Jack Stacey and his newly found ability to... keep it low

[Petriix 3,250]

We've been singing about it since the dawn of time. Our Jack has always been good at the splendid rush bit but never seemed to get the previous line which, by extension, made the final line much less likely to happen.

I've probably been his harshest critic but now it's time to say well done to Jack and the coaching team for bringing a whole new (or actually one fewer) dimension to his game. Now he's adding some real end product to the great positions he gets into.

Hoorah, we've scored a goal! 

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

Fisher threw down the gauntlet. This is Stacey's response.

[Robert N. LiM 6,442]

To his credit, he has never minded the danger

[Old Shuck 300]

Two quality right backs, what an asset both have become.

 

[C.I.D 364]

2 hours ago, Petriix said:

We've been singing about it since the dawn of time. Our Jack has always been good at the splendid rush bit but never seemed to get the previous line which, by extension, made the final line much less likely to happen.

I've probably been his harshest critic but now it's time to say well done to Jack and the coaching team for bringing a whole new (or actually one fewer) dimension to his game. Now he's adding some real end product to the great positions he gets into.

Hoorah, we've scored a goal! 

Dawn of time indeed ...............a low cross(with some pace) has always been back-peddling defenders' nightmare to deal with 😔

[Petriix 3,250]

2 hours ago, Robert N. LiM said:

To his credit, he has never minded the danger

Steady on! 

[Petriix 3,250]

2 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Fisher threw down the gauntlet. This is Stacey's response.

And, with what 3 assists in two games(?), it must be Stacey's place to lose again; much as I think Fisher has been excellent. 

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

1 hour ago, Petriix said:

And, with what 3 assists in two games(?), it must be Stacey's place to lose again; much as I think Fisher has been excellent. 

Tricky one, as Fisher's not done much wrong either. Excellent dilemma to have for a manager, and I think that's why Fisher got entrusted with the left-back position over Chrisene - it seemed a shame to drop him despite him playing well, so that got him more game time.

[hogesar 10,953]

Stacey did get 6 assists last season. He was a great outlet.

[Petriix 3,250]

38 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Stacey did get 6 assists last season. He was a great outlet.

But 6 assists from 400,000 crosses is a pretty poor return. He has 4 assists already this season from just 783 minutes. I think he's getting better with a bit of competition and a new coach. 

[chicken 3,138]

45 minutes ago, Petriix said:

But 6 assists from 400,000 crosses is a pretty poor return. He has 4 assists already this season from just 783 minutes. I think he's getting better with a bit of competition and a new coach. 

Or he's getting better because there is more structure with our forward play? Wagner seemed to set us up to counter attack and hit teams on the break.

That tends to create issues for wide players who cross as it usually means you only have one or maybe two players to aim for.

When you coach crossing, you get players to cross to areas, not players. Players move, rather than try and predict a space their head will be in in a seconds time, it's easier to aim for a space you'd expect them to attack.

When I trained with an FA hq coach when I played in London, it was front post, middle of goal( in line with pen spot) and back post.

When you have one player attacking you have to both be spot on the same wavelength and hope the defenders don't read it too soon and get there first.

Keeping it low is... ok. It's mainly what Aarons did, it's actually a bit harder. You either drive it hard in behind the defence or you get to the byline and cut it back.

The former means putting it in space between their defenders and keeper, hoping that it's just far enough away from the keeper for them to smother it, or hard enough they can't get down to it quickly enough.

In truth, you need to be able to mix it up. With Pukki, he was more a ball to feet striker so we saw far more low balls in.

Sargent can do both. And it can keep defenders thinking. Low balls on the edge of the 6yrd box can be cut out effectively especially if becoming predictable.

[canarybubbles 2,212]

14 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Fisher threw down the gauntlet. This is Stacey's response.

Absolutely. Fisher has not only been a wonderful find for his own contribution to the team but for the pressure he has put on Stacey. Until the last couple of games, Stacey was having a poor season and deserved to be dropped, but he has responded marvellously to being replaced by a youngster and all credit to him for that.

[pete 375]

Fisher was certainly a find but he is young and has been inconsistent recently.  Give him time to develop before being offloaded.  Stacey of late has proved he is a great attacking force and not bad FB.  Chrissene also looking good at LB.

[Capt. Pants 5,152]

Hmm I do wonder if the ball across to Slimane was a bit speculative but fortunately we had midfielders joining in and supporting the attack.

At least he's keeping the ball low as without Sarge we aren't going to score many headers from crosses. Keep the ball on the deck in dangerous positions and create a bit of chaos.

[ron obvious 1,732]

Perhaps Fisher might end up being a better version of Gibbs? Kellen started off as a forward, & has played all over the pitch in his earlier career. A high quality utility player is a blessing when you have as many injuries as we've had lately.

[Barham Blitz 909]

3 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

Hmm I do wonder if the ball across to Slimane was a bit speculative but fortunately we had midfielders joining in and supporting the attack.

That was my first thought given his historical penchant for driving crosses at nobody in particular but on replay there was a definite look up before he pulled it back (itself something of a breakthrough moment) and it was pretty much inch perfect so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one.  Long may it continue.

[Mason 47 2,032]

As Thorup often says, the chances we make should start to look similar. I imagine you can count our headers on goal from open play this season on one hand. Loads of our goals have come from low crosses, it's very much by design 

[Barham Blitz 909]

9 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

As Thorup often says, the chances we make should start to look similar. I imagine you can count our headers on goal from open play this season on one hand. Loads of our goals have come from low crosses, it's very much by design 

This is one of the keys to why I'm liking this season's approach far more than last - there are multiple and appreciable patterns to our play rather than last season's loading of the blunderbuss by sucking the opposition in and then seeing where it comes out, hoping that it is at the feet of Sara.

Edited November 29, 2024 by Barham Blitz

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

11 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

This is one of the keys to why I'm liking this season's approach far more than last - there are multiple and appreciable patterns to our play rather than last season's loading of the blunderbuss by sucking the opposition in and then seeing where it comes out, hoping that it is at the feet of Sara.

You'd hate my teams on Football Manager then. I make Egil Olsen look like Daniel Farke.

EDIT: A pair of tall, aggressive wingers who were good in the air and often set goals up for each other, or an overlapping full-back doing the assist, was very much a TGS trademark. Extra bonus points if there was a long throw to the near post, or a set-piece flicked to the back stick.

Edited November 29, 2024 by TheGunnShow

[Robert N. LiM 6,442]

14 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

You'd hate my teams on Football Manager then. I make Egil Olsen look like Daniel Farke.

EDIT: A pair of tall, aggressive wingers who were good in the air and often set goals up for each other, or an overlapping full-back doing the assist, was very much a TGS trademark. Extra bonus points if there was a long throw to the near post, or a set-piece flicked to the back stick.

EGIL OLSEN KLAXON

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

1 minute ago, Robert N. LiM said:

EGIL OLSEN KLAXON

Random Norwegian music klaxon to sound Egil Olsen klaxon.
 

 

[Mason 47 2,032]

14 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

You'd hate my teams on Football Manager then. I make Egil Olsen look like Daniel Farke.

EDIT: A pair of tall, aggressive wingers who were good in the air and often set goals up for each other, or an overlapping full-back doing the assist, was very much a TGS trademark. Extra bonus points if there was a long throw to the near post, or a set-piece flicked to the back stick.

As a football purist, I offend myself by almost always ending up with wing-backs by the opposition corner flags and a tall striker heading in 20 goals a season. It always comes back- at least it's a pattern.

It doesn't matter what his skills are, if he's 188cm+ and a striker, he will finish top scorer. I could have gotten Strihavka to the golden boot. Chris Brown would have been in Team of the Year.

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

Just now, Mason 47 said:

As a football purist, I offend myself by almost always ending up with wing-backs by the opposition corner flags and a tall striker heading in 20 goals a season. It always comes back- at least it's a pattern.

It doesn't matter what his skills are, if he's 188cm+ and a striker, he will finish top scorer. I could have gotten Strihavka to the golden boot. Chris Brown would have been in Team of the Year.

I always have tall, powerful, aggressive, determined and fit teams with high work rate. If they're smaller, they need to be aggressive and have stamina and work rate in spades. Determination < 10 is automatically VERY suspicious. Bonus points if unsporting, resolute or iron-willed. if the keeper's got a long hoof on him, even better. If a midfielder's got a piledriver in the locker so we can mix it up and cart one from the second row, even better.

Otherwise games against my teams resemble an attack on Dresden, everything's from the air.

And there are few more satisfying sights on Football Manager than getting a counter attack going after defending a set-piece and scoring off it.

[Barham Blitz 909]

1 hour ago, TheGunnShow said:

You'd hate my teams on Football Manager then. I make Egil Olsen look like Daniel Farke.

EDIT: A pair of tall, aggressive wingers who were good in the air and often set goals up for each other, or an overlapping full-back doing the assist, was very much a TGS trademark. Extra bonus points if there was a long throw to the near post, or a set-piece flicked to the back stick.

If it's any consolation I usually end up with nasty (usually Uruguayan for some reason) centre halves and a big strong and quick striker on football manager even if I try and surround the latter with three 3/4 skill gnomes to assauge my delicate footballing sensibilities...

Edit: for clarity, that is three skill gnomes playing between the lines, rather than 4 but one of them with a missing limb or two ...

Edited November 29, 2024 by Barham Blitz

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

4 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

If it's any consolation I usually end up with nasty (usually Uruguayan for some reason) centre halves and a big strong and quick striker on football manager even if I try and surround the latter with three 3/4 skill gnomes to assauge my delicate footballing sensibilities...

Funny story, my old team in Germany back in 2000-1 nicknamed me "der Giftzwerg" which literally means "poison dwarf". In the context of a footballer it just meant a hyper-competitive little bar-steward.

And I was their GOALIE.

[Barham Blitz 909]

1 minute ago, TheGunnShow said:

Funny story, my old team in Germany back in 2000-1 nicknamed me "der Giftzwerg" which literally means "poison dwarf". In the context of a footballer it just meant a hyper-competitive little bar-steward.

And I was their GOALIE.

I'm the exact opposite - a 6'3" centre back who has never been booked in 40 years of playing.  My school report once described me as having"an air of detachment which [in the coach's book] was an asset ...". There is probably a German word for that as well - to misquote Raymond Chandler, they have a word for everything...

[TheGunnShow 7,470]

2 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

I'm the exact opposite - a 6'3" centre back who has never been booked in 40 years of playing.  My school report once described me as having"an air of detachment which [in the coach's book] was an asset ...". There is probably a German word for that as well - to misquote Raymond Chandler, they have a word for everything...

Gleichgültigkeit probably is not quite the word, that may be heading towards "equanimous". But at 5'8" and skinny I was completely the wrong build for an eleven-a-side goalie, but was excellent at fives or anything small-sided.

At elevens it was "put TGS at full back or wide midfield and just tell him to chase everything for as long as he can".

[C.I.D 364]

14 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

I'm the exact opposite - a 6'3" centre back who has never been booked in 40 years of playing.  My school report once described me as having"an air of detachment which [in the coach's book] was an asset ...". There is probably a German word for that as well - to misquote Raymond Chandler, they have a word for everything...

LOL............you're not Mark Barham then 😉

[Robert N. LiM 6,442]

36 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

skill gnomes

BARNEY RONAY KLAXON

[Robert N. LiM 6,442]

27 minutes ago, Barham Blitz said:

My school report once described me as having"an air of detachment which [in the coach's book] was an asset ...".

This is fantastic. I imagine Franco Baresi was described in much the same way