Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: (a) v Wrexham League (Carabao) Cup 2nd Round - Tue 29 August 2023 7.45pm

Cup night, anything can happen.
I feel a giant killing is on .
2-1 to us.

 

Hoping to see another away allocation tonight. Can't wait!

The last few home games have seen plenty of goals, mainly to Foster being far too old that his body can no longer cope. The last home game V Swindon typified that, when he came out and said he was to retire again. Now we have Mark Howard in goal who is no spring chick at 36 (turns 37 in a few weeks) but is competent for what we need. Defence is ok (honest....) but our midfield trio lets them down and we normally let you run at us whilst wondering through said midfield and we have no answer for it.

I'd imagine we'd have a shake up at the back with Hayden or Tunnicliffe making an appearance in defence. Hayden scored 11 or 12 goals before he got injured against Sheff U in the 4th round of the cup. An incredible leap to win headers. Just what we are missing from Tozers long throw.

Forward line i'd imagine it'd be Palmer and Bickerstaff (a 21 kid who has come through the ranks) - the latter being described by Parky as the best finisher at the club. He didn't do that on the weekend when he tickled the ball at the keeper with a glorious 1 on 1 situation against Barrow away.

 

Can we leave Hughes in Wales and bundle Parky back home on the team bus?

 

Bobby Pointon on for Patttison

 

A penalty shoot out win doesnt count as a win according to some on here!

W4 D1 L2.....not a disastrous start to the season by any means.

Well done boys.

 

Good. Maybe he has got the message after that Morecambe horror show and then been dropped.

Let's hope he can kick on and prove to be the player we thought we were getting

 

Interesting few days the cup draw and the last couple of days of the window

 

Oh yeah, just had flashbacks to that wonderful league cup win against Everton and Arsenal....

 

‘You’re the worst team ever honest, and I’m not bothered we lost in a crappy cup we don’t care about despite being the only club to sell out in the second round honest’

 

Before the draw is made can I be the first to moan about not been able to get a ticket or reserve my usual seat please??

 

Good crowd, winnable.
Make tickets a tenner and get as many in as possible.
Give them Midland Road.
They took 3000 to Bolton last night so no issues selling 4000 at Valley Parade.

 

We have jus played two teams with 24 goal between them so far and conceded 1 that suggests we defended well doesn’t it?

 

I believe you have coaching badges Ian so what's the logic behind have all your players back at corners, lets take the lad Smith as an example what does he offer with regards defending headers, he has pace so surely him near the halfway line make the opposition keep at least one defender back to mark Smith if we win the corner and play it to him.

 

A good question Dave. It's certainly the modern thing to do.

The corner itself is one of the most direct attacking positions that leads to chances and therefore goals. An unopposed cross into the goalmouth. The idea being that you are very unlikely to turn the defending of a corner into an attacking situation by having somebody outside the box (statistically) so little point in having one, plus the number of extra defensive bodies in the box should limit the attacking threat. Extra defenders to defend the unopposed cross.

The idea of the zonal marking is that the defending is not then a 1 on 1 whereby if the defender loses the battle it can lead to a good goalscoring opportunity. The defender is not fixated on an attacker and watching him but can watch and focus on the ball and judge the flight etc to clear if it comes in their zone.

Theory appears sound but I see that, in practice, it doesn't work, in my opinion. It allows additional attackers in the box which creates a greater threat rather than negate it. It also allows the attackers a free run and jump at the ball against static defenders. It does also allow the attacking team to potentially target an area in the box where the weaker or smaller defenders are, creating more of a threat. As Vin Weasil alluded to also, it leaves you open to short corners where the defenders don't want to leave their 'zone' as that is their job!! We saw that at Burton last season where they did it several times and we just stood and watched!! It also creates greater threat and pressure from the second and subsequent phases as the ball is more likely to come straight back into the box due to the unpressured attacking team retrieving the ball. I think this is the most dangerous element to it as the ball will be coming back into a 'transitional' box where the defence and the defenders are not set or in position. A more chaotic box that the ball gets returned into.

It's not for me!!

 

The extra 'phases' are a huge issue for me. Time and again from set pieces we have to defend 3 and sometimes 4 crosses because we have no outlet and generally the extra phase crosses are even more dangerous because we haven't yet recovered the shape and there's zero pressure on the ball.

 

It’s gonna be bleeding Harrogate away whoever we want

 

They will still pick the Wrexham game.

 

Definately beatable. A good chance to qualify for R3. Would have preferred the home tie though. Or maybe not...