Tatics 08:23 - Mar 12 with 18751 views | RuislipHoop | How pleasing to see GA ditch the passing backwards and sideways and be more direct.Some May call it long ball but it suits our boys much more.If we are going to lose the ball better to do it in their half than ours.Great performance,LR was rocking. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 with 8598 views | BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. | ![](/images/avatars/1570.gif) |
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Tatics on 08:52 - Mar 12 with 8533 views | dmm | It was indeed pragmatic stuff, Brian, but quite acceptable in the circumstances. It worked and right now that's what is most needed. Once we see the return of our ball players we'll see a more passing and possession based football. | ![](/images/avatars/28176.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 08:57 - Mar 12 with 8496 views | colinallcars | Yes, we've gone from one extreme to the other. Some call it hoof-ball, it used to be kick and rush. That was a pivotal game though and a priceless victory. I imagine GA will adopt different tactics in different situations. | ![](/images/avatars/22076.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:01 - Mar 12 with 8469 views | WestonsuperR |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Agreed. In the position we find ourselves it was brilliant to finally see passion, grit and fight, long term I worry we could end up as ‘Preston mark 2’, long ball, awful to watch, feigning injuries and constant time wasting. Let’s hope this is only to get the points we desperately need. | ![](/images/avatars/1980.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:07 - Mar 12 with 8419 views | JPC | While I think most would eventually tire of a simple long ball approach, I do think it was the right call, on a number of levels. Aside from the obvious, which is that in particular the first half we played the game in their half rather than finding ourselves stuck in our own. The biggest upside was that it absolutely suits Jimmy’s game, and that as the game wore on, Dickie seemed to grow in confidence. For me those 2 have been the biggest victims of our lack of form, finding themselves asked with carrying the ball with absolutely no-one demanding it off them - simplifying the game in the short term looks like it will help them . I also thought playing Sam Field as a roving extra man was brilliant in that it allowed Kakay and Drewe to push up without worrying about being exposed. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:08 - Mar 12 with 8415 views | Logman | The footballing tactics were spot on. Two up front, no passing it around the back at any time and getting crosses into the box. Well done GA. The gamesmanship was a bit embarrassing but against Wilder I have no issues with it. Well done GA for addressing it. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:18 - Mar 12 with 8349 views | ChrisNW6 |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Brian I think the problem we have, is that the rest of the Championship had sussed us out and we are seen as a soft team to score against. Yesterday's tactics were born out of necessity and we desperately need a few ugly cleansheets. Getting forward so quickly in the first was exciting to watch and we could have been 2 or 3 at HT. The team ran out of steam second half especially after Dykes went off. Let's fully judge the GA style at the end of the season, it will be interesting to see how Willock and Chair fit in. Too early for any Preston analogies but apart from the Steff play acting I quite enjoyed the effect it HD on the Watford team. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:23 - Mar 12 with 8310 views | HAYESBOY | There is a time for passing and keeping possession but not at the risk of conceding possession deep in your own half. What I think GA has done is spotted that Tim is better higher up the pitch and can drive at a back line with the ball. When deep, he has a tendency to take too many touches and dally on the ball when he is just in front of a back four. We have ball players in Chair, Willock, Richards, Adomah and to some extent Jojo and Dozzell. Just need to fit the puzzle into an effective 11. | ![](/images/avatars/1477.gif) |
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Tatics on 09:23 - Mar 12 with 8300 views | FrankRightguard |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Beggars can’t be choosers at the moment. I also think a large part of the gamesmanship and confrontation is a concerted effort to shake off the “nice boys” tag that we’ve been rightly saddled with. Getting points on the board is the be all and end all. We can worry about what it looks like at a later date and when we have some of the technical players back and available. | ![](/images/avatars/1496.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:26 - Mar 12 with 8286 views | essextaxiboy |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Brian , we needed a win . I cant have been the only one there who felt that the game could have gone the way of the Sheff U game . Some of it was embarrassing at times , but it has kick started us . | ![](/images/avatars/1443.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:28 - Mar 12 with 8253 views | stevec |
Tatics on 09:07 - Mar 12 by JPC | While I think most would eventually tire of a simple long ball approach, I do think it was the right call, on a number of levels. Aside from the obvious, which is that in particular the first half we played the game in their half rather than finding ourselves stuck in our own. The biggest upside was that it absolutely suits Jimmy’s game, and that as the game wore on, Dickie seemed to grow in confidence. For me those 2 have been the biggest victims of our lack of form, finding themselves asked with carrying the ball with absolutely no-one demanding it off them - simplifying the game in the short term looks like it will help them . I also thought playing Sam Field as a roving extra man was brilliant in that it allowed Kakay and Drewe to push up without worrying about being exposed. |
Exactly. I think the purists might find greater happiness at Man City perhaps. Sorry we can’t accommodate. I loved it. Defenders who like to defend, defending. Forwards who like to head balls, heading balls. Everything that means the ball spends more time in their half than our half. Watford defenders were flummoxed with what was happening, couldn’t get the ball under control so their ball players, and they have quite a few of them, were totally disrupted, certainly until our customary run out of steam, but that’s a different story. To be honest, I didn’t think these lads had the physicality to play this game, despite the fact it was crying out for this approach, but they did. At least today. Bottom line is our bottom line doesn’t allow for silky skilled ballerinas, pragmatic is the way forward. Whether there’s enough pragmatic players about these days is open to debate but the antidote to better equipped sides passing their way round us isn’t going to be trying to outplay them. | ![](/images/avatars/6823.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:31 - Mar 12 with 8242 views | RangersDave | the rest of the league is full of shy yte housing teams. sitting down to time waste, non existant head injuries to time waste, up in the ref's face time and again with little punishment if at all...... so why shouldnt we? The time to play to football rules has long gone, and this season we need to do exactly what we did yesterday, and i'd support them doing it time and again in this league rather that the insipid toblerone football of the last season or 2. if we'd have played fleetwood playing like we did yesterday, we wouldnt have lost the game and been £100,000k+ better off! All credit to the manager and the team! Get at em! [Post edited 12 Mar 2023 15:56]
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Tatics on 09:36 - Mar 12 with 8206 views | francisbowles | I think it was how we tried to play at Rotherham and another week of working on it, as well as the crowd backing it up, produced a more polished version of it. We've been too soft and one dimensional. We've changed the first and moved the second. In time, we will hopefully be able to play a mix of long ball and passing football. As for the sh1thousery, until the authorities stamp it out, we are at a disadvantage if we allow others to do it but don't give it out equally. I am pleased to see us united, refusing to be bullied and standing up for ourselves. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:38 - Mar 12 with 8197 views | davman |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Sorry, Bri, but I loved it. The result is no. 1, how we get there is secondary. I am 100% biased and want to win. If that comes at a cost of playing football "properly" so be it. I once watched a Royal Navy video on why we have to spend billions on defence. Their opening line was "In an ideal world, there should be no need to spend on armed forces". Then they listed and showed images of incidents across history around the world voicing over "this is NOT an ideal world". Same with football. Everyone else seems to get away with cheating the ideal rules using the #housery you saw yesterday. Like you, I am not a fan. However, sitting back, crying about how unfair it all is should not be an option and "is not cricket" gets you nowhere. If you can't beat them you have to join them. Also, GA's main purpose after those last two games was 100% clear. Sort that sieve of a defence out and then the pressure to score is lessened. I actually think that is the way forward for our club. Sort the back 6 or 7 out, keep things tight and let 4 or 5 attackers worry about "playing" further up the field. Also, no Chair, Roberts, Willock or Richards in that starting line up, so what ya going to do? | ![](/images/avatars/1742.gif) |
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Tatics on 09:39 - Mar 12 with 8194 views | TK1 | I liked playing in their half rather than our own. I liked us looking like we'd do anything to win a match against bigger, better players - and barely coughing up a chance, with our second choice RB playing left wing back and third choice RB making his second appearance at this level up against players apparently worth tens of millions of pounds. Kakay was against Sarr, who barely had a kick! Three at the back, move it quicker up the pitch, manage the game. Some have been saying this since last season. It suits us better, suits the crowd, too. And it can work with our own players returning from injury too: Chair/Willock can both do the Lowe or Tim roles. Field back into mid, one of the sicknote CBs move into the third CB slot. Dykes looks so much happier in a two, too. We occupied their CBs for once - a miracle. Not sure how anyone can be sniffy about the style when they've paid to watch us at Rotherham or at home to Luton (or anyone) during this run. Nothing looks as good as winning feels. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 09:40 - Mar 12 with 8177 views | paulparker | Without sounding all Neil Warnock but give me a game like that any day of the week Passion, Guts, Tackles and some excitement , I watched palace vs city last night and it nearly sent me into a coma , I’d take Ainsworth style of football all day long | ![](/images/avatars/8151.gif) |
| And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
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Tatics on 10:29 - Mar 12 with 8036 views | TK1 | In Beale's second home game we were playing lovely triangles in our own half to release the full backs - and lost one-nil to a rubbish Blackpool. In Ainsworth's second home game, we got the ball forward quickly, played in the opposition's half and won 1-0 against Watford, the league's most expensive squad. I know which I enjoyed more. I repeat, nothing looks as good as winning feels. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 10:43 - Mar 12 with 7963 views | PunteR |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
Let's get some points on the board then start worrying about tactics. It's all about the 3 points atm. | ![](/images/avatars/11748.gif) |
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Tatics on 10:44 - Mar 12 with 7962 views | BklynRanger | I think in time we will be able to play a bit more. I hope we never again see the ball going endlessly back and forward between two centre backs, with nothing to show for it but the inevitable howler twice a half. Let's be realistic and pragmatic for a change, and build in skill and creativity in the right areas of the pitch. As far as the dark arts go, it was good to see some of the Watford players genuinely rattled by the end. Other teams try it every week with stray fingers in eyes and rolling around for nothing - I'm not in favour of rolling around but we absolutely need to get far more physical and canny about things, so in that sense yesterday was progress. | ![](/images/avatars/2096.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 10:46 - Mar 12 with 7933 views | Sakura |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
My instinct is to agree with you Brian and I do think you are right that with Willock, Chair and Paal to come back there will be a little more technique involved But, what I think Ainsworth is spot on about is that these tactics is that they are a massive equaliser. Our budget is one of the smaller and it’s going to get even smaller. Playing this dirty, gritty nasty style is our best shot of getting up the league and eventually promoted. If we try and play the same style as teams with bigger budgets it’s not likely to be successful But if we can force them into playing a different style of game, and we pick up the players that suits that then we can outplay them They don’t like it up em these fancy footballers. I want to see Rangers piss off teams. I want them to hate playing us. To hate coming to Loftus road FFP makes it very hard to compete so let’s change things up | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 10:55 - Mar 12 with 7908 views | bosh67 | The more industrial approach is exactly what we need at the moment. I remember Ollie years ago going through a really bad patch and we finally beat Wigan I think 1-0 in the most scrappy, gritty and ugly way. Gareth said we need points on the board. It does us no harm, especially with some of our more technical players out to be far more direct and far uglier. Staying in this division is pretty vital so industrial suits me until we stagger over the line to stay up and then he can decide who comes and goes and what style of play we go for next season. Right now we need to not let Blackpool beat us on Tuesday and then try to get 6+ more points to be absolutely sure now. 10 games to go, we surely have 2+ more wins in us. | ![](/images/avatars/1510.gif) |
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Tatics on 11:09 - Mar 12 with 7803 views | nix |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
I know what you're saying Brian but there was also a LOT of shithousery from Watford too. And I think we'd have played right into their hands not to have countered it a bit. There was a sustained campaign, particularly by Choudhury, Pedro and Davis to get our players booked, Choudhury tracked the ref so much he looked like Mary's little lamb. The number of dives in and around our penalty area was ridiculous. Holding onto the ball or throwing it away for our freekicks and throw ins, contesting Every. Single. Decision that went in our favour. Leaning all over/holding onto our players and then twisting round at the last second to make it look like they were fouled (this was happening all over the pitch). In an ideal world this wouldn't happen and either everyone would play to the rules or the officials would be wise to it and clamp down. Unfortunately neither happens, especially in the Championship. These small margins make a difference. For instance, Watford did at least three foul throws, and the ref only gave one of them: that's two lots of advantage to Watford. I know we complain about Preston et al. But if we're the ONLY team playing by the rules then we're going to lose more games than we should. | ![](/images/avatars/16746.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 11:16 - Mar 12 with 7761 views | joe90 |
Tatics on 11:09 - Mar 12 by nix | I know what you're saying Brian but there was also a LOT of shithousery from Watford too. And I think we'd have played right into their hands not to have countered it a bit. There was a sustained campaign, particularly by Choudhury, Pedro and Davis to get our players booked, Choudhury tracked the ref so much he looked like Mary's little lamb. The number of dives in and around our penalty area was ridiculous. Holding onto the ball or throwing it away for our freekicks and throw ins, contesting Every. Single. Decision that went in our favour. Leaning all over/holding onto our players and then twisting round at the last second to make it look like they were fouled (this was happening all over the pitch). In an ideal world this wouldn't happen and either everyone would play to the rules or the officials would be wise to it and clamp down. Unfortunately neither happens, especially in the Championship. These small margins make a difference. For instance, Watford did at least three foul throws, and the ref only gave one of them: that's two lots of advantage to Watford. I know we complain about Preston et al. But if we're the ONLY team playing by the rules then we're going to lose more games than we should. |
Spot on Nix. Bottom line, we needed to win. Watford were prepared to play dirty and we had to get stuck in. People have complained about us being too nice. So I for one was pleased to see some grit. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but it got us three points yesterday. | ![](/images/avatars/26289.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 11:16 - Mar 12 with 7761 views | Northernr | We need to stay up, however we do it. Sweat the details in the summer. We also need to be less easy to play against. For the last year we've been a dream opponent, way way too soft and easy to play. I think we've lost something like 28 of our last 48 games. We've got to get a bit of a backbone to us. However, Brian is right. Yesterday was terrific, the atmosphere, the win, the relief, the bodies going on the line. But the long ball, shithouse, injury feigning, time wasting stuff is going to wear very thin very quick if results don't go well. Holloway first time around recovered the club and the team, put together a brilliant side, got us promoted, was a hero, but within 18 months in the Championship was getting some fierce stick for the style of play, the cloggers in central midfield etc. | ![](/images/avatars/1005.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Tatics on 11:19 - Mar 12 with 7741 views | RuislipHoop |
Tatics on 08:42 - Mar 12 by BrianMcCarthy | I thought the tactics were awful. I'm glad we stopped with the suicidal passing around the back, I'm delighted with and proud of the effort and teamwork and relieved with the result. That should be us safe now. But we only completed 124 passes (one very forty seconds!), we feigned injury constantly, started needless arguments and all the other crap that we constantly berate Preston for. That's not football, imho, or anything related to football. And I fully understand and respect that many of us will think differently. As Simmo says, maybe it was a case of 'needs must', and maybe it was a one-off. Maybe also the return of Chair and Willock will see us play a bit more. Only time will tell, so no point getting overly worried just yet. |
GAs interview during the week where he stated winning was all summed up yesterdays performance. We have always been victims of the dark arts and never had a manager or the players to carry it out.I am so pleased we now seem to have both.Points are everything. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
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