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Saints Need To Continue Playing Without Fear !
Thursday, 28th Nov 2013 10:43

One of the big reasons of our success so far this season has been our confidence in our own ability and the way we play without fear, some fans however dont seem to realise that.

Saints fans at the start of the season heralded our high tempo pressing game and the way that when we got the ball it wasn't all about hoofing it forward aimlessly, but keeping the ball and building up from the back.

This is of course a good tactic, good sides wont just pump the ball forward from the goalkeeper, they know that in effect this is giving the opposition a 50/50 chance of winning it back off you, whereas if you pass it you have a far better chance of retaining possession.

One of the big reasons this has worked so well has been the ability of Artur Boruc to distribute the ball so well, when he has the ball in his hands he rarely pumps it forward, preferring to find one of his teammates with a deft throw that can quickly turn defence into attack and this has been a big advantage to Mauricio Pochettino in helping him get the side playing the possession game he is trying to drill into it.

Of course when you play this sort of game you have to take some risk, especially when the opposition play you at your own game and press you, in recent weeks this has gone wrong twice, the first occaission against Hull City saw Artur Boruc do exactly what he has done week in week out all season, that is pass the ball to one of his own teammates accurately to feet, if he does this he has done his job, of course any player will be receiving the ball under some sort of pressure, but if that player has an outlet where he in turn has time to control the ball and pass it on to a teammmate, then the onus is on the player receiving the ball to do his job properly and continue the passing movement, against Hull this did not happen, Wanyama did exactly what he has done in every game and made himself available for the ball, problem is he tried to be too clever and gave it away, therefore the fault laid with Wanyama not Boruc.

In the second incident at Arsenal its a lot easier to lay the blame, Boruc made a monumental error of judgement, not once some would say, but two or three times, but like Wanyama, its not what he did last time that counts now, its what he does next.

Some will try and create a drama out of a small hiccup, but those that do seem to be completely missing the point of just how we play and just what has enabled us to achieve the success we have so far on the pitch this season.

As I started this article with that success has been achieved by playing a certain way and not being scared to continue to play that way, we have to accept that there will be the odd hiccup and error, but as long as they remain occasional then in the long term we will benefit a lot more than we will lose out.

But what we dont want to create in our players is a fear to continue with this style, when players start to lose confidence in themselves or in their team mates to do the job and play those passes under pressure then they start to take the easy option and in our case the easy option for Artur Boruc would be for him to hoof it up on every occasion, yes he would clear his lines and take the responsibility of of himself, but it would have a very detrimental effect on the way that Saints play.

We need Boruc to have confidence to keep passing the ball, we need Wanyama to keep dropping deep and want the ball to his feet, indeed we need our entire team to be demanding the ball, so far this season we have carried no passengers in that none of our players have hidden, some have had bad games, but they have kept wanting the ball and kept that confidence that if they keep getting it then they will do something positive with it, once that ceases and the fear kicks in that if they make a mistake the crowd will be on their back then its a slippery slope that soon sees even the most confident player in the side wonder whether a few misplaced passes from him will see him subject to the type of abuse that certain other members of his team seem to have to endure from sections of the crowd.

So the message here is plain and simple, we as supporters need to keep our players confident and playing without fear, they need to know that we are behind them 100%, of course we wont tolerate those that either try to be too flashy in the wrong ituations or indeed dont try at all, but so far at least this hasnt been the case with anyone who has pulled on a Saints shirt, all have tried to play to exactly the instructions of the manager and how he wants them to use the ball when they get it.

As many people have told me when I question why they have openly abused a Saints player in a game " Im entitled to my opinion" I absolutely agree with this, but opinions are for the pub or internet message boards, we are "supporters" not "opinioners" look at the definition, that being the case we should go to games to "Support" our team, we are not there to give an "opinion"

If Saints continue to play as they have done this season and keep passing the ball, then there is no reason why we shouldnt have our best season since 2003 when we finished 8th, but if the crowd start to make the players scared to do their jobs, then it would be easy for our form to slip as we concede possession a lot more easily, one of the reasons for us having the best defence in the league is that we have a lot of possession, so just why are some of our supporters screaming at the team to pump it aimlessly forward as we did for much of last season !

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stmichael added 12:12 - Nov 28
Why do all your articles have to turn into an Artur Boruc love in?
You do not pass the ball to a player under pressure on the edge of his own box!!
I wouldnt have done it as an amateur and AB will know that Wanyama is not Schneiderlin when it comes to 1st touch , control etc.
It was a stupid decision as AB would have seen more clearly then VW what was behing him.
The old adage in football "play the way you are facing" means that the ONLY pass VW would have had on was back to the keeper so what was the point.
I like AB but at the moment his 3 errors have wiped out the credits he gained at Old Trafford and Anfield.
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Bursledonian added 13:13 - Nov 28
I totally agree with this post and no it's not a Boruc love in on my part! Saints play this way and I am pleased for one how far we have come. At stoke in difficult conditions we didn't let that affect how we play and on Saturday we continued to be brave after an almighty cock up! This shows not only braveness but confidence in our own and our fellow players ability. I agree with St Michael stating you don't pass to someone when under pressure but similarly we have played this way even under Adkins and as excellent as Wanyama has been recently you don't ever take your eye off the ball.
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slynch added 13:16 - Nov 28
The second rule of playing football is: keep the ball up the other end. Arsenal kept the ball up the other end and scored, Boruc failed to send it up the other end and let in a goal. Pochettino does not, it seems, teach the short-ball, he teaches - do-what-is-necessary-to-keep-it-up-the-other-end. And the "hoof-ball" like it or not is one of the best ways of doing it. Saints are currently the second long-ball avocates in the EPL. Losing possession as a consequence is not key cos the 3rd rule is - if you haven't got , get it back. He likes that rule, too.
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SkateHater added 14:33 - Nov 28
Good article agree it's up to us fans how much confidence our team has when thing don't go our way playing the way we do. But I fear that as we have a number of pompey-type fans who don't appreciate that the odd mistake is price you pay for the success we have had so far, and the way we play, we will soon see the players being harangued and confidence subside if see even a mini dip in form.
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Zambucco added 15:08 - Nov 28
Great article Nick, with you 100% Artur has been a rock and he still is. Listening to the players comments reinforces the opinion that confidence is still sky high, because they are grateful for the fantastic and possibly match winning performances he has given this season. The move that caught Victor out, was a dummy that he uses to great effect during all games he has played in so far. Credit to the Hull player who dispossessed him, he was sharp and saw what was coming.
The beautiful thing about Saints this season they have bought into MP's style 100% and all players have embraced it totally, their confidence and belief is the highest I can remember from a Saints team.

we are "supporters" not "opinioners" get behind the team no matter what!! COYR!
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SaintNick added 09:35 - Nov 29
St michael, that may be your rule, but it isnt Mauricio Pochettino's nor to be fair most teams at the top of the table, all of our players should be comfortable under pressure receiving the ball and in the Hull case Wanyama actually wasnt under any real pressure and should have easily have passed it straight to Fonte in the right back position.

Simarly to slynch, the 2nd rule is not to keep the ball up the other end, pochettino certainly does not teach do what is neccessary to keep it up the other end, he teaches to keep possession and keep ball to feet and then attack at speed, the long ball game has little part in our repetoire, the passing game does
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Sango123 added 09:42 - Nov 29
I think we have to keep on playing without fear. I think that is our Plan A and probably our only plan. We do not have enough players to change the style we play. I am just hoping all our first team players will be fit to face chelsea.

At the end of the day no matter what happens, we will still support the team
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slynch added 19:52 - Nov 29
People's observations seem to be at odds with statistics which show Saints play more long balls per game than almost any other team.

http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/3853/Stages/7794/Team
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