Interview With Baxter After Bradford

[Blade55]

coaxingstar 71
2. Praises the movement of Sharp for the pass and goal. Interestingly points out 'variety of movement' - in other words, it's no good the forwards making the same runs all the time. I think he was being generous here as the movement against Bury and Colchester and first half against Blackpool was poor and this is why I get annoyed at those on Baxter's back for losing the ball or percepted poor passing or playing square balls. He can't execute defence splitting passes if there's no movement from the forwards. I've seen it time and again at Bramall Lane and it's always the bloke with the ball that gets it in the neck. All you can do in that situation is keep ticking it over, passing square and round the back hoping the movement across the pitch will open up a different angle to execute a good forward ball. Then the crowd get restless and he tries the odd pass that isn't on and he's the one who looks a twat because invariably it either: goes out of play, goes to the opposition and sometimes even worse goes to them creating a dangerous situation for us.

Agree with you here - Tongy was same, always wanted ball, looked for options at the statues in front of him and opted for safe pass - and subsequent heckles.

Blade56
If he could bring consistency into his game we would struggle to hang on to him. Until then he will continue to divide opinion.

Agree - for me he has talent but seems he is not prepared to display it on a consistent basis and can become a passenger - not the only one by the way, but thread is about Baxter.

 

[Dnblade]

Jose along with the shift in formation changed the game...Great to see that 50 yard pass rise out of the Valley Parade gloom,right onto Billy's chest...brilliant pass,TC esque,and a a great run and take from Billy.
We looked a lot more fluid after the changes..all of a sudden Reed and Bash came alive as Baxter set up the play from deep...maybe we should look at playing that shape from now on...looked like a 433 when attacking changing to a 451 or 4141 when defending..whatever it was,we looked a different outfit with the 3 central Midfielders.

 

[Bladesway]

Not really WHF, "The Baxter Beaters" are not ready to accept that he's had a decent game or contributed in a positive way because that would be counter-productive to the constant victimising. What you'll get is someone saying the forward should never have had the header due to poor defending etc.

I'll happily offer that currently, we are a better team with him in it than without.

To be fair CS71 if he hadn't made a career out of flattering to deceive then his occasional flickers of life would be more frequent and he would receive more praise. He is class when he wants to be but isn't that the issue everyone has, its when he appears to be arsed. I don't mean he should run around busting his balls every match like a headless chicken but sometimes he really doesn't look arsed. Probably why he is where he is.

 

[derryblade]

I get bored listening to such interviews, heard it to many times from Baxter and other players just do your job on the pitch not in sporadic cameo appearances, earn your money.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think being in a 3 over a 2 suits the vast majority of midfield players as it shares the responsibility and means they're not outnumbered. The problem with that is being in a 2 instead of a 1 suits almost all forwards (Ade Akinbiyi being an odd exception).

If only we could put 12 players out eh?

As we can't. I think we just need to remain flexible enough to swap between the 2 formations as and when required.

 

[Northyorksblade]

He's been very poor but yesterday he was superb. That pass for the first goal was absolutely sublime, it's not often you hear the commentators, in a Third Division game, rave about what 99 times out of 100, they refer to as a long ball.

Were you sitting behind me at the game? Sublime was the word I used at the time

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Had chance to have a listen now and I picked out a few things :-

1. The managers instructions were to get on the ball and 'tick' things over, ie keep the ball. This is why he needs to be in the team because he's the best player we have in the squad that can do it. Which leads onto....

2. Praises the movement of Sharp for the pass and goal. Interestingly points out 'variety of movement' - in other words, it's no good the forwards making the same runs all the time. I think he was being generous here as the movement against Bury and Colchester and first half against Blackpool was poor and this is why I get annoyed at those on Baxter's back for losing the ball or percepted poor passing or playing square balls. He can't execute defence splitting passes if there's no movement from the forwards. I've seen it time and again at Bramall Lane and it's always the bloke with the ball that gets it in the neck. All you can do in that situation is keep ticking it over, passing square and round the back hoping the movement across the pitch will open up a different angle to execute a good forward ball. Then the crowd get restless and he tries the odd pass that isn't on and he's the one who looks a twat because invariably it either: goes out of play, goes to the opposition and sometimes even worse goes to them creating a dangerous situation for us.

Don't get me wrong, I've haven't got Jose tinted glasses on, I think he needs to be a lot more consistent (as do ALL of them) and he needs to work harder and eradicate the stupid tackles. But he's the only one who plays with his head up, can hold it and switch play so on that basis he plays.

A really good post. Good ball players can only be successful if they have movement off the ball. We lack it big-style. Then Baxter (or others, eg Reed) have to play it sideways, or attempt to get it forward (eg Baxter's mistake vs Cols for their first goal) - because there was nothing really on. Baxter did play a couple of decent balls across the pitch agains Cols (one to JCR for example), and JCR hadnt antipated and moved early enough to be in on goal.

Xavi, for example would have looked a much worser player if he was in a team full of statues.

The movement needs to improve - so we need to look at the forwards, and the wingers