**** knows tbh. Simons was free and offering loads, Coyle and Jones managed to do it just fine. McL and Jacob were way too slow
Because some of them are not very good for this level. I'd never thought about the 'if you're marked move so the ball can be put to where you're moving to' thing. I'm going to immediately start coaching this to my players. Hopefully the other team are so baffled by this concept they won't follow them.
Too early to judge much of today as we're a weakened team still in transition. The back line need to get confident at spotting the positive pass and then quickly making it, otherwise it'll be a long season and these tactics won't work. We'll probably give the ball away a lot while they get used to doing this.
Outside the last 20 of the first half, we played out from the back with relative ease. They had a period of domination at the start of the second half where we went direct. Simple fixes really, McLoughlin and Jacob both too loose in possession and don’t have the physicality to make up for it if they don’t. Jones and Coyle were by far and away better in possession.
Walter doesn’t want his defensive mid to drop between the two centre-halves to receive the ball deep. He already said as much during the pre-season camp in Turkey. We did that under Rosenior with Seri dropping deep and all it did was make us #1 for most touches and passes in our own third. A large part of Walter’s style of play is that the keeper acts a third centre-back in build-up rather than the defensive midfielder to create a numerical advantage. The system relies on mobile centre-backs who can rotate and move into space rather than having the defensive midfielder drop deep and show for the ball. Walter was going mad today because Simons was doing his job as instructed but the back four weren’t brave enough in moving the ball quick enough to him or the other midfielders. The few times we did do it, Simons and Mehlem were able to take the ball on the half-turn and carry the ball forward.
Simons dropped into the full back/centre back role and it made a huge difference in the second half. That’s the difference between him and Slater he saw they couldn’t get him the ball so he took initiative.
Hull City head coach Tim Walter told BBC Radio Humberside: "It was a game with ups and downs, we stepped in very good, created a lot of chances. "We changed it a bit at half-time so we had more possession, but if you play like I want them to play you need more courage and that's what we didn't have, especially in the first half. "At the end it was lucky for us that we scored with the penalty, but I think it's OK for a draw because the team showed big character and that's what we want to bring to the fans as well - that we can give everything and never give up and that's what they showed today." Bristol City head coach Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol: "I'm hugely frustrated and disappointed - more for the players I think in terms of so many positives from the game with the way we pressed, the way we regained it, some of the stuff with the ball. "Ultimately we needed to put the game to bed with the opportunities and the areas you get into, but it's just the manner of it. "The closer you get to the final whistle the more tense you become, and I'm obviously disappointed to concede like that. "I'm a little bit annoyed, but we've also got to understand we've got another 45 league games to go and I think what we saw today was that we can change the game with personnel."
Having reflected on the game, as other have said a lot of positives but some negative. I still feel Jacob has been a bit harshly criticised, he got little help from Giles who for the most part didn't look arsed (I think Baz is probably right, and he will end up at Boro), and Jacob was often isolated. Do I think we need a better LB, yes, but he is not that bad Simon's and Marvin looked to work well, we need Omur central as he is wasted on the wing. We certainly looked a lot better balanced when Jarvis and Millar came on. Coyle and Jones did well and were solid, McLaughlin struggled, but he was trying to implement TW style but he just not good enough on the ball. Overall, we did seem to get into more goal scoring chances than under Liam, Oscar had an okay game, probably should have scored in the first half, and Matty Jacob's had a good shot well stopped by their keeper. Big plus we managed to equalise as a lost would have put a downer on things going forward.
Jacob did some good stuff such as blocking shots, but he is regularly caught out of position and neither Giles nor McLoughlin cover very effectively. Add to that the fact that he has got a mistake in him (yesterday's air kick for example) which renders him a bit of a scapegoat on occasions. I think he's better than he's often given credit for though. Pandur impressed. What I'd seen in preseason was very worrying but he didn't really put a foot wrong yesterday. If Giles wants to go and Middlesbrough are prepared to stump up what we paid, then he needs to go. What Tan said about showing respect to the club speaks volumes. He seems a bit of a spare part as well. Millar and Jarvis looked very promising. If we can get Omur and Mehlem more involved then we're going to look more of an attacking threat. They were both ok but we need to get them on the ball in the final third more. It wasn't a game of any real quality. Their finishing (the goal excepted), was dreadful and we didn't create enough. Our twatting about at the back was amateurish at times. A better team would have annihilated us.
Back four collectively are slow in thought and movement , Jones continues to never look up around or across the pitch . I always sort of thought Macca was ok but he seems to have to look down at the ball to make simple passes too much . Giles can go to Boro for me . Jacob needs confidence but he won’t get it from this board .
We are where we are in terms of readiness at this stage of the season. But looking at yesterdays results, it would appear other teams are not where they would hope to be either.
Everything seemed a bit frantic yesterday after the slow-paced Rosie ball. It was noticeable that technically, we weren’t a patch on last season, but thats fairly obvious given Philo, Carvalhiio, Greaves and Ozan have gone. As I get older maybe that’s why I was forgiving of the slower Rosie ball! No, There was still a lot to enjoy and am looking forward to watching Waltball develop. Macca and even Jones didn’t look comfortable dribbling out from the back, so we were giving it away too easily in our half, with players out of position. A more clinical team would have hammered us. Hopefully that’s just adapting. I noticed on one occasion Jones with a mazy run into midfield, which took him into their half and almost up front with Oscar. We lost the ball and he was nowhere. He was blowing a few minutes after. I aren’t sure what the full backs are suppose to do yet. I’d have thought Giles was well suited to it, but Tim clealry doesn’t agree or he would have slotted into there when Millar came on, as Jacob was shocking. I aren’t piling on to him, but his second touch was a foul first half. We may as well cash in on Giles, as Boro fans love him, but that means we need yet another player in. That cross onto Oscar’s foot in the first half (someone said he couldn’t cross?) was sublime. Millar looked good, but no need for the constantly moaning at his teammates, after barely 48 hours in the building. Jarvis showed some nice touches, maybe worth a squad place which as a winger coming off the bench means he would get plenty of minutes in.
There was a passage where the ball was passed to Pandur maybe 6-7 times in a row, where he passed it out only to receive the ball out. Frantic? It was just as slow-paced as last season and outside of Oscar's chance in the first half and some individual brilliance from Jarvis, we really created no more than we did in most home games last season. In fact less.
I think you’ll need a few games to get your eye in Sydney. The goalie would give it to central defender, so nothings changed there, but generally rather than passing it in triangles until something happened, Macca or Jones would go on a mazy run into midfield and carry on going forward, often giving the ball away, with defenders having to quickly cover. That’s frantic enough for me.
Hopefully we see that happen in the next few games, didn't see it at all last night. The above passage for example was exactly what you just said doesn't happen anymore, I saw the ball go back to Pandur about 6-7 times in the same passage. The only frantic nature of the game was how sloppy and open we seemed to be.
