Feeny would at least give us some width. Didn't seem to have any on Saturday...
Width is all well and good yet Watt and Vetokele barely won a header on Saturday whilst too many people moan that Makienok cant win them
What's wrong with low and hard crosses?
Nothing says that all crosses have to be floated into the air, for the big centre forward to head in!
For me, the important thing is for wide men to get down to the byline...
Early crosses are the key imo. By that I don't necessarily mean from deep, just that a winger's primary job is to shift the ball in manner that gives them enough space to cross the ball without the full back being able to block it. That is what a winger's pace and trickery is for. As soon as they have that half yard they should, in most circumstances, be whipping the ball into the box, high or low.
This is something we have not done well for a long time, but is something of a dying art in the game in general. I think it is tough for centre forwards when they are not sure when the ball is coming in. If you know it will be at the first opportunity then you wait until you see the winger has space and then make your run in expectation that the ball will come in. The problem they have when they don't know if its coming in, because the winger is intent on beating the full back more than once or playing ion the wrong side and doesn't want to cross with their weaker foot, is if they gamble and it doesn't arrive, they will be ahead of the play and possibly offside when it does. If they wait until the cross is already on its way then they have lost the opportunity to steal a march on the defender and end up looking flat footed.
It's something Bob Peeters said about Callum that he needed to simplify his decision making and be more direct instead of trying to over do it in possession. To Callum's credit he seemed to be listening but then got shifted inside and then droopped.
Big Mak has scored three goals this season, all from relatively early crosses where he was able to get ahead of his marker. Playing with a big lad like that is not rocket science. Igor is also pretty good in the air and would similarly benefit from that kind of service imo.
He'll do nicely. He exposed weaknesses in Holmes-Dennis I hadn't seen previously, beating him on both sides in one-against-one situations, particularly on his inside. Looking at the highlights of Bolton v MK Cons, it looked like he did the same to Lewington on the first goal.
Surely we are not signing a British player who is competent at Championship level?
Charlton Athletic did make a bid for Bolton Wanderers winger Liam Feeney - but have not followed up since their approach. The South London Press has been told the Addicks put in an offer which did not meet the fellow Championship outfit’s valuation. But that was a couple of weeks ago and Charlton have not returned with another bid. Feeney is out of contract in the summer and there are believed to be a number of clubs monitoring his situation.
Charlton Athletic did make a bid for Bolton Wanderers winger Liam Feeney - but have not followed up since their approach. The South London Press has been told the Addicks put in an offer which did not meet the fellow Championship outfit’s valuation. But that was a couple of weeks ago and Charlton have not returned with another bid. Feeney is out of contract in the summer and there are believed to be a number of clubs monitoring his situation.
Yeah, there are also a number of clubs that are monitoring the shit awful situation Bolton are in. These clubs are going to be prepared to pay more than we are. If RD and KM were able to get him on the cheap they would. Bolton obviously not going along with the football(er) for a fiver initiative.
Charlton Athletic did make a bid for Bolton Wanderers winger Liam Feeney - but have not followed up since their approach. The South London Press has been told the Addicks put in an offer which did not meet the fellow Championship outfit’s valuation. But that was a couple of weeks ago and Charlton have not returned with another bid. Feeney is out of contract in the summer and there are believed to be a number of clubs monitoring his situation.
RD is a cheap bastard. They probably only wanted a couple of thousand for him.
He'll do nicely. He exposed weaknesses in Holmes-Dennis I hadn't seen previously, beating him on both sides in one-against-one situations, particularly on his inside. Looking at the highlights of Bolton v MK Cons, it looked like he did the same to Lewington on the first goal.
Surely we are not signing a British player who is competent at Championship level?
From memory, THD just stood off Feeney and let him cross for Heskey's goal. Looked very lazy from THD. Agree Feeney did look a threat throughout the game and I see he's managed a few goals himself this season.
If we can't get a creative midfielder, play Feeney on the right & JBG in the middle.
This. I'd also like to see Cousins on the right of midfield with any combination of Jacko/Diarra/Poyet bossing the centre. I know his best position is CM & his stint at LM didn't work but an understanding with Solly playing the cover/overlap could work as a plan B.
If we can't get a creative midfielder, play Feeney on the right & JBG in the middle.
This. I'd also like to see Cousins on the right of midfield with any combination of Jacko/Diarra/Poyet bossing the centre. I know his best position is CM & his stint at LM didn't work but an understanding with Solly playing the cover/overlap could work as a plan B.
JC played on the right in the infamous cup quarter final defeat at Bramall Lane and had a mare, mind you so did the rest of them. He offers more in the centre for me, but If you are going to play him wide, he's better on the left because he poses more of a goal threat with his right foot when he cuts inside. I just don't see him with the ability to go past a full back on the outside and get balls into the box on either flank I'm afraid.
If we can't get a creative midfielder, play Feeney on the right & JBG in the middle.
This. I'd also like to see Cousins on the right of midfield with any combination of Jacko/Diarra/Poyet bossing the centre. I know his best position is CM & his stint at LM didn't work but an understanding with Solly playing the cover/overlap could work as a plan B.
JC played on the right in the infamous cup quarter final defeat at Bramall Lane and had a mare, mind you so did the rest of them. He offers more in the centre for me, but If you are going to play him wide, he's better on the left because he poses more of a goal threat with his right foot when he cuts inside. I just don't see him with the ability to go past a full back on the outside and get balls into the box on either flank I'm afraid.
To be fair to Jordan you've picked the absolute worst performance by a Charlton team in a long time as an example there. He played on the right a lot for Powell as a right midfielder with a more attacking left winger and did fine. The issue is whether that flat three in midfield with an attacking left winger and two strikers is how Riga wants to play. The way Powell set the side up in that formation Jordan wasn't expected to go past his full back and whip a cross in, he was expected to tuck inside if the midfield was getting overrun and provide a platform that allowed three players in the winger and two strikers to play further up the pitch. It was a stodgy sort of tactic but it got results when we needed them
If we can't get a creative midfielder, play Feeney on the right & JBG in the middle.
This. I'd also like to see Cousins on the right of midfield with any combination of Jacko/Diarra/Poyet bossing the centre. I know his best position is CM & his stint at LM didn't work but an understanding with Solly playing the cover/overlap could work as a plan B.
JC played on the right in the infamous cup quarter final defeat at Bramall Lane and had a mare, mind you so did the rest of them. He offers more in the centre for me, but If you are going to play him wide, he's better on the left because he poses more of a goal threat with his right foot when he cuts inside. I just don't see him with the ability to go past a full back on the outside and get balls into the box on either flank I'm afraid.
I wonder if Cousins will eventually end up back at RB or as a right wing back. Modern full backs, especially in the PL spend all their time bombing up and down the flank, with defensive duties seemingly of less importance than 20 years ago
Ballsed up the quote thing as usual but Garry said...
"To be fair to Jordan you've picked the absolute worst performance by a Charlton team in a long time as an example there. He played on the right a lot for Powell as a right midfielder with a more attacking left winger and did fine. The issue is whether that flat three in midfield with an attacking left winger and two strikers is how Riga wants to play. The way Powell set the side up in that formation Jordan wasn't expected to go past his full back and whip a cross in, he was expected to tuck inside if the midfield was getting overrun and provide a platform that allowed three players in the winger and two strikers to play further up the pitch. It was a stodgy sort of tactic but it got results when we needed them"
Alan Curbishley used Graham Stuart in a similar fashion. If anything, Cousins has a better engine than Stuart did and could be a success in that role (I'm not suggesting Cousins is a better player than Stuart). There's no reason why he couldn't nick a few goals by finishing off moves at the far-post.
If we can't get a creative midfielder, play Feeney on the right & JBG in the middle.
This. I'd also like to see Cousins on the right of midfield with any combination of Jacko/Diarra/Poyet bossing the centre. I know his best position is CM & his stint at LM didn't work but an understanding with Solly playing the cover/overlap could work as a plan B.
JC played on the right in the infamous cup quarter final defeat at Bramall Lane and had a mare, mind you so did the rest of them. He offers more in the centre for me, but If you are going to play him wide, he's better on the left because he poses more of a goal threat with his right foot when he cuts inside. I just don't see him with the ability to go past a full back on the outside and get balls into the box on either flank I'm afraid.
To be fair to Jordan you've picked the absolute worst performance by a Charlton team in a long time as an example there. He played on the right a lot for Powell as a right midfielder with a more attacking left winger and did fine. The issue is whether that flat three in midfield with an attacking left winger and two strikers is how Riga wants to play. The way Powell set the side up in that formation Jordan wasn't expected to go past his full back and whip a cross in, he was expected to tuck inside if the midfield was getting overrun and provide a platform that allowed three players in the winger and two strikers to play further up the pitch. It was a stodgy sort of tactic but it got results when we needed them
You obviously weren't at Huddersfield then
As I said he's better suited in the centre and whether he tucked in or not when playing on the right he never looked as comfortable to me on that side of the pitch as on the left. He has a great engine and I would always have him on the team sheet but is wasted out wide. He also doesn't seem to like receiving and turning with the ball with his back to the opposition goal which a wide man is often expected to do. Just my opinion like.
Comments
Nothing says that all crosses have to be floated into the air, for the big centre forward to head in!
For me, the important thing is for wide men to get down to the byline...
This is something we have not done well for a long time, but is something of a dying art in the game in general. I think it is tough for centre forwards when they are not sure when the ball is coming in. If you know it will be at the first opportunity then you wait until you see the winger has space and then make your run in expectation that the ball will come in. The problem they have when they don't know if its coming in, because the winger is intent on beating the full back more than once or playing ion the wrong side and doesn't want to cross with their weaker foot, is if they gamble and it doesn't arrive, they will be ahead of the play and possibly offside when it does. If they wait until the cross is already on its way then they have lost the opportunity to steal a march on the defender and end up looking flat footed.
It's something Bob Peeters said about Callum that he needed to simplify his decision making and be more direct instead of trying to over do it in possession. To Callum's credit he seemed to be listening but then got shifted inside and then droopped.
Big Mak has scored three goals this season, all from relatively early crosses where he was able to get ahead of his marker. Playing with a big lad like that is not rocket science. Igor is also pretty good in the air and would similarly benefit from that kind of service imo.
Surely we are not signing a British player who is competent at Championship level?
The South London Press has been told the Addicks put in an offer which did not meet the fellow Championship outfit’s valuation.
But that was a couple of weeks ago and Charlton have not returned with another bid.
Feeney is out of contract in the summer and there are believed to be a number of clubs monitoring his situation.
Walker was the one who pissed all over us time and again.
Ballsed up the quote thing as usual but Garry said...
"To be fair to Jordan you've picked the absolute worst performance by a Charlton team in a long time as an example there. He played on the right a lot for Powell as a right midfielder with a more attacking left winger and did fine. The issue is whether that flat three in midfield with an attacking left winger and two strikers is how Riga wants to play. The way Powell set the side up in that formation Jordan wasn't expected to go past his full back and whip a cross in, he was expected to tuck inside if the midfield was getting overrun and provide a platform that allowed three players in the winger and two strikers to play further up the pitch. It was a stodgy sort of tactic but it got results when we needed them"
Alan Curbishley used Graham Stuart in a similar fashion. If anything, Cousins has a better engine than Stuart did and could be a success in that role (I'm not suggesting Cousins is a better player than Stuart). There's no reason why he couldn't nick a few goals by finishing off moves at the far-post.
As I said he's better suited in the centre and whether he tucked in or not when playing on the right he never looked as comfortable to me on that side of the pitch as on the left. He has a great engine and I would always have him on the team sheet but is wasted out wide. He also doesn't seem to like receiving and turning with the ball with his back to the opposition goal which a wide man is often expected to do. Just my opinion like.