United 2 Bradford 2 - report

[Bergen Blade]

Just one thing to add here - the quality of delivery from Bradford's set pieces was excellent. The bald midfielder chap - not sure who - put it into dangerous areas every time. What's more, their corner routine was well drilled, whereby their big men would gather towards the edge of the box, drawing their markers with them, then they'd drive towards goal, pretty much overrunning our defence. If the delivery is right it causes carnage as all traffic is heading goalwards.

I'm sure some (hi Bergen) would suggest a more zonal approach would help, but when their players are that big, that aggressive and the delivery that good, you are up against it.

I'm a fan of zonal marking (in midfield as well as defence) rather than man marking in open play. Since Warnock and Blackwell left we've thankfully switched to zonal.

At set pieces I think you need several tall players to get away with zonal marking. Not sure it would be right for us at the moment.

 

[Bergen Blade]

The second goal looks even worse than the TV. Long basically dives out of the way. We may aswell have not had a keeper. He is making mistakes every week currently.

I think that's a bit harsh on Long. It's not easy for him to know if the guy Maguire is marking will get his head on it. He does actually save the ball with his leg, then Collins shins it in.

 

[UnitedBlade]

I think that's a bit harsh on Long. It's not easy for him to know if the guy Maguire is marking will get his head on it. He does actually save the ball with his leg, then Collins shins it in.

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Exactly my take on it. He has to anticipate that the guy in front may head it, so he goes that way but spreads with his leg stretching the other way. The ball hits his leg and as I thought in real time Collins puts it in. Two own goals.

Well flighted free kick that is very hard to deal with. More or less the take Clough had on it, he wasn't blaming Long.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Technically, should a keeper "anticipate" a player getting a touch by throwing himself way to the right on the off-chance? Isn't it better to stay tall and ready? Isn't that why so many free kicks find their way past everybody into the far corner of the net? Even if a player gets a good header to the ball, what chance has the keeper got anyway? On the other hand, any slight touch on the ball then the keeper is still betterl placed if he stands tall and alert.

 

[super_pig]

basically Long is on a hiding to nothing.. if the ball is delivered correctly then he has no chance

 

[Deadbat]

As a keeper you are told (well I was and most coaches tend to say same) to follow flight of ball. If someone touches it in, or heads it other way, so be it, react then if you can. He basically anticipated and got it wrong. If he had watched flight of ball (touched no one I believe) then he should have been ready and caught it or at worst got a decent palm to push it away. He did nothing really; it just hit him and where it went meant it was always likely to go off someone.

On the picture his weight is going right but the free kick was whipped into his left so he should have been going that way (of course it could get a nick and go in other way but then that is not his fault).

Still maintain it was a goalkeeping error added to by how ridiculously deep the defence were (look how many are so far back giving him no room to even come out properly anyway - he is kind of stuck); his job to get them out but the lead up (losing a header and McGinn's daft foul) did not help.

 

[Bergen Blade]

As a keeper you are told (well I was and most coaches tend to say same) to follow flight of ball. If someone touches it in, or heads it other way, so be it, react then if you can. He basically anticipated and got it wrong. If he had watched flight of ball (touched no one I believe) then he should have been ready and caught it or at worst got a decent palm to push it away. He did nothing really; it just hit him and where it went meant it was always likely to go off someone.

On the picture his weight is going right but the free kick was whipped into his left so he should have been going that way (of course it could get a nick and go in other way but then that is not his fault).

Still maintain it was a goalkeeping error added to by how ridiculously deep the defence were (look how many are so far back giving him no room to even come out properly anyway - he is kind of stuck); his job to get them out but the lead up (losing a header and McGinn's daft foul) did not help.

I think he would have got a lot of stick if the Bradford player had nodded it in at the first post with Long on his heels, waiting at the back post for the ball to fall into his arms. When poorly helped by the defence, those situations are very difficult for goalkeepers and you often see balls bounce in at the far post.

 

[Deadbat]

I think he would have got a lot of stick if the Bradford player had nodded it in at the first post with Long on his heels, waiting at the back post for the ball to fall into his arms. When poorly helped by the defence, those situations are very difficult for goalkeepers and you often see balls bounce in at the far post.

I am not sure he would have got stick. If someone heads it is, then it the fault of the player who loses the header/marker. I agree goals go in at the far post where they are whipped in but as good a free kick as this was; it was right in the middle of the goal or perhaps just slightly to the left. If he follows the flight of the ball he catches it or at least can palm away. He guesses someone would touch it, did not follow flight of ball and made a hash of it.

As a keeper it is also his responsibility to organise the wall and he had one man (Flynn - which is not exactly much of a wall!) and then his defence was far too deep. He should have been screaming them out 3 or 4 yards further in front.

I am surprised people are defending him in this instance as it was a really poor mistake for me regardless of the wall/set up of the line of defence which compounds it.