Barnsley stats

Tapping the ball along the back 4 - Lee Johnson-esque? I don't think so.

It isn't, you'll need to start watching the games with a open mind

I don't understand what you're saying here. Are we cheating, swindling, playing beyond the rules of football. Are we using all 9 substitutes, when all other teams are allowed only 5. Are we rolling around like we've been shot every time an opposition player comes within a yard. Are we spending money we don't have or borrowing money and not paying it back. Are we not paying our players and staff. Do we owe money to other football teams. I think not

 

Surely you have to agree that some of the games are awful to watch. If it were Wednesday we'd be ridiculing them. Some games we play well though. I'd just prefer to be rational about what I'm watching.
As a way of moving to the next level I can go with it but, long term, the way we played in some games recently as regular fare....not for me.

 

I disagree with you , my take on it is that we do get the ball forward long & fast but it is deliberate with a view to get it into the final third & then play our football , over the season we have played some cracking football in the final third sometimes resulting goals , as was the case with the third goal last night & Friezers goal at Hillsboro are two examples . You are obviously frustrated with this style & that is fair enough , I was the same when we used tap it about at the back & inevitably getting caught with the ball , I used to be pulling my hair out , it infuriated me , its alright playing text book football if you have the payers to do it but we do not & for that matter neither does any other championship club , that class of footballer ply their trade at top level.

 

Tapping around at the back is equally infuriating I agree.
There is a middle ground though occupied by the teams of Clarke, Hunter, Wilson, Heckingbottom where the football was a joy to watch.

 

Some of the recent games (Derby and Birmingham particularly) were turgid affairs, but I thought that last night was an exciting game to watch.
It was end to end in patches, there was a bit of controversy (both in our favour and not in our favour), there were periods of sustained attacking from us where we were passing around the opposition penalty box and they kept giving away corners. There were some good balls played into the box that were well defended by Wycombe, and despite them being another direct team, they tried to win the game. That's why we looked a better team against Chelsea than we did against Derby.
The games that have been worst to watch have been the ones where teams have come to Oakwell looking to draw. Our tactics rely on us out numbering teams in their own half and teams that stick 11 men behind the ball are difficult to score against, and if they have very quick attackers we're susceptible to a quick break.

 

Wycombe get outplayed by everyone, thats why they are bottom. They've had these tactics for years in league 1. I'm just believing my eyes.

 

It's a work in progress though, don't forget VI's been here less than 6 months and had very little time with teh players due to playing 2 games a week. It's growing on me, I must admit, plus we've played some lovely stuff the last two away games. Also don't forget the other team has a say in what tactics they use, which ultimately affects our style and tactics. The other team doesn't turn up and say "here you go lads" play what you like...

 

Without the ball, this is the most effective pressing team I've seen from a Barnsley side and without doubt the fittest. It's freakish and you can't help thinking at some point someone is going to find the right tactic that leaves us hopelessly exposed and give us an absolute drubbing, but they haven't found it yet. Wycombe turned us a few times and got a couple of good crosses in when doing that but just couldn't manage it.

My issue has always been when we have the ball. I've no issue when under pressure to clear your lines, or if in an awkward position take safety first. All sensible, all what fans would hope and expect. But its when there is no pressure on the ball at all that makes my heart sink.

There were two points last night that I thought really highlighted what we do. For the first time that I think i've witnessed, Collins rolled the ball out to Sollbauer. I was slightly amazed. I thought, hmm, this is better than 30 seconds of time wasting and kicking it straight into touch or to the other keeper. Then with no pressure on the ball it was hoofed forward to nobody and we lost possession.

Then another point in the first half, the only time in the game, there was a quick spell of 4 or 5 first time crisp passes that opened up space for a player to advance from the midfield left (I think it was Mowatt)... who then hoofed it with no pressure on the ball into touch.

I can understand some of the suggestions that we haven't had billions to spend. But Mowatt, Morris, Brittain, Styles, Palmer, Kane and Chaplin all like playing to feet and under Struber we did that and did it quite well for large parts. As with Stendel, the thing that let us down was overplaying at the back and poor decision making. Coupled with only having Woodrow as a threat up front.

But anyway, as I've said before, I'm delighted so many are enjoying this, even though I'm not.

 

Agreed to an extent. I've got a long answer but I've got garden emergencies so I'll maybe do it later.

 

Giving the ball away with short passing is just as frustrating as giving the ball away needlessly with hoofing it into touch or to the opposition goalkeeper.

I don't expect text book football though, and I'm not sure what that is anyway as there is so much variation possible. I guess what I've always enjoyed is trying our best with the resources we've got to play the most attractive football within our gift. Every coach I've witnessed has tried that. And direct has often been in our DNA. But direct in terms of purpose, on attacking the opponent, not direct in length of pass. In fact as i think about it... perhaps this is more the issue. We largely don't pass with intent, we don't value possession to use it to do damage. We more often play territory and for situations. To win a set piece, to get a "long" throw. To put a hopeful ball into an area. To give the ball back to reset a defensive line. They are all the opposite of what I enjoy. And the bits I do enjoy, of attacking and actually picking out a man, or a clever bit of movement are extremely rare. They exist, but they are rare.

 

I understand what you're saying, I do. We're playing to the percentages, as when we lose the ball in your more "traditional" style the opposition has got the ball in the middle of our half of the pitch, hence more likely to have a scoring opportunity. VIs way, they have the ball in their half of the pitch, where we can now press them with our high press and IF WE get the ball back we have a higher likelihood of a goal scoring opportunity. Other teams have resorted to the "long ball" to counteract our high press, so it results in a game of ping pong. Is it Barnsley's fault that the opposition have resorted to long ball - No. We're playing the odds.

How many times have we said We've won 7 2nd Tier League games on the spin - Never.
How many times have we said We've won 5 away 2nd Tier League games on the spin - Never
How many times have we said We've gone 12 2nd Tier League games unbeaten - Only Once before in 2001/2.
How many times have we said We've won 9 2nd Tier away games in a season - Only Twice before

Enjoy the ride, we might end up in the Premier League

 

With the greatest of respect, it's quite a leap for your comments on how we played last night to have much value when you didn't watch the game.

 

It wasn't like those games at all

 

This is the camp I'm in.

Historically I've been a strong advocate of possession based football and respecting the ball. I didn't think any other way of playing could be enjoyable to watch. Buy I'm enjoying what we're doing and how we're doing it. We play fast one touch football in the opposition's third and percentage football in the rest of the pitch. I've accepted that and I'm comfortable with it.

 

I share DWLC's viewpoint, but I'm such a fickle two-hat that I'll take the wins, thank you very much. It isn't pretty and I'm not enjoying the games much either; it's certainly not that euphoric rush you got watching Stendel's side move the ball around quickly and peppering the opposition goal. I don't even think we're pressing anymore, apart from that mad dash to the halfway line when the ball goes long. But the really, really annoying thing is that you know we're capable - lots of players, front-to-back, who we know are comfortable on the ball. We get brief flashes, every now and again, but the up & under stuff quickly takes over. My worry is that we've painted ourselves into a corner with it - nowhere else to go. Teams come with a plan to counter it, so why not surprise them and play a bit more football? I'll repeat, I'll take the wins every day of the week, no matter how they're achieved, but my heart is desperate to see a bit more of the beautiful game.

 

2001/2 was Parkin's team and a lot of the unbeaten games were draws and that run failed to stop us going down.

 

I know, I was there....

but a 12 game unbeaten run is still a 12 game unbeaten run, even if there are 7 draws

 

Is it the oppositions fault we play percentages and hoof it into touch or to the goalkeeper? There are two teams in every game and both are needed to make a spectacle. It sounds like there may have been a handful of games (none of which I've seen first hand) where there was a chance of a spectacle. And that means we're to blame in that. It's also expected that to try and counteract our crazy high line, that teams go long.

Of course it's a tactical game, and an individual game too, so sparring and trying to find something to exploit is part and parcel of the game. I'm just not very proud of how we play our part.

As for the stats, it doesn't matter to me at all. I'd take much more pride in those if this was Stendels brand of football, or Heckingbottom before we lost our core of players, but this..... I don't take pride at all because its the sort of football I've never ever wanted at Oakwell. I never wanted a McCarthy, a Harris, a Warnock, a Pulis, and thats what we've got, well, worse actually, because even those managers have used a target man to try and build from, we don't, we'd rather the opposition goalkeeper have the ball instead of our centre forward bring it down. But because we're winning, it's ignored and glossed over.

The timewasting is ignored, the pinching yardage at throwins is condoned as everyone does it, the hoofing is accepted because we haven't a £10m player and well... the pitch and so on it goes.

Anyway, I've said my piece. I still want us to do as well as we can, obviously. But the joy just isn't there at all for me right now.

 

Bravo

 

Love how desperate you are to find faults this season because there is little to throw at the ownership at the moment. Just enjoy it.