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The RJW63 Official Jack Grealish Appreciation Thread


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Interesting stuff about Grealish's average game stats. Saw quite a few twitter posts from THFC fans through the summer quoting game stats and asking what all the fuss was about. Clearly not many have seen him play week in week out.

If you hadn't watched the game last night you would have no idea the impact he had when he came on. Certainly my eyes were nearly bleeding watching that dross until he came on.

BBC match report-

"Conor Hourihane sent Villa through with just over 10 minutes to spare as he tapped in Jonathan Kodjia's pass."

Kodjia's little dummy aside, we all know who made that goal but it wont show in the key stats.

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The weight of his passes is pinpoint, he anticipates the run of a teammate and the defense so well and makes it look effortless.

His shooting ability is also an asset, one that possibly gets less credit than it deserves. He generally is shooting from the top of the box and covered heavily by defenders, so no easy task, yet he always seems to force a desperate block or save from his opponent, if his shot isn't curling in, it's not too far wide.

I'd love to see him get better at creating space for himself in order to get a shot off, I'm not knocking his ability to create space as is, I just think if he wants to add a decent tally of goal contributions, he's going to have to add to his game, because the opposition is going to hound Jack at every opportunity, as we've seen.

We aren't really renowned for our passing sequences under Bruce yet, and I'm not sure i see that changing. So having players who can create space on their own is invaluable to us creating chances. I know Jack can carry the ball up the pitch fine, has a good first touch and draws in the defense with nearly every move he makes, I just would like to see him find a way to get more chances to score because right now, he's doing so much of our build up that he doesn't get free around the top of the box, and without sufficient passing sequences to change that, the way to get better shots off is by improving his close control in tight spaces, enabling him to dummy a defender or two before getting a shot off.

I think the sky's the limit for Jack, so I really hope to see his growth continue and him adding to his game.

 

 

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31 minutes ago, A'Villan said:

His shooting ability is also an asset, one that possibly gets less credit than it deserves. He generally is shooting from the top of the box and covered heavily by defenders, so no easy task, yet he always seems to force a desperate block or save from his opponent, if his shot isn't curling in, it's not too far wide.

I'd love to see him get better at creating space for himself in order to get a shot off, I'm not knocking his ability to create space as is, I just think if he wants to add a decent tally of goal contributions, he's going to have to add to his game, because the opposition is going to hound Jack at every opportunity, as we've seen.

If he wants to get goals he's going to have to learn to use his left foot once in a while. I love him, but every time he gets the ball on the edge of the area in a shooting position he shifts it to the right to try a curling shot. It's either that or a pass out wide for someone to cross in and defenders know it, they show him onto his left and he always tries to take it back to his right foot meaning he's under huge pressure because the defender is ahead of him.

If he can shift the ball left from time to time, not even to shoot, but maybe to dink in a cross or something left footed defenders won't be able to predict what he's going to do and not only will he end up with more space to shoot which = more goals, but you'd have to assume a few of those left footed chances will result in a goal or assist as well upping those numbers 

If he adds a left foot to his arsenal he could potentially walk into 99% of teams, until then he'll struggle because as good as he is, as important as he is, modern football is only concerned with 2 attacking stats, goals and assists.

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24 minutes ago, weedman said:

If he wants to get goals he's going to have to learn to use his left foot once in a while. I love him, but every time he gets the ball on the edge of the area in a shooting position he shifts it to the right to try a curling shot. It's either that or a pass out wide for someone to cross in and defenders know it, they show him onto his left and he always tries to take it back to his right foot meaning he's under huge pressure because the defender is ahead of him.

If he can shift the ball left from time to time, not even to shoot, but maybe to dink in a cross or something left footed defenders won't be able to predict what he's going to do and not only will he end up with more space to shoot which = more goals, but you'd have to assume a few of those left footed chances will result in a goal or assist as well upping those numbers 

If he adds a left foot to his arsenal he could potentially walk into 99% of teams, until then he'll struggle because as good as he is, as important as he is, modern football is only concerned with 2 attacking stats, goals and assists.

Well said, until you mentioned modern football only being concerned with goals and assists. To anyone with an actual interest in football, every aspect of the game is open to interpretation and consideration. Sure, goals and assists win games and are paramount to any success, though overlooking the other facets of football would only serve to hinder judgement, and would be detrimental to preparing a team for success.

Otherwise I completely agree, it's what I was alluding to in my comment about his close control. Anything he can do to give him that extra second on the ball to fire a shot off, and as you say, having a left foot will add a dimension to his game that opponents will have a miserable time dealing with.

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59 minutes ago, weedman said:

If he wants to get goals he's going to have to learn to use his left foot once in a while. I love him, but every time he gets the ball on the edge of the area in a shooting position he shifts it to the right to try a curling shot. It's either that or a pass out wide for someone to cross in and defenders know it, they show him onto his left and he always tries to take it back to his right foot meaning he's under huge pressure because the defender is ahead of him.

If he can shift the ball left from time to time, not even to shoot, but maybe to dink in a cross or something left footed defenders won't be able to predict what he's going to do and not only will he end up with more space to shoot which = more goals, but you'd have to assume a few of those left footed chances will result in a goal or assist as well upping those numbers 

If he adds a left foot to his arsenal he could potentially walk into 99% of teams, until then he'll struggle because as good as he is, as important as he is, modern football is only concerned with 2 attacking stats, goals and assists.

Last season, maybe against Bristol or Burton at home, he cut inside from the right and bent a wicked left foot strike with pace and power onto the far post. He definitely has a left foot.

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9 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Last season, maybe against Bristol or Burton at home, he cut inside from the right and bent a wicked left foot strike with pace and power onto the far post. He definitely has a left foot.

Maybe I worded it wrong, needs to be more confident with his left foot maybe? I'm not saying he hasn't got one, I mean, I'm a retired Sunday league goalkeeper and I'd say I have a decent left foot, as a professional footballer, especially one as gifted as Jack he must have one, but he so rarely uses it that defenders always show him onto it and it really stops him being that prolific (maybe in the same way as Downing and his lack of a right foot, he still assisted a few with his right though because every now and then he mixed it up. He didn't do it enough really, but more often than Jack and he's nowhere near as talented) 

If he can start shifting the ball to his left and doing something with it other than a square pass defenders won't be able to stop him and he'll be miles ahead of anything in this league 

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30 minutes ago, A'Villan said:

Well said, until you mentioned modern football only being concerned with goals and assists. To anyone with an actual interest in football, every aspect of the game is open to interpretation and consideration. Sure, goals and assists win games and are paramount to any success, though overlooking the other facets of football would only serve to hinder judgement, and would be detrimental to preparing a team for success.

Otherwise I completely agree, it's what I was alluding to in my comment about his close control. Anything he can do to give him that extra second on the ball to fire a shot off, and as you say, having a left foot will add a dimension to his game that opponents will have a miserable time dealing with.

Sorry, I meant modern fans, which I'm assuming is why a club like spurs wanted him for £25m but their fans had no interest whatsoever. Even players seem to be all about the numbers now as well rather than their actual contribution to the team. 

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5 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

The weighting of his passes is one of his best attributes, and that's not a negative on his other attributes!

His passes are just always perfectly weighted. Players barely ever have to break stride.

People who don't watch Villa just don't understand how good he is.

 

I'm going to the QPR vs Villa game at Loftus Road in October with some non-Villa supporting mates. I'm just going to tell them to watch Grealish all game

He will be even better with better players around him.....but its frustrating, trying to get them.

Edited by TRO
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1 hour ago, weedman said:

If he wants to get goals he's going to have to learn to use his left foot once in a while. I love him, but every time he gets the ball on the edge of the area in a shooting position he shifts it to the right to try a curling shot. It's either that or a pass out wide for someone to cross in and defenders know it, they show him onto his left and he always tries to take it back to his right foot meaning he's under huge pressure because the defender is ahead of him.

If he can shift the ball left from time to time, not even to shoot, but maybe to dink in a cross or something left footed defenders won't be able to predict what he's going to do and not only will he end up with more space to shoot which = more goals, but you'd have to assume a few of those left footed chances will result in a goal or assist as well upping those numbers 

If he adds a left foot to his arsenal he could potentially walk into 99% of teams, until then he'll struggle because as good as he is, as important as he is, modern football is only concerned with 2 attacking stats, goals and assists.

This isn't where I see his game going. More and more I see him developing into a Modric-style player, deep-lying, technical, picking the ball up at the start of every attack and directing it like a point guard in basketball. If he can do that nearly as well as Modric he will thrive without goals and assists - but I agree with you it will take him an extra 5 years (as with Modric) for neutral fans to recognise that versus if he got shots off like Zaha or Rashford.

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7 hours ago, striker said:

Love the way most of his passes are perfectly weighted.

Has a better all round game than Deli Ali and should be picked for the England squad now.

Think it was Merson who said he has the best weight of pass he's ever seen, and I'd have to agree.

I've never seen a player so consistently weight his passes as perfectly as Jack does.

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10 minutes ago, weedman said:

Sorry, I meant modern fans, which I'm assuming is why a club like spurs wanted him for £25m but their fans had no interest whatsoever. Even players seem to be all about the numbers now as well rather than their actual contribution to the team. 

Sadly I know exactly what you mean.

It's like the mentality is that something as superficial as pure numbers and the betting odds that accompany them is more interesting than the game itself.

Likewise for players, bragging rights around numbers and financial stock should never be focal above teamwork and sportsmanship. Otherwise the competition becomes purely egotistical rather than for the greater good of an art-form or area of expertise.

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48 minutes ago, TRO said:

He will be even better with better players around him.....but its frustrating, trying to get them.

This is where it helps to have a manager who can coach systems that inspire excellence from within.

What's been frustrating for me is that we seem to employ personnel who have had resounding or at least notable success elsewhere but lose direction when at Villa.

It's up to management to ensure we are nurturing a competitive spirit and a cohesive playing philosophy, it's then up to the players to show their leadership quality and do what's required of them.

Grealish obviously loves the game and puts in the work on himself, I'd like to see him take on a leadership role where instead of carrying the load and masking the inefficiencies of the team, he inspires others to share the load and ask more of themselves to get the best out of their game, nurture greatness and the realising of potential.

That's one way we'll get better players. By identifying who we want to be, how we want to play football and instilling it into the team. Instead of people coming here for the prestige of playing for Aston Villa and the paycheck above all else, there's actually a clear and concise plan for how we integrate them into the fold so that they go on to be the players we intended when we decided to recruit them.

I could be wrong but I can't help but think the majority of our purchases leading up to this season were based on the results certain players produced rather than the reason those results came to fruition. I'd like to know if skill-sets were identified as compatible with the philosophy we intended to play with, or if it was presumed that success elsewhere could be emulated here with relative ease.

I hope Grealish is not our only standout performer this season, it's a team game, just look at Argentina and Messi at the WC, you can nullify one man with a team a lot easier than a team can be nullified by one man.

 

 

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12 minutes ago, A'Villan said:

This is where it helps to have a manager who can coach systems that inspire excellence from within.

What's been frustrating for me is that we seem to employ personnel who have had resounding or at least notable success elsewhere but lose direction when at Villa.

It's up to management to ensure we are nurturing a competitive spirit and a cohesive playing philosophy, it's then up to the players to show their leadership quality and do what's required of them.

Grealish obviously loves the game and puts in the work on himself, I'd like to see him take on a leadership role where instead of carrying the load and masking the inefficiencies of the team, he inspires others to share the load and ask more of themselves to get the best out of their game, nurture greatness and the realising of potential.

That's one way we'll get better players. By identifying who we want to be, how we want to play football and instilling it into the team. Instead of people coming here for the prestige of playing for Aston Villa and the paycheck above all else, there's actually a clear and concise plan for how we integrate them into the fold so that they go on to be the players we intended when we decided to recruit them.

I could be wrong but I can't help but think the majority of our purchases leading up to this season were based on the results certain players produced rather than the reason those results came to fruition. I'd like to know if skill-sets were identified as compatible with the philosophy we intended to play with, or if it was presumed that success elsewhere could be emulated here with relative ease.

I hope Grealish is not our only standout performer this season, it's a team game, just look at Argentina and Messi at the WC, you can nullify one man with a team a lot easier than a team can be nullified by one man.

 

 

I think you make some very good points and interesting ones.....I think you are right about the due diligence of a targeted player, more based on stats than anything else.

It was interesting in Rons day ( god bless him) that largely unknown players would come in, they would be transformed at BodyMoor Heath and integrated in to his way of playing which was based on 110% work rate.Some younger fans may not know...Ron took a lot of derision for that from some football Journalists at the time and even when we won the coveted prize, some sneered.

Bill Shankly and Brian Clough were fully appreciative of the mans work.

see I don't think our players work hard enough....particularly off the ball......There is a lot of running but some of it is nondescript and pointless, to look busy...sometimes over elaboration.

What sometimes goes amiss with the great teams is their phenomenal work rate.....

You are also right about jack....I am hoping John can be of some help to him.....right now we need Kodj and Albert to up their game or bring some reinforcements in.

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28 minutes ago, A'Villan said:

This is where it helps to have a manager who can coach systems that inspire excellence from within.

What's been frustrating for me is that we seem to employ personnel who have had resounding or at least notable success elsewhere but lose direction when at Villa.

It's up to management to ensure we are nurturing a competitive spirit and a cohesive playing philosophy, it's then up to the players to show their leadership quality and do what's required of them.

Grealish obviously loves the game and puts in the work on himself, I'd like to see him take on a leadership role where instead of carrying the load and masking the inefficiencies of the team, he inspires others to share the load and ask more of themselves to get the best out of their game, nurture greatness and the realising of potential.

That's one way we'll get better players. By identifying who we want to be, how we want to play football and instilling it into the team. Instead of people coming here for the prestige of playing for Aston Villa and the paycheck above all else, there's actually a clear and concise plan for how we integrate them into the fold so that they go on to be the players we intended when we decided to recruit them.

I could be wrong but I can't help but think the majority of our purchases leading up to this season were based on the results certain players produced rather than the reason those results came to fruition. I'd like to know if skill-sets were identified as compatible with the philosophy we intended to play with, or if it was presumed that success elsewhere could be emulated here with relative ease.

I hope Grealish is not our only standout performer this season, it's a team game, just look at Argentina and Messi at the WC, you can nullify one man with a team a lot easier than a team can be nullified by one man.

 

 

A thoroughbred.....and an Improving one.

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4 hours ago, TRO said:

I think you make some very good points and interesting ones.....I think you are right about the due diligence of a targeted player, more based on stats than anything else.

It was interesting in Rons day ( god bless him) that largely unknown players would come in, they would be transformed at BodyMoor Heath and integrated in to his way of playing which was based on 110% work rate.Some younger fans may not know...Ron took a lot of derision for that from some football Journalists at the time and even when we won the coveted prize, some sneered.

Bill Shankly and Brian Clough were fully appreciative of the mans work.

see I don't think our players work hard enough....particularly off the ball......There is a lot of running but some of it is nondescript and pointless, to look busy...sometimes over elaboration.

What sometimes goes amiss with the great teams is their phenomenal work rate.....

You are also right about jack....I am hoping John can be of some help to him.....right now we need Kodj and Albert to up their game or bring some reinforcements in.

That is well before my time, that said, some things are timeless, like reaping the rewards of discipline and application.

As the saying goes, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard'

We are totally on the same page in regard to off the ball movement and the work rate of great teams.

It's disconcerting for me to say that I think that off the ball movement is one area of the game where the manager should be coaching his players as much as he allows the option for freedom. Having systems of movement not only makes the decision making process simple, it broadens the scope of potential outcomes in attack by having the players work together toward a common goal and using one another in a holistic manner rather than relying purely on individual bravado alone.

Which leads me on to the next point, the work rate of great teams.

Arguably the greatest athlete to grace team ball sports is Michael Jordan. He won six NBA championships, three consecutively on two separate occasions (a brief retirement separated the the two three-peats). He was incredible, long before his Chicago Bulls won their first title, 7 years to be exact, Jordan was imposing himself on the league as one of the brightest talents the game had ever seen. Undoubtedly the best ever in my mind and any fan of basketball who saw him knows how truly great he was, if athleticism can be described as a form of artistry, Jordan was your favourite artists favourite artist. Here's something a lot of people don't know about Jordan's success:

It wasn't until an unorthodox coach from the minor-leagues was promoted to the Chicago Bulls coaching staff that the Bulls started to come together in a way that would surpass any individual efforts Jordan was displaying, turning them in to one of the greatest dynasties to grace the game of basketball. This coach was the philosophical and down-to earth Phil Jackson. You spoke of derision toward Ron, well Phil Jackson has been described as an odd-ball loner (I have no idea why people waste their energy on such prejudice) among other attempts to knock his character and legacy. Yet he is undeniably one of the all time greats.

Anyway, I tend to go on a bit on this site so I will try and keep it relatively brief from here.

Jordan gets all the plaudits, and rightfully so, he was their go-to man and his contributions were undeniable. What flies under the radar is facts like the average time any player would hold the ball was three seconds, before another pass was made. Whether you're a basketball fan or not, you know that's not a lot of time, certainly not enough time for one man to go passed five defenders on route to scoring. That's because it wasn't Jordan alone doing the hard yards. His teammates would work hard to create opportunities for one another. Off the ball movement was paramount to its efficiency.

Here's a brief insight into what I'm talking about, an article on the Triangle Offense employed by the Bulls:

Jackson’s tactical modus operandi is the Triangle Offence. He describes it himself as five man tai chi, whilst Michael Jordan called it a community oriented offence. Both of these statements allude to the equal opportunity nature of this attacking system. The Triangle requires discipline and sacrifice from players, rather than the expression of their individual talent alone. This offensive system does not rely on just one playmaker, but rather necessitates a team rhythm that responds to the opposing team’s energy, and plays into it when opportunities arise. In a way this is more like a philosophy in action. It operates under a clearly defined framework of guiding principles, which emphasise unselfishness, working in harmony, and how each player can be important within the system. It is beyond the realms of this article to describe the intricacies of the Triangle Offence in detail, but in essence it is a team strategy that reinforces the message that no player is more important than the team, and only by engaging with teamwork can players achieve true greatness. As that other great basketball coach, John Wooden, once said “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit”

Whether it's Triangle Offense in Chicago, tiki-taka at Barcelona or Bielsa at Bilbao what these teams achieved is down to the philosophy and strategy of the coach combined with the work rate and application of the players.

The reason I used the word disconcerting above is because I don't believe our manager has much emphasis on this sort of approach. Could be wrong but I think the evidence is pretty substantial and suggests we don't do much rehearsal of passing sequences in order for our attack to have added impetus. Ironically I think Lansbury understands the concept of pass and move better than most in our squad yet he finds himself without a role in the team.

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11 hours ago, A'Villan said:

That is well before my time, that said, some things are timeless, like reaping the rewards of discipline and application.

As the saying goes, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard'

We are totally on the same page in regard to off the ball movement and the work rate of great teams.

It's disconcerting for me to say that I think that off the ball movement is one area of the game where the manager should be coaching his players as much as he allows the option for freedom. Having systems of movement not only makes the decision making process simple, it broadens the scope of potential outcomes in attack by having the players work together toward a common goal and using one another in a holistic manner rather than relying purely on individual bravado alone.

Which leads me on to the next point, the work rate of great teams.

Arguably the greatest athlete to grace team ball sports is Michael Jordan. He won six NBA championships, three consecutively on two separate occasions (a brief retirement separated the the two three-peats). He was incredible, long before his Chicago Bulls won their first title, 7 years to be exact, Jordan was imposing himself on the league as one of the brightest talents the game had ever seen. Undoubtedly the best ever in my mind and any fan of basketball who saw him knows how truly great he was, if athleticism can be described as a form of artistry, Jordan was your favourite artists favourite artist. Here's something a lot of people don't know about Jordan's success:

It wasn't until an unorthodox coach from the minor-leagues was promoted to the Chicago Bulls coaching staff that the Bulls started to come together in a way that would surpass any individual efforts Jordan was displaying, turning them in to one of the greatest dynasties to grace the game of basketball. This coach was the philosophical and down-to earth Phil Jackson. You spoke of derision toward Ron, well Phil Jackson has been described as an odd-ball loner (I have no idea why people waste their energy on such prejudice) among other attempts to knock his character and legacy. Yet he is undeniably one of the all time greats.

Anyway, I tend to go on a bit on this site so I will try and keep it relatively brief from here.

Jordan gets all the plaudits, and rightfully so, he was their go-to man and his contributions were undeniable. What flies under the radar is facts like the average time any player would hold the ball was three seconds, before another pass was made. Whether you're a basketball fan or not, you know that's not a lot of time, certainly not enough time for one man to go passed five defenders on route to scoring. That's because it wasn't Jordan alone doing the hard yards. His teammates would work hard to create opportunities for one another. Off the ball movement was paramount to its efficiency.

Here's a brief insight into what I'm talking about, an article on the Triangle Offense employed by the Bulls:

Jackson’s tactical modus operandi is the Triangle Offence. He describes it himself as five man tai chi, whilst Michael Jordan called it a community oriented offence. Both of these statements allude to the equal opportunity nature of this attacking system. The Triangle requires discipline and sacrifice from players, rather than the expression of their individual talent alone. This offensive system does not rely on just one playmaker, but rather necessitates a team rhythm that responds to the opposing team’s energy, and plays into it when opportunities arise. In a way this is more like a philosophy in action. It operates under a clearly defined framework of guiding principles, which emphasise unselfishness, working in harmony, and how each player can be important within the system. It is beyond the realms of this article to describe the intricacies of the Triangle Offence in detail, but in essence it is a team strategy that reinforces the message that no player is more important than the team, and only by engaging with teamwork can players achieve true greatness. As that other great basketball coach, John Wooden, once said “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit”

Whether it's Triangle Offense in Chicago, tiki-taka at Barcelona or Bielsa at Bilbao what these teams achieved is down to the philosophy and strategy of the coach combined with the work rate and application of the players.

The reason I used the word disconcerting above is because I don't believe our manager has much emphasis on this sort of approach. Could be wrong but I think the evidence is pretty substantial and suggests we don't do much rehearsal of passing sequences in order for our attack to have added impetus. Ironically I think Lansbury understands the concept of pass and move better than most in our squad yet he finds himself without a role in the team.

Good rendition.

I get all that and I had the privilege to watch previous teams of ours who demonstrated the team work you talk about.....

In your comments, you talk about Michael Jordan....one of the best basket ball players of all time, you talk about Barcelona, at their pomp, possessed the best individual players in the world, you see there is a constant here, quality of individual.

I am not dismissing good coaching or even under playing it, its crucial.....but its clear by factual evidence that every manager is in pursuit of better quality individuals.....If it was just coaching the pursuit would be less evident.

Steve Bruce has played at a much higher level than some of our previous managers who have demonstrated " team Play" .....I don't think Steve Bruce is lost on that.....but Steve Bruce hasn't got the quantity of quality those managers  had.

You can teach anybody anything, but its whether they take it in......also I watch our team and I accept we all see it differently.....but I see moves breaking down in the main through individual errors or poor play, when you are coaching you are working on ideal situations......its like devising a route for someone, then Roadworks appear and diversions scupper the plan.

I don't see our stop start football or lack of cohesion as necessarily a coaching deficiency( It could be,but I'm not convinced) I see it as poor application in the main, by some individuals , not all......but it disrupts the good work by the good ones.

If I am being Honest I think its a bit of both.....one affects the other.

However, I will say this.....whatever the answer is, these new owners will soon get to the bottom of it, because the previous 2 were not at Villa Park with their finger on the pulse like Nassef now is, anywhere near enough.

They will not procrastinate.....They will identify weakness of any description.

 

Edited by TRO
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12 hours ago, A'Villan said:

That is well before my time, that said, some things are timeless, like reaping the rewards of discipline and application.

As the saying goes, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard'

We are totally on the same page in regard to off the ball movement and the work rate of great teams.

It's disconcerting for me to say that I think that off the ball movement is one area of the game where the manager should be coaching his players as much as he allows the option for freedom. Having systems of movement not only makes the decision making process simple, it broadens the scope of potential outcomes in attack by having the players work together toward a common goal and using one another in a holistic manner rather than relying purely on individual bravado alone.

Which leads me on to the next point, the work rate of great teams.

Arguably the greatest athlete to grace team ball sports is Michael Jordan. He won six NBA championships, three consecutively on two separate occasions (a brief retirement separated the the two three-peats). He was incredible, long before his Chicago Bulls won their first title, 7 years to be exact, Jordan was imposing himself on the league as one of the brightest talents the game had ever seen. Undoubtedly the best ever in my mind and any fan of basketball who saw him knows how truly great he was, if athleticism can be described as a form of artistry, Jordan was your favourite artists favourite artist. Here's something a lot of people don't know about Jordan's success:

It wasn't until an unorthodox coach from the minor-leagues was promoted to the Chicago Bulls coaching staff that the Bulls started to come together in a way that would surpass any individual efforts Jordan was displaying, turning them in to one of the greatest dynasties to grace the game of basketball. This coach was the philosophical and down-to earth Phil Jackson. You spoke of derision toward Ron, well Phil Jackson has been described as an odd-ball loner (I have no idea why people waste their energy on such prejudice) among other attempts to knock his character and legacy. Yet he is undeniably one of the all time greats.

Anyway, I tend to go on a bit on this site so I will try and keep it relatively brief from here.

Jordan gets all the plaudits, and rightfully so, he was their go-to man and his contributions were undeniable. What flies under the radar is facts like the average time any player would hold the ball was three seconds, before another pass was made. Whether you're a basketball fan or not, you know that's not a lot of time, certainly not enough time for one man to go passed five defenders on route to scoring. That's because it wasn't Jordan alone doing the hard yards. His teammates would work hard to create opportunities for one another. Off the ball movement was paramount to its efficiency.

Here's a brief insight into what I'm talking about, an article on the Triangle Offense employed by the Bulls:

Jackson’s tactical modus operandi is the Triangle Offence. He describes it himself as five man tai chi, whilst Michael Jordan called it a community oriented offence. Both of these statements allude to the equal opportunity nature of this attacking system. The Triangle requires discipline and sacrifice from players, rather than the expression of their individual talent alone. This offensive system does not rely on just one playmaker, but rather necessitates a team rhythm that responds to the opposing team’s energy, and plays into it when opportunities arise. In a way this is more like a philosophy in action. It operates under a clearly defined framework of guiding principles, which emphasise unselfishness, working in harmony, and how each player can be important within the system. It is beyond the realms of this article to describe the intricacies of the Triangle Offence in detail, but in essence it is a team strategy that reinforces the message that no player is more important than the team, and only by engaging with teamwork can players achieve true greatness. As that other great basketball coach, John Wooden, once said “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit”

Whether it's Triangle Offense in Chicago, tiki-taka at Barcelona or Bielsa at Bilbao what these teams achieved is down to the philosophy and strategy of the coach combined with the work rate and application of the players.

The reason I used the word disconcerting above is because I don't believe our manager has much emphasis on this sort of approach. Could be wrong but I think the evidence is pretty substantial and suggests we don't do much rehearsal of passing sequences in order for our attack to have added impetus. Ironically I think Lansbury understands the concept of pass and move better than most in our squad yet he finds himself without a role in the team.

Hmm mm. 

Only problem with this is that Basketball isn't a proper sport! 

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