Is this the style of play we want to see?

[brownie4583]

After reading posts on here about 'playing the right way','good passing football' etc etc,looking at this style of play DW can keep it!
I want to see entertaining attacking in their faces football,creating chances,pressuring opponents etc,not 20 passes backwards and sidewards and then going nowhere!
Look at Leyton Orient for example,their budget will be a fraction of ours yet they are playing good attacking football and scoring goals and winning games.
Goals win games,not 200 passes during a game,and i would even settle for the long ball style if we were scoring goals,winning every week and top of the league.
Dave Bassett was slagged off for his style of play but it was exciting and successful,a hell of a lot better than what we are being subjected to at the moment.
Another thing is,why is DW playing this system and not willing to change it at all!
Surely sometimes the manager has to change tactics and formation(especially after losing 5 games on the trot),or maybe for certain games to suit the opposition,and go to a 4-3-3 if losing say 0-2 with 15 mins to go in a game for example,as most managers do,but DW would keep just 1 striker on the pitch if we were 0-4 down and not willing to deviate from this at all!
It's so frustrating just sack him now please and see the improvement straight away even with the present squad!
We can play this style maybe in 5 or 6 years time when we have a team of internationals and are challenging for the Premiership title!
This is the worst i have seen for many years,and i blame the manager and the board,who keep employing the wrong managers who are,quite frankly,not good enough!
Rant over!

 

[stannyblade]

Some may say that I love hoof but here goes.

Although I would rather see passing football on the deck carving teams apart. When this isnt working I would rather see the ball being sent down the wings and chances being created. For Weir to say we created 20 odd chances on saturday I am failing to remember a glaring chance like Brandy missed vs MK. I can now see why he plays with one up front - no need for 2

 

[Flakey]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

 

[Kev Gee]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

Agreed. However there must be signs of progress, so the fans can see we are getting somewere.
I dont think Weir helps himself with some of his post match interviews. Stop treating the fans like idiots would be a help.

 

[Torrix1889]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

It was said at the start of the season he was trying to emulate Norwich & Southampton who are now more than holding their own in the top flight. The personnel may have changed slightly but the ethos of the club which was set down when they were both in L1 hasn't.

The difference between us and those two is that we just haven't got it right at the moment. That could be down to the squad or the inexperience of the management team but the basics are the same, get those right, which hopefully we will and we could be away..!

 

[Railway Blade]

No long speech required. I agree with Flakey.

 

[sheffielder]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

I so want to hold on to this dream and I share the same vision. I just don't see the improvement and ther.e are some disturbing stories coming out of the dressing room and Weir needs to continue making changes with his playing staff urgently

 

[alcoblade]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

Every other club is trying to get a team ready for a higher division. And the tactics they employ have them all above us in the 3rd division.

We had a chunk of a championship season under Speed playing "football", 2 years under Wilson, and now a pre season and 10 matches under Weir. Without a change in fortunes we're heading for the Fourth division. But it's still not enough. We're still not cleansed. The "ethos" isn't right, and any attempt to question means we might as well rename ourselves "The Crazy Gang".

Why are we so different that we must go through some purifying act to wash ourselves of Bassett's memory?

We're making a complicated science and completely getting our knickers in a twist about a simple objective - to score more goals than the opposition.

UTB

 

[Darren]

Every other club is trying to get a team ready for a higher division. And the tactics they employ have them all above us in the 3rd division.

We had a chunk of a championship season under Speed playing "football", 2 years under Wilson, and now a pre season and 10 matches under Weir. Without a change in fortunes we're heading for the Fourth division. But it's still not enough. We're still not cleansed. The "ethos" isn't right, and any attempt to question means we might as well rename ourselves "The Crazy Gang".

Why are we so different that we must go through some purifying act to wash ourselves of Bassett's memory?

We're making a complicated science and completely getting our knickers in a twist about a simple objective - to score more goals than the opposition.

UTB

Slightly bad taste, but this whole thing is a bit like the history of Communism. The people of Russia were always told that they should put up with starvation rations, the secret police, the Gulag etc etc because the wonderful Socialist millenium was just round the corner. Funnily enough that millenium never came.

The argument is essentially that you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. At some point I think we entitled to say that we are fed up of waiting for the omelette and will just eat our eggs raw....

 

[Revolution]

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Oh is that what he's doing? Because to my untrained eye he doesn't seem to know what the hell he is doing.

And if that is what he's doing, he's a bigger fool than I currently think he is. Because what he should be doing is putting out teams that are best equipped to win the game they are about to play. If he does not start to do this soon, he will be out of a job.

I'd have thought any Blades fan who can remember the January 2007 transfer window should understand the perils of thinking about the future and ignoring the present.

 

[Ted Danson]

This tippy tappy stuff is boring and crap! who said it was the right way to play footy?

It was crap under Robson, it was crap under Speed and its even crapper under Weir. Saying we're preparing to play in the Prem with this style is nonsense, if bloody Carlisle can turn us over what the hell would Arsenal and the rest do?

Flakey said "Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better." Id take either at the mo. We have defensive football and 0 points! with a shite style of play and boring turd of a manager.

 

[oldblade]

If we plan to get in the Premiership at sometime in the next 5 or 6 years then playing the long ball isn't going to work. Changing it when we get to the Premiership isn't an option. I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

It may be painful, but it would be best if we can get things right now. I don't want us to do this via the 4th division, and I don't believe we will

DW is trying to build a team that can hold its own in the Championship and can go straight through to the Premship without having to change our style of play. Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better.

Sure, its not quite working at the moment, but with a few adjustments, a few wins 'on the bounce' may not be far away, and all this soul searching will be forgotten.

Nobody believed that would happen in 1980-1 either.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

It's never totally black and white but if you look at the Prem last season, there was a marked difference between, say, West Ham and Stoke to the likes of Swansea and Southampton, all who have been in the doldrums in recent seasons.

Swansea are the perfect example. They stuck to the approach and type of football we're trying and have gradually brought in better players whilst sticking to the same game plan. The key is obviously moving up the divisions to achieve that and you need luck along the way but should we really abandon it already ? Without going over old ground, we've replaced KMac with untried players so that is a step backwards short term but could be beneficial in weeks / months.

Success wise, there's no right answer but I know which teams I'd rather watch.

 

[Selly]

Swansea are the perfect example. They stuck to the approach and type of football we're trying and have gradually brought in better players whilst sticking to the same game plan. The key is obviously moving up the divisions to achieve that and you need luck along the way but should we really abandon it already ?

Swansea are the perfect example of it working. We differ from them as we have done the opposite of the bit in bold over the past 18 months.

How many more teams have tried "the Swansea way"and it got them nowhere?

Off the top of my head, Franchise FC have tried it without much success.

Norwich and Southampton have recent sucessive promotions under their belts, did either of them do it solely by pasing the ball between teh back four in their own half?

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Swansea are the perfect example of it working. We differ from them as we have done the opposite of the bit in bold over the past 18 months.

How many more teams have tried "the Swansea way"and it got them nowhere?

Off the top of my head, Franchise FC have tried it without much success.

Norwich and Southampton have recent sucessive promotions under their belts, did either of them do it solely by pasing the ball between teh back four in their own half?

Yep, agree with that, and it took Swansea several years to get there.

All about patience but have we as a club and the fans got time to wait, probably not.

 

[Revolution]

Swansea are the perfect example. They stuck to the approach and type of football we're trying and have gradually brought in better players whilst sticking to the same game plan. The key is obviously moving up the divisions to achieve that and you need luck along the way but should we really abandon it already ? Without going over old ground, we've replaced KMac with untried players so that is a step backwards short term but could be beneficial in weeks / months

Swansea got out of league two and league one because they had Lee Trundle and Jason Scotland. They got 20 goals a season every year. Scotland was then sold and Swansea scored 40 goals in 46 games. They missed the playoffs because they could not put the ball in the net.

We need a superb striker to play with one man up front and win games. We have a knackered Marlon King, a rubbish Chris Porter who is only useful in a pair, a lightweight Lyle Taylor, and I don't know what Ironside is but it ain't a League One striker.

We also need full backs who push forward. We have 4 or 5 on the books - correct me if I am wrong, they all merge into one - and none of them go forward except Westlake, who is a terrible defensive player.

It is time to stop this nonsense, put square pegs in square holes, and try to win games rather than waste time and points pretending we are something we will never be. By all means keep the ball on the deck, just actually give us a chance to win a game while we are at it.[/quote]

 

[Selly]

All about patience but have we as a club and the fans got time to wait, probably not.

I disagree, we have got the patience. However given the resources at our disposal, a reasonable roadmap would be to get promotion from this division in year 1 or 2, and then make steady progress in the Championship towards Promotion to teh PL.

As it stands we are heading for L2. No amount of patience will make that an acceptable trade off.

 

[Revolution]

All about patience but have we as a club and the fans got time to wait, probably not.

If the owners had not systematically sold our better players, I would have patience. They deserve no goodwill at all. They got themselves into this mess.

 

[Guesty]

If the owners had not systematically sold our better players, I would have patience. They deserve no goodwill at all. They got themselves into this mess.

Sometimes we had to sell, I'm sure we can all accept that. It's the transfers such as Nick Blackman, a striker who was top scorer, had only been here six months and seemed willing to stay, for hardly a game changing sum of money, that really get me. Had the fee been huge allowing us to get a decent replacement and add some squad depth, fine, but it wasn't. We didn't need to sell, we couldn't use the money to improve and it made us worse off.*

*and by that I obviously mean it was 'a great bit of business'.

 

[Kenilworth]

I would rather lose 10 games in a row now than doing it when we get to play the likes of Arsenal etc.

I think that's far too simplistic a view. For one, you won't have that choice, it's not a guaranteed situation of lose 10 and we will improve - like switching on a tap. Secondly - any manager that loses 10 in a row WILL be sacked - it's nearly a quarter of a season and thirdly there are absolutely no signs that anything is getting better. In fact I would say quite the opposite.

Bradford - One on one early doors that Murphy fluffed and nothing second half after Wells scored just before half time and the comedy club goal at the end of the 90. Heads dropped after conceding 'cos we knew that scoring 2 is beyond us - the plan seems to be score one and keep the ball away from the opposition with our superior passing - failed miserably on both counts.

MKD - some deep lying passing and then one chance that one of two players should have buried - they didn't and the inevitable happened almost immediately afterwards, with Brandy getting himself a 3 match ban through frustration and immaturity. If we were creating more then Brandy might have felt more positive about converting the next one instead of steaming into a reckless tackle - but \I suspect he thought that he had screwed his one and only chance in that match.

Rotherham - Weir and others have commented that we were the better side in the first half. Well a game lasts 90 mins or more not just 45 and when Rotherham figured out we didn't deserve the respect they were giving us - they simply pissed all over our lot.

Carlisle - Against the lowest scorers in the league, the ones that had conceded the most, we play a negative game, don't trouble their keeper once, pull everyone back for every corner (even when we are one nil down) having conceded that very goal from a fecking corner FFS. Once we are behind we play it exactly the same way as we started and hardly get anywhere near their penalty area. Gutless, spineless, useless.

Preston - Some early pressure as the new lad Hall seems to be getting into positions to cross the ball, a free kick that stings the palms of their keeper (many saying it was going wide anyway) then as the game progresses and the attacks fizzle out (coinciding possibly with Preston pressing higher up as we fade) we concede yet another sloppy goal - after which everyone knew we would not recover. I'll bet Simon Grayson actually envisaged the game panning out exactly as it did. Make no mistakes in the first half - let them play around with it at the back but contain them if they try to get beyond half way. Then, once the crowd gets over edgy, push further forward and nick a goal 'cos there's a snowball in hells chance that they can recover from that - their heads will be down and their chins on the floor.

Morale is shot, belief is utterly fragile and confidence is an all time low - and that's just the fans.

 

[alcoblade]

It's never totally black and white but if you look at the Prem last season, there was a marked difference between, say, West Ham and Stoke to the likes of Swansea and Southampton, all who have been in the doldrums in recent seasons.

Swansea are the perfect example. They stuck to the approach and type of football we're trying and have gradually brought in better players whilst sticking to the same game plan. The key is obviously moving up the divisions to achieve that and you need luck along the way but should we really abandon it already ? Without going over old ground, we've replaced KMac with untried players so that is a step backwards short term but could be beneficial in weeks / months.

Success wise, there's no right answer but I know which teams I'd rather watch.

The point being missed is why we have to worry about the different qualities of premiership teams, when we're getting run ragged by Carlisle United and Burton Albion.

There seems to be some myth developing that unless you start on the road with the purest brand of football you'll never be cleansed and never make it.

All of the clubs you listed would look at our predicament and laugh.

The only football that we've become so used to that we can't shake off is losing football.

UTB

 

[stannyblade]

The point being missed is why we have to worry about the different qualities of premiership teams, when we're getting run ragged by Carlisle United and Burton Albion.

There seems to be some myth developing that unless you start on the road with the purest brand of football you'll never be cleansed and never make it.

All of the clubs you listed would look at our predicament and laugh.

The only football that we've become so used to that we can't shake off is losing football.

UTB

Makes you laugh doesnt it?

We have to play the best possible formation given the players we have available. Then over time replace them with players that can play football the way he wants them to play.

The only direction we are heading is down unless we start scoring more than the opposition do.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

I've no idea where all this future stuff comes from. I seriously doubt any manager thinks about losing now but winning in the future. The point is to win games now. Weir is trying to win games now, but is failing miserably. If you can't win games now, there's no logical reason to think you will in the future. You can't turn a field of turnips into a diamond mine, no matter how patient you are.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

I disagree, we have got the patience.

You know as well as I do that if we lose another 3 or 4 games, the likelihood is that the Chairman / New Part Owner / Fans will demand a change at the helm.

 

[Kenilworth]

You can't turn a field of turnips into a diamond mine, no matter how patient you are.

I would dispute that statement Ken2 (of course me being Ken1 or 4Ken'ell if you prefer).

Given quite a few millennia, copious amounts of heat and pressure, especially if the ground folds a few miles beneath the surface of the Earth and then eventually reappears you might just see a glimmer of light refracting through an allotrope of Carbon. This is, I believe, the chink of light that David Weir sees at the end of his tunnel and is aiming for ....and that's just his first goal from open play by a striker.

 

[Selly]

You know as well as I do that if we lose another 3 or 4 games, the likelihood is that the Chairman / New Part Owner / Fans will demand a change at the helm.

As I said...

As it stands we are heading for L2. No amount of patience will make that an acceptable trade off.

 

[broomhillblade]

You know as well as I do that if we lose another 3 or 4 games, the likelihood is that the Chairman / New Part Owner / Fans will demand a change at the helm.

I'm genuinely amazed that the change hasn't already happened.

Having said that, the way football works is that we'll probably thrash Wolves on Saturday.

 

[brownie4583]

This tippy tappy stuff is boring and crap! who said it was the right way to play footy?

It was crap under Robson, it was crap under Speed and its even crapper under Weir. Saying we're preparing to play in the Prem with this style is nonsense, if bloody Carlisle can turn us over what the hell would Arsenal and the rest do?

Flakey said "Attaching football is good, but 3 points is better." Id take either at the mo. We have defensive football and 0 points! with a shite style of play and boring turd of a manager.

Totally agree,it is boring and crap and easy to play against i think.The opposition can defend and let us have the ball for long periods,pop 1 in from a set piece or counter attack,then defend in numbers again and we are struggling to score a goal,end result 0-1.Crap!
Our centre half is top scorer with 2 after 8 league games,that says it all!

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Totally agree,it is boring and crap and easy to play against i think.The opposition can defend and let us have the ball for long periods,pop 1 in from a set piece or counter attack,then defend in numbers again and we are struggling to score a goal,end result 0-1.Crap!

This is because we are not (yet) succeeding in playing it successfully, be it personnel, luck, tactics in certain areas, whatever. The question is, do want to see this type of football, played well ?

Unless a team gels immediately and gets the breaks it will take time. The alternative is to sack Weir now and play manager russian roulette again with no guarantee that a change will make any difference.

 

[Ted Danson]

The question is, do want to see this type of football, played well ?

No, I couldnt care less how we play as long as we start winning. I want direct attacking football that puts pressure on the opposition

"The alternative is to sack Weir now and play manager russian roulette again with no guarantee that a change will make any difference."

It cant see how it could make it any worse as we are losing every game and not scoring, there is no further to fall so worth a try.