*** Match Thread*** Tue 5/2 20:15 WES1 The Reserves

helimachoptor

Big game against the league leaders, will be tough but need to bounce back after last week

Dave -
Jules - in
Wes - in
Cathal - in
Conor - in
Keith P - in
Derek - out
Darren - in
Gar -
Keith R - in
Ciaran - in
Clay - out
Collie - in
Mark - out
Damian - in

helimachoptor

3-1 loss.

They scored a decent first goal, we equalised just before the break and were playing some good football.

In the second half they got an OG from Keith R and then I punched the ball into the net off their free at the end, but we played some good passing moves.

Mousewar

Tough loss - didn't deserve that I think. Well done in goal Keith - difficult conditions and you did well.
And the three new players who gave us a dig out played really well too.

FrankGrimes

Yeh I agree - I don't often say it, but they were very lucky to get 3 points. With them being the likely league winners it just demonstrates that we certainly have the ability with this squad to be the best team in the league at times, if we can nail that consistency next season we'll do very well.

OG was unlucky and last minute 3rd irrelevant. For the last 20 minutes they were in 'just get rid of it' mode at the back which shows that we were controlling things overall. Their 11 is a classy player and ran the game last time but didn't get into it this time and that was a key difference. We had tons of possession and played some excellent stuff at times, but yet we made relatively few chances from that possession. That to me points to our age old problem of playing the game in the wrong part of the pitch. Midfielders should be putting strikers in on goal on a regular basis, and it just doesn't happen often enough for the quality possession we tend to have.

We do not have enough through passes coming from the midfield into the forwards. Those are difficult passes and often the defender is favourite to disrupt them, but the difference between average teams and good teams is that good teams know that those through passes are potential game-winners and so they keep trying them knowing one will come off eventually and make the difference. Good teams avoid over-relying on just shunting the ball laterally which maintains possession but doesn't penetrate and actually allows the defence extra time to get setup.

The 3 stand-ins Glenn, Daz and Rob all did really and it'd be great to see them out again in future.

sReq | uTeK

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Yeh I agree - I don't often say it, but they were very lucky to get 3 points. With them being the likely league winners it just demonstrates that we certainly have the ability with this squad to be the best team in the league at times, if we can nail that consistency next season we'll do very well.

OG was unlucky and last minute 3rd irrelevant. For the last 20 minutes they were in 'just get rid of it' mode at the back which shows that we were controlling things overall. Their 11 is a classy player and ran the game last time but didn't get into it this time and that was a key difference. We had tons of possession and played some excellent stuff at times, but yet we made relatively few chances from that possession. That to me points to our age old problem of playing the game in the wrong part of the pitch. Midfielders should be putting strikers in on goal on a regular basis, and it just doesn't happen often enough for the quality possession we tend to have.

We do not have enough through passes coming from the midfield into the forwards. Those are difficult passes and often the defender is favourite to disrupt them, but the difference between average teams and good teams is that good teams know that those through passes are potential game-winners and so they keep trying them knowing one will come off eventually and make the difference. Good teams avoid over-relying on just shunting the ball laterally which maintains possession but doesn't penetrate and actually allows the defence extra time to get setup.

The 3 stand-ins Glenn, Daz and Rob all did really and it'd be great to see them out again in future.

I agree with most of what you say bar the through balls, not every single ball a midfielder gets needs to be a killer ball, a killer ball is a killer ball when its on, and no offense but with a gale force wind in your face and at your back a killer ball is not the ball you should be playing, smart possession is.
I don't see the point in playing the ball into a forwards feet when hes a lone striker and has his back to goal with 4 defenders behind him when I could just play it out the wings and a ball can be zipped in at 2-3 targets.

Keeping the ball and running your opponents ragged and pulling them out of position in order for the killer ball to be played is what most teams do (Case in point Barcelona) I watch and play a lot of ball everyone on boards thinks that the ball needs to go forward 110% of the time, WRONG!!!! I'd rather play the ball out the wing laterally to someone in space who can whip it into the box or to anyone who is free as long as we retain the ball as opposed to into the forwards feet 30 yards from goal with his back to it, sure a ball over the top if it's on or down the channels is a smart ball but in those conditions it doesn't work. Making your opponents chase the game via possession will eventually tire them out and then a killer ball is a lot easier to play, I'm not saying never play it, but I think your definition of a killer ball, i.e (I'm 30 yards from goal with my back to it) differs from mine.


For example, every ball over the top the other night skidded through for goal kicks (With the exception of their 1st) Or else it hung in the air depending on what way you were shooting.

Also, honestly work ethic is not a problem we give it our all every game, absolute idiotic things on the pitch has cost us this league.

Case in point - shooting from 100000000 yards every time we get the ball.
Case in point - Flicks and trying to beat 600 men
Case in point - and the worst of all shooting from tip offs, WHY is this allowed? has that EVER worked cause I've seen it 20+ times this season and teams just laugh at us.

Bad mistakes in defence the amount of times we've been done by long balls because one doesn't drop and one doesn't attack the ball, honestly just say before the game, i'll mop you attack, job done. (Battered them for the 1st 10 mins they couldn't get out of their half, one long ball, 1 nill down) It's soul destroying.

We give ridiculous goals away every game, that's why we are where we are through balls has nothing to do with it.

We play EASILY the best ball in the league, it's other aspects of our game that kills us, we're the Arsenal of Division 7.

I can't head a ball I know this, so I tell collie take the threat in midfield, I just don't understand why people can't play to their strengths instead of trying to be Pele, Maradona, etc etc.