No tongue in cheek Smiler. I am an old man who played in the local leagues and managed a couple of pub teams. I was a motivator as a manger with little tactical nous. As a player, i could stop them who thought they could play and thats about it. I really enjoy the strong opinions on the site and look forward to seeing what people have to say.
That makes you more qualified than most Whiston. You've got more behind you than Brian the Blade on Radio Sheff, and he thinks he can manage every team in South Yorkshire simultaneously!people are talking about Ajayi leaving in January or maybe Vaulks, but I think Smith is the player we would miss most. You seem to rate him as well. What price would you put on his head if someone wanted to buy him?
I rate Smith and he has been a major player in keeping us out of the bottom three. I think he is a very good fit for the way we play. If i was putting a price on him, i wouldn't take less than 750K. I do not expect anybody to come in with that sort of money though. As for Ajayi,i think he has the attributes to make a top class defender and would look to get at least £2m for him.. Vaulks is probably my favourite player. Puts it all in,can play in several positions, strong, good in the air, a brilliant long throw on him and has a shot. if he had that bit of composure /class he would be worth a lot of money in my opinion. He is massive to how we play, like Smith, so i would look to give him a three year extension to his contract.
I've got to say I think both Smith and Vaulks have exceeded my expectations this season Whiston. I always liked Smith a lot but thought the Championship might be a step too far for him. In fact he has caused a lot of teams a lot of problems without (it has to be said) having too much quality service to work with. Vaulks has improved a lot. He has become a bit of a talisman for us, sort of embodying what we are as a team - limited in ability but full of heart and commitment. I've also been really impressed with Robertson so far. The disappointment of the season so far for me is Joe Newell. I love to watch him play when he is on form. He has the ability to see and pick a pass that nobody else at the club would see. The cross he put in on Saturday that Proctor and Smith couldn't quite get on the end of was sublime. Unfortunately for whatever reason he doesn't seem to be able to string good performances together, which is a shame because we are crying out for that bit more creativity. Having said that personally I would pick Newell at 50% over Taylor at 100% on the left. But I'm not Warney and I've no complaints about how he is going about his business.
I think I have to suggest formation matters a lot. Black and white: put 11 players behind the ball and it certainly influences the ability of individuals. When Italian football started being broadcast it was a revelation. The Italians played football very differently. That is that. And indeed we can see that the adoption of more foreign players and coaches has revolutionised English Football. The actual appreciation and application of tactics was the very evolution. We then saw how deep Italians often sit and similar to France. Deep and quick to break using acres of space left by the less imaginative. Slow and probing balls in and out of the defensive zone, moving players around to disrupt and create holes. and instantly aware of their position because it was talked from the start of the 1900s. The art of defence was much lauded in some of these other places. A very different attitude and a very different drill and formation. Indeed, defenders in Italy were classy, heroic and very skilled. This was not just temperament, it was birthed from decades of possession and schoolyard playing. I will only mention the great coaches to suggest formation and tactics and the absolute soaking up of the game and field plan makes all the difference. And Midfielders were educated to look behind and feel their own defence. very different to a lot of English and Scottish teams who only look forward.
We have all seen 7-year-olds just chase the ball and indeed many a Sunday and Saturday side. When coaching and identity of the field of influence are more brought to attention players become all-round better.
so. id argue this is the reason its hard to get a big gig even if you have had success managing lower league. Its totally different intelligence and energy.
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 18th of December 2018 07:11:38 PM
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 18th of December 2018 07:19:41 PM
