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Coaching? – Excerpt from Managing Games/Managing a Game.
Firstly an observation: It has been noticeable the tremendous advance in thoughts on the game exhibited by ‘The Massive’ from our coming together around the time of peek of excitement as we followed the fortunes of our REGGAEBOYZ in that push towards attending the 1998 held in France.
The early limited definition of a team has moved from the then widely held belief that merely having X1 on the field with vague thoughts of team success to that of the X1 performing as a unit with best efforts by the individual managed and channeled to advance ability of team to attain team goals. …and within the concept of attaining team goals individual player’s personal goals are best served is now taken as gospel.
On another plane it is also a revelation that appreciation of the individual player’s technical skills as used to further team goals is, by ‘The Massive’, sole prism through which player rating is derived.
Long gone are the days when, for example, many members did not ‘see’ heading of the ball as equal as to its use as playing the ball with other parts of the body. Long gone are the days when many considered pace, if not unimportant, least among ability needed to be top football. Long gone are the days when many saw no relevance to team performance aim of total possession dominance.
Some of ‘The Massive’ are still struggling to come to terms with shooting being nothing more than passing of the ball into goal.
We have come a long way!
Secondly - This is mere 'touch' on the topic of coaching/managing.
Managing a Game?
We assume that the major part of managing a team that which is termed “preparation” has already been done. The focus is solely on that which takes place on the referee’s whistle signaling ‘start of play’ and the referee’s whistle that signals ‘end of play’.
The coach’s (manager’s job - Sure he/she has a technical & tactical team but the buck stops with him/her ) job of managing his team breaks down into the following parts:
a) Ensuring as best he can safety of each of his players.
b) Observation of his team’s performance.
c) Observation of each of his player’s performance.
d) Observation of opposition team’s strengths and weaknesses.
e) Observation of individual opposition player’s strengths and weaknesses.
f) Applying the knowledge gained to best advantage of his team/furtherance of team goals.
Let us ignore expansion on points “a” through “e” and make just one comment on point “f”. This latter point speaks to how managing of ‘the team’ focuses on the immediacy of the problems presented during the instant game and that of managing team during a targeted period. The targeted period is usually defined within – long term goals, short-term goals. There should be, at the very least, points msof convergence of the “company’s” aims, the shareholders goals, the fans expectations and manager’s vision.
The manager with whom I am (as football fanatic) most familiar that provides best example of sustained success is Arsene Wenger of Arsenal.
Aside:
GUNNERS - Arsenal’s current team needs Arsene Wenger’s coach- management style as never before. The Gunners have had additions of players before the start of the current EPL and Champions League competitions that if the GUNNERS are made TEAM should be challenging for the top spots.
When we look at the various sets of individuals the GUNNERS put on the field performances show ‘also ran’…good teams in terms of world club teams and teams that rival most national teams (those up to FIFA number 40) but when compared to world top teams, not good enough .
FORWARDS/STRIKERS:
The GUNNERS lack forward/striker to complement its current set of strikers.
Solution:
i) Get a forward/striker in the mold of Drogba or Berbatov.
ii) Always have one of Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervino on the field at all times. They naturally speed play (movement of the ball). They are quick and tricky.
Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to work overt ime on his passing (includes shooting i.e. passing ‘on goal’…then picking his spots in goal) and his decision-making.
Gervino needs to work overtime on his kicking technique.
Lucas Podolski must be used more often i.e as many full 90minutes as he physically can manage. He is GUNNERS best pure striker.
MIDFIELDERS:
iii) Get rid of Arteta and Ramsey.
Replace with Gerard (Liverpool) and Mikel (Chelsea)or there type and quality players.
DEFENDERS:
Currently our defense is a ‘stop-gap’ organization as injuries have depleted our numbers.
We will just have to continue soldier along making due until our first-line players return. In the meantime Wenger needs to have Per Mertesacker “stay at home” alternating between making space when we are on attack or our opponents attacks are on our about the half-line and being closer to (marking an opponent – I hate using ”marking an opponent” after all this game is about the ball) an opponent. His speed is a terrible liability. In the last game against Tottenham it was never more pronounced. Any of our EPL player who gets a step on him is gone forever. He has not the speed to recover.
Thomas Vermaelen is obviously not as good wide on the left at the back as he is at the center. It would be better to put Bacary Sagna wide on left and Carl Jenkinson wide on the right.
However GUNNERS current defensive woes must be addressed in the context ofTEAM defense and always being attack minded. Again in our match against Tottenham It was patently obvious that when attack-mindedness was relaxed the team fell apart defensively. Both goals scored by Tottenham occurred when the GUNNERS were less than fully committed to attack. Tentative play – inclusive of slow movement of both ball and support players led to loss of possession and TEAM being placed on the backfoot.
REGGAEBOYZ - Naturally my REGGAEBOYZ demand a look.
I thought long and hard [ a split second J] and came to the conclusion that all my REGGAEBOYZ need is to be made into TEAM. No among of injection of higher quality players will make a difference if the unit/the TEAM is not created.
Presently the players do not ‘pass and move, move and pass’. The first glaring weakness is lack of swift movement of ball…there is lack of swift movement of support players = poor possession percentage rate.
I am sorry to say…and I hasten to say I am a “Tappa” believer…that currently “Tappa” is failing at producing that ‘pass and move, move and pass’ game. He needs to build TEAMplay=TEAM! Look ’98 is faaar behind us our game should be consistently…repeatedly FULL 90 minutes…match after succeeding match…a possession game=pass and move, move and pass game.
We should aim at being in the FIFA top 20 before the World Cup comes around…and that matters not whether we are at those World Cup Finals or not. The sum of our REGGAEBOYZ parts must be made greater than our whole!
Firstly an observation: It has been noticeable the tremendous advance in thoughts on the game exhibited by ‘The Massive’ from our coming together around the time of peek of excitement as we followed the fortunes of our REGGAEBOYZ in that push towards attending the 1998 held in France.
The early limited definition of a team has moved from the then widely held belief that merely having X1 on the field with vague thoughts of team success to that of the X1 performing as a unit with best efforts by the individual managed and channeled to advance ability of team to attain team goals. …and within the concept of attaining team goals individual player’s personal goals are best served is now taken as gospel.
On another plane it is also a revelation that appreciation of the individual player’s technical skills as used to further team goals is, by ‘The Massive’, sole prism through which player rating is derived.
Long gone are the days when, for example, many members did not ‘see’ heading of the ball as equal as to its use as playing the ball with other parts of the body. Long gone are the days when many considered pace, if not unimportant, least among ability needed to be top football. Long gone are the days when many saw no relevance to team performance aim of total possession dominance.
Some of ‘The Massive’ are still struggling to come to terms with shooting being nothing more than passing of the ball into goal.
We have come a long way!
Secondly - This is mere 'touch' on the topic of coaching/managing.
Managing a Game?
We assume that the major part of managing a team that which is termed “preparation” has already been done. The focus is solely on that which takes place on the referee’s whistle signaling ‘start of play’ and the referee’s whistle that signals ‘end of play’.
The coach’s (manager’s job - Sure he/she has a technical & tactical team but the buck stops with him/her ) job of managing his team breaks down into the following parts:
a) Ensuring as best he can safety of each of his players.
b) Observation of his team’s performance.
c) Observation of each of his player’s performance.
d) Observation of opposition team’s strengths and weaknesses.
e) Observation of individual opposition player’s strengths and weaknesses.
f) Applying the knowledge gained to best advantage of his team/furtherance of team goals.
Let us ignore expansion on points “a” through “e” and make just one comment on point “f”. This latter point speaks to how managing of ‘the team’ focuses on the immediacy of the problems presented during the instant game and that of managing team during a targeted period. The targeted period is usually defined within – long term goals, short-term goals. There should be, at the very least, points msof convergence of the “company’s” aims, the shareholders goals, the fans expectations and manager’s vision.
The manager with whom I am (as football fanatic) most familiar that provides best example of sustained success is Arsene Wenger of Arsenal.
Aside:
GUNNERS - Arsenal’s current team needs Arsene Wenger’s coach- management style as never before. The Gunners have had additions of players before the start of the current EPL and Champions League competitions that if the GUNNERS are made TEAM should be challenging for the top spots.
When we look at the various sets of individuals the GUNNERS put on the field performances show ‘also ran’…good teams in terms of world club teams and teams that rival most national teams (those up to FIFA number 40) but when compared to world top teams, not good enough .
FORWARDS/STRIKERS:
The GUNNERS lack forward/striker to complement its current set of strikers.
Solution:
i) Get a forward/striker in the mold of Drogba or Berbatov.
ii) Always have one of Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervino on the field at all times. They naturally speed play (movement of the ball). They are quick and tricky.
Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to work overt ime on his passing (includes shooting i.e. passing ‘on goal’…then picking his spots in goal) and his decision-making.
Gervino needs to work overtime on his kicking technique.
Lucas Podolski must be used more often i.e as many full 90minutes as he physically can manage. He is GUNNERS best pure striker.
MIDFIELDERS:
iii) Get rid of Arteta and Ramsey.
Replace with Gerard (Liverpool) and Mikel (Chelsea)or there type and quality players.
DEFENDERS:
Currently our defense is a ‘stop-gap’ organization as injuries have depleted our numbers.
We will just have to continue soldier along making due until our first-line players return. In the meantime Wenger needs to have Per Mertesacker “stay at home” alternating between making space when we are on attack or our opponents attacks are on our about the half-line and being closer to (marking an opponent – I hate using ”marking an opponent” after all this game is about the ball) an opponent. His speed is a terrible liability. In the last game against Tottenham it was never more pronounced. Any of our EPL player who gets a step on him is gone forever. He has not the speed to recover.
Thomas Vermaelen is obviously not as good wide on the left at the back as he is at the center. It would be better to put Bacary Sagna wide on left and Carl Jenkinson wide on the right.
However GUNNERS current defensive woes must be addressed in the context ofTEAM defense and always being attack minded. Again in our match against Tottenham It was patently obvious that when attack-mindedness was relaxed the team fell apart defensively. Both goals scored by Tottenham occurred when the GUNNERS were less than fully committed to attack. Tentative play – inclusive of slow movement of both ball and support players led to loss of possession and TEAM being placed on the backfoot.
REGGAEBOYZ - Naturally my REGGAEBOYZ demand a look.
I thought long and hard [ a split second J] and came to the conclusion that all my REGGAEBOYZ need is to be made into TEAM. No among of injection of higher quality players will make a difference if the unit/the TEAM is not created.
Presently the players do not ‘pass and move, move and pass’. The first glaring weakness is lack of swift movement of ball…there is lack of swift movement of support players = poor possession percentage rate.
I am sorry to say…and I hasten to say I am a “Tappa” believer…that currently “Tappa” is failing at producing that ‘pass and move, move and pass’ game. He needs to build TEAMplay=TEAM! Look ’98 is faaar behind us our game should be consistently…repeatedly FULL 90 minutes…match after succeeding match…a possession game=pass and move, move and pass game.
We should aim at being in the FIFA top 20 before the World Cup comes around…and that matters not whether we are at those World Cup Finals or not. The sum of our REGGAEBOYZ parts must be made greater than our whole!