Number of long-balls played in the PL so far this season: 78 - Newcastle United 69 - Everton 67 - Reading 67 - Wigan Athletic 66 - Liverpool 65 - Chelsea 65 - Fulham 65 - West Ham United 64 - West Bromwich Albion 62 - Aston Villa 62 - Sunderland 61 - Tottenham Hotspur 60 - Norwich City 59 - Queens Park Rangers 59 - Stoke City 56 - Manchester United 55 - Swansea City 54 - Manchester City 51 - Southampton 49 - Arsenal Quite a good read on playing styles, long-ball and passing football: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-like-Real-Madrid-Barcelona--Neil-Ashton.html Try and read it if you can. Do any of those stats surprise you? Are you satisfied with our style, or should we become more 'direct'? We seemed to at the back end of last season at times. Do you believe in such a thing as passing or long ball football? Or is there just winning football? DTLW
The long ball can be effective if you have the right people to execute it, accuracy is paramount. Gazza has been OK a couple of times planting the ball on Rickies head, it is what happens next that is vital. Just another weapon in the armoury, it is just a matter of picking the right time and the right place.
Maybe we are now getting an idea of why Cortese got rid of Pardew he was a master of the long ball while here in my view. He did not subscribe to the keep ball idea it would appear. I agree about the long ball it should be a weapon in the arsenal and nothing more.
Long Ball is good for an occasional tactic. If you pass out from the back all the time, you are predictable. Likewise if you play long ball all the time. So mostly, stick to the passing, but once in a while try a long ball to see if you can catch their defence napping.
To my mind good football teams have to mix up their style depending upon opponent, conditions, how the match is going etc. I watched some of the QPR v West Ham game and i thought that it was a fairly good game to watch and West Ham were not playing all what i would call 'long balls' even after Andy Carroll came on. They now have a very good winger in Jarvis and he can put in good accurate crosses for their centre forwards such as Carroll and Nolan. I do think that sometimes passing for passing sake style of play can be ineffective and boring to watch. A mix & match is needed. Saints early 80's teams were the most exciting teams that i have ever watched with fast accurate one-touch football + some good crossing and pin-point long balls from the likes of Steve Williams. At present Saints are good when it goes well ( as in Man Utd game & 2nd half v Villa ) but too often their passing is not fast enough, not accurate enough and not penetrating enough. I think & hope that this will improve as they play more games.
Those stats have some flaws, Do Corners/Freekicks count as long balls? Some teams will pass it in the air in their defense (ex: RB to LB) If a team never has the ball, they can't send it long; but can still be a direct team. I expected West Ham to not be top, the "hoof ball" tag is sort of like the Southampton "One Man team" tag you had last year. But fans like to have an excuse as to why they lost, the "BFS hoof ball tactics" give them that.
What this tells me is that the short passing game isn't always more exciting than direct football. Though we and Arsenal never fail to excite, I tend to get very bored watching either of the Manchester teams. I find Newcastle and Everton far more exciting.
