1st Division "Craft" (1 Viewer)

[ohitsaidwalker king power]

I watched yesterdays game with interest. Aside from the obvious dubious Referee.. who before the Penalty was clearly looking for any opportunity to penalise Coventry.. the one thing that struck me was the difference in 1st Division "craft" between the 2 sides.

It was so obvious that Carlisle had played at this level for such a long time. They had the know how in the challenge, 50-50 balls were nearly always won by them... and when the odds were in our players favour.. just a little nudge or a clever position of the body made it so difficult for our players to escape. Danny Cadamateri against Wood and Brown being a perfect case in point.
They often made our challenges into fouls and "Conned" the referee.
Sportsmanship or clever 1st division 'craft'.. the latter I'd suggest.

We weren't beaten by the better football team yesterday.. but we were beaten by a more experienced 1st division team yesterday....We need to learn this element of the game fast, and on this basis I'm glad we have Mr Robins in charge.. I think he will bring that element to our play in abundance.

 

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[ohitsaidwalker king power]

I have just seen the football league show... the Penalty(not) reinforces my point?

 

[wingy]

Totally agree with you here OKP ,exactly the Impression I left the game with.

 

[LilleSkyBlue]

Were we any good at 'Championship craft' over the last 11 years?

 

[Jack Griffin]

TBH I think that is bollocks.. Division 3 has less good players on lower salaries, it is team spirit & effort that is missing from Citys game, not a lack of knowledge of how to bully the opposition.

 

[the_ferret]

I don't think he was making any points about bullying. I agree with the to OP to a large extent. Carlisle were very well organised and did the basics well. They kept their shape, pressed high, and had a load of energy and spirit. They looked like a team, they won the 50/50s, had the ref in their pocket and wasted time second half better than any team I have seen in a long time - totally killed the tempo of the game. They looked like a team that had played together for a long time and clearly they know what is required to pick up points in this division. We looked disjointed and naive in comparison.

 

[stupot07]

I keep making the point that we haven't necessarily brought in crap players, they are juat the wrong types of player for this league.

 

[Black6Osprey]

You can call it craft but I'd call it being up for the fight and playing to a game plan. We still aren't although there were some minor improvements and I wouldn't expect Robins to sort out who's up for it and who can execute it for a few more weeks. I wish this waste of time Arsenal game wasn't this week as we will probably be knackered for the weekend after putting in all the effort that you know they will for this game. If they put loads of effort in to Arsenal which I'm not going to and then play like twats on Saturday which I am going to I won't be pleased.

 

[ohitsaidwalker king power]

TBH I think that is bollocks.. Division 3 has less good players on lower salaries, it is team spirit & effort that is missing from Citys game, not a lack of knowledge of how to bully the opposition.

Bullying... that's not what I said or meant..JG.. nor do I necessarily mean lack of physical effort or presence.....but... Carlisle had a manner, a certain way.. I used the term "craft" perhaps that's a little old fashioned, but I'm not "street" so not sure what the modern day parlance is for it?...

But whatever the term.. we need to learn it quickly.

 

[InterSkyBlues]

OKP, I'm in complete agreement and it looks like others are too. Stevenage just sat and waited for us whilst we played pretty patterns in our own half, we then (typically) gave the ball away when they 'bullied us' and they pounced. We need to smart up and quick, the style of play in Div 1 is very different to what we are used to and our players and management can't keep thinking we can play our way out of this Division.

What really struck me yesterday was the amount of times we tried to play it around the defence when there was no space and it was dangerous. We gave the ball away very badly and sillyly in our own third and a soft goal was inevitable. Some of the footballing decisions also beggar belief, if you cant find someone to throw to who is clear then go down the line - simples and basics football - yet time and time again we threw it almost to the opposition.

We are not a bad team, we just have a bad game plan - I am thoroughly convinced that Robins will change this.

 

[Otis]

I keep making the point that we haven't necessarily brought in crap players, they are juat the wrong types of player for this league.

You're like a broken record.

Or should that be broken packet of biscuits.

Fully agree though.

Don't know who was responsible, Fisher, Waggott, Thorn or all three, but seems to me we have brought entirely the wrong players.

The only one who seems to fit the bill of a pacy, in your face, full of running and chasing down lost causes player is Stephen Elliot.

 

[wingy]

You're like a broken record.

Or should that be broken packet of biscuits.

Fully agree though.

Don't know who was responsible, Fisher, Waggott, Thorn or all three, but seems to me we have brought entirely the wrong players.

The only one who seems to fit the bill of a pacy, in your face, full of running and chasing down lost causes player is Stephen Elliot.

He's trying,is'nt he?
I'm affraid the dynamics between the fans and players are contributing massively to our downfall ,the shift in loathing between Sisu/board and fans to team and fans will prove totally counter productive.

 

[aodea]

Coventr play lovely football at times and pass teams off the pitch. Mty problem is is that we do it in our own hal;f and when we lose the ball we are on the back foot in a dangerous postion. i am looking for us to be more direct at times and move the ball quicker.

In a Division where the best teams are not about talent but about work rate and organisation im looking forward to how Robbins shapes the squad up. The players who decide that robbins expects them to work hard as a number one minimum requirment and are willing to do this will improve and coventry will benifit. For the ones who dont realise this or are unwilling they will be one end of.

Robbins it wont be pretty but i bet it will be effective.

 

[Pete in Portugal]

TBH I think that is bollocks.. Division 3 has less good players on lower salaries, it is team spirit & effort that is missing from Citys game, not a lack of knowledge of how to bully the opposition.

I believe you and OKP are both right. I agree that we seem naive compared to some teams like Carlisle, who repeatedly conned the officials into giving decisions in their favour. We're going to need more guile to succeed in this Division. We also don't very often play as a fully committed or cohesive team with any sense of urgency. These two problems are unfortunately not mutually exclusive. Of course there are several other problems too, but lets not go there.........

Who do people think will lead the attack against Arsenal?

 

[wingy]

I believe you and OKP are both right. I agree that we seem naive compared to some teams like Carlisle, who repeatedly conned the officials into giving decisions in their favour. We're going to need more guile to succeed in this Division. We also don't very often play as a fully committed or cohesive team with any sense of urgency. These two problems are unfortunately not mutually exclusive. Of course there are several other problems too, but lets not go there.........

Who do people think will lead the attack against Arsenal?

Cody as I don't believe the bonus problem exists for the cup competitions.

 

[smileycov]

We just need a break, a win from god knows where. That may restore something in the players, at present they have no heart and even less desire for the fight.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

if you cant find someone to throw to who is clear then go down the line - simples and basics football - yet time and time again we threw it almost to the opposition.

This is my mates pet-hate about us. He says we take ages to take them-we dawdle around with no sense of urgency, allowing the opposition to get into position. Then we chuck it vaguely onto the pitch, and lose the ball around 75% of the time. It even leads to a goal sometime, like against Stevenage.

Some of it's work-rate and desire to get on with it-or win the 50/50 that follows-, sometimes it's sheer lack of concentration, sometimes terrible organisation. But it's the sort of thing I expect Robins to identify straight away and fix.


If you watch good Premiership teams, the smart ones take the throw as quickly as possible, and usually to the FEET of an unmarked team-mate, often one who is behind them-then build again. The only one of our players who ever does this is Clarke.