it and head it' the tactics get (for those of you who watched the League 2 play-off final, you know what I'm talking about).

If we are to ever start playing football like they do in Spain the fundemental aspects of grass roots football have to change. Under 11s play on full sized pitches - in Spain you don't do that until Under 14s. Playing on big pitches at such a young age gives young footballers a 'get it to the front man' mindset, and that's why across the board in England we don't play stylish football.

And yet we wonder why we have the best league in the world...
Click to expand...

there was a programme on last year with gary lineker, which was about this....they barely even keep score in spanish games at a certain age, they teach them to play football, where as we just play to win, weve all seen it at an under 11 game, theres always one kid faster and taller then anybody, and the tactic is simple boot it long for him..<laugh>
 
DJBlackandamberarmy(No4) said:
there was a programme on last year with gary lineker, which was about this....they barely even keep score in spanish games at a certain age, they teach them to play football, where as we just play to win, weve all seen it at an under 11 game, theres always one kid faster and taller then anybody, and the tactic is simple boot it long for him..<laugh>
Click to expand...

Exactly. Most of my ideas came from that programme :tongue:
 
It would have been interesting to see a Roy Keane in his peak in the United midfield last night. Had he managed to remain on the pitch (a decent ref last night I thought), Barca wouldn't have scored from the positions they did so easily.
 
elrooj said:
The match commentator on BBC 5 Live last night referred to all three Barca goal-scorers - Pedro, Messi, David Villa - as "hobbits". He was talking about their size.....

All forwards, all small and fast men.

It's a different game (not just a higher level) where almost everyone on this forum is pleading for a big 'target man'.

Thoughts anyone?
Click to expand...

So its all agreed then.
We forget about getting a tall target man.
We just go out and get Pedro, Messi and David Villa.
Job done.
<party>
 
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