I get where you are coming from and I agree on some points. The snobbish part is saying "we didn't play football" when you mean you didn't like the way we played football. That's all I was saying.
I've just seen some stats that I can remember and Val won 8 out of his first 13 league games for us so I'm amazed that you'd doubt him.
You are full on correct. It was still football. It was likeable because of the obvious effort, and because it worked in terms of results. My own personal opinion is that it was often painful on the eye, but perhaps it is not so bad if, as is the case with many, you do not watch the Premier League/Champions League stuff on tv . Cos if you don't, you don't know what the more aesthetically pleasing alternative ways of playing football are. Even if your own team's efforts are but a pale imitation of this, at the moment we'd take wins if it meant booting it up front without bothering with a midfield. Which we did.
This. We currently appear to have no shape or formation or at least not one the players are aware of. We tap it between the defenders not creating any space then eventually boot it randomly up front. Far worse quality of football then last season. We then played directly and efficiently with a plan. This is the worst kind of non football.
Loved the style of football last season. We were always trying to make something happen. That cant be said this season.
I honestly don’t think it would make that much difference. We’re missing too many ingredients - not just the head chef.
What about not playing football & getting hammered every game & not scoring goals, is that any good..?
I agree with pretty much everything else you say in this post, but this is rewriting history. Some of the attacking balls we played under Val were god awful. Too much smashing it willy nilly when inside the opposition half was pretty much my only criticism of how we played last season.
Here we go again... Some of the football played under Ismael last season was the worst I've ever seen from any professional team, Barnsley or otherwise. If anybody wants to argue go back and rewatch Millwall, Birmingham, Rotherham at home and Coventry away just for a start. Fair enough if your bag is seeing us win and high energy you probably liked it but in terms of flowing, entertaining football some of it was an assault on the eyes. Ismael did an amazing job though, probably the best exhibition of managerial ability I've ever seen ar Oakwell and right now I'd love him back here as I'm convinced he'd sort out the current crisis with ease.
And I'll follow up the above post in anticipation if the inevitable abd interminable "ooh, I suppose you'd rather watch us play tippy tappy and lose every week" comments. NO!!! I WOULDN'T!!!! Barnsley of 1977 to 1982, 1997/98, 2000, 2016 Brazil 1970, 1982 Holland 1974 and 78 Ajax of the 70s Man Utd 1968 France of the 1980s Plus many more ALL played winning football that was good to watch. And before anybody says you can't compare Barnsley with Brazil because of the resource difference, that's why I quoted four Barnsley squads...when it WAS like watching Brazil.
I don't get to see our striker play 35 yard back passes to our goalkeeper though its more comedy value watching us this season.
I think the issue was… we didn’t have the players do do anything else. They were the strengths that he used his managerial knowledge to get the best results for the team. If you watch West Brom, although they play a high press… it’s not the same tactics we employed. So for everyone complaining about the football, I think he did the best option for the team in front of him…. Unlike our current manager who thinks it’s a great idea to play a ball from the keeper to his full back in the six yard box from a goal kick. When there are 3 players pressing him….