ucandomagic
Active Member
For me the whole thing with Chris Wilder was his hugely innovative approach to the game. He saw that many many goals are scored by getting round behind the opposition and hitting low crosses for tap ins. If you have a fast skilful winger they will do that for you - but they cost a lot of money.
So Chris devised a scheme where reasonably skilled players could get an overload and so get in a position to deliver those balls without having to beat a man. Pose that threat down either flank and the opposition is permanently stretched and lower quality teams simply can’t cope. Cue JOC and Bash to terrorise L1, be hugely effective in the Champ
and take their confidence and almost intuitive experience into the Prem.
But that system is quite complex and better opposition, more skilful adaptive players and managers see where its weaknesses are. Our players are not the highly intelligent and adaptable cream of football or the most skilled - but last season their drilling and knowledge of the system carried them through.
Take away key components of that system without equivalent back-ups and it falls down. Your threat down both sides fades, teams are not stretched but your weakness down an exposed centre remains.
Generally, low-budget sides only survive in the Prem playing very simple 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 schemes and the less intelligent, less adaptable, less skilled players know very clearly what their task is.
Chris Wilder will be hugely effective at the highest level if he gets the funds to have more adaptable, skilful players and to have the depth of squad to cope with injuries and suspensions. We did not have that.
I think if Chris had swallowed his pride and gone into survive mode when he lost key players we could have held out until we got our well-oiled machine back on the road. The 10 men against Villa showed what effort and discipline we had under the bonnet.
I hope Chris can get to a place where his innovative thinking can be matched financially by providing the depth and skill of squad needed at the highest level if they are to prosper with complex football. If he can, then for him the sky is the limit.
For us, with our current budget, and without our tactical genius, we will need to accept a more traditional system if we are to get back and survive at the top table. It will be interesting...
...and, as the Chinese curse goes - “May You Live in Interesting Times”!
Let’s hope we can find a new kind of magic as the Bladercoaster rolls on.
So Chris devised a scheme where reasonably skilled players could get an overload and so get in a position to deliver those balls without having to beat a man. Pose that threat down either flank and the opposition is permanently stretched and lower quality teams simply can’t cope. Cue JOC and Bash to terrorise L1, be hugely effective in the Champ
and take their confidence and almost intuitive experience into the Prem.
But that system is quite complex and better opposition, more skilful adaptive players and managers see where its weaknesses are. Our players are not the highly intelligent and adaptable cream of football or the most skilled - but last season their drilling and knowledge of the system carried them through.
Take away key components of that system without equivalent back-ups and it falls down. Your threat down both sides fades, teams are not stretched but your weakness down an exposed centre remains.
Generally, low-budget sides only survive in the Prem playing very simple 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 schemes and the less intelligent, less adaptable, less skilled players know very clearly what their task is.
Chris Wilder will be hugely effective at the highest level if he gets the funds to have more adaptable, skilful players and to have the depth of squad to cope with injuries and suspensions. We did not have that.
I think if Chris had swallowed his pride and gone into survive mode when he lost key players we could have held out until we got our well-oiled machine back on the road. The 10 men against Villa showed what effort and discipline we had under the bonnet.
I hope Chris can get to a place where his innovative thinking can be matched financially by providing the depth and skill of squad needed at the highest level if they are to prosper with complex football. If he can, then for him the sky is the limit.
For us, with our current budget, and without our tactical genius, we will need to accept a more traditional system if we are to get back and survive at the top table. It will be interesting...
...and, as the Chinese curse goes - “May You Live in Interesting Times”!
Let’s hope we can find a new kind of magic as the Bladercoaster rolls on.