Winky Van Wolf

[Juggy 0]

"The next stage for him now is getting into the right areas for us to provide the opportunities for him to get the goals he very much wants."

I''m not one of those with the knives out for Hughton who wants to pick holes in everything that he says or does (last few games have been excellent, we are on the right track).

But this comment concerns me. It concerns me because it seems to suggest that Van Wolfswinkel hasn''t scored because he hasn''t been getting in the right positions to score goals. It concerns me because he has been, but our other players having been giving him the service.

Redmond twice and Olsson once have failed to pull the ball back for a RVW in space, Snodgrass has twice shot when he could have played the ball square, and Snodgrass has snatched the ball from his hands to take a penalty. 

And most of all, a Redmond/Snodgrass partnership sees us get no outswinging crosses into the box, all inswingers, and for much of the season that was a real issue. On Sunday our goal came from an inswinging cross from the left side, from the left foot of a natural left footed player, which Van Wolfswinkel''s head connected with for the knockdown.

It is no coincidence that we see a better Van Wolfswinkel on Sunday with Pilkington and Olsson on the left, and we might see an even better Van Wolfswinkel if we see Olsson and Pilkington on the left and Redmond on the right.

Van Wolfswinkel gets in the right areas, our players don''t put the ball in the right areas. Several times he has halted for the pull back and he hasn''t got it, partially because our wingers have this addiction/impulse to cut in (Snodgrass and Redmond when played on the wrong side of the pitch).

I think both Olsson and Pilkington have done enough to keep their place, it was nice to see Redmond come on to play the right side of the pitch against Watford and Chelsea (two assists at Watford, including a cross from the right with his right foot onto the head of Hooper), but I do hope that Hughton can recognise that the problems have been the complete lack of service and not the decision making of our natural born predator.

[Indy 3,290]

Surely part of this is down to the coaching during the week?

 

Running patterns and coaching players where to be in the box stops them all going to the near post, all far post, taking shots or looking up to cut the ball back knowing there will be players in the box? Well that''s what I used to be coached at a lot lower level as I''m sure most who play for a half decent Sunday league side.

 

For me we looked fantastic for 30 minutes against Chelsea and should have had a penalty, we did get in and around the box but failed to create many clear chances at that point. Redmond came on and got into the game and looked very good.

[Salopian 1]

If the crossing and passing is wayward, RvW will be in the right place only by accident!

He is used to a method of attack from his last club, - playing off the shoulder of the last defender and quickly fastening on to any through ball. The defence splitting ball that Fer provided for Hooper at Reading is an example of what RvW needs, but seldom gets. If we persist with a large number of attacks down the wings, then the crosses have to be very accurate, or the slight figure of the Dutchman will lose out to big, burly defenders. Poor crosses do not help Hooper either.

 

What I am suggesting is that they practice crossing the ball where an isolated Hooper or RvW is waiting., and that they perform as many pull-backs from the by-line as possible to enable the oncoming striker to direct the ball where he will, and not crosses from Redmond with his right foot or Snodgrass with his left after cutting in- these will generally be coming over the striker''s shoulder.

 

I am also suggesting that they practice sliding the ball between defenders for the striker to run on to. On these the smaller niftier strikers have the advantage over the slow-turning big defenders.

 

I can''t believe that they do not practice these things already, and it seems to me that in the "heat of battle" their techniques and training seem to desert them. Until the vision and passing skill is nearer to that of our top opponents, I fear that we shall struggle to score many goals, however good our strikers.