Our "play-style"

[Olé]

As @spudski has highlighted, we're so slow on the ball, by the time we're even close to the final third all that is on is a cross. I'd add no one moves either, which exacerbates the situation as everyone is marked and no one is in space. That was the difference with Bobby Reid, he had pace and could drift off markers, and cause havoc between the lines, yesterday instead of the 451/433 simply being too deep, we had 3 in parallel across the front a lot of the time, no one moved or dropped and only the cross was on.

Compare to Rotherham who are supposed to be a limited team but on the ball had willing runners through the middle and others dropping off into space, and who consistently found ways to play through us. Just like Brentford did too. Rotherham kept running through us. We stood around and "let the ball do the work" but that meant 11 players being static and laboured, trying to slowly ping it about until either Marlon Pack lost it or only the cross was left on. Which is why everything ended with a 30 yard cross.

Sorry to say after a win, but it's sickening - unless you're going to tell me that Rotherham have invested in better footballers, the only possibility is a) Rotherham players want it more or b) our coach is still instilling tactics that the players neither understand nor can execute to any effect. For good measure when all we do is cross, you have Eliasson on the bench for 80 minutes for the second consecutive game, one of the best crossers in the division. And I'm supposed to believe that LJ knows what he's doing?

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 minutes ago, Olé said:

As @spudski has highlighted, we're so slow on the ball, by the time we're even close to the final third all that is on is a cross. I'd add no one moves either, which exacerbates the situation as everyone is marked and no one is in space. That was the difference with Bobby Reid, he had pace and could drift off markers, and cause havoc between the lines, yesterday instead of the 451/433 simply being too deep, we had 3 in parallel across the front a lot of the time, no one moved or dropped and only the cross was on.

Compare to Rotherham who are supposed to be a limited team but on the ball had willing runners through the middle and others dropping off into space, and who consistently found ways to play through us. Just like Brentford did too. Rotherham kept running through us. We stood around and "let the ball do the work" but that meant 11 players being static and laboured, trying to slowly ping it about until either Marlon Pack lost it or only the cross was left on. Which is why everything ended with a 30 yard cross.

Sorry to say after a win, but it's sickening - unless you're going to tell me that Rotherham have invested in better footballers, the only possibility is a) Rotherham players want it more or b) our coach is still instilling tactics that the players neither understand nor can execute to any effect. For good measure when all we do is cross, you have Eliasson on the bench for 80 minutes for the second consecutive game, one of the best crossers in the division. And I'm supposed to believe that LJ knows what he's doing?

Great post, spot on 

 

Their movement , off ball running , and passing intent was so much better than us ......................Rotherham

How can that be when our coaching team have been in place 3 years and this is their squad 

Anybody ?

[ExiledAjax]

5 minutes ago, Olé said:

yesterday instead of the 451/433 simply being too deep, we had 3 in parallel across the front a lot of the time, no one moved or dropped and only the cross was on

I noticed this against Brentford. All 4 forwards played right up on Brentford's high defensive line. This meant there was no one between them and Pack and the CBs. So Pack kept trying the ball over the top. This rarely resulted in a breakthrough and generally led to frustration and a goal kick.

[Fordy62]

4 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Great post, spot on 

 

Their movement , off ball running , and passing intent was so much better than us ......................Rotherham

How can that be when our coaching team have been in place 3 years and this is their squad 

Anybody ?

Uhhhh... 7 unbeaten.

[SuperRed]

I feel the current tactics / formation rely too heavily on Patterson when he is just not good enough to build a team around. I don’t know if he’s instructed to play behind the striker or simply has a free role as he often drops deep to pick up the ball. Wherever the instructors are, it leaves FD isolated and means we lack bodies in the box. 

[Selred]

14 hours ago, Robbored said:

That’s it?  So if LJ was was winning and serving up shite football we’d all be happy? ........results v entertainment in other words.

I’ll be happier yes. 

Right now we are only getting shit football. 

Pretty sure Cardiff fans were happy with promotion last year, that was with shite football 

[Robin101]

11 hours ago, pongo88 said:

Unbeaten in 7 sounds ok until you look at the stats. City has only scored 14 goals at home in 13 matches this season, with a goal difference of +1. The recent performances against three relegation threatened teams have been dire, with City looking unlikely to win until Rotherham were reduced to 9 men. City drew against Millwall thanks to an own goal. The same against Brentford, though it was credited to Pisano. Against Rotherham it took until the 86th minute to get a goal when Rotherham had only 9 men on the pitch 

I totally agree that the home form is an issue, but you’ve selected the worst three results/performances of the little run there. 

We weren’t playing 9 men for 90 minutes, and Rotherham then put literally their entire team in defence. I am confident that if you had watched the last 20 as a neutral you’d have said we always looked like scoring. It’s only as we’re City fans we think we won’t! 

You could pick the excellent performances at Birmingham and Debry to focus on. 

Look, we are by no means reaching the heights of last season. The first half, anyway. But we’re a solid if uninspiring team that looks much more likely to challenge the playoffs than relegation. For me, currently, that’s fine. 

Hope we get an FA cup run though!

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Olé said:

As @spudski has highlighted, we're so slow on the ball, by the time we're even close to the final third all that is on is a cross. I'd add no one moves either, which exacerbates the situation as everyone is marked and no one is in space. That was the difference with Bobby Reid, he had pace and could drift off markers, and cause havoc between the lines, yesterday instead of the 451/433 simply being too deep, we had 3 in parallel across the front a lot of the time, no one moved or dropped and only the cross was on.

Compare to Rotherham who are supposed to be a limited team but on the ball had willing runners through the middle and others dropping off into space, and who consistently found ways to play through us. Just like Brentford did too. Rotherham kept running through us. We stood around and "let the ball do the work" but that meant 11 players being static and laboured, trying to slowly ping it about until either Marlon Pack lost it or only the cross was left on. Which is why everything ended with a 30 yard cross.

Sorry to say after a win, but it's sickening - unless you're going to tell me that Rotherham have invested in better footballers, the only possibility is a) Rotherham players want it more or b) our coach is still instilling tactics that the players neither understand nor can execute to any effect. For good measure when all we do is cross, you have Eliasson on the bench for 80 minutes for the second consecutive game, one of the best crossers in the division. And I'm supposed to believe that LJ knows what he's doing?

....and the fourth game on the trot he hasn’t started!!!

[redsapper]

My view on our current position is that we are where I thought we would be. 

As for the style of football, I have to agree that it is poor when you compare it with last season.

So what has changed?

1.      £20+ Million worth of players out of the door that has not been replaced with like for like.

2.      Our style of play as we have gone from pressing with a high tempo and quick passing. To currently playing compact and being harder to break down. Is this due to our current players or a tactic from the manager?

So as fans what do we want?

Well utopia is to play good entertaining football at the top end of the Premier League.

If we look at Ipswich who were in the Premier League but have been in the Championship for the last 16 years. Due to fan power they forced out a manager due to style of play! Look at where they are now!

Is this not where we are trying to force out a manager?  Is this what we want?

Looking back at our history the last time we were in the top flight it took 9 years to get there with the same manager slowly building a team with young players. He was backed by a Chairman Harry Dolman (Stand named after him) with money.

I cannot give the answer as what we should do but changing a manager it can cause further problems at the end of the day we are sitting mid-table in the championship.  

[Alessandro]

9 hours ago, Spike said:

So do you legitimaly think we're scoring more goals using a crossing style over say last season where we were less predictable? 

Honestly, I would love to see how many crosses we put in today and then compare that to the single goal it provided. We had 13 corners and I'd hazard a guess of 15-25 crosses in open play, even taking the lowest estimate that's one goal from 28 crosses 38 at worst end of that estimate. Do you really think that's a viable goal to cross ratio who are focusing their whole game around crossing?! 

No no, it was a throwaway comment....because we'd just scored from a cross.

As i've said already, I agree with you. Our CPG ratio is too high.

[Cowshed]

14 hours ago, Robbored said:

Forty - tell me the difference between Juniors drab play and his fathers drab play?  

Personally I can’t see any difference which is why I ask if it’s a family trait......

and please - put me on ignore.

The ball was moved differently in Gary Johnsons team in the first third e.g longer. less accurately and with less passes. Its a significant difference. 

Its illogical to not see difference in any team compared to another as players have such differing qualities. 

[Robbored]

25 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

The ball was moved differently in Gary Johnsons team in the first third e.g longer. less accurately and with less passes. Its a significant difference. 

Its illogical to not see difference in any team compared to another as players have such differing qualities. 

I made a vow to myself not to get involved any longer in discussions about the unexciting and drab football served up by both Johnsons.

End of as far as I’m concerned.

[Cowshed]

5 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I made a vow to myself not to get involved any longer in discussions about the unexciting and drab football served up by both Johnsons.

 

Which you have not observed in this thread and countless others. The thread is a discussion about Lee Johnsons football. You posed a question about Lee and Gary Johnson. 

Why?

To get a rise … Probably in your pants.

If not stop posting and observe your own vow.

[Robbored]

11 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

Which you have not observed in this thread and countless others. The thread is a discussion about Lee Johnsons football. You posed a question about Lee and Gary Johnson. 

Why?

To get a rise … Probably in your pants.

If not stop posting and observe your own vow.

I made the vow to myself this morning Cowshed.

You won’t see any posts of mine on that particular subject from now on.

Its end of as far I’m concerned.

[Spike]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

I made a vow to myself not to get involved any longer in discussions about the unexciting and drab football served up by both Johnsons.

End of as far as I’m concerned.

In all honesty, your problem is not getting involved with discussions, it's your need to draw Gary Johnson into everything when he's not relevant to the discussion at all. LJ is a grown man, he may take advise from his father, he may listen to his father, but he's not his father.

I know you feel that GJ played drab, boring football, the whole forum does but if GJ's football was genuinely that bad then LJ has already proved he's not his father as he's had this club playing some amazing/entertaining football that his father has never even considered as a game plan. We've played far worse football than we are now under multiple managers too but they don't get drawn out in your posts, it's just GJ/dad/LJ/son comparisons. 

I hate the football we're playing now but under GJ we played some awful football and we played some entertaining football, it's just far easier to remember the awful football because that is almost always what leads to a managers dismissal and is the last thing fans see or remember and it leaves a bad memory.

LJ's real issue is not his father, his father is irrelevant, LJ's issue is his seemingly disillusioned style/gameplan and the fact that he considers this run of form is down to hard work from the team when two of our games were only drawn thanks to the opposition scoring for us. His only saving grace right now is that he's on a good run of results. What speaks volumes is that after 7 games unbeaten he's still driving away so many fans. Genuinely, how the hell do you go 7 games unbeaten in the Championship and still not have the backing of your own fans?!

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, redsapper said:

 

Is this not where we are trying to force out a manager?  Is this what we want?

 

I don’t think we are.  I just think we are an opinionated bunch on a BC Forum.  I don’t think are £5pa sub is being spent on bedsheets  yet!

Forcing a manager out, happens at the ground, and I don’t think it’s been too bad this season.  Preston, yes....wasn’t at Brentford on Boxing Day.  I think it might’ve turned yesterday had it stayed 0-0, but generally I think the fans at games have been relatively patient.

[pongo88]

2 hours ago, Robin101 said:

I totally agree that the home form is an issue, but you’ve selected the worst three results/performances of the little run there. 

We weren’t playing 9 men for 90 minutes, and Rotherham then put literally their entire team in defence. I am confident that if you had watched the last 20 as a neutral you’d have said we always looked like scoring. It’s only as we’re City fans we think we won’t! 

You could pick the excellent performances at Birmingham and Debry to focus on. 

Look, we are by no means reaching the heights of last season. The first half, anyway. But we’re a solid if uninspiring team that looks much more likely to challenge the playoffs than relegation. For me, currently, that’s fine. 

Hope we get an FA cup run though!

I think you’ve identified the issue - there are two City teams. One that plays away and one that plays at home. When away, City play at a high ish tempo with some variety in attack. When at home it often becomes very predictable and slow. The home style of play has been mainly the same all season with small exceptions - eg Stoke second half, Norwich. What worries me is that LJ keeps preserving with the same style. As Albert Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

[Langford Red]

The season ticket holders are added

Even though they do not turn up