Harper/Howard

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Does anyone else think Harper plays the game very simular to Howard?

They both drop back and Monty is the furthest forwards.
Both run towards to the ball instead of into space.
Neither seem able to get up the pitch faster or ahead of the ref.

It must be instructions given by the coaching staff?

Thoughts?

 

[Micalijo]

My thought are the same as yours Grumpy.

Monty has to do the running of 3 players every game. There had to be a reason why Harper wasn't getting in a poor Reading side and I think we are finding it out.

 

[Bladesman]

Yep he seems like a replica of Howard.

Still don't notice he is playing most of the time. He seems to just hover around the half way line waiting for the ball.

 

[dingledog]

But the man who sits behind me says he is the best player on the pitch. I do wish he would shut up!!

 

[HoodedClaw]

Im starting to wonder if its not Harper (or Howard) that was shite, I see Harper calling for the ball loads but no-one passes its just easier to punt it and let the strikers fight for a 50/50 ball.

I wonder what the common factor is, oh yeah Blackwell and his tactics.

With his persisitence in bypassing the midfield, he could have made Pele and Maradona look shite.

Id like to pass judgement on Harper, and the same applies to Evans, once we actually start playing to their strengths. But hey Im f*cking selfish.

 

[madeinsheffield]

Thought he was the 'creative attacking midfielder' and monty was to sit behind and break up play, which is his strength. But then we don't play like that.

We DO have a team of good players inc loanees but they just don't seem to play that way, we were slow to a lot of 50/50's last night too, looks we've lost some spirit, WHY????

 

[Northyorksblade]

Every game that Harper has played I forget that he is! Perhaps that's because the midfield is bypassed more often than not. So mind not made up yet.

 

[Dog Blade]

If I was Harper I'd be gutted I'd signed up to play this style of football with Blackwell in his current hoof mode (remember Preston away in the play offs Kevin???)

His game is making runs and trying to get beyond the front two where possible - or at least supporting them

By the team we've hoofed the ball 60 yards upfield (from our own 18 yard box as we we were defending that deep to hold on to a 1-0 lead against a brilliant Ipswich team full of confidence...) it comes straight back past him with a quick bit of passing and he's chasing back to start all over again

He'll end up with no neck like Glenn Cockerill if he has to keep watching the scud missiles fly by

Although at 1-3 he did get forward and beyond the front two - along with Monty - but that wasn't too hard in the end as Chedwin was playing central midfield

Bizarrrrre

 

[oldblade]

It seems to me that in Michael Tonge we had a very talented midfielder with the ability to pass accurately and intelligently. However, he was criticised unmercifully by many and accused of vanishing from games. Much of the criticism was totally unfair and bore little relation to what he was actually doing on the pitch. Bergen and others actually did minute by minute analysis of his performances in order to disprove the barrackers. But still they insisted black was white and night was day and continued with the unwarranted criticism, often decending to vile personal abuse.

We get rid of him and replace him with Howard. He is subsequently replaced by Harper.

Is the midfield stronger as a result of these changes? I think not.

Howard ended up getting a lot of criticism and being accused of vanishing from games, and now lo and behold, Harper is accused of (wait for it) vanishing from games.

Bit of a common trait seems to be developing with our midfield players here.

Now, perhaps we've just been very unlucky and had the services of 3 poor midfield players in succession. But I don't think so. It seems to me to be far more likely to have something to do with the way we play as a team.

Tonge, Howard and Harper are all players whose strengths are in evidence when they are on the ball and have movement around them. We do not play that way. We do sometimes use the midfield, but not central midfield. We move the ball out to the wide players, or we knock it long and over the top. A simplistic and generalised view I know, but broadly speaking it's true. And it is possible to have success playing that way. But you need the type of players in the side who fit into that system of play.

If 90% of our football is played that way then we could have Zinedine Zidane in the side and he would also vanish from the game and no doubt would be picked on by the scape goaters and subjected to personal abuse.

 

[shorehamview]

The only differences I can see between the two are Harper is a black chap with a shaved head, whereas Howard is an orange chap with a lovely hairdo and teeth whiter than Richard Hammond's. And that's about it based on current evidence.

 

[GC88]

Harper and Howard are totally different players and if you played to both their strengths it would be the perfect cm partnership.

Harper when he was at his best was alongside sidwell at RFC playing the deeper role as the passing DM and Howard plays the attacking shooting cm role and making runs into the box between the strikers.

I don't think Blackwell understood Howard - why else would he as him to play as support striker? - and uniteds system will only make cm's like Montgomery look good - it doesn't suit players like Harper and Howard.

 

[oldblade]

But the point is they are both comfortable ball players and can make a pass. The way we play does not really involve central midfield.

 

[SwissBlade]

I'd like to see us have a fully fit settled team and see how Harper plays or even if he fits in.

 

[Dog Blade]

Messi and Gerrard wouldn't fit in for us at the minute - may as well sell any central midfielder we've got who is on anything more than £100 a week and play two of the Academy in there instead. Spend the cash we've saved on another quality goalkeeper to join the coaching staff

 

[The Fox]

Harpers just the latest victim of our awful "style" of play and formation.

Apparently Blackwell once explained his philosphy , It was something like you play the 1st ball short to feet , if it comes back you play it long down the channels ( ive probably oversimplified it to a degree but thats the basic idea)
Its his only idea - (apart from of course hit the 1st ball long as well)

The Personell or the formation doesn't seam to matter , as long as youve a big Lad upfront and somone to chase a few long balls it works - or in our case , it doesn't.

The formation last night was something that the finest football brains in the world could have dreamed up in their worst nightmare .

4 at the back - simple enough
We then have the creative attacking midfielder playing in front of the back 4
We have our defensive midfielder 20 yrds in front of him in a straight line
Target man with one playing off him - about bloody 20 yds off him

All very strange - Ho hum

 

[jpblade]

Bit unfair on Harper I feel especially last night. In the last 10 minutes or so he was the one driving the players on after he'd spent the previous 80 minutes with a cricked neck through watching the ball sail over his head. Time and again he was screaming for a pass from Quinn, Taylor or Walker only to see it launched 70 yards. And it was exactly the same on Saturday at Swansea.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Thought he was the 'creative attacking midfielder' and monty was to sit behind and break up play, which is his strength. But then we don't play like that.

That’s what puzzles me. Monty is probably the best in the division at sitting in front of the back four and breaking things up. Both Howard and now Harper sit deep and don't get the ball much.

However what I struggle with is how both of them run towards the ball asking for it instead of running in to space and make a pass possible.

Who a] lets this happen in training or b] tells them to do it?

I suspect the latter. “If you’re not getting the ball go and get it, let them know you want it, go and find it”. Coaches should be insisting on them finding space and getting forwards, leave the dirty work to Monty.

 

[Wilnecote Blade]

Harper doesn't know how to wear his socks properly. Enough said.

 

[cooperblade]

Does anyone else think Harper plays the game very simular to Howard?

They both drop back and Monty is the furthest forwards.
Both run towards to the ball instead of into space.
Neither seem able to get up the pitch faster or ahead of the ref.

It must be instructions given by the coaching staff?

Thoughts?

My thought are the same as yours Grumpy.

Monty has to do the running of 3 players every game. There had to be a reason why Harper wasn't getting in a poor Reading side and I think we are finding it out.

Yep he seems like a replica of Howard.

Still don't notice he is playing most of the time. He seems to just hover around the half way line waiting for the ball.

Thought he was the 'creative attacking midfielder' and monty was to sit behind and break up play, which is his strength.

Disagree with pretty much all of that. Harper hasn't had a brilliant start to his time at the Lane but to suggest he is like Howard, doesn't put a shift in and was meant to be a creative player is wrong.

In 5 minutes at Pride Park he made more runs off the ball showing for a pass than most of our players do in a season.

I don't think he's ever been a creative player, he's an all-rounder who gets about the pitch, looks after the ball when he has it, breaks things up and scores the odd goal. He never has been and never will be the sort of player who sprays passes around and opens the opposition up. To be honest, I'm not sure we can accomodate that sort of player in our team anyway, certainly not when we're playing with wingers like, for eg, Cotterill and Treacy. Our game at the moment is too wedded to closing people down and keeping the tempo high to carry a passer who contributes little else.

I think we're starting to get close to having a decent balance in midfield since Harper's arrival although Ward's injury has undoubtedly put us back.

As I've said elsewhere I was massively disappointed with Harper for Ipswich's 2nd the other night but other than that, I've seen enough to think he will be a good acquisition for us. He's a major doubt for Saturday, perhaps those who haven't noticed will notice him more when he's not there?

 

[Blade]

It seems to me that in Michael Tonge we had a very talented midfielder with the ability to pass accurately and intelligently. However, he was criticised unmercifully by many and accused of vanishing from games. Much of the criticism was totally unfair and bore little relation to what he was actually doing on the pitch. Bergen and others actually did minute by minute analysis of his performances in order to disprove the barrackers. But still they insisted black was white and night was day and continued with the unwarranted criticism, often decending to vile personal abuse.

We get rid of him and replace him with Howard. He is subsequently replaced by Harper.

Is the midfield stronger as a result of these changes? I think not.

Howard ended up getting a lot of criticism and being accused of vanishing from games, and now lo and behold, Harper is accused of (wait for it) vanishing from games.

Bit of a common trait seems to be developing with our midfield players here.

Now, perhaps we've just been very unlucky and had the services of 3 poor midfield players in succession. But I don't think so. It seems to me to be far more likely to have something to do with the way we play as a team.

Tonge, Howard and Harper are all players whose strengths are in evidence when they are on the ball and have movement around them. We do not play that way. We do sometimes use the midfield, but not central midfield. We move the ball out to the wide players, or we knock it long and over the top. A simplistic and generalised view I know, but broadly speaking it's true. And it is possible to have success playing that way. But you need the type of players in the side who fit into that system of play.

If 90% of our football is played that way then we could have Zinedine Zidane in the side and he would also vanish from the game and no doubt would be picked on by the scape goaters and subjected to personal abuse.

Exactly why we should have gone for tonge instead of cresswell. i'm sure having played so little we could have got him back and despite what some would say I think we've missed him since he left.

 

[Berks_Blade]

Howard ended up getting a lot of criticism and being accused of vanishing from games, and now lo and behold, Harper is accused of (wait for it) vanishing from games.

It's not just for us though - Reading fans tell me that while they were happy to see Harper go, Howard has been even worse and they're much happier when he's not in the team! I hear exactly the same comments about him disappearing from games at Reading as we used to find - maybe he actually just isn't any good?

 

[oldblade]

Reassuring to see that we aren't the only club to have supporters who get a downer on a player after only 5 appearances.