bigmick wrote:Yes I must confess the comments about the NBA along with the ESPN terminology did make me sit up and take notice as well. Look we've had a couple of goes here, and we're clearly going to differ which is fine. Your initial post though yesterday was unnecessarily out of order, and you've since proven that despite interesting phraseology you don't actually have anything insightful to add. Telling me yesterday that the manager doesn't change the team just to keep players fresh, he also does it to take into account the oppositions strengths and weaknesses is a good example. Do you honestly think that people don't realise that? It's whether or not they agree with the individual decisions and the extent of the changes which is the issue, not whether or not people know why he's doing it.
Now you include "steals" in your pressing of the ball analysis. Look, when you are pressing the football you must do so as a team, and it's really not best done by running around like a headless chicken. In actual fact, one of the reasons I don't like Kuyt up top is because he breaks up defensive patterns all the time when he runs around like a lunatic. He doubles up on players which are already covered and leaves holes. If he plays against good centre halves they simply walk into the spaces he's left behind and draw one of the midfielders in, creating a chain reaction which is hard to recover from. When you press the ball, it's not simply a free for all where everyone runs around a lot, you press certain players in certain areas and encourage the opposition to give it to their worst passers, then you leave him be and let him distribute it. Kuyt too often races in and the fella simply squares it and you're back to point one again. It's more complex than you imply, I'll leave it at that but don't be so abusive, there's no need for it.
Your first point in your list about Keane I don't know what to make of to be honest. You say that his form cannot be looked at in isolation from the team. Precisely what I've been on about. If Keane is playing well, THE TEAM have much more chance of winning football matches. Simple really.
Anyways, done to death this discussion and our little tete a tete. Pressing the ball though, and strikers not being judged by goals and assists? Feck me and then you come on here giving it the big un with me for taking drivel, I swear you couldn't make it up.
Its not about you or I, however much each us of us might be deluded about the imporatnce of our views or opinions. For us football is in many respects fantasy- we watch it, discuss it, dream about it, etc.
For the manager it is as real as you get. The decision level is about what works. Continued self righteous regurgitation of a contrary view is an unnecessary attempt at sophistry..
If dropping Keane leads to a 5-1 victory, the decision is validated. End of story....
Secondly, Keane cannot play well in isolation of the team. He is a part of a squad/team, whose needs at each stage trumps that of the individual.
