Pace...

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

When I first starting watching the EDS and UnderWhatnots I was amazed at the pace at which they moved the ball around. I've played a few sports in my time, at a sadly miserable level, and occasionally come up against people who could really play. Not just football but racquet games. They are unbelievably fast. The first teams seams to play much more slowly than Vieira has the EDS playing and slower than Wilcox demands from the U19s. And so on.

The most talented of footballers in the club, some world class, and we plod the ball about. Oh for a Peter Dobing or Bobby Johnstone who would GO at players!

 

[oakiecokie]

We`ve needed a natural left sided winger for years.This time we decided to buy a near "duplicate" of Fernandinho for £20+M.
It should have been wisely spent on someone like Di Maria,someone with pace.

 

[momo88]

Seems a tad like groundhog day as I remember starting a thread like this a few years ago.

IMO it's still our main issue and the biggest element of why teams are appearing to have worked out how to play against us.

We don't break at pace, we try and play our way up the pitch, the opposition gets all men back, our attack breaks down and they then fly up our end. Numerous times yesterday that CSKA waltzed up our end.

Until we remedy this we'll never be good in Europe.

Its a good call rammy.

Silva is intricate but not quick on the ball going forward at great speed

I wonder if we actually have a bloke or two on out current list who can actually move and keep possession of the ball at speed and have the ability to take on a defender and perform some magic around them.

Yaya for the former but its not present in my opinion in the this squad.

We move the ball forward way to slowly for my liking.

At present much of the side have lost that confidence and edge.

Zabba normally reliable to keep possession lost possesssion many time s last night.

Never seen us so tired in games as we prided ourselves on being the fitter of the two teams in the past.

Strange things going on with this side this year and MP doesn't have any solutions yet.

In saying that the quality I think of the premiership is very poor this season at least so far it is.

Only Chelsea seem at some ease in the Chumps League.

The squad is still good enough to challenge Chelsea I think but on present form they might be too far ahead come the time we get some less game time than them.

Maybe cause the same 11 as Sunday ?

 

[LoveCity]

Brahimi (Porto) showed exactly what we're missing to unlock tight defences the other night. Not that I'm saying we should sign him (might be a good alternative to Reus though!).

<a class="postlink" href="https://vine.co/v/OebWZPWx5XP" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">https://vine.co/v/OebWZPWx5XP</a>

^ If that's us, we're reliant on someone overlapping into space or passing sideways/backwards or we have no idea what to do.

 

[Stephenhakin]

If I recall when we sold NDJ we did so because in my opinion he couldnt shift the ball quickly. So then we bought Fernandinho and he for me did shift it quickly and could play that role. So then we buy Fernando who is back in the same mold as NDJ. Nothing against the lad, I like him. Just seems a backward step in a vital position for me. Ok with Fernandinho there we were getting caught at the back but a lot of that was because we were so attacking and scoring shi£ loads to contra it. Not sure this makes sense but I know what I mean. Anyone else get this?

 

[Stephenhakin]

If I recall when we sold NDJ we did so because in my opinion he couldnt shift the ball quickly. So then we bought Fernandinho and he for me did shift it quickly and could play that role. So then we buy Fernando who is back in the same mold as NDJ. Nothing against the lad, I like him. Just seems a backward step in a vital position for me. Ok with Fernandinho there we were getting caught at the back but a lot of that was because we were so attacking and scoring shi£ loads to contra it. Not sure this makes sense but I know what I mean. Anyone else get this?

Ok did some quick stats on this.

Fernandinho p28 w 22 d 3 l 3 scored 85 ( 3.03 avg ) conceded 31 ( 1.10 avg) avg points 2.46

Fernandinho doesnt play. p9 w 5 d 2 L 2 Scored 14 ( Avg 1.44 ) conceded 5 ( avg 0.66 ) avg points 1.88

So I know he played mostly last season but this proves when he plays we don't score enough goals but the defence is still decent ( 1.10 per game )

Manuel dropped him ( rightly so I guess you have to say ) a few games before the end of the season to sure up defence but at the expense of us scoring goals which is proved in this stat.

 

[PragueBlue]

I think the problem is more to do with tempo than out and out pace. We just shift the ball around so painfully slowly at times.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Get Hale in with him and at least games would be a laugh.

 

[kippaxblue76]

I think the problem is more to do with tempo than out and out pace. We just shift the ball around so painfully slowly at times.

Its tempo and desire to get forward quickly, nothing to do with pace, we have breakaways sometimes and there are a couple busting a gut to get forward while the rest are jogging around near the halfway line hence the other team all getting back into position and it breaks down.

 

[Love Bites and Everything]

It's not just pace as in pure speed we lack. It's urgency, dynamism, tempo, we're too slow, too laboured, too predictable.

We need a couple of pacey, young, hungry, talented footballers to give us a lift. Reus and Tadic would do me.

I'd also buy the left back Hull signed in the summer, Robertson. He is a class act and in will prove himself the best thing to come out of scotland in a generation.