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Predictably one-footed

One-footed players: the one thing guaranteed to wind me up in a game (& in turn mean that my companion will be subjected to my further griping about it). Every team has such players, but we seem to have more than our fair share at the moment, especially down the left. Any well-briefed opponent (i.e. all of them) will know exactly what to do to stop JFC and De Silva (& to some extent Aribo, Konsa at RB) hurting us.

So while we huff and puff about the predictability of our tactics and formation, what about the players themselves, and their predictability?. How many times does JFC go backwards or sideways because that's the direction his left foot is pointing?

One incident yesterday was a good illustration. De Silva has the ball in the final third, and cuts inside towards the corner of the penalty area. He's done well and made space for a cross in a dangerous position, and they are queuing up in the box. But he crosses with his left, which results in an awkward cross bending away from goal, difficult to convert. Spear in a right-footer from there and that's a really tough one to defend. How can a guy schooled at a top academy and in the England age group teams be so limited? Why hasn't this been coached out of him?

I don't buy the argument that 'his right foot isn't any good'. Well, try and improve it then, but in the context of a game you have to try something different occasionally.

Older fans will remember Paddy Powell's brilliant goal at Palace, where he cut in from the right and pinged a beauty in the top corner with his 'wrong' left foot. But how many people remember Malcolm Allison's confession the next day?: "I told Jim Cannon to let Colin Powell come inside because he doesn't have a left foot". Not much has changed....

Comments

  • The only thing I find frustrating with players that are so reliant on the one foot is the hesitancy to cross on their weaker foot. As an example, if the ball is played down the wing and they are running onto it, ie they can come onto it and hit it first time, but choose to stop and cut back. Just have a go, the fact they are coming onto the ball means they can just wrap their foot around it.....

    Having said that when was was the last time one of our wingers or full backs crossed it in first time, seems a dying part of the game.
  • When I went to Sherington over 50 years ago we had a goal painted in the wall with circles painted in the corners and centre.
    Every day the PE teacher had us kick a ball using both feet into the circle of his choice. Simple.
  • Christy Brown
  • I've got one foot which seems to be quite an advantage.

    ~Ok it's not quite that long.
  • I'm always prepared to forgive them if the foot they have got is used like a wand a la Walshie!
  • My issue is that we always seem to take so many touches when we get the ball, our passing never seems to be snappy or urgent. Our players get closed down so quickly because they spend about two touches getting the ball out of their feet.
  • One-footed players: the one thing guaranteed to wind me up in a game (& in turn mean that my companion will be subjected to my further griping about it). Every team has such players, but we seem to have more than our fair share at the moment, especially down the left. Any well-briefed opponent (i.e. all of them) will know exactly what to do to stop JFC and De Silva (& to some extent Aribo, Konsa at RB) hurting us.

    So while we huff and puff about the predictability of our tactics and formation, what about the players themselves, and their predictability?. How many times does JFC go backwards or sideways because that's the direction his left foot is pointing?

    One incident yesterday was a good illustration. De Silva has the ball in the final third, and cuts inside towards the corner of the penalty area. He's done well and made space for a cross in a dangerous position, and they are queuing up in the box. But he crosses with his left, which results in an awkward cross bending away from goal, difficult to convert. Spear in a right-footer from there and that's a really tough one to defend. How can a guy schooled at a top academy and in the England age group teams be so limited? Why hasn't this been coached out of him?

    I don't buy the argument that 'his right foot isn't any good'. Well, try and improve it then, but in the context of a game you have to try something different occasionally.

    Older fans will remember Paddy Powell's brilliant goal at Palace, where he cut in from the right and pinged a beauty in the top corner with his 'wrong' left foot. But how many people remember Malcolm Allison's confession the next day?: "I told Jim Cannon to let Colin Powell come inside because he doesn't have a left foot". Not much has changed....

    My dad has always said the way to do this is to only put a boot on your "bad" foot and practice kicking a ball against a wall. You wont want to kick it with your "proper" foot & will learn to use the "bad" one. I understand that players will have a favoured foot, but for a professional footballer who is getting paid more in a week than most get in a year not to be able to use 50% of what they can use is criminal. Imagine if a goalkeeper could only dive to his right because his left hand was too weak ?? Or you couldn't head the ball because it hurt too much ??

    I love Da Silva but he has shown this season that he has a major weakness. He doesn't ever take on the full back & invariably will get level with the oppositions penalty area & then pass back or inside (usually to a player standing 2 yards away). Interesting to note how we scored our first at Northampton (and if we hadn't had done then who knows what the final result might have been) - Page getting in a cross close to the byeline which meant it was easier for an on-rushing forward to score.
  • Knew this would be aimed at the left footed players. Being one footed seems to get picked up more with left footed players.
  • Certainly remember being there for Paddy's goal at Selhurst, didn't it win goal of the month or season? It was a lovely strike.
  • Sir Chris Powell himself was very left footed and regularly had to turn to get back on to his stronger foot.
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  • Very much right footed but taught myself to use my left foot when a teenager, never as good, but meant I could play on the left in an emergency, or still, be able to pass successfully with the left when in a tight position and I wasn't paid to do it
  • You do realise we're playing in the third division right?
  • Keith Peacock emphasises the importance of being two footed in No Substitute
  • Yeah that winds me up as well... Although sometimes its hard to tell which is the favoured foot with most of our players at times
  • Long John Silver
  • You do realise we're playing in the third division right?

    Yes, but Da Silva (who this thread is mostly about) is attached to a PREMIERSHIP club & would, I assume, want to play for them soon.

    As I said above, I think he is a great players, but I don't think he'll ever play for a top Premiership side. Maybe a new promoted one or a perennial struggler, but I doubt any top manager will pick him as their regular LB purely because of his height.
  • You do realise we're playing in the third division right?

    I don't think that's a good enough excuse, surely if you are on the wedge these lot are on you would work harder to make both feet work?
  • I like JFC a lot but his one-footedness is embarrassing
  • You do realise we're playing in the third division right?

    I don't think that's a good enough excuse, surely if you are on the wedge these lot are on you would work harder to make both feet work?
    How many other players in this league are truly two footed? And I'm not sure why it's only an issue people seem to have with left footed players. You don't see anyone moaning about Fosu not using his left foot.

    I'm sure most of these players could use their weaker foot in an emergency but why choose to use it when they're perfectly capable with their preferred foot?

    If these players were truly capable of playing to the same level with both feet then they wouldn't be in the third division.
  • Certainly remember being there for Paddy's goal at Selhurst, didn't it win goal of the month or season? It was a lovely strike.

    My first away game.
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  • One-footed players: the one thing guaranteed to wind me up in a game (& in turn mean that my companion will be subjected to my further griping about it). Every team has such players, but we seem to have more than our fair share at the moment, especially down the left. Any well-briefed opponent (i.e. all of them) will know exactly what to do to stop JFC and De Silva (& to some extent Aribo, Konsa at RB) hurting us.

    So while we huff and puff about the predictability of our tactics and formation, what about the players themselves, and their predictability?. How many times does JFC go backwards or sideways because that's the direction his left foot is pointing?

    One incident yesterday was a good illustration. De Silva has the ball in the final third, and cuts inside towards the corner of the penalty area. He's done well and made space for a cross in a dangerous position, and they are queuing up in the box. But he crosses with his left, which results in an awkward cross bending away from goal, difficult to convert. Spear in a right-footer from there and that's a really tough one to defend. How can a guy schooled at a top academy and in the England age group teams be so limited? Why hasn't this been coached out of him?

    I don't buy the argument that 'his right foot isn't any good'. Well, try and improve it then, but in the context of a game you have to try something different occasionally.

    Older fans will remember Paddy Powell's brilliant goal at Palace, where he cut in from the right and pinged a beauty in the top corner with his 'wrong' left foot. But how many people remember Malcolm Allison's confession the next day?: "I told Jim Cannon to let Colin Powell come inside because he doesn't have a left foot". Not much has changed....

    Agree with this 100% and I had a rant about this yesterday, I think when Jay De Silva gets closed down in his own half. Every time he was passing back to Pearce instead of occasionally coming inside and hitting a ball down the pitch. I accept a player may have a weaker foot but if I can kick a ball reasonably well with either foot there is no excuse for a professional footballer not being two-footed.
  • All the kids in the under 8 A and B leagues are trained to be two footed. Rare to get both feet as good but the ones that get picked up by premier league are mostly close.

    I don’t really understand why any player paid for a living doesn’t consistently train their weaker side. Maybe they do and it just doesn’t translate into as good an ability there, they don’t trust it or use it.

    That said, if every once in a while you went outside and whipped one in, that would screw up the opposition plans no end.
  • Maybe we have players who strive as much as possible to improve every aspect of their game, yet find their weaker foot is still less strong than their main foot.

    Maybe players devote so much time to their levels of fitness that they're unable to spend more time improve their technique so their weaker foot gets better.

    And maybe we are better with fit, well-developed players than showy footballers who can play keepy up but who have to be substituted after an hour because they're tired and we are four down.

    I think that coaches, fitness experts etc know how to optimise the talent they have. And that managers won't pick players who are two-footed, if both the feet are useless.
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