OUR STYLE OF PLAY: We have one !

[Kopparberg]

We have a way of playing. 
 

DM to his credit has created it. 
 

He may not be perfect, but he can’t be that bad to create a team that can do what they did yesterday. 
 

There’s more than one way to play football… but this is the new style… it’s like we’ve caught up with the times a bit. 

Classy and passing, finding space etc. 

 

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

The signs were there in the first half of the season, but in fits and starts, really.

 

Our defensive injury crisis hamstrung our entire approach, though.

 

Once we added Storey and Dean, allowing us to shift Johnson back out wide, as well as having Luongo and Byers back fit, the parts have all started to come together on a much more consistent basis...

 

[Willie Henderson]

6 minutes ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

The signs were there in the first half of the season, but in fits and starts, really.

 

Our defensive injury crisis hamstrung our entire approach, though.

 

Once we added Storey and Dean, allowing us to shift Johnson back out wide, as well as having Luongo and Byers back fit, the parts have all started to come together on a much more consistent basis...

 

Absolutely spot on.

 

There were glimpses of how we could play earlier in the season, quick, slick passing and movement out from the back, but we just didn't have enough players that could pull it off, hence only glimpses.

 

It's so different now, and we can pretty much keep it up for 90 minutes and avoid the last 10 to 80 minutes of agonising bum clenching. It's a joy to watch.

 

The future's bright, the future's blue and white.

 

 

 

[Buck Rogers]

That table above shows to me just how important a fast start to the season is.

Wigan and Rotherham promoted yesterday but in 6th / 7th place in that table.

Start strong and you create an aura where teams set up more defensive against you which means less of a threat on your goal and more opportunities on theirs.

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

We've not done too badly, considering we've been playing the wrong tactics all season.

 

[paulrs]

It’s perhaps the main thing I have to credit Moore for.
 

Yes I believe we’ve got the strongest squad and he should have had us challenging, but to do so playing attractive, attacking, energetic football and scoring plenty of goals is a very good achievement 

[Guest FoxOwl12]

10 minutes ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

We've not done too badly, considering we've been playing the wrong tactics all season.

 

I hope we carry on "playing the wrong tactics".

[Kopparberg]

It’s amazes me really, that I had considered my own club to be a ‘442 get it forrad’ club… but this is easier on the eye. 

[Animis]

Our wing back wide threat is a big asset - Johnson and Hunt are perhaps the best in the league. Once we'd got the central midfield trio established, and center halfs back from injury, we've been a different team to the one before Christmas. 

 

If this is the team and style Moore wanted from the start of the season, we'd have gone up autos.

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

11 minutes ago, FoxOwl12 said:

I hope we carry on "playing the wrong tactics".

 

 

 

[Sambo89]

Could we have turned another massive corner as well, where if we go behind, we still win? 

 

The players could've easily panicked yesterday (and midweek), but instead, carried on and came away with 3pts. 

[FlyingOwl]

We actually play quite similar to the Blades squad that did so well. Attacking wing backs and overlapping centre halves.

 

Think a lot of us were annoyed at Moore persisting with 3-5-2 during our defensive injury crisis but his stubbornness is paying dividends now. We know that system inside out, and we can afford to play Palmer/Johnson out of position and things still work. 

 

This is why, regardless of promotion, I’d stick with Moore. He’s done exactly what was needed at this club and created a way of playing and an identity. This is the best football weve played since Carlos and we’ve done it on the cheap. 
 

I would like to see what Moore can do over a longer period of time. 

 

[Animis]

one other thing from that form graph is that we are 12 points better off than Sunderland, and they've had to rely on a lot of last 5 min goals to salvage points.

[Bluesteel.]

1 hour ago, Buck Rogers said:

That table above shows to me just how important a fast start to the season is.

Wigan and Rotherham promoted yesterday but in 6th / 7th place in that table.

Start strong and you create an aura where teams set up more defensive against you which means less of a threat on your goal and more opportunities on theirs.

We had a great start also but stalled maybe a quarter of the way through 

[neo hippy]

It's why the first half of the season was so frustrating. You could see we could be right up there but we just weren't getting it done. 

 

Luongo and Byers have been instrumental in us coming good. In hindsight I wish we hadn't loaned Wing either. The player I was most excited about turned into the worst signing we made! 

 

If we don't win the playoffs I'm confident next season we can make a title challenge 

[McRightSide]

I mean look who we finished above

 

Ipswich

Sunderland

 

Two teams with recent investment who have had time to prepare and build at this level and we finished above them

 

Regardless of what happens in the playoffs I’ll be looking forward to next season

[Jim Wonk]

1 hour ago, Sambo89 said:

Could we have turned another massive corner as well, where if we go behind, we still win? 

 

The players could've easily panicked yesterday (and midweek), but instead, carried on and came away with 3pts. 

Yes definitely!! There was a long time where if the team went 1-0 down I could never even see us getting 2 goals. I mean  

we’d all love to go 2 up early on but it’s a good corner to have turned. There are threats all through this side now with the movement and overlapping of the wide players. I don’t think I’ll panic as much now if they were to go down 1-0 early on Friday night. 

[prowl]

We are still suckers for cheap goals at set pieces and have a a problem with giving away late goals. We struggle against poor teams who sit back and defend.

 

Work in progress. (but we are getting there)

 

A lot will depend on whether we get promoted or stay in this league. Storey and BPF will be going, Dean maybe. Gibson, who knows. That's a good defence we might not have.

 

At least we can spend money in the next window if we need to.

[Otley Owl]

1 hour ago, prowl said:

We are still suckers for cheap goals at set pieces and have a a problem with giving away late goals. We struggle against poor teams who sit back and defend.

 

Work in progress. (but we are getting there)

 

A lot will depend on whether we get promoted or stay in this league. Storey and BPF will be going, Dean maybe. Gibson, who knows. That's a good defence we might not have.

 

At least we can spend money in the next window if we need to.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, however it struck me a few weeks ago, watching a highlights package, how many goals in this league (and league 2) were being scored from set pieces - I don't think it's just us who concede a lot of goals from them. 

 

Perhaps teams in league 1 work on them more attacking wise, I've no idea. Would be interested if there were some stats somewhere, comparing league 1 / 2 to the Championship / Prem. Might just be me seeing something that isn't there!

[Owl Stork]

Remember that time not so long ago when almost all the fan base were convinced that Moore needed to either change tactics or go? Everyone and everything must have felt against him. Even some of the professional pundits had grave doubts. It takes huge personal conviction to stick to your guns under those circumstances, so huge credit to Moore for ignoring us doubters (even reluctant ones) and slowly evolving the team into one that mirrors his character: big, bold, gutsy and resilient.

His man management, coaching and recruiting skills have been a big part of this seasons success, so has his judgement overall, so perhaps we should now cut him some slack and support his decisions even if we are convinced that we know better. He has created a team of winners from the ashes of a team of journeymen. A team that both we and he can be proud of, whatever happens in the next three weeks.