| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? 13:16 - Nov 21 with 2123 views | SimonJames |
New analysis article on the Beeb, says:
"After 15 rounds there have been 435 goals in 180 matches, which is 57 fewer than we had at this stage last season.
It's a four-year low - so where have all the goals gone?
...what QPR could do with those extra 57 goals!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c1lg9le3m0lo |  |
| 100% of people who drink water will die. |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:34 - Nov 21 with 2065 views | PlanetHonneywood |
I bet they've gone as teams maybe prefer to reach Nirvana through keeping it tight at the back and being defensively rock solid as opposed to playing expansive entertaining football to reach the Premier$hip.
I for one thank Nourry for not falling for it and sticking hard to our beliefs and principles. If I may, applying one of Sid Waddell's best quotes: Alexander the Great conquered the world at 33, Christian Nourry's done it at 26! |  |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:52 - Nov 21 with 2017 views | Wegerles_Stairs |
Scott Parker's back? |  | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:54 - Nov 21 with 2020 views | Northernr |
Pleased to see us doing our bit.
In all seriousness I think the Burnley and Leeds away games were pretty instructive to this. With the state we're in Burnley really could and should be winning that 2-0, 3-0, and Leeds should be putting four on us. Both of them instead content to waste vast amounts of time in the game just rainbowing around in front of us. Side to side to side to side and back again.
I get the theory. Team sits back and you have to draw them out to create space. But in football now so often the away team has no interest in being drawn out. They've no ambition other than to get a draw in the game. So they'll just sit there, and you'll rainbow around in front of them.
Even when it does work, it's so fcking dull.
Football trends are cyclical and sheep like.
Arsene Wenger was revolutionary, suddenly everybody was eating pasta.
When Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto saying he didn't want the ball, we then went into years of teams not wanting the ball. Grim period of football. Actually it was Ian Holloway going into the Premier League with Blackpool and showing you could get somewhere in that environment by having a bit of a go, even if you've got Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in your team, that seemed to snap teams out of that phase.
There was a while when Pulis and Allardyce types were getting big Premier League, and even the England job.
World Cup in Brazil, everybody played three at the back. Suddenly, everybody's playing three at the back. Like in 1990 when everybody played a sweeper system (except England of course, which Robson got it in the teeth for until he switched).
Unfortunately for the paying public the current trend is set by "Pep" and followed by Russell Martin types and it is FCKING HORRENDOUSLY DULL.
It's ripe for some Chris Wilder type to go through the divisions again playing 4-4-2 with a lot of pace and width and a big man little man strike force, because nobody else is doing it and therefore nobody else can play against it, and frankly that moment cannot come soon enough because football is incredibly boring at the moment. |  | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 14:06 - Nov 21 with 1972 views | flynnbo |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:54 - Nov 21 by Northernr |
Pleased to see us doing our bit.
In all seriousness I think the Burnley and Leeds away games were pretty instructive to this. With the state we're in Burnley really could and should be winning that 2-0, 3-0, and Leeds should be putting four on us. Both of them instead content to waste vast amounts of time in the game just rainbowing around in front of us. Side to side to side to side and back again.
I get the theory. Team sits back and you have to draw them out to create space. But in football now so often the away team has no interest in being drawn out. They've no ambition other than to get a draw in the game. So they'll just sit there, and you'll rainbow around in front of them.
Even when it does work, it's so fcking dull.
Football trends are cyclical and sheep like.
Arsene Wenger was revolutionary, suddenly everybody was eating pasta.
When Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto saying he didn't want the ball, we then went into years of teams not wanting the ball. Grim period of football. Actually it was Ian Holloway going into the Premier League with Blackpool and showing you could get somewhere in that environment by having a bit of a go, even if you've got Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in your team, that seemed to snap teams out of that phase.
There was a while when Pulis and Allardyce types were getting big Premier League, and even the England job.
World Cup in Brazil, everybody played three at the back. Suddenly, everybody's playing three at the back. Like in 1990 when everybody played a sweeper system (except England of course, which Robson got it in the teeth for until he switched).
Unfortunately for the paying public the current trend is set by "Pep" and followed by Russell Martin types and it is FCKING HORRENDOUSLY DULL.
It's ripe for some Chris Wilder type to go through the divisions again playing 4-4-2 with a lot of pace and width and a big man little man strike force, because nobody else is doing it and therefore nobody else can play against it, and frankly that moment cannot come soon enough because football is incredibly boring at the moment. |
All credit to Luton who at least had a go last season. They had a good time and pocketed a shed load of money to help fund the new stadium. Also, they didn't have a gambling company as a sponsor and missed out on a lot of cash but that's to be applauded too. |  | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 14:21 - Nov 21 with 1937 views | charmr |
Amen Clive, spot on
My God, modern football is dull. [Post edited 21 Nov 14:23]
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 14:46 - Nov 21 with 1850 views | switchingcode |
Plenty of goals at the G tech 30 in first 6 games. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 15:07 - Nov 21 with 1804 views | kensalriser |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:54 - Nov 21 by Northernr |
Pleased to see us doing our bit.
In all seriousness I think the Burnley and Leeds away games were pretty instructive to this. With the state we're in Burnley really could and should be winning that 2-0, 3-0, and Leeds should be putting four on us. Both of them instead content to waste vast amounts of time in the game just rainbowing around in front of us. Side to side to side to side and back again.
I get the theory. Team sits back and you have to draw them out to create space. But in football now so often the away team has no interest in being drawn out. They've no ambition other than to get a draw in the game. So they'll just sit there, and you'll rainbow around in front of them.
Even when it does work, it's so fcking dull.
Football trends are cyclical and sheep like.
Arsene Wenger was revolutionary, suddenly everybody was eating pasta.
When Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto saying he didn't want the ball, we then went into years of teams not wanting the ball. Grim period of football. Actually it was Ian Holloway going into the Premier League with Blackpool and showing you could get somewhere in that environment by having a bit of a go, even if you've got Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in your team, that seemed to snap teams out of that phase.
There was a while when Pulis and Allardyce types were getting big Premier League, and even the England job.
World Cup in Brazil, everybody played three at the back. Suddenly, everybody's playing three at the back. Like in 1990 when everybody played a sweeper system (except England of course, which Robson got it in the teeth for until he switched).
Unfortunately for the paying public the current trend is set by "Pep" and followed by Russell Martin types and it is FCKING HORRENDOUSLY DULL.
It's ripe for some Chris Wilder type to go through the divisions again playing 4-4-2 with a lot of pace and width and a big man little man strike force, because nobody else is doing it and therefore nobody else can play against it, and frankly that moment cannot come soon enough because football is incredibly boring at the moment. |
Well, we've got the little man position covered... |  |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 15:24 - Nov 21 with 1770 views | kingsburyR |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 15:07 - Nov 21 by kensalriser |
Well, we've got the little man position covered... |
Lob Dunne up front with one of them. Sorted. |  |
| Dont know why we bother. .... but we do! |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 17:22 - Nov 21 with 1637 views | LimehouseR |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:54 - Nov 21 by Northernr |
Pleased to see us doing our bit.
In all seriousness I think the Burnley and Leeds away games were pretty instructive to this. With the state we're in Burnley really could and should be winning that 2-0, 3-0, and Leeds should be putting four on us. Both of them instead content to waste vast amounts of time in the game just rainbowing around in front of us. Side to side to side to side and back again.
I get the theory. Team sits back and you have to draw them out to create space. But in football now so often the away team has no interest in being drawn out. They've no ambition other than to get a draw in the game. So they'll just sit there, and you'll rainbow around in front of them.
Even when it does work, it's so fcking dull.
Football trends are cyclical and sheep like.
Arsene Wenger was revolutionary, suddenly everybody was eating pasta.
When Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto saying he didn't want the ball, we then went into years of teams not wanting the ball. Grim period of football. Actually it was Ian Holloway going into the Premier League with Blackpool and showing you could get somewhere in that environment by having a bit of a go, even if you've got Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in your team, that seemed to snap teams out of that phase.
There was a while when Pulis and Allardyce types were getting big Premier League, and even the England job.
World Cup in Brazil, everybody played three at the back. Suddenly, everybody's playing three at the back. Like in 1990 when everybody played a sweeper system (except England of course, which Robson got it in the teeth for until he switched).
Unfortunately for the paying public the current trend is set by "Pep" and followed by Russell Martin types and it is FCKING HORRENDOUSLY DULL.
It's ripe for some Chris Wilder type to go through the divisions again playing 4-4-2 with a lot of pace and width and a big man little man strike force, because nobody else is doing it and therefore nobody else can play against it, and frankly that moment cannot come soon enough because football is incredibly boring at the moment. |
Yeah this is true and I must admit I get very bored watching football these days. Not sure if I have lost interest or like you say, there's just too much messing about trying to get pass completion and possession stats in your favour. England do it as well. The Ireland match was a case in example. First half, we got to the by-line quite often but it ended up going back to a centre back. Why?! Play a quality ball in the box quickly. They did that in the second half and suddenly it was raining goals. Okay they had a man sent off but it just shows, make an insightful pass and you're in usually. You might lose the ball temporarily but if you are a good team you'll win it back soon enough.
One of the few teams that are enjoyable to watch sometimes are Brighton. They play that crazy high line thing and go at teams. Man City couldn't cope a few weeks ago. Other than that I am generally uninspired by so called 'big matches' these days. Maybe I am just getting old. |  | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:06 - Nov 22 with 1327 views | Wegerles_Stairs |
Regarding Clive's post, it's sacrilege and will never happen but having 20 men (or even 18) on the pitch might open things up more. Footballers are now faster and stronger, so there's inevitably less space. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:30 - Nov 22 with 1299 views | RsinWales |
I have been watching games since 1976. This recent shift to playing out from the back and passing from side to side is the most tedious phase of my supporting life. The fact that virtually every team is trying to do it makes it even more soul-sapping.
This phase of football methodology is like a really, really bad tribute act to the Barcelona team that so wonderfully captured and kept the ball in ways that mattered, and was brilliant to observe. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:42 - Nov 22 with 1279 views | Northernr |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:06 - Nov 22 by Wegerles_Stairs |
Regarding Clive's post, it's sacrilege and will never happen but having 20 men (or even 18) on the pitch might open things up more. Footballers are now faster and stronger, so there's inevitably less space. |
The thing I don't get with it, and I found this really noticeable when I went to Spurs Villa recently (two of the supposedly more attacking sides) is that so much of the philosophy now seems to be about slowing things down. Surely you create and exploit space by speeding it up. The amount of games and teams I watch now where the centre back or deep lying centre mid walks with the ball in their own half, or comes to an outright standstill, I just don't get.
What do I not like playing against? Pace and width. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:51 - Nov 22 with 1253 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:30 - Nov 22 by RsinWales |
I have been watching games since 1976. This recent shift to playing out from the back and passing from side to side is the most tedious phase of my supporting life. The fact that virtually every team is trying to do it makes it even more soul-sapping.
This phase of football methodology is like a really, really bad tribute act to the Barcelona team that so wonderfully captured and kept the ball in ways that mattered, and was brilliant to observe. |
Agreed.
The whole point of the Barca/Ajax way of playing is pace and width.
I still enjoy possession football, perhaps more than most, but it should always be "possession with purpose". |  |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:56 - Nov 22 with 1246 views | Konk |
In their last match, Southampton had 72% possession and no shots on target. Russell Martin football at its best.
One of my favourite things over the last few years has been watching an away team go 1-0 up and then as the clock is ticking down, watch the home team’s defence string together 475 passes in their own third, with the away team camped out entirely in their own half with no ambition or need to be drawn out or lose their shape. Who wants to go back to wingers running at defenders or switching it up a bit, when instead everyone can die of boredom waiting for someone to find the perfect opening. I’ve seen games recently where I’ve half expected the ref to blow up 10 minutes early because it was so obvious that the losing team were never going to equalise, and the winning team were never going to cross the halfway line. I watched a game last season where looking around, so few people were watching the match at one point that if all the players had left the pitch, it would have taken a few minutes before anyone noticed. A 12:30 kick-off with two teams playing walking football really doesn’t help the atmosphere either. No wonder so many kids just sit their staring at phones.
The current philosophy: Better to lose and die with the ball at your feet than risk losing possession. Winning the goal battle is less important than winning the possession war.
It’s fed down to the lower divisions and non-league too. It’s particularly great watching not-that-good-at-football kids on a Sunday morning trying to play the ball out from the back on pitches that are either like ploughed fields or swamps. The keeper, playing the ball to either full-back every time, so that after 5 mins, even young kids know what’s going to happen, and pressure the defenders into misplacing/mishitting passes. I’m not suggesting that teams go direct all the time, but the ability to mix it up, to inject some pace and directness, seems to me to be so important in terms of creating some excitement. When someone comes on who will run at defenders, it completely changes the atmosphere in the ground. I must be a philistine because I also found the amazing Spanish team dull as fu ck to watch once I’d seen them a few times, even though I can appreciate they were all brilliant footballers. It’s just all so fu cking sterile these days. |  |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 10:01 - Nov 22 with 1219 views | RsinWales |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:51 - Nov 22 by BrianMcCarthy |
Agreed.
The whole point of the Barca/Ajax way of playing is pace and width.
I still enjoy possession football, perhaps more than most, but it should always be "possession with purpose". |
Absolutely spot on, Brian.
It often appears to be 'possession without real purpose, maybe just a vague hope that something might happen if we kick the ball to one another for long enough' (a stupifying football lullaby). | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 10:03 - Nov 22 with 1209 views | terryb |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:42 - Nov 22 by Northernr |
The thing I don't get with it, and I found this really noticeable when I went to Spurs Villa recently (two of the supposedly more attacking sides) is that so much of the philosophy now seems to be about slowing things down. Surely you create and exploit space by speeding it up. The amount of games and teams I watch now where the centre back or deep lying centre mid walks with the ball in their own half, or comes to an outright standstill, I just don't get.
What do I not like playing against? Pace and width. |
It's a difficult one for me. I like teams to play out from the back, but it has to be done with purpose rather than just playing slowly & sidewards. There also has to be times when the easy five yard pass is ignored & an incisive ball is attempted.
On the other hand, I recently watched Chesham play Lincoln & there is not a chance that I could watch their direct (Wimbledon style) play every week. It doesn't stop me following their matches on X or Flashscores every match though hoping for a win!
I suppose the answer is not to overdo things whatever your style is. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 10:06 - Nov 22 with 1200 views | Konk |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 13:54 - Nov 21 by Northernr |
Pleased to see us doing our bit.
In all seriousness I think the Burnley and Leeds away games were pretty instructive to this. With the state we're in Burnley really could and should be winning that 2-0, 3-0, and Leeds should be putting four on us. Both of them instead content to waste vast amounts of time in the game just rainbowing around in front of us. Side to side to side to side and back again.
I get the theory. Team sits back and you have to draw them out to create space. But in football now so often the away team has no interest in being drawn out. They've no ambition other than to get a draw in the game. So they'll just sit there, and you'll rainbow around in front of them.
Even when it does work, it's so fcking dull.
Football trends are cyclical and sheep like.
Arsene Wenger was revolutionary, suddenly everybody was eating pasta.
When Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto saying he didn't want the ball, we then went into years of teams not wanting the ball. Grim period of football. Actually it was Ian Holloway going into the Premier League with Blackpool and showing you could get somewhere in that environment by having a bit of a go, even if you've got Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in your team, that seemed to snap teams out of that phase.
There was a while when Pulis and Allardyce types were getting big Premier League, and even the England job.
World Cup in Brazil, everybody played three at the back. Suddenly, everybody's playing three at the back. Like in 1990 when everybody played a sweeper system (except England of course, which Robson got it in the teeth for until he switched).
Unfortunately for the paying public the current trend is set by "Pep" and followed by Russell Martin types and it is FCKING HORRENDOUSLY DULL.
It's ripe for some Chris Wilder type to go through the divisions again playing 4-4-2 with a lot of pace and width and a big man little man strike force, because nobody else is doing it and therefore nobody else can play against it, and frankly that moment cannot come soon enough because football is incredibly boring at the moment. |
I saw Sheff Utd at Bristol City the other week, and they kept plugging away playing balls in behind the defence, had loads of width and pace, and got two very late goals to win the game. Didn't sit back after they'd equalised, happy to get a point. Felt very old school in a good way.
Scott Parker and Burnley at City tomorrow with a 12;30 kick-off. Should be mental. | |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 11:32 - Nov 22 with 1063 views | Wegerles_Stairs |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 09:42 - Nov 22 by Northernr |
The thing I don't get with it, and I found this really noticeable when I went to Spurs Villa recently (two of the supposedly more attacking sides) is that so much of the philosophy now seems to be about slowing things down. Surely you create and exploit space by speeding it up. The amount of games and teams I watch now where the centre back or deep lying centre mid walks with the ball in their own half, or comes to an outright standstill, I just don't get.
What do I not like playing against? Pace and width. |
Sorry to bring it back to us...but one of the reasons we are so dull and crap is we have barely any pace and not enough width (or at least no reliable wing back or winger getting accurate crosses on to the head of a traditional number nine). We really were spoiled in the early 1990s with that team. [Post edited 22 Nov 11:32]
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| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 11:33 - Nov 22 with 1058 views | Northernr |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 11:32 - Nov 22 by Wegerles_Stairs |
Sorry to bring it back to us...but one of the reasons we are so dull and crap is we have barely any pace and not enough width (or at least no reliable wing back or winger getting accurate crosses on to the head of a traditional number nine). We really were spoiled in the early 1990s with that team. [Post edited 22 Nov 11:32]
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This has been a real failure of our recruitment over the last few years. BOS went out of the team, and we've never really tried to put any pace back in. Smyth's the only one we've signed who can run. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 12:22 - Nov 22 with 963 views | QPROslo |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 11:32 - Nov 22 by Wegerles_Stairs |
Sorry to bring it back to us...but one of the reasons we are so dull and crap is we have barely any pace and not enough width (or at least no reliable wing back or winger getting accurate crosses on to the head of a traditional number nine). We really were spoiled in the early 1990s with that team. [Post edited 22 Nov 11:32]
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I enjoyed us more last season when we had the pace and strength of Armstrong who despite not scoring too many and not having great ball control, still got past defenders and pulled others out of position opening up space we really didn't use enough. He was a threat and an entertaining watch. | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 12:52 - Nov 22 with 914 views | Sharpediver |
Great thread, agree modern 'elite' football is deadly dull.
Off to see Slough Town v Welling in NLS tomorrow. Proper Football. Plenty of heart, passion, pace and usually brilliant entertainment.
Rebels 7th in table (just inside play off zone) and currently 2nd top scorers in the division.
I can't face going to the R's tomorrow, I just can't. I'm sure I'm not the only one in need of some respite from the torture. However, will be regularly popping into the
downstairs bar checking the vidi-printer in the hope of a miracle... | | | |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 14:30 - Nov 22 with 824 views | LazyFan |
| Where have the goals gone in the Championship? on 11:33 - Nov 22 by Northernr |
This has been a real failure of our recruitment over the last few years. BOS went out of the team, and we've never really tried to put any pace back in. Smyth's the only one we've signed who can run. |
Lloyd has pace but hes raw. We also had Armstrong, but raw again. |  |
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