Booing off / Ironic cheering of Smallwood

I literally just said that...

Why are you pretending two players of vastly different ability can't be doing the same basic function relative to their levels?

It's nonsense logic.

 

I'm comparing Smallwood's six yard passes to Keane's six yard passes.

Are you going to pretend Keane could pass a ball six yards in a manner that was infinitely better than another player's basic six yard pass?

Because a six yard pass under no pressure is a six yard pass under no pressure no matter who's doing it. I would have thought that would be obvious?

But I get it. Keane was a legendary player, so him doing the exact same thing as Smallwood is great and awesome, but Smallwood doing it when he's not a legendary player makes it a terrible thing to do.

Make it make sense lol

 

Keane did his thing at the highest level in the game under much more pressure than Smallwood. Would you concede that?

 

I was on Manningham lane when we equalised I simply couldn't be arsed watching folk either booing or clapping yet another piss poor performance

 

Sure, and Keane was far, far, far better than Smallwood in every sense.

I'm not trying to compare the two players, just their role.

 

You're right, he doesn't have the same passion or tenacity or will to win as Keane.

It would be foolish to suggest they're similar in that particular sense.

 

The way Hughes sets the team up means there aren't many passes ever on.

Despite teams sitting back as MH alludes to, what does he do to try and counter that? Sit 5 or 6 in and around our own defensive line. It's impossible.

We have to take the ascendancy and go forwards as a team, we are more than capable of doing so as we have seen when we are often chasing the game. But even then, we revert back to the negative set up even when we get the goal.

It's dull, drab and ineffective and we're never going to win or dominate games playing with Hughes's tactics.

 

Yesterday's play was all made along a basic U-shape.

From one wing back, back across the back line, to the other wing back.

Harrogate sat in and defended while we navigated this U for the entire first half and most of the second.

When we did play it forward and try to pick out a run or play a diagonal ball, the forwards invariably miscontrolled or failed to get there.

It was awful.

 

I think you'd have been better picking someone like Carrick Jon. Keane used to travel with the ball and was a proper box to box midfielder, not just someone sitting and recycling possession.

 

I am not a Smallwood fan. However, yesterday he did pass forward the first 20 or so. He missed a couple and they started to put defenders on Halliday and Wilson. He reverted to pass backwards.
I don’t think he is a captain and needs to be released from that role. Hughes needs to come up with a plan to counteract the 10 men sitting behind the ball. . Speed and inter changing roles normally is enough to break it up. This needs practice and errors will occur but we can’t just roll over when a team comes with their plan A.

 

Smallwood spends more time facing Lewis than he does the opposition keeper. Its possession for possession sake and its no surprise there's no movement from the front 3 because the ball never arrives until they're marked. We need someone to drive forward and get us on the front foot. Not play pretty triangles with the centre halves. Walker at least drops back for the ball, but he shouldn't have to. One of Gilliead or Smallwood should play through the thirds.

 

There's loads of examples in cricket where the captain performed badly but kept his place, ultimately being ditched as Captain and returning to form. Botham is the prime example of that. Instead of dropping Smallwood, perhaps we should give him the chance without the armband and see if he can change. If he can't then bin him to the bench.

 

Not a huge fan of Smallwood and he is guilty of slowing the game down, passing sideways, backwards etc….
But, the movement out wide and in front of him is non existent.
When we get the ball, nobody looks to stretch full backs or make runs or show for the ball, they just stand still like dummies.
We’re slow as a team moving through the thirds, and nearly always the opposition have time to regroup.
Another problem is we never mix it up, the other team know full well we’ll play it short.
Go long sometimes, go direct or out wide, just anything to increase the tempo and make it less predictable

 

Totally agree with every word.

 

I don't disagree with that, but there have been occasions when the players themselves look to be getting frustrated with this style of play. As captain shouldn't Smallwood make the players feelings known to the manager? (although for all I know he has and been ignored). I heard that both MacDonald and Stubbs have aired their feelings to MH during recent matches. This should be the captains job. It's still wrong to boo / cheer when he was taken off

 

I thought he was slowing it down because he was shagged out.It was about 30 minutes played.
City had tried to break quickly??? just before that and then lost the ball.Harrogate countered and Smallwood was blowing out of his arse.

 

I’m not sure taking the armband off him will make a jot of difference.
Anybody who watched a city game for the first time and missed the toss up before the game wouldn’t know from watching 90 minutes who was the captain.
In fact they’d probably say Stubbs as he’s the only one who seems to do any shouting or bollocking of players.
Although when he did it a few matches ago Osadebe just shrugged his shoulders and waved his arms in defiance of anybody having a go at him.
Smallwood doesn’t show any leadership qualities whatsoever when he’s got the armband,so not sure what will change if he’s not captain.
As has been pointed out constantly,he’s obeying orders from the manager.
All that taking the armband of him does is turn him in to a player who’s obeying orders-but without an armband.