A spoonboy or spoonerist who spoonerises? Weighty debate to be had there, not that I'm a spooneriser I certainly wouldn't let my daughter marry one.
As a non footballing Saints supporter (KES was a rugby and hockey school) do you think we have changed our style of play? Between the end of the first lockdown and the end of the season we played really exciting short sharp triangulation style of play with first time passes that really flummoxed the opposition. We do not seem to be doing this so much recently. Our game now seems more possession football with long back passes etc. Have we changed our style or is it due to the way the opposition allows us to play ?
oh, I thought it was there to stop the clear and obvious errors. I’ve not been against the use of VAR and gave up a long time ago saying they just need to use it correctly to improve the game, not make it geometrically perfect. They are ****ing it up.
According to Gallagher on Sky, the ref had given the foul so that was not being considered....the question was if it was in the box. The VAR referee looked at it from all angles and considered that he was being impeded whilst over the line. Don't worry....this will all go away as soon as a big moany side (aka Liverpool) doesn't get the decision that they want.
The way a successful team plays, should be highly variable depending on a whole range of factors. The main one being who the opposition is, and what the anticipated tactics and player selections of that team will be. One would expect even just an average coach and team to have half a dozen ways of playing. I'd imagine Ralph has far more. He was very open about the fact that we would play more longer balls against Brighton, for example. But I doubt we will employ the same strategy in the very next game. The problem that managers and teams have, is that when they discover a successful way of playing, and their form picks up, every other coaching team in the league sets about trying to come up with ways to counter it. This is why you get such dramatic drops in form sometimes. Look at Everton this season. Won their first four games, and drew with Liverpool. But they have been well and truly worked out (credit to Ralph), and have only managed one fortunate win since then, against Fulham. So, if we have changed our style, see that as a positive sign (as long as we are still winning). Regard it as Ralph trying to stay ahead of the pack, tactically. The neat triangulation thing is still available, but now most likely only for the right occasions.
I think its down to the individuals as much as tactics. Djenepo isn't the same player as Redmond and has done well but his work with Bertrand doesn't look as fluid. Danny is the obvious miss, the aggressive pressing he does is on another level to everyone else. Our understanding on the pitch hasn't looked as fluid without Ings especially. Tactically we seem to have been playing longer passes more frequently and we have been taking the possession game to the extreme. Our pressing is built around patience and slow build up when we have the ball. We are happy going backwards to restart an attacking phase rather than the frantic guardiola 6 second press so it has started to feel a bit laboured at times but we are scoring goals so its working. I think the manager will be very conscious of the number of games we have coming up and the depth of the squad. Crazy gegenpressing will cost us more than the Sousehamptons of this world as we can't afford the injuries and tiredness.
It's more likely to be down to the personell available, we play the first way with ings in the side as he leads it from the front.. I also think djenepo is not so good at this style....
Easy chaps, calm down, patience is virtue in these troubled times. So just 'kin do it So St. before Tommo and Bedster busta blood vessel. please log in to view this image
