What is it with this obsession of having a target man ?

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DronnieBlade

DronnieBlade

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Did Bristol City have one ?

Did MK Dons ?

Did Preston ? (Kev D mostly used as a sub).

Why are a large section of our fans fixated about having a target man ?

"Got to ave a big un, wi big muscles, like Hendo or Higgo"

I disagree fundamentally with this assertion. I think it's outdated and flawed. Give me a good little un like Done any day of the week.

Pace and trickery scares defenders, being "ard" dunt.

UTB
 

Depends how your team plays. If you get the ball forward quickly to the furthest man forward then he needs to be the target man type usually. Also if you're planning on aiming lots of high balls and crosses to the furthest man forward.

We don't have to play that way and most recently we haven't been. There is also a massive misconception that size and strength makes a forward a target man. Example.....Dave Kitson, not a target man. Some Blades astonished me by saying he was.
 
Bristol City had Aaron Wilbraham.

But I do agree, you don't have to have a target man to be successful. I think Adkins will play to the players at his disposal's strengths and just add one or two to improve on that (mainly CB's)
 
Defenders hate playing against target men. Target men hold the ball up and brings the others into attacking positions. League One teams will be looking to park the bus against us and hope to hit us on the break. This tactic is likely to be a success for them if we do not have a good target man. Having a target man is a necessity especially in this division
 
Cole and Yorke and long ball from Beckham sorted Man U that season
 
Silent Blade said:
Defenders hate playing against target men. Target men hold the ball up and brings the others into attacking positions. League One teams will be looking to park the bus against us and hope to hit us on the break. This tactic is likely to be a success for them if we do not have a good target man. Having a target man is a necessity especially in this division
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Having previously played as a big, not particularly agile centre half myself (not dissimilar to a lot of League 1 CBs in relative terms) I can honestly say I love playing against big target man type centre forwards. The element of predictability makes it easier to defend against. It's the skilful, little tricky ones that are more difficult to get to grips with. I would say I'd get sent off playing against the likes of Done, but that's not true, because I probably wouldn't get near him.

Keep it on the floor and either run at the big, clumsy fuckers or drill some hard, low crosses in for the likes of Sharp to prey upon.
 
DronnieBlade said:
Did Bristol City have one ?

Did MK Dons ?

Did Preston ? (Kev D mostly used as a sub).

Why are a large section of our fans fixated about having a target man ?

"Got to ave a big un, wi big muscles, like Hendo or Higgo"

I disagree fundamentally with this assertion. I think it's outdated and flawed. Give me a good little un like Done any day of the week.

Pace and trickery scares defenders, being "ard" dunt.

UTB
Click to expand...

Bristol City had Wilbraham (6'3) and Smith (6'6) on loan.

In MK Dons forward line there was no old fashioned target man, but in Afobe (6'0), Cole (6'1), Grigg (5'11), Clarke-Harris (6'0) and Powell (6'2) they had athletic guys who could be a target for a high cross now and then as well as holding off a defender.

Same with Preston who had Davies (6'0), Garner (5'10, but very strong in the air), Beckford (6'2), Little (6'0), Gallagher (6'1).


Lack of height and strength was a big problem for us last season. In many games we had just one player above 6 foot, and I would be surprised if our average height wasn't the lowest in the country. We struggled at set pieces, both offensively and defensively. We saw many examples of us being bullied and we lacked a physical element to our play.

We have to improve on this next season and we have to look at which positions it can make sense to add height and strength. We do not have to play with a target man, but as a team we have to cope physically.
 
Latters said:
Having previously played as a big, not particularly agile centre half myself (not dissimilar to a lot of League 1 CBs in relative terms) I can honestly say I love playing against big target man type centre forwards. The element of predictability makes it easier to defend against. It's the skilful, little tricky ones that are more difficult to get to grips with. I would say I'd get sent off playing against the likes of Done, but that's not true, because I probably wouldn't get near him.

Keep it on the floor and either run at the big, clumsy fuckers or drill some hard, low crosses in for the likes of Sharp to prey upon.
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Would you have found it easy playing against Duncan Ferguson? ;)

I think Adkins is a 442 man so I would like us to have one striker who is nippy and tricky playing with a target man rather than have two strikers who are target men or two strikers who are nippy and tricky
 
DronnieBlade said:
Why are a large section of our fans fixated about having a target man ?

"Got to ave a big un, wi big muscles, like Hendo or Higgo"

I disagree fundamentally with this assertion. I think it's outdated and flawed. Give me a good little un like Done any day of the week.

Pace and trickery scares defenders, being "ard" dunt.

UTB
Click to expand...

Because some never learn anything
 
Latters said:
Having previously played as a big, not particularly agile centre half myself (not dissimilar to a lot of League 1 CBs in relative terms) I can honestly say I love playing against big target man type centre forwards. The element of predictability makes it easier to defend against. It's the skilful, little tricky ones that are more difficult to get to grips with. I would say I'd get sent off playing against the likes of Done, but that's not true, because I probably wouldn't get near him.

Keep it on the floor and either run at the big, clumsy fuckers or drill some hard, low crosses in for the likes of Sharp to prey upon.
Click to expand...
This. Excellent post sir.

UTB
 

Bergen Blade said:
Bristol City had Wilbraham (6'3) and Smith (6'6) on loan.

In MK Dons forward line there was no old fashioned target man, but in Afobe (6'0), Cole (6'1), Grigg (5'11), Clarke-Harris (6'0) and Powell (6'2) they had athletic guys who could be a target for a high cross now and then as well as holding off a defender.

Same with Preston who had Davies (6'0), Garner (5'10, but very strong in the air), Beckford (6'2), Little (6'0), Gallagher (6'1).


Lack of height and strength was a big problem for us last season. In many games we had just one player above 6 foot, and I would be surprised if our average height wasn't the lowest in the country. We struggled at set pieces, both offensively and defensively. We saw many examples of us being bullied and we lacked a physical element to our play.

We have to improve on this next season and we have to look at which positions it can make sense to add height and strength. We do not have to play with a target man, but as a team we have to cope physically.
Click to expand...

Exactly ...... well said !! I would give you 2 likes if I could. ;)

A target man doesn't have to be a big immobile slab of muscle ( like Higdon ) but is more effective when able to use pace and strength to hold the ball up and retain possession as well as challenge defenders and help defend corners etc in our box, whilst also being a constant and reliable goal threat.
UTB & FTP
 
Having some one who can jump win the ball and place it with his head, at set pieces in either box or goal kicks has got to be an advantage for any team I'd say......
 
I don't see anyone who can jump and win the ball with the head a necessity at Barcalona, small fast and nippy, Done could be our Messi under the right management, Oh he was at Rochdale. I don't think Barcelona or Juventus even have a big Higdon type player in the squad. That says something about the importance of the target man. Every defender out there is bigger than Messi and Tevez, I don't see them bottling it.
Done is the player to do it for us next season, That's if he's not played on the right wing where Cloughie played him. Adkins tends to like his pesky Seagull type players.....
Onwards and Upwards.
 
I don't get it either. We need a tall and physical striker that can head goals from set pieces without being a slow, old and un-mobile target man of which the club (or managers) seem to have had an obsession for in recent years.
 
Gee said:
I don't see anyone who can jump and win the ball with the head a necessity at Barcalona, small fast and nippy, Done could be our Messi under the right management, Oh he was at Rochdale. I don't think Barcelona or Juventus even have a big Higdon type player in the squad. That says something about the importance of the target man. Every defender out there is bigger than Messi and Tevez, I don't see them bottling it.
Done is the player to do it for us next season, That's if he's not played on the right wing where Cloughie played him. Adkins tends to like his pesky Seagull type players.....
Onwards and Upwards.
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We dont have millions like Barcelona or Juventus to buy quality players!!!!!!!!
 
Silent Blade said:
We dont have millions like Barcelona or Juventus to buy quality players!!!!!!!!
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I never said we did, we have a quality striker in Matty Done if used correctly was my point. Who needs another shitty forward like Darius Henderson and the like and tactics like table tennis. That gets you nowhere and it's shit to watch.
 
Silent Blade said:
The "on the floor" football we played under Wilson, Weir and Clough didnt get us out of this division. The only target men we have had in the last 4 years were Higdon (not a good one) and Davies
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It wasn't the style of football that stopped us getting promotion first season. We didn't play that much on the floor second season, particularly after Christmas.
Had a very good run playing it on the floor when Clough took over.
Do you think the failures of last season were primarily down to passing the ball, or because of players playing out of position, not committing enough in attack and a general malaise surrounding the club since H left and Clough fell out with Butler and Collins? And did having Davies make an improvement?
It shouldn't be a necessity. Relatively speaking we should have the resources to play our way out of the division and to do that, mobility and skill is required of a forward. If NA can find a striker who's got that, and is big as well, fantastic.
 
Bergen Blade said:
Bristol City had Wilbraham (6'3) and Smith (6'6) on loan.

In MK Dons forward line there was no old fashioned target man, but in Afobe (6'0), Cole (6'1), Grigg (5'11), Clarke-Harris (6'0) and Powell (6'2) they had athletic guys who could be a target for a high cross now and then as well as holding off a defender.

Same with Preston who had Davies (6'0), Garner (5'10, but very strong in the air), Beckford (6'2), Little (6'0), Gallagher (6'1).


Lack of height and strength was a big problem for us last season. In many games we had just one player above 6 foot, and I would be surprised if our average height wasn't the lowest in the country. We struggled at set pieces, both offensively and defensively. We saw many examples of us being bullied and we lacked a physical element to our play.

We have to improve on this next season and we have to look at which positions it can make sense to add height and strength. We do not have to play with a target man, but as a team we have to cope physically.
Click to expand...

This. Joe Garner may not be a target man, but is clearly much more of a 'physical presence' than McNulty or Done. Ideally we'd have strikers that can adapt to both patient build up play (which they take part in) and also be able to contest long balls/do damage at set pieces. We had one in you know who. We have tried to sign strikers like this in previous seasons, they have just turned out to be crap. Lyle Taylor, for example.
 
I didn't realise Wilbraham was 35. And his goal ratio before Bristol City was poor. If we'd have signed him at the start of last season a lot of us would have thought WTF.
Which supports the idea that whoever NA signs, give him a chance and don't slag him off based on Wiki.
 
All about the style of play, if Nigel implements really good movement for on the floor direct passing with speed like he did with Soton, mix that up with counter attacking and you don't need a target man.

Remember when Clough first joined, when we played 4-5-1 with Baxter up top, the amount of players that we committed forward in an attack was insane, then it all went downhill, we need a striker with very good behind the defense movement.
 
RedandWhite said:
All about the style of play, if Nigel implements really good movement for on the floor direct passing with speed like he did with Soton, mix that up with counter attacking and you don't need a target man.
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Adkins used a target man in Ricky Lambert at Southampton, showing that such a player don't have to turn a side into any specific one dimensional style.
 
BushBlade said:
It wasn't the style of football that stopped us getting promotion first season. We didn't play that much on the floor second season, particularly after Christmas.
Had a very good run playing it on the floor when Clough took over.
Do you think the failures of last season were primarily down to passing the ball, or because of players playing out of position, not committing enough in attack and a general malaise surrounding the club since H left and Clough fell out with Butler and Collins? And did having Davies make an improvement?
It shouldn't be a necessity. Relatively speaking we should have the resources to play our way out of the division and to do that, mobility and skill is required of a forward. If NA can find a striker who's got that, and is big as well, fantastic.
Click to expand...
I thought having Davies in the team made us look more likely to score. The biggest reason we didnt get promotion last season was that we were poor at set pieces. I was surprised to read in this forum last month that Clough didnt bother practising on set pieces and if this is true then I find this shocking. Looking at the picture in the last 4 years, we didnt have a good target man playing every week and we are still stuck in this tinpot division. Having a good target man will increase our chances of getting promotion
 
Warning, look away now if you are easily upset by Bladey Blade stuff:

What we really need is McCall and the Chief back. The Chief can't be any slower now than he was then and he can play those one-twos with his back to goal. Then McCall can bring other people into play like, er................ Ndlovu amd Tonge.

With Gus roaring down the line and Kozzy keeping the dressing room amused then promotion is nailed on.



I'm off for a lie down
 

Silent Blade said:
I thought having Davies in the team made us look more likely to score. The biggest reason we didnt get promotion last season was that we were poor at set pieces. I was surprised to read in this forum last month that Clough didnt bother practising on set pieces and if this is true then I find this shocking. Looking at the picture in the last 4 years, we didnt have a good target man playing every week and we are still stuck in this tinpot division. Having a good target man will increase our chances of getting promotion
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Two good central defenders would make a big difference to set pieces though. Harry chipped in with quite a few and also prevented many against us. I'd guess that if we'd have kept him our goal difference would have been better by 20.

From what I recall, Lambert wasn't used as a typical target man, despite having the right attributes. Southampton didn't leather the ball to him up the middle. They played through the midfield, moved it wide to the likes of Lallana who then cut in from wide.
If we can get a big man with good feet and good decision making, great, but I don't want a Henderson type. What will definitely improve our chances of promotion is to sign skillful players and use them properly.
 
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