swansvalleyjack
Reserve Team Player
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2020
- Messages
- 94
- Reaction score
- 15
I have tended to start every season with hope - new players, maybe new system, even a plan B.
I had little hope this year. Recent experiences have shown me that new players mean diddly squat. We are just recycling the squad with average, or less than average. A slow downward spiral.
As for our system, well I'm totally bored tbh. I can be pretty patient with possession football, as long as there's a likely positive - or dare I say exciting - outcome.
Russell Martin took boring to a new level for most of the time. But even so, our current style is so predictable, and slow. And compounded by poor player "quality" as well of course.
There is very little splitting of lines with a raking pass; there is hardly any player who actually beats a man with dribbling skills; most everything is slow pass, pass, pass...in turn, opposing sides have all the time in the world to set themselves up defensively. Everything is then so congested, tippy tappy around the edge of the penalty area, no way through. Our crossing is awful ( apart from the brave header met by Vipotnik yesterday) also very few effective overlaps (remember Dyer and Rangel ! )
I know we're not relegation material ( in fairness the defence is not bad) - but by god the rest of our play is awful.
I actually long for some route 1 football, create some huge gaps on the field, anything to get me off my seat and avoid this consistent drudge of safe pass football.
Ok it's mid table stuff I know, but I only attend these days out of loyalty and duty. Entertainment has gone, such a pity.
And I know people will say, remember the mid eighties and so on after Toshack had gone. Yes I do and I lived with the consequences. But reality is that we then found our way - and more - with Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup. And reality is that we were spoiled then, we were so entertained. And today I find difficulty in simply accepting the dross football we get now. 14,000 attendance yesterday says that many others have just given up - for me I can't do that (I'm still a season ticket holder) but my practice now is to do other things on a Saturday if they're better than turning up at the stadium, or leaving early if it's obvious we will never score and still play the same boring stuff.
And as for the subs yesterday, what was the point. Going back to Dyer for a moment, when he used to come on, there was a buzz around the place. But it was just "meh" yesterday, most believed they would make no difference. And so it proved.
Rant over !
I had little hope this year. Recent experiences have shown me that new players mean diddly squat. We are just recycling the squad with average, or less than average. A slow downward spiral.
As for our system, well I'm totally bored tbh. I can be pretty patient with possession football, as long as there's a likely positive - or dare I say exciting - outcome.
Russell Martin took boring to a new level for most of the time. But even so, our current style is so predictable, and slow. And compounded by poor player "quality" as well of course.
There is very little splitting of lines with a raking pass; there is hardly any player who actually beats a man with dribbling skills; most everything is slow pass, pass, pass...in turn, opposing sides have all the time in the world to set themselves up defensively. Everything is then so congested, tippy tappy around the edge of the penalty area, no way through. Our crossing is awful ( apart from the brave header met by Vipotnik yesterday) also very few effective overlaps (remember Dyer and Rangel ! )
I know we're not relegation material ( in fairness the defence is not bad) - but by god the rest of our play is awful.
I actually long for some route 1 football, create some huge gaps on the field, anything to get me off my seat and avoid this consistent drudge of safe pass football.
Ok it's mid table stuff I know, but I only attend these days out of loyalty and duty. Entertainment has gone, such a pity.
And I know people will say, remember the mid eighties and so on after Toshack had gone. Yes I do and I lived with the consequences. But reality is that we then found our way - and more - with Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup. And reality is that we were spoiled then, we were so entertained. And today I find difficulty in simply accepting the dross football we get now. 14,000 attendance yesterday says that many others have just given up - for me I can't do that (I'm still a season ticket holder) but my practice now is to do other things on a Saturday if they're better than turning up at the stadium, or leaving early if it's obvious we will never score and still play the same boring stuff.
And as for the subs yesterday, what was the point. Going back to Dyer for a moment, when he used to come on, there was a buzz around the place. But it was just "meh" yesterday, most believed they would make no difference. And so it proved.
Rant over !
cheers Vigs, and have created chances but have not been able to score. It feels like if the opponents can score one, the best we can hope for is a draw.
