I am confused here

[Cricko]

So what exactly is PS's plan here. We have at least 3 players on board who like the ball to their feet during play, Eastwood, Benyon and Harris, Last season we tried the hoof route to the likes of Dicko etc and to some part it worked.Why sign players who prefer it on the deck if you want to play "direct"

Is PS now saying we need a big target man to revert to the style some think (even PS BTW) is the route out of this division? I hate this type of football any way.

I am all for mixing it up play wise, but get the idea he has no clue how to get us up any more and is just tossing balls into the air to see how they land.

Last season the top teams, Swindon, Creepy and Crewe played football as IMO it should be played, entertaining for the fans and the results proofed this. I do not understand why on earth there seems to be just one way to get out of this league and that is by having a lump up front,pumping crosses in and hoping this takes us up.

Bizarre and very odd thinking IMO.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Get a tall man with good feet. You can play the long ball to the target man, you can also play to feet.

You get a big back four you then have someone who can match them. We don't have that option at the moment.

As to being confused John, that's your old age kicking in.

 

[McNasty]

Perhaps he wants to try two different styles, one for home and one away.

Pass at home , hoof away.

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

Direct football is NOT about playing long balls aimlessly to a big blokes head! It's about playing to the big man him getting it down and playing out wide! Why dont people get that?

 

[Cricko]

Direct football is NOT about playing long balls aimlessly to a big blokes head! It's about playing to the big man him getting it down and playing out wide! Why dont people get that?

Why is there any need for that if you are a passing team....why on earth would you have the ball and hoof it up front to some bloke on the off chance he might intercept it and pass it out wide?:unsure:

 

[Welly7]

So what exactly is PS's plan here. We have at least 3 players on board who like the ball to their feet during play

.

That's the most frustrating thing at the moment. Players in the squad who have their qualitites that just aren't being used at all. Is the message from Sturrock to the forwards we have that if you aren't six foot plus and will win headers all afternoon then there's no future at the club for them?!?!

 

[Angell Delight]

Why is there any need for that if you are a passing team....why on earth would you have the ball and hoof it up front to some bloke on the off chance he might intercept it and pass it out wide?:unsure:

I think therein lies the issue, PS clearly doesn't see us getting out of this division playing a passing style. That's not something I agree with but I don't mind so much if our strategy is to "mix it up" and NOT play direct route one all game every game. Having a couple of options does create problems for the opposition and would make us less predictable, however I would hope it won't be to the detriment of the likes of Eastwood etc.

As dwb stated above we need a targetman with good feet, this seems to fit Akinfenwa to a tee in my opinion but we'll see who comes in. I'll be very disappointed if we end up with the footballing equivalent of a giraffe with two left feet.....

 

[Cricko]

I know we are no Barcelona or even Swansea, but at grass route levels even in Southend the "Play Football team" beat mostly all comers by passing the ball to feet and moving for the return, this is not rocket science, but simple football. If you have the ball ,do not just kick it elsewhere if you have a 50% chance of losing it.

Maybe its just me but I can't fathom out why we would make life difficult for ourselves.

 

[Earls Hall Blue]

I think it's obvious that PS wants a big man up front, that's why he puts Cresswell up there to chase the game & why Mohsni played there a lot last season.

It begs the question why sign players like Harris, Benyon, Eastwood & Tomlin. They could all play off a 'target man', but you dont need them all. I personally think along with Hall & Mohsni, Benyon may move on this week, & if he does along with Martin then questions should be asked of PS's judgement in signing those.

 

[Beefy]

Hit the ball to the big guy who'll hold it up and create space for the little guy alongside him.

Benyon is the odd-one-out, clearly. But then I doubt that anyone thought we could get Eastwood when the chance came up to bring him in.

I suspect that Benyon was the only Sturrock signing of the three as well.

 

[Cricko]

Hit the ball to the big guy who'll hold it up and create space for the little guy alongside him.

Benyon is the odd-one-out, clearly. But then I doubt that anyone thought we could get Eastwood when the chance came up to bring him in.

I suspect that Benyon was the only Sturrock signing of the three as well.

IF the big guy actually gets the ball...these type of tactics IMO are outdated and long gone.As I pointed out earlier the successful teams last season did not use these. Hit the ball up top hoping for a big man to win it whilst maybe the centre half taking control is abysmal in every aspect of today's game.

 

[A Century United]

I know we are no Barcelona or even Swansea, but at grass route levels even in Southend the "Play Football team" beat mostly all comers by passing the ball to feet and moving for the return, this is not rocket science, but simple football. If you have the ball ,do not just kick it elsewhere if you have a 50% chance of losing it.

Maybe its just me but I can't fathom out why we would make life difficult for ourselves.

Does it John? That's a fairly sweeping statement. We don't have the players who can consistently pass the ball to feet from the back and not give it away too often. We can't afford them (Swindon and Crawley) and we haven't yet bred our own, our academy is still too new. So we have to accept the limitations of our players, and look to move the ball forward in such a way that we are more likely to retain it. Then we can start to play the pretty stuff (our second goal yesterday...) in areas where if we lose it, it is less likely to be costly.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and Sturrock is fully aware of that, hasn't lost it and needs to be backed in what he is doing. Not getting behind him this season will only harm our chances of promotion. Give him this season, because if we don't make it up I suspect he will move on anyway.

 

[Cricko]

Sorry Tom, how do you retain the ball you already have in your possession by humping it forward with a 50-50 chance you will lose the said possession?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Direct football is NOT about playing long balls aimlessly to a big blokes head! It's about playing to the big man him getting it down and playing out wide! Why dont people get that?

I think yesterday proves we can play the ball to feet, pass the ball around and then put a cross in for a target man to head home. If we had a big target man

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Barry Corr, he must have faith for him to get fit soon for next month. We cannot afford to waste budgets on getting another forward in, let see what we can do in next 7 games.

 

[Beverly Hills Cop Blue]

to mix it up Akinfenwa would be a good signing. However what we don't want big lump, immobile targetmen like Corr, Rammell and Campbell etc. In many ways I feel sorry for Sturrock because is in the latter part of the summer it seems to be through lack of money flowing through the Club hes been tearing his hair out not knowing from one day to the next what he can and can't do namely from Uncle Ron. Having said that one or two of Luggy's ideas have confused me. He releases Belford then comes back on loan. releases Kalala then brings him back to train with a view to re-signing him, Stated he was eager to talk to Brogan as he was interested in him then claimed he wasn't needed as Brogan's postion was already covered( surely he knew this when Brogan first came in). Then I'm certain Eastwood, Harris and Benyon were brought in over his head as they are not the sort Sturrock would normally go for. I hope these players can do well when being fed of this targetman coming in but if thats the only we'll play we could become predictable which was the reason we got found out last year. Even then Hsarris didn't really get going ti;ll the style slightly changed towards the end of last season and unfair to criticise Eastwood as hewasn't fit. As said Sturrock merits more time to see if he can still be the man for the job but as i've stated in this post it'll be difficult and personally I don't think we will pull it off this year. With some players coming in over the managers head etc it'll be hard for any manager. Relegation is a deffo no for me unless evemnts off pitch take their toll. So heres hoping that does not happen.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

to mix it up Akinfenwa would be a good signing. However what we don't want big lump, immobile targetmen like Corr, Rammell and Campbell etc. In many ways I feel sorry for Sturrock because is in the latter part of the summer it seems to be through lack of money flowing through the Club hes been tearing his hair out not knowing from one day to the next what he can and can't do namely from Uncle Ron. Having said that one or two of Luggy's ideas have confused me. He releases Belford then comes back on loan. releases Kalala then brings him back to train with a view to re-signing him, Stated he was eager to talk to Brogan as he was interested in him then claimed he wasn't needed as Brogan's postion was already covered( surely he knew this when Brogan first came in). Then I'm certain Eastwood, Harris and Benyon were brought in over his head as they are not the sort Sturrock would normally go for. I hope these players can do well when being fed of this targetman coming in but if thats the only we'll play we could become predictable which was the reason we got found out last year. Even then Hsarris didn't really get going ti;ll the style slightly changed towards the end of last season and unfair to criticise Eastwood as hewasn't fit. As said Sturrock merits more time to see if he can still be the man for the job but as i've stated in this post it'll be difficult and personally I don't think we will pull it off this year. With some players coming in over the managers head etc it'll be hard for any manager. Relegation is a deffo no for me unless evemnts off pitch take their toll. So heres hoping that does not happen.

Corr scored 20 goals in his first season....why would we not want someone like him?

 

[Beverly Hills Cop Blue]

Correction I did not mean Corr as an immoblie tarhetman. I meant Conlon.

 

[tallboyblue]

We must accept that it is not always possible to play football against some of the teams in this division. There will be matches when we will have to mix it up and as far as I am concerned three points at the end of the day no matter how we play keeps me happy. Let us get out of this awful division first and foremost,

 

[Beverly Hills Cop Blue]

I think Jam man is right we do have the capabilities of mixing it up. As proven when alterations were made and we finished off the leagueseason very well. But deep down Sturrock is not comfortable with this way for me and suspect he only passion is to hit it long preferably in his eyes. As found out playing 1 way we become predictable in the end which leads to us on the ropes. Being a tradionalist Managers must be left to bring in their own players so they know they suit their game plan. Terribly difficult if players are brought in without his say so and worse still manager discovers they won't suit his game plan. If the trend continued it'll be hard for any manager but at the Moment Sturrock with his experience is for the time being the best guy to handle these things I would have thought and as things stand I would not lever him out of his job.