I like Collins's sheethousery as it takes the pressure off. I agree about us not hanging on the ball though and hoofing it when we could pass. There were times last night where it just invited pressure.
How many of the games in 2021 have you seen? The 'hoofball' tag started to develop late November/early December, but since the turn of the year we've not been a hoofball team at all and far smarter and easier on the eye. The quality of the January additions and emergence of Palmer is clear to see. I think the way we beat Norwich in the cup gave the players, and Val, the belief that we could start going toe to toe with these sides and come out on top. The quality of football, and entertainment, has been far better. I was a bit bewildered in some of those games granted, but none of the last 2-3 months.
The hoof ball tag from some opposition and our fans is lazy observation imo . We don’t hoof it without purpose then fight for the second ball (although this happens now and again) we play it into an area where we fight for first ball and then play one touch football in the correct (from our point of view ) areas of the pitch .
If you don't like the style of football... and I'm not keen on it, it goes against the grain of everything I associate with the Reds at their best.. then I suspect history will offer a solution. One way or another, managers only seem to last one season at Oakwell.
To be fair hecky had joe williams and Harvey Barnes and it was hecky who brought in all the midfielders and played Bradshaw as a lone striker.
Every red button game, Watford (H), Tranmere and Chelsea. Last night had plenty of hoof, especially in the second half. And I define hoof as aimlessly kicking the ball up the field into touch, to the opposition keeper or just anywhere in general. The annoyance is there are pockets where we can look good on the ball and thats when we look most threatening. But they are much in the minority over a 90 minute period in the games I've seen. And they include matches in the last few weeks.
I don't really have an issue with the style of play at the moment. We've got to remember this manager hasn't had a pre season with these players and since he's joined we've pretty much had 2 games a week so very little time to work on everything - we're very much work in progress. We know the team have the talent to play a more possession style game as they proved under Struber. It would be good to think that in the coming 12 months they can combine that aesthetic with the resilience and pragmatism that we're currently seeing. At the moment though I'm just enjoying the ride. I love this team - it's work rate and the camaraderie is unsurpassed and I hope the composure will improve as the team develops and progresses.
We certainly play less attractive football than we have for a number of years, but I suspect most of us will live happily with that while the results are great, and we don't tend to get ambushed by teams who press us as we try to pass it about between our defenders any more - Preston at Oakwell last year springs to mind. The worst football by far in my 40+ years of watching the Reds was the season just after we got relegated in 2002 . There were extenuating circumstances I know - we were in admin and struggled by with free transfers of players nobody else wanted. Glyn Hodges was the manager and we were pathetic. I remember one match against Northampton - they were absolutely terrible but we were even worse. We lost 1-0 and deservedly so. For much of that season we looked like goners. I still have nightmares remembering those times.
All about opinions but it wasn't hoofball to me. Two competitive, fairly matched teams where our Head Coach got the better of their one tactically by making adjustments at half time to nullify their strategy of balls over the top. We were fairly dominant in that second half and should have won by a more comfortable scoreline playing some decent football. War of attrition first half mind.
