The narrow pitch at stoke - QPR all over again?

Worried for this game really. I can see us being easily beaten by 2-3 goals especially if the fullbacks allow as many crosses as Wolves had against us, we won't be able to handle it against Stoke.

 

That's not wing play.

Wing play, or the job of the wingers, is to get the ball up the side of the pitch by dribbling it up there and beating defenders. That's how most teams work.

If you guys hoof the ball up to wingers who are pretty much already in a position to put in a cross, then you've bypassed 80% of the actual wing play, and just need to get the cross in. The smaller pitch width would make very little difference at that point, and may actually make it easier to put in the cross as the box is closer.

 

Interesting that you dont included Huth at CB, i either assume you rate Upson as better or have you just been converted to the TP selection box? Apart from that I think you are spot on, one except as you say, Palcious wont play and Delap will!

 

Thats what we do FFS

Plus you do not have to beat a man on the wing, look at Beckhams career, he didn't do too bad did he?

 

Yeah exactly, so the narrow pitch doesn't bother you guys.

However, with teams which have normal wing play, it causes us to suffer with a lack of width. It's just one of the many reasons why the narrow Britannia pitch gives Stoke a big home advantage.

 

So your players are nullified on a pitch, which is 2-3 metres shorter widthwise & 4-6 metres shorter length wise?

So you telling me that your players are concerned about the shortening of the pitch?

Get a grip lad, play on any surface & any pitch size, they are proffessional football players, if they cannot play on a surface about 30-75 square metres shorter, then they should not be playing football full stop.

 

I actually dont agree with this statement. At home (when we play with both Pennant & Ethrington) they play more as wing backs. They are often back on our 18 yard box where they win the ball and advance it to the oppositions box - or therabouts - and this is where we win alot of throw ins or free kicks in the last 3rd of the pitch! Hence why we are known for percentage pitch advancement - its just as much to do with this tactic as it is with the back 4 hoofin it straight up the pitch for a flick on!

 

I'd play this:

Krul

Simpson - Taylor - Coloccini - Taylor

Tiote - Cabaye

Obertan - Marveaux - Jonas

Ba

I know Obertan has been ****e, but too many changes from an unbeaten team wouldn't be good imo and think most of us agree that we should go with the 5 in midfield and Marveaux deserves it more than Hatem so far. Would probably start Hatem against Everton though

 

Honest question here, I'm trying not to make this sound like a wind up, do you really enjoy watching matches with so much hoofing and not as much nice football that gets you off your seat? I know the object is to win, and in that regard it's exciting if you win anyway, but I don't know if I could enjoy matches as much if I wasn't wowed by some skill or passing flow etc.

 

With Tiote looking increasingly likely to miss out I can see this being out line up.

Krul
Simpson - Saylor - Colo - Raylor
Obertan - Cabaye - Guthrie* - Jonas
Best - Ba​

*Or Abeid.

 

Got a feeling Marveaux might play instead of Best. Pardew admitted away to QPR that he got his tactics wrong and this is a similar type of game

 

Is football just about attacking?

Yes you do not win if you do not score.

Our first 3 home games:

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man Utd

What would you expect playing those 3 at home?

We got 5 points

We played to nullify them & get points

Our next 4 games are

Newcastle (h)
Bolton (a)
QPR (h)
Blackburn (h)

10 points out of those 4 matches, given your next 5 matches, i think we could be swopping places.

 

6 metres width-wise.

They're still wingers, and they still do the job, but the few metres makes a lot of difference. That could be an extra 2-3 metres gap between a Stoke player and an opposition player which they suddenly don't have. Some teams rely on playing the ball out as wide as possible to spread play, but there's just not enough width to do that at Stoke. The out-of-play line appears much sooner than usual. Of course they can play, but they just don't play as well, whereas Stoke play better.

There are reasons why you guys have a home record which could rival Man Utd's, but an away record which could rival Wigans.

 

That wasn't my question.

 

This is football, anything can happen.

 

Erm... Can Perch become World Class?

 

Careful, Secret Ingredient will glass you in the throat.

 

I think you will get 6 points out of them matches and I think in our next 4 we will get 6 aswell

 

I wouldn't play one upfront for this. Ben Arfa was nowhere near Ba on Wednesday and Best would at least provide another option against the Stoke centre halves. Playing four in midfield wouldn't leave the midfield left open if the players do their jobs properly. Obertan would be the one to drop out with the other three staying the same as most of our league geames this season. Marveaux is a more intelligent player and he gets up and down. Obertan just runs around like a headless chicken (he doesn't even know what he is going to do never mind his teammates).

 

I think 4-5-1 would work well if Marveaux got a central attacking midfield role