Attacking plan?

[Ferrite]

Watching last night, we had no attacking plan or shape. How do we expect to score a goal? Focus on set pieces? Long balls up to the target man? Crosses from deep? Through balls to the forwards?

We just looked completely aimless. I know the players aren’t up to much and it’s difficult when the selection has to change after every game but I still think we should at least have some sort of clear plan/shape by this point, even if it still doesn’t work.

Because whatever we’re doing at the moment isn’t working: by my count, in 11 matches this year, we’ve scored just TWO goals from open play and just FOUR in total.

[SST]

The strikers have little to no positional sense and their movement is generally very poor. Sadly, on the rare occasion they do get it right, the delivery and service up to them was also abysmal.

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Sharp_Shooter24, bartonscorpion, Sanfran49, IRONINTHEBLOOD, Ferrite, IronIronIron

[IronIronIron]

We move the ball around quite well (and surprisingly quickly kast night) until we get to the 18 yard line. Then we panic.

Very few of our team are willing to shoot from distance either – or maybe they aren’t good enough.

[Ferrite]

I thought we look a bit better with Bunn in the side and would like to see him as first-choice forward alongside on the others. But we still won’t do much until we get some sort of structure to our play. Even if that’s just hoofball, it’s still a plan!

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SST

[Heath]

Whatever happened to old fashioned goal hangers.

Denis Law said that the majority of his goals were from standing in or moving into a rectangle from the six yard lines up to a line across the penalty spot and the goal line. Billy Sharp, not blessed with the greatest pace, is still scoring goals mostly within this same area.

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lesgeo

[Siderite]

It’s been like this since Wilcox and Cox. Every time defendants say it’s because the squad is not good enough and we need to sure up the defence to be hard to beat. Our idea as to how to score has been missing for years. :-)

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bartonscorpion, Deereyme66, lesgeo

[Deereyme66]

Wasn’t the last time we were scoring steadily under Hurst?

[MK Iron]

Yes and that was when KVV and McAtee and Eisa were playing well.

They are all earning more than we pay and we don’t have anyone with their ability here now.

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bartonscorpion

[Ferrite]

Depends how you define it.

This season, we’ve scored 23 in 33 games, 0.69 goals/game
Last season, 41 in 46, 0.89 gpg
In truncated 19/20 season, 44 in 37 games, 1.19 gpg
18/19 relegation season, 53 in 46, 1.15 gpg
17/18 play-offs, 65 in 46 (only 28 at home though), 1.41 gpg
16/17 play-offs, 80 in 46, 1.74 gpg
15/16 60 in 46 (again only 28 at home), 1.30 gpg
14/15 62 in 46 (only 25 at home), 1.35 gpg
13/14 promotion, 68 in 46, 1.48 gpg

So the last 3 seasons, arguably 4, have been pretty dire by historical standards.

What is interesting is that when we scoring more goals, in most seasons we scored more away from home than at home, I wonder if that’s contributed to the general decline in crowds & interest.

This season, we’re on course to score 32 goals, an absolutely miserable total.

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Sharp_Shooter24, bartonscorpion, IRONINTHEBLOOD

[cokeovenkid]

The trouble is real strikers have natural ability and instinct, you can’t teach it , they either have the movement or they don’t. If the ball goes right across the box 4 yards out and you aren’t At least stretching to make it, you aren’t really trying.

[Ironawe]

I see the goals per game dropped off a cliff as soon as the Swann family thought they could sign footballers themselves without any footballing input (except from Will’s agent mate).

Has anybody else noted that Bunn had the weakest shot in the football
league – I’m surprised the ball makes it to the goal line

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Deereyme66, Sanfran49

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

IronIronIron wrote:

We move the ball around quite well (and surprisingly quickly kast night) until we get to the 18 yard line. Then we panic.

Very few of our team are willing to shoot from distance either – or maybe they aren’t good enough.

Goes for our own box as well unfortunately.

If we could defend and score we might actually be quite good.

[Bartoniron66]

Said to my mate last night we looked really good going forward at times last night but once we get in the final third we are trying to find the perfect pass! We get into the box and take to long to get in crosses instead of going on instinct they take just to long and allow defenders to get back. A

[Northumbiron]

cokeovenkid wrote:

The trouble is real strikers have natural ability and instinct, you can’t teach it , they either have the movement or they don’t.

Disagree. Sure, some take to it easier than others, but it can be coached, believe me.

[bartonscorpion]

Ferrite wrote:

I thought we look a bit better with Bunn in the side and would like to see him as first-choice forward alongside on the others. But we still won’t do much until we get some sort of structure to our play. Even if that’s just hoofball, it’s still a plan!

I thought that Bunn was not involved at all last night, and I would prefer Burns anyday to Bunn, Burns is quicker and can shoot, Bunn can do neither in my opinion.

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Lord Kitchener, lesgeo

[cokeovenkid]

Northumbiron wrote:

cokeovenkid wrote:

The trouble is real strikers have natural ability and instinct, you can’t teach it , they either have the movement or they don’t.

Disagree. Sure, some take to it easier than others, but it can be coached, believe me.

What you end up with is the difference between a twenty million quid Rhian Brewster and a Billy Sharp though.

[MK Iron]

I am sure Hill will pick Burns ahead of Bunn upfront whenever the lad is fit enough.

At times Burns is his own worst enemy running about like the Duracell bunny but I guess that’s what makes him the player he is. When he is a little older an wiser I think he will play more like a young Billy Sharpe and focus on being in the places of maximum opportunity rather than covering the miles.

Regarding Bunn I think we should remember he has never had that run of games to get match sharp. We have seen with Millen how much a player can improve when that happens. I also think he is better wide or playing as a 10.

[Ferrite]

Bunn looks like the only player in the team who can pick a pass and who offers something a first touch & movement. I don’t think he’s a world beater but I think he knits the team together a bit more. Would like to see him playing behind Burns.

[Sharp_Shooter24]

Who was the last good striker we signed?

Tony on loan??

KVV maybe, he’s definitely talented but not prolific!!………

Before that Madden

Haven’t had many since Swann took over, in the Wharton days we were spoilt with really good forwards .

Really boring watching a toothless team who create next to nothing

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inspector, lesgeo, bartonscorpion

[Ferrite]

I always think it’s strange the way Sam Winnall gets forgotten about – he had a brilliant season and yet still got disrupted when we signed Madden, who we didn’t actually need at that time.

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Heath, Awaywego, Deereyme66

[Sharp_Shooter24]

Winnall signed by laws, a deal already in the making before swann!!!

I was at his trialist A/B or C game in pre-season at Farsley along side Burton if I remember rightly with Paul Hayes there too

And as I already stated… put together before swann!!

Don’t think anyone has forgotten about Winnall or Patterson or any of our good forwards

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Ferrite

[Heath]

Wish we had an “apart from scoring, what else does he do?” striker!

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Sharp_Shooter24

[Author]

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