Will hoofball become 'attractive' football?

[MrSwerve]

With the huge change in how football teams play in this country over the last 10-15 years, most managers wanting to play pretty possession football (with or without attacking intent) in the way that we pretty much perfected in our PL years. It does seem though that there is a bit of a backlash in the stands, with fans fed up of watching their defenders pass it around the back endlessly without attacking the opposition - a huge focus on the stats rather than actually trying to beat the opposition - Martinball is the absolute extreme of this.

When it is done correctly, it is wonderful - however it is hard to achieve and it seems like there are a huge amount of clubs playing 'Poundland Man City' (coined in the Luton match thread) tactics...and boring the hell out of the fans. Many are now craving their teams to just ping it up to the strikers and/or wingers making runs, regardless of losing possession.

So my question then, will Hoofball become something popular with fans? Defenders smashing it up to a big man up top or for wingers to chase on to? Will it become the desirable way to play football?

 

[Jackfath]

No

 

[MrSwerve]

No

Don't waffle on Fath... :lol:

 

[monmouth]

There’s some on the telly now and I’m almost enjoying it. It’s better than Martin’s shite that’s for sure. Fast and furious committed stuff.

 

[sainthelens]

Are you saying our football is attractive? Kin hell.

 

[JackSomething]

Are you saying our football is attractive? Kin hell.

If Martin is trying to get us playing something like the best of the Martinez/Rodgers/Laudrup years, then absolutely it can be attractive. We were absolutely spoiled for the best part of a decade there. It didn't always work obviously, but when it did it was amazing to watch.

However, teams work to combat successful tactics and that's what we've seen. Barcelona's tika-taka spreading like it did probably led to gegenpressing. One way to defeat gegenpressing is accurate longer passes to get behind the pressing, meaning having either fast players or big lumps to hit the ball at.

Interestingly enough, that's the type of football Solskjaer had Yernited playing and showed why he signed players like James, Lukaku, Sancho. Fast players able to get in behind or big players to hold the ball, plus signing players like Fernandes able to hit those Hollywood balls. Let the opposition have the ball and hit them on the counter attack. It worked well for them against a lot of teams but was demonstrably not good enough when facing top-tier opposition.

It's easier for teams playing us because they can just let us have the ball for most of the game, knowing we'll struggle to create much and will make mistakes that gift them the ball at regular intervals.

 

[MrSwerve]

Are you saying our football is attractive? Kin hell.

Me? No - quite the opposite - this is what I'm saying, it's not attractive football when it's boring and heavily focused on possession at all costs - to the detriment of attacking football with intent.

My question is, could hoofball start to be seen as 'attractive' - for want of a better word - or at least desired by fans?

 

[Jackfath]

No.

 

[sainthelens]

Are you saying our football is attractive? Kin hell.

Me? No - quite the opposite - this is what I'm saying, it's not attractive football when it's boring and heavily focused on possession at all costs - to the detriment of attacking football with intent.

My question is, could hoofball start to be seen as 'attractive' - for want of a better word - or at least desired by fans?

Many teams have ended up in the play offs playing hoofball. You need the right players to do it just as we ain't got the players to play 'our' way....wotever the fck that is anymore.
Hoofball not for me, but better alternative than the goofball we are currently playing.

 

[dickythorpe]

I think it's all about players mentality for me.

I watched a mute captain for the umpteenth occasion yesterday and saw no energy .
We have a 'keeper that gets beaten easily and a defence in a side that even with 70% possession concedes
3 home games and only 2 goals.
Tells a tale.
We have the whiff of relegation about us even at this early stage of the season.

I want Allen as Captain but this side of the World Cup it ain't going to happen.

 

[MrSwerve]

As with everything, variety is the spice of life. If Martin mixed it up a bit and did have a more direct plan B, maybe this rubbish possession football would be more palatable.

 

[MrSwerve]

I think it's all about players mentality for me.

I watched a mute captain for the umpteenth occasion yesterday and saw no energy .
We have a 'keeper that gets beaten easily and a defence in a side that even with 70% possession concedes
3 home games and only 2 goals.
Tells a tale.
We have the whiff of relegation about us even at this early stage of the season.

I want Allen as Captain but this side of the World Cup it ain't going to happen.

I think we're already in a relegation battle mindset, Dicky.

I couldn't comfortably say that we would be far superior to 3 teams in this division by the end of the season.