Lack of movement

[Bradwell canary 109]

Having gone to the game yesterday, it very clear that our teams is lacking movement off the ball, is the main reason why our passing is so bad. Or it is passed back so often.

If players do not continually run into open spaces,the players with the ball often has to pass backwards to find a players in a space.

Having seen the two games Ricky has played, he is on the move all the time to find space, then points out to the player with the ball where he wants the pass to go to. As we now know he wants the same type of ball slide though for him to run onto. but as we also know that hardly ever happens. He needs what Jackson always needed a ball to run on to. Until this happens we will never see how good he will be.

[morty 0]

Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well?Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?

[unique 434]

So why the lack of movement? Are players constantly thinking of their defensive positions?.....not losing shape, etc?

Lack of movement suggests the players are not being encouraged to go forward, or are they taking it upon themselves not to do so once the whistle blows?

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="unique"]So why the lack of movement? Are players constantly thinking of their defensive positions?.....not losing shape, etc?

Lack of movement suggests the players are not being encouraged to go forward, or are they taking it upon themselves not to do so once the whistle blows?[/quote]

Before a match feed them All Bran and prunes............

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="morty"]Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well?Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?[/quote]The lack of off the ball movement yesterday is hardly a one-off; it''s been notably pedestrian/lacklustre for a while, including much of the second half of last season.I''m sure Hull did defend very very well, but this could be because everything we threw at them was predictable and lacked imagination.

[morty 0]

[quote user="unique"]So why the lack of movement? Are players constantly thinking of their defensive positions?.....not losing shape, etc?

Lack of movement suggests the players are not being encouraged to go forward, or are they taking it upon themselves not to do so once the whistle blows?[/quote]I assume you do know that this is the best league in the world, and the players will have a gameplan before they take the pitch?Of course players have to be tactically aware.I witnessed Hughton waving them forward quite a lot from the touchline yesterday actually.

[unique 434]

"Before a match feed them All Bran and prunes..........."

Could do worse....would help hone Hughton''s use of substitutes......

[morty 0]

[quote user="Mister Chops"][quote user="morty"]Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well?Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?[/quote]The lack of off the ball movement yesterday is hardly a one-off; it''s been notably pedestrian/lacklustre for a while, including much of the second half of last season.I''m sure Hull did defend very very well, but this could be because everything we threw at them was predictable and lacked imagination.[/quote]Our only pace was Redmond, and he didn''t have the best of games.We really shouldn''t underestimate how much of a loss Bennet is.

[JF 694]

I don''t think Hull defended well at all, they didn''t have to, we hardly threw the kitchen sink at them did we?

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="Mister Chops"][quote user="morty"]Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well?Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?[/quote]The lack of off the ball movement yesterday is hardly a one-off; it''s been notably pedestrian/lacklustre for a while, including much of the second half of last season.I''m sure Hull did defend very very well, but this could be because everything we threw at them was predictable and lacked imagination.[/quote]Our only pace was Redmond, and he didn''t have the best of games.We really shouldn''t underestimate how much of a loss Bennet is.[/quote]I agree with you that a lack of Bennett & Pilkington, and a half-fit Snodgrass, is definitely restricting our ability to get that killer ball into the box.  RvW has shown he''s strong in the air and will get quite a few if the delivery is better.  A bit of polish on Redmond and he could be an excellent player for us in terms of giving us something less predictable.

[BOO 0]

So why the lack of movement? Are players constantly thinking of their defensive positions?.....not losing shape, etc?

It was exactly the same last season Unique, very few options for players on the ball due to lack of movement off it.

I had hoped that those were the sorts of things Hughton would have learned from last season and rectified but on yesterday''s showing it appears not.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

--- morty: Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well? Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?

Said as if we had shown some ability to pass the ball in the last 12 months.

Your head is fully buried in the sand and the blnkers are on mate.

[Aggy 752]

Morty - I don''t really see the point of arguments such as "don''t you think it could have been that Hull defended well and had a game plan."

If we go with that attitude, we can lose every game this season and write it off as ok because the opposition had a plan. Surely it''s the manager''s job to try and come up with a plan which counteracts the opposition''s.

I''ll point out at this point I''m not calling for Hughton''s head or anything ridiculous like that. However, our lack of movement off the ball has been obvious for quite a while now, going well into last season. The hardest thing for a defender is to mark a player who is constantly moving and pulling him out of position - defenders like to play in a unit, in their position of the defence and with their backs to their own goals. If the attacker is making them worry about whether to go with them or pass them on, and then make whoever does go with them have to turn and get back into position, then gaps in the defence soon start to appear.

Is our lack of movement a lack of fitness or a lack of willing by the players, or just simply that the players we have got playing are too one dimensional and ''solid'' and don''t move? I don''t know, but it''s an issue that we need to address.

[south of the border 0]

[quote user="Ken"]Having gone to the game yesterday, it very clear that our teams is lacking movement off the ball, is the main reason why our passing is so bad. Or it is passed back so often.

If players do not continually run into open spaces,the players with the ball often has to pass backwards to find a players in a space.

Having seen the two games Ricky has played, he is on the move all the time to find space, then points out to the player with the ball where he wants the pass to go to. As we now know he wants the same type of ball slide though for him to run onto. but as we also know that hardly ever happens. He needs what Jackson always needed a ball to run on to. Until this happens we will never see how good he will be.[/quote]Asolutely spot on thats also the way I saw it & have posted the same elsewhere I speculate whether Fox was the answer yesterday with his range of passing didn''t see that as a high risk sub given we played against 10 men of 70 mins.  If not Fox who else do we have who can deliver an incisive pass?  Apart from Hooly.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]--- morty: Have you considered that Hull actually defended very, very well? Or do you think that we have a divine right to beat such clubs?

Said as if we had shown some ability to pass the ball in the last 12 months.

Your head is fully buried in the sand and the blnkers are on mate.[/quote]Not at all, I''m just not a whiney pant wetter who soils himself and demands the manager is sacked, two games into the season.My stance is based on common sense and realism, not knee jerking.

[| wolfswinkel | 0]

I think hull defended well, and I feel we defended well apart from garrido, as they had 1 shot on target which was a pen, yes ok they had 10 for just over an hour of the game but you''d expect them to attack a bit more?

There was no movement at all yesterday apart from RVW drifting into gaps calling for the ball when he had a few yards f space and the midfielders looked at him and played it the other bloody way! If your strikers calling for the ball give him the bloody thing! We looked loose yesterday.

Not sticking up for anybody or slating anybody either but you look at the team we played yesterday? Tettey hasn''t played too many games, fer prem debut, RVW isn''t familiar with our tactics, snoddy wasn''t fully fit, howson not a wide man but played well IMO, redmond looks very very promising and good for 19 y/o, turner is a mistake waiting to happen but was impressed he passed it yesterday instead of hoofing it!

We must get 3 points against a good Southampton team, if we''re languishing after 10-15 games then something''s got to give?!