Pep and the EFL

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

23 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Nah fuck that. It's way better waiting around for 10 minutes to see whether VAR will allow the goal.

Or give a penalty.

[philipl]

I like the way JDT has us playing now.

Hated the crawl sideways slow passing across the back but now Rovers zip it about and it is clear the players are looking fir a player in space who can develop that space and players are giving the man on the ball far more options.

[smiller14]

I must say I love the football we've been playing recently. We've lacked a finisher up top but it's far more pragmatic than it was in the first half of last season - it's direct when it needs to be and we pass less often to players who are in no position to receive the ball.

I've noticed football at every level has changed. Playing it short from the keeper was so rare once upon a time - now you'll see it at semi pro level. 

The movement towards a Pep style of football has killed off individualism in some cases though. Look at Grealish - he was so exciting to watch, but is now just very functional and is part of a well oiled machine. 

As mentioned on the thread, the old ways aren't gone completely. The Dingles had some success in the Prem in the last decade playing a more 'old fashioned' style, and of course Luton went up. I do miss seeing chalk on the boots wingers though, they're largely a dying breed now. 

More generally, football discussion now is dominated by stats. You'll see people talking about players like Tugay, Scholes and even Xavi and Iniesta. They'll talk about 'assists' and their lack of them (compared to other midfielders), not knowing that these players often had matches on strings for 90 minutes and basically orchestrated the entire game. I remember Tugay making Gerrard look like a muppet, playing it to MGP who set up McCarthy. Of course Tugay didn't get an assist, but we all know who was the key man in that goal. Stats are clearly important, but sometimes the 'eye' tells you a lot more, and some of the more modern fans will do well to realise that!

Styles come and go in football. I reckon in 10 years a big team will use traditional wingers and they'll be lauded as a maverick/genius. 

[Erased Citizen]

2 hours ago, smiller14 said:

Styles come and go in football. I reckon in 10 years a big team will use traditional wingers and they'll be lauded as a maverick/genius. 

The first signs of this a probably already taking root. Looking at City vs Arsenal, both teams have become so adept at pressing each other and making it harder for the other one to play out from the back that you can see numerous examples in those games of City going long to Haaland or Raya hitting long diagonals to Saka/Martinelli.

They both will still mainly play out from the back against inferior teams as the equation is still "We have better players than them, if we have the ball more we have a better chance of scoring"

[speeeeeeedie]

On 15/10/2023 at 04:26, Mattyblue said:

Those were the days

https://x.com/bryansgunn/status/1713448693280440366?s=46&t=0qpJAzFbB4pruhsuQZIcKg

That was absolutely fascinating to watch. There was no other strategy other than to get it as high and as far up the park as possible. They look like NFL punters, but it used to be the norm.

I doubt that it will ever return. Law changes and keeper confidence with a ball at their feet aren't going away. 

On 16/10/2023 at 17:27, simongarnerisgod said:

at least anyone of a certain age can remember fondly those big matches,standing on a packed terrace,watching through pouring rain,endless chanting and shouting,two sides going at it full on,hard but fair and a ref who let the game flow and going absolutely mental when we scored😊

As someone who grew up watching and playing football in post Heysel England, I experienced first-hand all the changes that the game went through. I have to say that the changes were for the better, although would stadiums have modernised as quicky as they did without the Taylor report? 

Going to Ewood as a 10 or 11 year old was a surreal experience. Barbed wire. High fences. The worst toilets imaginable. But it was the norm for the game at the time. 

Players have changed too. Individual fitness and technique has improved across the board* General thuggery is no longer part of the game. Although I do agree that individual flair has been sacrificed. I had a chat with a Premier league coach (maybe former now) a few years back. One of the things he said was that Riyad Mahrez was a throwback to a bygone era. His summation as to why was because he was picked up relatively late so was able to develop skills without interruption from others. The irony of the conversation was not lost on me when he signed for Guardiola who preaches system above all.

*I'm not saying that players who played in the past wouldn't now, they would as they had enough skill to be a professional. That would not change. 

[simongarnerisgod]

7 minutes ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Going to Ewood as a 10 or 11 year old was a surreal experience. Barbed wire. High fences. The worst toilets imaginable. But it was the norm for the game at the time.

you forgot to mention the dodgy stale pies and strange looking tea/coffee they used to serve😀,those toilets in the blackburn end😷,they were truly a health hazard,all part of the fun though,if you gave me a choice now id`e still rather stand on the old blackburn end

[Upside Down]

Was talking to my dad the other week. He'd been delivering some doors to Kennilworth Road.

He said that as bad as Ewood ever was, it was nowhere near as bad as that shit hole.