Scottbot wrote:heimdall wrote:Scottbot wrote:heimdall wrote:How about this as a tactic: Throwing the ball more than 2 metres, maybe try and throw it over the head of a defender into the path of a rampaging Gerrard or Torres, it's worth trying now and then isn't it. Variety is the spice of life and all that.
Generally we are very very poor at set pieces which is a bit of a surprise considering we have a master tactician as a manager. it's obviously not something Rafa puts much weight in.
That is the type of sarcasm that should be reserved for aspects of our game that are GENUINELY lacking. Regardless of any other criticisms, please don't try and pretend that throw-ins are a big problem, that they are some sort of weakness, that the other top sides make a better job of them, that we desperately need to work on them, because it simply isn't true.
You see this is the kind of post that annoys the hell out of me, this is just having a go at me, it doesn't further the discussion at all. Where did I say that we are worse than other teams at throw ins? All I'm saying is that throw ins should be treated as a set piece and a lot more imagination should be employed, just look how well Stoke utilise their throw ins for example. Now not everybody has a long throw specialist but my point is that you can do a hell of a lot more with a throw in than MOST top teams do at present.
Oh get off yer high horse lad, it's not having a go at you at all. Simply responding to a post you made that was full of sarcasm and snipes at the manager which were not deserved in my opinion, it's one thing to have pop at his tactics, his subs, and his starting line-ups, he bloody deserves a fair amount of it but to then extend it to throw-ins!?! You then talk about using 'imagination' at throw-ins and use Stoke (a team that throw the ball as far as they can in the direction of the oppo goal-keeper every time they reach the half-way line) as an example?
Watch the mancs next time they play, watch Arsenal, see if they do anything particularly imaginative at throw-ins.
With respect
My point is not that they have to be imaginative with throw ins. Just effective will do.
Throw it to one of our players who has shown willingness to receive the ball in order to keep possession and stop the opposition from attacking or pass it on to someone who has got himself into a good attacking position to utilise the advantage gained.
Or
See it as a tedious break in the flow of passing and squander it by not being ars.ed if it sets up an attack or not.
In other words: "just get on with the game!"
Whether people see it as trivial or useless to talk about throw ins, they are an important aspect of football and can be used in many ways, sometimes to devastating effect.
I may be wrong here but who remembers the throw that Steve Nicol (?) took, I think it was against Blackburn, when the ball boy threw it to him in the final minute of the game. Nicol took the throw straight away and we scored and won. The ball boy was given so much stick because he gave the ball too quickly and lost his team the game because of it. (memory's shi.te to be honest but the example is to show how the urgency can be used to win a game)
