The passing game - should The Albion maintain this?

[Bwian]

When the transfer window opens again I'm sure we'll see some new faces and we'll probably be saying our farewells to some familiar faces too. Having said that, if we'd have had Buckley and Hoskins fit we'd probably not be having discussions like this.

 

[Bwian]

If I have a criticism of us it's that we are too predictable. West Ham came and did a job on us, closed down our midfield as soon as they received the ball and that lead to the goal. We certainly need to have a plan B and shouldn't be too proud to revert to a more direct game if nothing else is working. This is why I wanted us to sign a big, bustling striker in the Summer, at least to have a different option from the bench.

West Ham didn't really do a job on us did they? The scored thanks to a mistake-other than that they didn't look like promotion favourites to me and for most of the game we were in charge. We just lack a forward willing to have a few shots from the edge of the box. Fat Sam said his goalkeeper only had 1 save to make-pretty much like ours then Sam?

No hoofball please.

 

[goldstone]

We need a Glenn Murray type target man so we can mix it up a bit and boot long balls downfield when we need to. Right now, whenever we do that they come straight back.

 

[JCL666]

West Ham didn't really do a job on us did they? The scored thanks to a mistake-other than that they didn't look like promotion favourites to me and for most of the game we were in charge. We just lack a forward willing to have a few shots from the edge of the box. Fat Sam said his goalkeeper only had 1 save to make-pretty much like ours then Sam?

No hoofball please.

Thank f*** its not just me who thinks like this!!

We had MORE chances than them.... Just not clinical enough and on occasion played one pass too many rather than having a crack at goal.

 

[British Bulldog]

I like our passing game and I think we should stick to it but we need to learn to be a bit quicker at it at this level to make it work, Other teams seem happy to watch us passing it around at the back just hovering in case we make a mistake but it's when we get it into midfield we need to speed things up as we lose possession there far too often. One way or another we'll get there either with the players we've got or new additions.

 

[rcf0712]

yes, emphatically yes, but for one error we totally dominated a team who should be in the Premier League, and we sit 2 points outside of the playoffs and attracting players of the quality of Reyes..

 

[The Large One]

Our best footbal, for 30 years? When will we actually win a game then? Its foreign bollox!

Because English football is so superior, isn't it?

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Its COMPLETELY clear that the passing game should be maintained.

BUT what other teams are doing and we are NOT is passing it with precision, pace and power. NUMEROUS times we have been CARVED open by the opposition with slick, neat, PRECISION passing (on the deck) witness Hull recently. Four or five crisp passes and BANG its a shot or a chance or even a goal.

The FACT that we are ALSO dilly dallying in possesion means we need to wise up and Im WORRIED because this is a trend.

13 games, at least four times a game we give it away thats FIFTY TWO times so far.

Nowhere near good enough.

 

[k2bluesky]

The passing game is fine if done with a bit of pace, otherwise we will always have 11 men to beat as happened last night (wasn't pretty but they did a professional job as other teams will against us), after the first few games teams saw exactly how we play and now close down the back four quickly, resulting in a few mistakes as player desperately look for the next 'pass'.

Passing two dozen times in our own half may look like being in control of the game but any team will be happy to let you have 99% possession in your own half, it causes them no pain. CMS is fast, pinging one over the top every now and then is not abandoning the passing game but a bit of variety is needed or we could slip into trouble before too long.

 

[Southern Scouse]

I love the way we play under Gus. I also love the way LFC play under Kenny.
The problem is that both are trying to play like Barca.
They have been playing their way for decades and it has taken them years to perfect the art, and more importantly bring in and nurture the kind of players who can play that way. Kenny has the same problem, we pass it all over the pitch but struggle in the final third. LFc have the money but with European footy have not been able to attract the players needed to play that way. It takes time and a lot of money.
BHA have the same problem. It is OK playing pass and move but at this level the oppositions players are usually fitter and quicker and so are able to intercept and break up the way we play. We need quick players with Championship/Premiership experience who are able to play that way. Those players are absolute gold dust and when they do pop up demand large fees and even bigger wages with many suitors after their signatures.
However much I love our passing game, we need a combination of styles in order to progress and achieve the fluid passing game we crave.
It will take patience, good scouts and a load of money to achieve what Gus wants. The other more flexible way may be uglier (?), but could well be the way to get what we and the club wants at a far more economical cost.

 

[crodonilson]

West Ham didn't really do a job on us did they? The scored thanks to a mistake-other than that they didn't look like promotion favourites to me and for most of the game we were in charge. We just lack a forward willing to have a few shots from the edge of the box. Fat Sam said his goalkeeper only had 1 save to make-pretty much like ours then Sam?

No hoofball please.

They absolutely did, they forced us into an error and capitalised on that error and scored. After that they soaked up everything we threw at them relatively comfortably.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I love the way we play under Gus. I also love the way LFC play under Kenny.
The problem is that both are trying to play like Barca.
They have been playing their way for decades and it has taken them years to perfect the art, and more importantly bring in and nurture the kind of players who can play that way. Kenny has the same problem, we pass it all over the pitch but struggle in the final third. LFc have the money but with European footy have not been able to attract the players needed to play that way. It takes time and a lot of money.
BHA have the same problem. It is OK playing pass and move but at this level the oppositions players are usually fitter and quicker and so are able to intercept and break up the way we play. We need quick players with Championship/Premiership experience who are able to play that way. Those players are absolute gold dust and when they do pop up demand large fees and even bigger wages with many suitors after their signatures.
However much I love our passing game, we need a combination of styles in order to progress and achieve the fluid passing game we crave.
It will take patience, good scouts and a load of money to achieve what Gus wants. The other more flexible way may be uglier (?), but could well be the way to get what we and the club wants at a far more economical cost.

This

 

[Pantani]

As mentioned by others I feel we need to shoot from outside the box more often. At the moment we very rarely do so centre backs are happy to sit back and wait for us to try the killer through ball. Regular shots from outside the box means that they have to come and do something about it, opening up space for the through balls. We do try and walk it in to the net a bit too much for me.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

NO! We need some good old fashioned English attacking football. It is like watching a bunch of dagos!

There was a football quiz at work today. I did all right but there were a couple of questions that absolutely stumped me. The first was: What country is the reigning World and European Champions? The second was: Who are currently the best club side in the world?

For the life of me I couldn't think of the answers. You seem like a man who knows his football. Any ideas on the answers?

 

[alan partridge]

I love the way we play under Gus. I also love the way LFC play under Kenny.
The problem is that both are trying to play like Barca.
They have been playing their way for decades and it has taken them years to perfect the art, and more importantly bring in and nurture the kind of players who can play that way. Kenny has the same problem, we pass it all over the pitch but struggle in the final third. LFc have the money but with European footy have not been able to attract the players needed to play that way. It takes time and a lot of money.
BHA have the same problem. It is OK playing pass and move but at this level the oppositions players are usually fitter and quicker and so are able to intercept and break up the way we play. We need quick players with Championship/Premiership experience who are able to play that way. Those players are absolute gold dust and when they do pop up demand large fees and even bigger wages with many suitors after their signatures.
However much I love our passing game, we need a combination of styles in order to progress and achieve the fluid passing game we crave.
It will take patience, good scouts and a load of money to achieve what Gus wants. The other more flexible way may be uglier (?), but could well be the way to get what we and the club wants at a far more economical cost.

I agree, although not so much with the Liverpool bit, they do tend to lump the ball into the box a lot I find. Anyway, sounds very much to me as if Gus is here for a good few years now. Everything he says and does (new contract) points to the fact that he's here to oversee the gradual improvement of this club.

We're going to get better and better. People need to be a bit patient though.

 

[Pavilionaire]

If Murray was still here to partner CMS we'd be in the play-offs and it would be happy days. We're THAT close to having a decent side.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The passing game should be the starting point for our play, not an end in itself. Stringing eight passes together then meekly surrendering it in midfield does nobody any favours apart from the opposition. Need to be far more creative and decisive when going on goal.

BZ had Watto teeing him up in many instances. CMS needs somebody similar. George Boyd for me. He certainly needs to develop an instinctive understanding with somebody. Maybe Reyes will be the one. He's certainly got the talent.

 

[Superseagull69]

I like our passing game and I think we should stick to it but we need to learn to be a bit quicker at it at this level to make it work, Other teams seem happy to watch us passing it around at the back just hovering in case we make a mistake but it's when we get it into midfield we need to speed things up as we lose possession there far too often. One way or another we'll get there either with the players we've got or new additions.

Totally agree.

Took my Dad last night & one of his comments to me was " Brighton will never score many on a breakaway"

A few times last night we seemed to have a breakaway(or numerical advantage) only for the midfield (Sparrow/Bridcutt) to slooow down & wait for West Ham to get back.

 

[NMH]

You will see Buckley when he is fit.
But only from the comfort of your armchair it seems.

Since I'm watching when possible from Stockholm - the comfort of wherever I can possibly see a match or highlights, is the best I can hope for it seems.... for the time being til I drop home and head to the AmEx again.

 

[pork pie]

There was a football quiz at work today. I did all right but there were a couple of questions that absolutely stumped me. The first was: What country is the reigning World and European Champions? The second was: Who are currently the best club side in the world?

For the life of me I couldn't think of the answers. You seem like a man who knows his football. Any ideas on the answers?

You will find that it is Spain. Their league is still fairly pure, and they have lots of their nationals to chose from. The likes of Barca teach their kids "their way" from an early age. Which is fine for them as it is too bloody hot to move quickly for anything like 90 mins, and is suited to summer cup finals. Ours has been infested with a load of relatively cheap foreigners, and there are hardly any English players to choose from. I would much rather see our team from the late 70s and early 80s, with their style of football, than the current crop with tippy tappy (CMS excepted).