Style or Substance?

[A Century United]

Following on from the surprising number of 'zoners who claim that they would prefer to see us play good football and fall short of promotion rather than "win ugly", I wondered if they were still of that opinion when promotion is now in our own hands, to win or lose.....

 

[Shrimperforlife]

Following on from the surprising number of 'zoners who claim that they would prefer to see us play good football and fall short of promotion rather than "win ugly", I wondered if they were still of that opinion when promotion is now in our own hands, to win or lose.....

after the nerves of yesterday, I want a six nil lead by half time and then an easy second half.....but as we well know we never do anything the easy way, so if we need to grind out a result, then so be it....history will not care whether it is ugly or total football.....

 

[Firestorm]

Generally dont mind but I would draw the line at John Beck style

 

[RHB]

They can play whatever style they like, as long as they win it, that will be ok by me. When you think of some of the bollocks we have been treated to this season at home, getting out of the division is more important to me than style now........of course, a 5-0 win would also be very welcome.

 

[A Century United]

Generally dont mind but I would draw the line at John Beck style

Even next Saturday, just for one game?

 

[leeblue]

Same debate when top of the table under luggy. His hoof all was simply dire...but effective. SUFC success coming in any style is very welcome..end of. Where as my real Madrid season ticket holding friend stated the other day...We hate mourinho...I said hang on you won the league with 100 points...how can you hate that....His answer was mourinho plays anti football a million miles from the Madrid way.

 

[spoons]

Generally dont mind but I would draw the line at John Beck style

Route one can be exciting, but you need good fit forwards to make it work.
Main reason it went out of fashion is the hard graft it takes to play it, but still room for it in games at times:smile:

 

[Pubey]

I think I'm happy to win ugly at times, but it isn't particularly entertaining to park the bus and try to knick a goal. I want us to win but that isn't just why I support Southend, I like to see good football and entertaining matches. It's not an either/or, much of our success has come from playing decent and attractive football.

Luggy-ball worked when we were skint, and were battling to get out of L2, we didn't have the benefit of a large squad and large backroom staff. Luggy knew his style was effective and he got us playing a certain way. Also, we did play some good football at times as well.

 

[Pubey]

Same debate when top of the table under luggy. His hoof all was simply dire...but effective. SUFC success coming in any style is very welcome..end of. Where as my real Madrid season ticket holding friend stated the other day...We hate mourinho...I said hang on you won the league with 100 points...how can you hate that....His answer was mourinho plays anti football a million miles from the Madrid way.

Pretty easy for an RM fan to say that, when they're bankrolled by the government and La Liga is financed so that every season is pretty much a two horse race. It's easy to be snobby about style when you're at the top. You have to be a bit more pragmatic when you're stuck in League 2.

 

[leeblue]

Pretty easy for and RM fan to say that, when they're bankrolled by the government and La Liga is financed so that every season is pretty much a two horse race. It's easy to be snobby about style when you're at the top. You have to be a bit more pragmatic when you're stuck in League 2.

Agree 100 per cent.....we have had what 6 or seven promotions in our history with the grand total of 2 lower league titles.....if we go up this season it will go down as one of our clubs greatest seasons.....I don't care how we do that

 

[Antony Dove]

Get a win at Morecambe, that is all that matters, Substance for next Saturday, i will worry about style if we go up.

 

[fbm]

This has been a tough season to watch entertainment wise, especially in the middle. Initially we had created loads of chances in games but hadn't scored anywhere near as many goals as we needed to. Then the middle part of the season was dire, dire, dire. Every game was like groundhog day.

It's been our away form that has kept us near the top.

But Roots Hall has become a very difficult place for teams to come to and score and that has borne itself out with our latest run of results that has seen us put our destiny in our own hands.

At the end of the day, promotion is the prize and if we go up, it will be different next year as the opposition won't be so "industrial" shall we say.

I'm sure we'd all rather storm the league in the style of Barcelona, but my order of preference would be as follows -

1) Storm the league playing attractive free flowing football (unlikely - it's only ever happened once)
2) Get promoted playing any style
3) Play open, entertaining football but have a mixture of winning and losing games in high scoring matches that means promotion is unlikely
4) Try to play good football but get beaten more often than not, meaning relegation beckons

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I'm about winning, but winning over the long term rather than just the short term.

I think the way to win over the long term is to play entertaining football, develop and sell young players, go on cup runs and draw in bigger crowds which all gives you a better financial base on which to operate.

 

[Jam_Man]

Following on from the surprising number of 'zoners who claim that they would prefer to see us play good football and fall short of promotion rather than "win ugly", I wondered if they were still of that opinion when promotion is now in our own hands, to win or lose.....

We had a similar thread during Sturrocks time when people said the same thing, problem is unless you win games most people wont consider it to be good football.

I dont care how we win on Saturday, as long as we win. We can hoof it every kick we get for all I care if it guaranteed 3 points.

However over the course of a season I want to at least see us trying to play football. We haven't been a particularly effective attacking side this season, and even now only getting a goal a game, but at least we have always tried to playing it on the deck and build from the back.

Its also has to be remembered this is League Two, you cant play like Brasil.

Points wise we are about the same as Sturrocks best season and I have enjoyed this one far more than that.

 

[leeblue]

I'm about winning, but winning over the long term rather than just the short term.

I think the way to win over the long term is to play entertaining football, develop and sell young players, go on cup runs and draw in bigger crowds which all gives you a better financial base on which to operate.

I think a lot of this was done under Tilly.....then undermined by mismanagement from RM as well as getting relegated from the championship that year.....coupled with being stuck in the basement league since. We have youth products in the team with one of them in the team of the year so that is progress, over 10k on Saturday a step in the right direction.

 

[Firestorm]

Even next Saturday, just for one game?

Route one can be exciting, but you need good fit forwards to make it work.
Main reason it went out of fashion is the hard graft it takes to play it, but still room for it in games at times:smile:

To be honest it was more the manner it was conducted. long grass / sand in the channels to hold the ball up. Uneven unrolled pitch to prevent the opponents playing football. mindless thuggery all over the pitch...

 

[spoons]

To be honest it was more the manner it was conducted. long grass / sand in the channels to hold the ball up. Uneven unrolled pitch to prevent the opponents playing football. mindless thuggery all over the pitch...

It could be exactly like that at Morecambe on Saturday:smile:

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Saturday wasn't really very entertaining to watch but I doubt if any SUFC supporter cared very much about that.At the end of the day it was all about the emotion and the three points.

 

[Bearded Shrimper]

i don't mind Luggy-ball if it's effective but it wasn't i'm afraid. We didn't get promoted and not only that when we came up against a very good Crewe team we played long ball to two tiny forwards while their giant centre-halves nodded it clear all day long. that was poor

on Saturday i want to win and don't care how at all
next season i want us to play the ball on the deck but we need to finish our chances. i actually don't think we've been as bad as all that this season, even with the run of 0-0s. we created chances but couldn't take the chances

 

[davew]

poll a bit silly what we all want is win win win