Echo News Southend United boss Sol Campbell defends decision to play out from the back

[smudgster]

Love to see the stats, scoring a goal from playing out the back as opposed to conceding one.

 

[40yearsafan]

Oddly the Oxford game hadn't put me off football entirely last Saturday and I watched Match of the Day that evening. Very entertained to hear Gary Lineker and the pundits saying 'When will Arsenal learn they aren't good enough to play out from the back'.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Sadly it sounds like a manager, the latest in a long line, that does not want to accept he got it wrong. If he persists, with this ploy, we are down and he will be out. It really is as simple as that.

 

[Steve Giles]

Sadly it sounds like a manager, the latest in a long line, that does not want to accept he got it wrong. If he persists, with this ploy, we are down and he will be out. It really is as simple as that.

We’re down anyway

 

[RobM]

The whole idea makes me nervous. Oxford soon latched on to this tactic and pushed up to confine space. Blimey, if I can see it...

 

[Thundersley Blue]

I don't think Sol has got it wrong. What is the point of lumping the ball up front, when we don't have anyone capable of holding on to the ball. Generally, the ball comes straight back with interest.

Should Sol geniunely believe that playing from the back is right and what he wants, the teams throughout the Club should play that way as well. A seamless transition when the younger players get their chance in the first team.

 

[eastling]

The whole idea makes me nervous. Oxford soon latched on to this tactic and pushed up to confine space. Blimey, if I can see it...

Oxford I feel were already prepared to put Taylor under immense pressure from the off which is why play from the back was a no no at the start of the game definitely.

 

[Firestorm]

Oxford I feel were already prepared to put Taylor under immense pressure from the off which is why play from the back was a no no at the start of the game definitely.

Not just Taylor, I imagine that the team talk revolved around an opponent totally bereft of confidence, on a massive poor run , fans on their back etc and getting into them from the off and not letting them settle.
Worked well very early and gave them the confidence to keep it up , once they got the second they could ease off and play how they wanted knowing we were already beaten

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

This is one of the areas where there's a huge dichotomy between what the players are comfortable with and what the fans are comfortable with.

This is the type of football modern players have grown up with. A decade ago whilst we were busy watching defenders uncomfortable on the ball, they'd have been playing this way in academies. This is the football they are used to. When having someone like Rio in defence was still a novelty for England at international level, and after him we would only get to the second round of World Cups instead of the semi-finals, this was what was being drilled into kids in academies up and down the country.

When we sit in the stands and hold our breath as they pass along the backline, they are doing what they've been doing since they were 8 years old. It'll take time for us to catch up to them, to realise that they are better on the ball than their predecessors and won't make as many mistakes as their predecessors would have playing that way.

Of course it doesn't look good when you screw up like the debutant did but it didn't look good either when Cox lost it on the half way line and they ran through and scored the 4th either.

There's still some work to be done (maybe more in midfield than defence) and it's important that we don't become predictable but hopefully fans will catch up with players sooner rather than later.

We were playing great football out from the back when Tilson was charge over a decade ago. It's not anything new. The difference is knowing when to do it and when not to.

World class defenders still regularly clear the ball high and long when need be. In fact Liverpool fullbacks regularly get the ball forward faster than most! It's one of their strengths playing fast counter football! Maybe when you catch up you'll understand ?

 

[AndyT]

Good point under Tilly.

It is about mixing it up. The key is getting the defence right first and understanding each other. I think Sol has this issue as he is trying to implement a way of playing with players who aren't even fully understanding of each other yet.

 

[mfurok]

SOUTHEND United manager Sol Campbell has defended his decision to try and introduce a passing style at the Shrimpers.

More...

God help us.

 

[nick12]

Yep but I don't even he could get our players to play with heart and soul. If Sol continues this style with the players we have we will fly past the 100 goals conceded long before the certainty of 2nd division football looms.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Its basically inviting any team with a quick strong forward line and midfield to destroy us as weve seen countless times this season. I think we will break all sorts of records before this wretched season is over.

 

[danburyshrimper]

Have a look at how the U21 premiership teams play - all the tippy tappy nancying about at the back style of football.

Now have a look at the results of all the top teams from the premiership u21's in the EFL trophy against proper lower division teams . The grass roots teams win almost every time , playing normal passionate , high tempo sometimes direct football. And dont forget the young superstars have been playing the tippy tappy football for years and they are still losing. Only this week we saw Everton 0 Fleetwood 4 . So if these highly paid stars of the future cant do it and win , how the hell does Sol Campbell come to the conclusion that old lumbering clumsy defenders like Dieng , Kiernan, Milligan + Lennon can perfect the art in just a few weeks?

Its football suicide. If Campbell wants his management career to end like this its his call . Ask Kevin Bond how that worked out for him.

 

[KiwiRob]

I don't think Sol has got it wrong. What is the point of lumping the ball up front, when we don't have anyone capable of holding on to the ball. Generally, the ball comes straight back with interest.

Should Sol geniunely believe that playing from the back is right and what he wants, the teams throughout the Club should play that way as well. A seamless transition when the younger players get their chance in the first team.

I disagree. I am a fan of the old saying "If it is working do not fix it" but if something is not working - like a backline of five players trying and failing to pass their way out of defence - the problem clearly needs addressing.

 

[Jai]

The fundamental problem is that if you don't have any confidence or self-belief, you will find players don't show for the ball. There's definitely a place for playing out of the back and nothing used to frustrate me more than lumping for the sake of lumping. However, at the moment confidence is so fragile that playing it about for the sake of it isn't working, we will give the ball away because the movement isn't there because of that lack of confidence. I don't see any reason why this group of players wouldn't have the ability to do it if the likes of Rochdale can - the issue is they are absolutely at rock bottom mentally.

Sol is playing the long game and encouraging the players to be brave in possession, which should be applauded. But once they cross that white line, it has to be down to the individual players to make decisions on whether to pass or get rid.

We need something to turn for us, give us belief and then you might find that this tactic does start to pay dividends. Unfortunately all the league games since Sol took over have been extremely tough ones.

 

[southendkid]

Have a look at how the U21 premiership teams play - all the tippy tappy nancying about at the back style of football.

Now have a look at the results of all the top teams from the premiership u21's in the EFL trophy against proper lower division teams . The grass roots teams win almost every time , playing normal passionate , high tempo sometimes direct football. And dont forget the young superstars have been playing the tippy tappy football for years and they are still losing. Only this week we saw Everton 0 Fleetwood 4 . So if these highly paid stars of the future cant do it and win , how the hell does Sol Campbell come to the conclusion that old lumbering clumsy defenders like Dieng , Kiernan, Milligan + Lennon can perfect the art in just a few weeks?

Its football suicide. If Campbell wants his management career to end like this its his call . Ask Kevin Bond how that worked out for him.

That doesn't really prove anything, most of the premier league sides don't care if they win, it's a training exercise for them and losing the match but getting the kids used to how they play is a much better outcome for them than winning the match but not teaching them skills they'll need to break into the first team. If they were the finished article they'd either be someone like Sterling who was fast tracked into the first team or would be on loan to a league club, they're going to make mistakes no matter what tactics they play.

Based off the Fleetwood Everton highlights none of them look like they came from Everton being caught out anyway, and Fleetwood weren't playing long ball.

 

[Thorper]

Perhaps one of them should goal hang like a glory hunting 10 yr old. And fall over like they've been shot when an opposition player breathes on them.

Cox would be the ideal choice....

 

[RobM]

Four decent finishes too!

 

[duncan bulgaria]

Talking to someone who had a lengthy chat with Sol on Monday and he feels this is not a big ask to pass the ball out from the back .....simplest task in football is a 5 or 10 yard pass .
Like it or not I think we will continue to play this way