R17: Brisbane Roar vs Mariners, in Brisvegas

[tsd]

I don't want to alarm anyone, but we've played the same style of football for at least three years, probably longer.

We aren't negative as such, but we can play for extended periods without the ball relatively comfortably because of the basic shape of our defence.

We drop into a neat 4-4-2, and we sit our strikers high between the opposition's fullbacks and centre backs. The two banks of 4 sit close together to close up space, and force the other team to play around us or over us. It's a defensive formula that yields exceptional results, but it often means we spend extended periods watching the other team knock the ball around on the halfway line.

In possession, we aren't generally cavalier - we'll find spaces where we can and often use diagonal balls to expose a fullback who's drifted too narrowly and either beat him down the flank or release a player inside him as the other team's defence slides over. But if this isn't on, we're often pretty happy to keep the ball in triangles fairly deep waiting for the other side to press too high (this is the bit where I'm cheering Hutch while other people are shouting to get it forward). When they do, we send the quicker passes and try to exploit the space they've opened up in their own structure.

It's most evident when we get the ball to a fullback and the opponent thinks they've got an opportunity to press. We very very often find a ball to a CB or Hutch, who then switches with a square ball to a fullback to bomb up the other flank. We expose space by inviting them to one side, and then hit on the other.

I get why this is called negative, but it's more about control. We want to control the play without the ball (denying options); we want to control the play with the ball (waiting for options). It's important for us particularly with such a thin squad - we can't be all action, we can't run all day - we have neither the legs to burn nor the available cover to do it.

So we slow the game down and try to bring it back to our pace. This is of course exacerbated when you go to Brisbane and play the top team in the country in the hardest conditions.

When we struggle most is when we play another fairly patient team - like Wanderers - they don't press as high and they don't give up their shape. That's why we created a few more genuine chances yesterday than we typically do against Wanderers.

The voice of reason

Quality posts like this is why I come here and ditched Facebook

 

[nebakke]

to be honest, I was watching the game through the blur of a forthcoming migraine so miniscule detail eluded me...BUT.. I thought the Roar were gonna decimate us, and thats not a knock on our boys, but the Snore do have Broich on form and Ferret head was back in the squad...so I'm happy we held them out till 87 or so mins....agreed, AC isnt a #10, put him back were he belongs...and Fitzy was brilliant, had the feeling there was a get square going on there, he got a touch up or two off Donachie...Bernie done good when he came on ....I hope this suspension of Monty's doesnt preclude him from further arm band wearing in the future

MoM..Fitzy

This... ALL of this... I thought we'd come out with either a 5-0 or a 0-5 decimation, one or the other, first more likely than the latter, hence the firing up the other day So obviously that means that my appreciation of the game is roughly on par with that of you Recky - when you have a migraine

So as a whole, I actually still think it was a positive look... I don't hold with the thought that you should always play the same style of football, that's almost as ridiculous as the notion from last year, that you should ALWAYS play out from the back... That doesn't make the game entertaining as much as it makes it predictable, especially if you try to play out the way we were pressured last night - and we did do it a couple of times. Wtf would you play out if there are five opponents standing in front of you? That's just asking for trouble.
Adapting your style to the circumstances is a force not a weakness in my book... Especially when circumstance is the loss of some of your strongest resources immediately before the game.

 

[gull]

Surprisingly negative tonight, considering the great stuff you played against the Jest. Simon flops about asking for fouls a lot for a bloke of his build, if he attempted to stay on his feet more he and the team would have benefited. Wondered why Ibini wasn't played through the middle, if I were Moss I'd have started him and played him up front so his tracking back was a non-issue and he could burst onto the longballs heaved up all night, rather than being isolated or outnumbered when making the same runs from a wide position.

Mind you, glad he didn't do it that way, 7 points and a game on WSW, 10 clear of you lot... Not long left.

Good to see a healthy contingent of away support at Suncorp as always, hope those of you with PTSD from 2011 who haven't returned do so soon. Looked like they were having a blast - at least in the first half.

I think you'll find it's called tactics...

 

[nebakke]

In possession, we aren't generally cavalier - we'll find spaces where we can and often use diagonal balls to expose a fullback who's drifted too narrowly and either beat him down the flank or release a player inside him as the other team's defence slides over. But if this isn't on, we're often pretty happy to keep the ball in triangles fairly deep waiting for the other side to press too high (this is the bit where I'm cheering Hutch while other people are shouting to get it forward). When they do, we send the quicker passes and try to exploit the space they've opened up in their own structure.

It's most evident when we get the ball to a fullback and the opponent thinks they've got an opportunity to press. We very very often find a ball to a CB or Hutch, who then switches with a square ball to a fullback to bomb up the other flank. We expose space by inviting them to one side, and then hit on the other.

I get why this is called negative, but it's more about control. We want to control the play without the ball (denying options); we want to control the play with the ball (waiting for options). It's important for us particularly with such a thin squad - we can't be all action, we can't run all day - we have neither the legs to burn nor the available cover to do it.

So we slow the game down and try to bring it back to our pace. This is of course exacerbated when you go to Brisbane and play the top team in the country in the hardest conditions.

This sir, is awesome it explains that whole thing of sitting with my heart in my throat for the entirety of so many games. It was a bit of a learning curve over the last couple of seasons to learn to trust the defence, I think. Especially with Maty between the sticks, we have had games where we've - deliberately - played the ball around our own box for a bit, before launching a counter... I'm not saying that's where all opposition chances come from, but sometimes it feels like the stuff that is classed as a chance, is actually a well-calculated defensive move. There was a single example that I can think of, yesterday when one of the Roar players - can't remember who - got a shot off past Rosie and Ando.. The commentators were extremely excited about the chance at the time, but looking at the replay, he was quite a bit past goal and, had he been on target, he would've fired it right into the defenders... It looked like a chance in the heat of the moment, but there's no way that ball was ever hitting the goal as I saw it.
We're better at it sometimes than other obviously, but it is underlined by the comment of one of the guys that I went to the Jest game with, who said that he didn't really feel like the Jest were ever going to score, in spite of their chances... It just wasn't in the air... I'm wondering if that is part of what happens in these situations.

Obviously, there's no need to make us seem better than we are, and so, this isn't always what happens and it doesn't always work, but it does seem to explain a couple of things to me tactically So thank you for that.

 

[gull]

Then why post a comment like::

"WTF Hutch!? That one was entirely on you!"

I am utterly sick and tired of reading the posters on this forum death riding. It happened a few years ago with Kwas being the whipping boy then three years ago when serious began the first hate attack on Hutch.

This year it has been Charlesworth who saved the club from possible extinction and then round two on Hutch.

Many of the posters here do not realise which side their bread is buttered on but are more than happy to sit back and abuse those who bleed sweat and dollars for their entertainment.

I have been on this forum(under 2 different handles) since the month after it kicked off the year before the A-League started. And followed the team since the first trial game at Christie Park.

I thank Adz and Dibo for competently organizing a great forum, but there are too many idiots posting here who would rather knock than support that take away the enjoyment.

It is time I followed the path taken by so many others with whom one used to be able to have an intelligent discusstion and unbiased analyses of the games, the players and the club

Oh dear - people on a public forum don't agree with me so they aren't allowed to have an opinion.

Most posters "death riding" have actually backed up their posts with fact, figures or reasons. Certainly there are others that don't but that's not going to change.

Some of us have also been following the team since pre-season year 1, but that doesn't make us any more or less entitled to an opinion, or any more right or wrong about it than anyone else.

 

[tsd]

Another positive would be that Reddy's distribution seems to have climbed a level or two, had to hit a lot of balls long to the sidelines, a few went over but most hit their man well

 

[Roy Law]

It does bring a smile when I see Seib called Seive; is than onomatopoeic?

 

[Roy Law]

Oh; that should read is that onomatopoeic...that'll teach me to try to e a smart arse

 

[Wombat]

I thought we played quite well and we worked hard but Brisbane have more quality than us currently and we looked like we were playing for a draw.

Our midfield was dominated and created very little but they did smother well.

The back four worked extremely hard and did well as a unit.


Reddy 7. Would have been my MOM had he stopped the Gypo scoring the winner.
Roux 5.5. A bit sloppy with his passing, needs to practice hitting feet with every pass.
Siep 6. Did a reasonable job
Ando 7. Pretty good game.
Rose 7. Tried hard but did get mugged on the first goal.
Monty 6. Worked hard but not up to his usual standard.
Hutcho 6.5. Reasonable to good(in patches). Tried to rally his troops.
Caceras 7. Worked very hard. Our long ball game didn't suit him but more creative than Hutch and Monty.
Fitz 8. MOM. Showing great belief now. He was basically our only creative outlet until Bernie came on.
Sterj. 7. Decent game.
Simon 6.5. Hacked all game. He defended from the front and worked like a Trojan.

 

[Arnie]

What rating did you give Dukey, wombat?

 

[Wombat]

Arnie,
duke wasn't on long enough to get a score but he very nearly drew us the game with a clever strike.
I'm a big wrap on him and would be playing him in my starting 11 as part of a two pronged strike force with Matt Simon.

 

[eenfish]

I'm with ya Wombat, really surprised Dukey didn't get the start.

 

[Big Al]

Waste to start Duke - Was never going to get any decent ball.

He just needs to learn when motoring ahead with the defence on his shoulder or just behind as he approaches the goalie that if he hits at that point there is a good chance it will be out of control as happens most times. Either needs to direct the dribble infront of the defender so gets a penalty if taken down or stop the ball & cut back to give more goal to shoot at & better control of the ball.

When he has time he hits it so sweetly but when the ball is rolling as fast as he is running it will always end in the stands.

He was used correctly IMO - there to chase the game if required or be ready for the counter if we were in front or even. Simon is much better with his body when the long ball comes his way (his height helps too).

Would like to see some balls on the ground that roll past the strikers & let them hit it

 

[Jaundice]

Waste to start Duke - Was never going to get any decent ball.

He just needs to learn when motoring ahead with the defence on his shoulder or just behind as he approaches the goalie that if he hits at that point there is a good chance it will be out of control as happens most times. Either needs to direct the dribble infront of the defender so gets a penalty if taken down or stop the ball & cut back to give more goal to shoot at & better control of the ball.

When he has time he hits it so sweetly but when the ball is rolling as fast as he is running it will always end in the stands.

He was used correctly IMO - there to chase the game if required or be ready for the counter if we were in front or even. Simon is much better with his body when the long ball comes his way (his height helps too).

Would like to see some balls on the ground that roll past the strikers & let them hit it

We love duke but he has horrible touches and cant keep the ball at his feet. IMO this is a big reason he will never live up to his hype until he sorts this out.

 

[Big Al]

If he was playing for brisbane or MV who would give him the ball in places strikers dream of he would reach it.

Also we haven't given him a good run at striker. Was super sub last year & wasted on the wing this year. Should have been leading the line while Simon was getting match fit.

Do believe both Rosey & Dukey have gone back words this year

 

[priorpeter]

I've only just sobered up enough from this trip to work the computer.
A lot of what I'd say has been said already - but jaysus we were absolutely toothless in the final third. Apparently only 24 passes completed in the final third? Eek.

Seems Dukey has gone backwards this year indeed. Apparently he and Mossy aren't exactly getting along at all, and dukey is "praying for an offer from O/S" after the world cup.

Thought Ibini was shit, looked disinterested. Couple of times picked up the ball and with space to run into just walked - literally. Was frustrating to watch.

And I continue my run of interstate away trips this season where we haven't won. I'm thinking I'll can the rest of the trips I had planned.

 

[Wombat]

I've only just sobered up enough from this trip to work the computer.
A lot of what I'd say has been said already - but jaysus we were absolutely toothless in the final third. Apparently only 24 passes completed in the final third? Eek.

Seems Dukey has gone backwards this year indeed. Apparently he and Mossy aren't exactly getting along at all, and dukey is "praying for an offer from O/S" after the world cup.

Thought Ibini was shit, looked disinterested. Couple of times picked up the ball and with space to run into just walked - literally. Was frustrating to watch.

And I continue my run of interstate away trips this season where we haven't won. I'm thinking I'll can the rest of the trips I had planned.

PP....I saw you on the box with about 30 other hardy souls and was impressed with the great support but I'm not getting the Ibini comments?Maybe it looked different at the game but apart from Fitzgerald he looked like our ONLY player capable of beating an opponent.
Interesting perspective?.....to me he looks a level above the likes of many of his team-mates.

 

[Capt. Awesome]

PP....I saw you on the box with about 30 other hardy souls and was impressed with the great support but I'm not getting the Ibini comments?Maybe it looked different at the game but apart from Fitzgerald he looked like our ONLY player capable of beating an opponent.
Interesting perspective?.....to me he looks a level above the likes of many of his team-mates.

Yes I thought Ibini had his best game do far. You should start next week.

 

[priorpeter]

Might've been the 40 or so ciders pre-game, but that's just how it seemed watching from the ground. I'm probably just picking on one or two instances I saw live, to be fair, would need to watch again.

 

[Big Al]

Think what your saying is off the ball stuff u only see at the game. When he had the ball he looked electric but maybe his drive without it is what you saw