srsmithusa Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I've been simmering on this for a bit. I find it baffling the number of STUPID things our players do. The first obvious example in this match was Bacuna's early throw in to Guzan. WTF? If you have EVER played on a completely waterlogged pitch you know the ball dies on the ground so you do two things. 1) lift the ball off the ground. We have professional footballers who have apparently never played on a giant puddle before!!!! How do you get to their supposed level of skill and not know that? 2) when carrying the ball on that pitch, put your opponent on your back, shielding the ball, and push it along the ground. It won't roll, you'll have to slow down and the defender behind you can't see exactly when i suddenly dies. He WILL bundle you from behind. Take the free kick quickly and put it in the air. The opposition will be slow to get numbers back because of the pitch. I think we only figured that out for one call. Nescastle knew it, used it, and got several simple free kicks. It's just ignorance of basics. (IMO, the pitch is the reason throwing on any player whose game involves keeping the ball on the ground, would have been a mistake.) While we're on the subject of stupid... How does Coloccini get left unmarked? When the extra time is gone and you have a throw in midfield, get the ball in play and attack. Time is up, if possession turns over quickly, the referee will blow it up. Take your chances at one final attack!! i was (and have often been this year) furious at the STUPID on display. I should also say that Brad showed some intelligence punching out some balls that on another day he should have caught. I don't understand players at their supposed level who don't seem to be able to think at a level an old hack like me understands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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