Stating The Bleeding Obvious

[Silvio Dante]

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

[Shuffle]

5 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

The 3 at the back were superb today but we won’t be able to compete with physical players with that 3.  Perfect as you say but horses for courses with some teams as we need aerial ability to supplement physicality.  As you say, today was perfect for the 3 but boy did they play well.

[firstdivision]

4 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

I totally agree that Swansea were the perfect opponents for our defence today.
Any team that is prepared to be disciplined, not worry about not having the ball and has a threat in attack is going to make it hard for them. Our tactics worked and it was so disappointing they equalised with a shot through a forest of bodies - they rarely threatened despite all their possession. 
I’d be concerned if we have to play the same defence on Tuesday, well though the back three played. 

[Edgy Red]

9 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

That is the perfect summary Silvio and exactly how i saw it, and also how i thought it would pan out today.

Tuesday night will be a totally different challenge and one that i think we will find much harder.

[GrahamC]

Did us no harm either that Piroe was banned for the last of his 3 games, either.

Having said that as we were missing 4 centre backs today, Weimann & Wilson I think we were significantly more under strength than them.

Pearson was talking about one or two hopefully being back on Tuesday, though as it appears to be flu, one or two others might be missing, of course.

[redkev]

25 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

I recorded that today and watched it after getting home from the gate .

tbh Sheffield weren’t that aggressive at all they actually played some nice football , thought mcburnie was poor the lad who played up front with him is pretty tricky and has quick feet , nearly all there play goes through Norwood . 
In my eyes it depends on which city turn up . 
 

wba were very poor by the way 

Edited October 29, 2022 by redkev

[Lrrr]

Couldn’t watch today but In possession Martin’s teams are about so much more than how many are upfront, it’s where his 10’s occupy and the runs they make, the height of the wing backs. This can often lead to 5 players on the last like but ‘only 1 forward’. Then at the back the outside centre backs rolling inside and basically playing as a holding midfielder spraying balls around. You’ll usually also often see a lot of rotation.

[Davefevs]

13 minutes ago, Lrrr said:

Couldn’t watch today but In possession Martin’s teams are about so much more than how many are upfront, it’s where his 10’s occupy and the runs they make, the height of the wing backs. This can often lead to 5 players on the last like but ‘only 1 forward’. Then at the back the outside centre backs rolling inside and basically playing as a holding midfielder spraying balls around. You’ll usually also often see a lot of rotation.

We stopped them doing much of that today.  When we got it right, Tommy and Nahki tended to play more on the outside CBs than splitting 50:50, meaning they had to go back inside, into Grimes, and into congestion…or into a good structured defensive set-up.

This was early on.

After 10 or so minutes, Tommy probably goes 3/4 yards closer to Cabango.

Grimes got on the ball, lots, as he usually does, but neither he or Fulton got ball between the lines.  Antoine dropping in between James and Scott.

Darling got forward once, as did Wood, but that was it.

James was masterful at never getting dragged too wide, too far away from Scott.  He picked up Cundle when he tried to split wide to leave room for Obafemi or a drifting Cooper, but he never went as far as 10 yards from the touchline, so we never / rarely let them get a man free inside.

Ntcham made a difference for them.  He drifted around and they finally got some link-up into Obafemi’s feet.

I was quite disappointed in them, found them boring to watch.  Far too slow.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Davefevs

[Silvio Dante]

Just now, Davefevs said:

We stopped them doing much of that today.  When we got it right, Tommy and Nahki tended to play more on the outside CBs than splitting 50:50, meaning they had to go back inside, into Grimes, and into congestion…or into a good structured defensive set-up.

This was early on.  After 10 or so minutes, Tommy probably goes 3/4 yards closer to Cabango.

Grimes got on the ball, lots, as he usually does, but neither he or Fulton got ball between the lines.  Antoine dropping in between James and Scott.

Darling got forward once, as did Wood, but that was it.

James was masterful at never getting dragged too wide, too far away from Scott.  He picked up Cundle when he tried to split wide to leave room for Obafemi or a drifting Cooper, but he never went as far as 10 yards from the touchline, so we never / rarely let them get a man free inside.

Ntcham made a difference for them.  He drifted around and they finally got some link-up into Obafemi’s feet.

I was quite disappointed in them, found them boring to watch.  Far too slow.

 

I’d equally agree on James (incidentally when your text was read out on RB my son asked if I’d sent it as it named the same players!!)

My broader point on Swansea (not us) is adaptability. They pretty much played into our hands. I’m happy with a manager who had principles, but there was enough evidence - even before the drop outs - of how to play against us. They didn’t. And when it wasn’t working, didn’t adapt. Huge credit to how we played but today left me with a huge question mark over Russell Martin as a manager.

[bobbyhutchscurlymullet]

6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We stopped them doing much of that today.  When we got it right, Tommy and Nahki tended to play more on the outside CBs than splitting 50:50, meaning they had to go back inside, into Grimes, and into congestion…or into a good structured defensive set-up.

This was early on.

After 10 or so minutes, Tommy probably goes 3/4 yards closer to Cabango.

Grimes got on the ball, lots, as he usually does, but neither he or Fulton got ball between the lines.  Antoine dropping in between James and Scott.

Darling got forward once, as did Wood, but that was it.

James was masterful at never getting dragged too wide, too far away from Scott.  He picked up Cundle when he tried to split wide to leave room for Obafemi or a drifting Cooper, but he never went as far as 10 yards from the touchline, so we never / rarely let them get a man free inside.

Ntcham made a difference for them.  He drifted around and they finally got some link-up into Obafemi’s feet.

I was quite disappointed in them, found them boring to watch.  Far too slow.

 

Agree with the boring bit.....a direct team get a lot of flak, but I'm sure they'd create more chances than Swansea did. I thought Swansea just passed it for passing's sake

Edited October 29, 2022 by bobbyhutchscurlymullet

[Lrrr]

12 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We stopped them doing much of that today.  When we got it right, Tommy and Nahki tended to play more on the outside CBs than splitting 50:50, meaning they had to go back inside, into Grimes, and into congestion…or into a good structured defensive set-up.

This was early on.

After 10 or so minutes, Tommy probably goes 3/4 yards closer to Cabango.

Grimes got on the ball, lots, as he usually does, but neither he or Fulton got ball between the lines.  Antoine dropping in between James and Scott.

Darling got forward once, as did Wood, but that was it.

James was masterful at never getting dragged too wide, too far away from Scott.  He picked up Cundle when he tried to split wide to leave room for Obafemi or a drifting Cooper, but he never went as far as 10 yards from the touchline, so we never / rarely let them get a man free inside.

Ntcham made a difference for them.  He drifted around and they finally got some link-up into Obafemi’s feet.

I was quite disappointed in them, found them boring to watch.  Far too slow.

 

Good to hear it was disciplined, they're strength comes from teams positional ill-discipline 

[IAmNick]

I thought there was a potentially dangerous period in the first half where Cooper kept finding a lot of space in front of our unusually flat back 5 today in front of the Lansdown. Pretty quickly though both Pearson and Fleming were absolutely screaming about it to the team, at which point we seemed to stop it happening as much - though I don't know enough about football to tell you how!

[BCFC1512]

Bang on! I really enjoyed today, we could have been 3-0 at HT. Swansea had a lot of possession 2nd but didn’t really do anything with it. They just scored from a very good strike 

[firstdivision]

35 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We stopped them doing much of that today.  When we got it right, Tommy and Nahki tended to play more on the outside CBs than splitting 50:50, meaning they had to go back inside, into Grimes, and into congestion…or into a good structured defensive set-up.

This was early on.

After 10 or so minutes, Tommy probably goes 3/4 yards closer to Cabango.

Grimes got on the ball, lots, as he usually does, but neither he or Fulton got ball between the lines.  Antoine dropping in between James and Scott.

Darling got forward once, as did Wood, but that was it.

James was masterful at never getting dragged too wide, too far away from Scott.  He picked up Cundle when he tried to split wide to leave room for Obafemi or a drifting Cooper, but he never went as far as 10 yards from the touchline, so we never / rarely let them get a man free inside.

Ntcham made a difference for them.  He drifted around and they finally got some link-up into Obafemi’s feet.

I was quite disappointed in them, found them boring to watch.  Far too slow.

 

I agree, Dave. Quite a tedious team to watch. Nice passing with the possibility of scoring the perfect goal. But very predictable. Any opponent that gets its tactics right against them and is prepared to reign in its ego can have success against them. It’s why I’m desperately disappointed we didn’t win. We did a lot right today. 

[Son of Fred]

1 hour ago, Silvio Dante said:

Firstly - that was very enjoyable today. A good game of football that we were unlucky not to win. But, looking at this the other way, today Swansea were the perfect opponent for us. They played in the back and midfield, and rarely up front. First half, it was 1 vs 3 in our back line and aside from Obafemis tactic of following Max, there was no pressure on our scratch back line.

I get Swansea have a way of playing. But for Martin not to push men up and play more direct was naive. 
 

This leads me to the point. If you look at the recent games lost - QPR, Brum, Reading, Millwall. We’ve been bullied. Stronger, more aggressive players. You’re never getting that with Swansea - but you will with Sheffield Utd (McBurnie etc). 
 

So, I’m delighted with today. But at the same time markedly concerned for Tuesday. The question is, can we play like that, against greater physicality!

No!

Horses for courses...

But I'd keep Pring & Tanner in.

[richwwtk]

I saw the thread title and thought "Christ, not another Ian Gay thread"