Corners

[Nedski]

We average 7.9 corners per game which is the highest in the football leagues, ahead of Man City (7.2) and Fulham (6.7), and now we have "the best header of a ball in the league". Surely this is a match made in heaven?! I'd like to think crossing is in the training plan for the next couple of weeks to take advantage of this so we can at least start getting balls past the first man.

We seem to be getting a good balance between little and large players now, and I honestly believe Hanson is the missing piece in the puzzle. In Wilder we trust!

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

Would love someone on the front post as well who can flick it on also , allot of our corners ( and crosses actually) seem to be drifted in to the back, saying that both JOC and EEL have scored a few so we are doing allot right with set prices , add Hanson in and as you say we should become strong from corners

Also we seem to have stopped any of the different routines that ended in goals / good chances

Knilly get your pad and paper out again !

 

[Fiery Blade]

We may average 7.9 corners per game but unfortunately 6.9 corners are wasted - Either not beating the first man, finding the heads of the opposition centre backs or sailing beyond the back post and away for a throw in !
Gillinghams' long throw last week was far more effective than any of our corners !

 

[Sheffsteel]

7.9 corners per match

But I reckon during our last 9 home matches we've averaged nearly 15 corners per match
Because at BL teams have stopped trying to match us.
They give us full respect, sit back, pack the defence and deny space then hope to hit us with fast counter attacks on the break. In these scenarios you need big units up front causing havoc.

For home games I'd start with Sharp and Hanson
But away I think Lavery would be better than Hanson due to his pace for our counter attacks.

It's all about having tactical options to overcome the opposition.
Hanson definately gives us something we've not had all season.

A Wednesdayite told me a few weeks ago that Gary Madine was crap but very effective in league 1
because he puts opposition defenders under pressure just by standing on the penalty spot.
He suggested we needed a Gary Madine type and due to our recent struggles it looks like he might be right.
Hanson is an upgrade on Madine, so will be very interesting to see how his style improves the team.

 

[Slim Man]

We are so shit at set pieces, have been for years really.

 

[LenTednTony]

My theory on corners is that we don't beat the first man because Billy is not particularly tall so the cross is fairly shallow UNLESS it's later in the game when EEL is about. I think it will now be able to be crossed in higher cos we have the big man. Just a thought.....

 

[Sheffsteel]

We are so shit at set pieces, have been for years really.

Know what you mean but in the early games we were great at corners and free kick routines.
Some real imagination from Knill with his training ground routines.
BUT of late agree we've reverted back to being poor at corners and free kicks.
Surprisingly the corners taker struggles to beat the first man.

Just seen the theory above, might be an explanation, don't know.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Great stats knowledge, pesch the mini genius .

 

[Ricky]

I wish we'd just hang corners up at the back post and have someone behind ready to retrieve any loose headers or over hit corners.

With Hanson here now it could work brilliantly - him and O'Connell at the far post, EEL nearer the front to get the knock backs, Billy and Basham in the middle and someone like Duffy waiting behind Hanson and JOC to collect any loose balls.

Have Coutts taking them, he's probably most accurate playing floated corners.

 

[BigBed]

Could you just imagine converting half those corners every game!!!!!!!!!!! we would be losing to the likes of Walsall and Fleetwood, we'd be mixing it with the likes of Rotherham and Barnsley!!

 

[Bladesthorpe]

Would love someone on the front post as well who can flick it on also , allot of our corners ( and crosses actually) seem to be drifted in to the back, saying that both JOC and EEL have scored a few so we are doing allot right with set prices , add Hanson in and as you say we should become strong from corners

Also we seem to have stopped any of the different routines that ended in goals / good chances

Knilly get your pad and paper out again !

Don't know if you are old enough to remember Paul Stancliffe playing for us Pesch, he was on the front post for every corner and flicked on many corners for teammates to knock in and most teams tried the same tactic at that time.

 

[bornablade]

Our conversions from corners over the years has been a major frustration. More time during the week should be spent on improving this side of our play.

We play with attacking wing backs and they should be encouraged to get to the bye line as often as possible (which is a nightmare in itself for defenders). If we cannot convert from that position then at least get a corner and then put into practice the work done during the week.

It's not really rocket science and yet successive management teams have failed to deliver .

 

[Jesus_was_a_Blade]

We should be looking to dominate teams from corners now we have Hanson, the same way Bolton do with Wheater.

It's not rocket science, have 2 of the midfielders run front and back post in case it's under or over hit, and have the 3rd stood with the keeper to stop him making an easy catch. Then just tell the 4/5 big guys to attack the ball.

Easy this management lark

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

Don't know if you are old enough to remember Paul Stancliffe playing for us Pesch, he was on the front post for every corner and flicked on many corners for teammates to knock in and most teams tried the same tactic at that time.

I do indeed remember the legend Stan the Man , was only a nipper but always remeber the excitment of getting a corner ! always felt like a great opportunity ( i suppose with Stan, Bob, Deane, Morris et al there were some damn fine headers of the ball in the box )- always felt like the crowd were always in good voice when we got a corner- noticeably nowadays there is less of a roar when we get a corner !

i would say throughout Basset's era it always felt like a real chance getting a corner , my favourute ever was the Glyn hodges ( not sure who the other player was , possibly Bryson !?) back heel corner routine !
loved it!

 

[JohnDenver]

On Tuesday a bloke behind me berated Coutts when one of his corners was headed away at the front post. That's fair enough if they're coming in a waist height, but the margin for error for a whipped near post corner is tiny. If Coutts' corner was 6 inches higher then it would have been lethal.

I reckon people pick up on pundits' phrases like beating the first man and think they're suddenly Pep Guardiola.... The truth is our set pieces this seasons are light years ahead of what we've seen in recent times.

 

[South Bucks]

Our record on corners is abysmal and does anyone see any evidence we practice corners on the training pitch or have a plan at corners ?
In Wilder I don't trust on this until I see some evidence.

 

[BushBlade]

Has anyone compared our record on corners to other teams' records? I don't think you see as many as you used to, particularly direct from a corner.

I remember seeing Harry's lot winning three or four headers in the box before nodding it down to score.

 

[snootyfenooty]

I wish we'd just hang corners up at the back post and have someone behind ready to retrieve any loose headers or over hit corners.

I'll go one further than that and add that there is never anyone hovering around the edge of the box, Brownie-style, to latch onto loose clearances. Percentage-wise that's also a likely place for the ball to end up.

For what its worth we haven't had a proper corner taker since Woodward. And the one who did my head in most was Squinny, I don't think he ever got one higher than chest height or past the front of the six-yard box.