“Transistion” is one of those buzzwords/phrases that we hear so much of in modern day football, but it, along with other ones I’m thinking of, offer nothing new. For example, when sides are said to be “compact”, all it means is that they are packing their defence and keeping their shape.
When I first started taking an interest in the game about sixty years ago, Italian teams especially tended to play in a very “compact” fashion in away European club games (and quite a few home ones as well) and, as the sixties went on, their approach started to be copied by sides from other countries.
Similarly, “playing between the lines” seems much the same to me as doing what I used to see Paul Brayson and Jason Bowen do in fourth tier City teams around twenty five years ago, except then it was called playing in the hole.
In fact, if you’re old enough to remember the 2-3-5 days which were prevalent for close to a century before the system faded out as the sixties went on, it seems to me that old style inside forwards and, to a lesser extent, wing halves played “between the lines”. Indeed it’s interesting to see players now being not just number tens, but number sixes and eights as well. This is a throwback to more than half a century ago when the player wearing six was a (left) wing half and eight was a (right) inside forward – from what I can gather, although the modern use of the terms number six or eight has no relevance to the side of the pitch the player is operating on, the six is an old style wing half and the eight an inside forward.
When it comes to “transition”, unless I missing something, all it means is to counter attack (a concept that has been around for as long as the game has been played I would have thought) and, in tonight’s game between Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion at Cardiff City Stadium, we had two teams that existed to counter attack.
So, what we got was something akin to a chess match with two teams trying to draw each other out to over commit to attack, so that gaps would appear which could be exploited in “transition”. For a time, this appealed to the football purist/snob in me, but, after a while, it just became boring and, of course, the fact that West Brom were slightly better at it than us and that they were a slightly better team than us didn’t help matters – by the end there could be no doubt that they were worth their 1-0 win.
With this second successive home defeat, City are in danger of slipping back into their bad old ways at Cardiff City Stadium and it seems to me that, having fared much better without him than I feared we would, the return of Aaron Ramsey can’t come soon enough now.
West Brom were, for me, easily the best team to visit our ground this season, but this isn’t as big a compliment as it might sound when you look at the league positions of the teams we’ve played at home before today.
To be fair to City, they were missing their first choice left hand side so to speak with Jamilu Collins serving his one match ban for five bookings and Karlan Grant unable to play as part of his season long loan arrangement with West Brom and there was also the disruption this caused to the rest of the team as Perry Ng switched sides from right back, Mahlon Romeo came in on the right and Ollie Tanner started on his wrong side on the left.
Romeo had struggled in the last home game against Norwich with much of the danger from the visitors coming from their left hand side and he only lasted fifty five minutes tonight as Ng went back to the right and Jonathan Panzo came on to play, not too convincingly, at left back where he was given a tough time by Albion substitute Tom Fellows a young right winger who was refreshingly direct and incisive in a way that our young right winger, playing on the left, wasn’t.
Ollie Tanner had “one of those games” tonight, little went right for him and I was surprised he survived until the seventy fifth minute. However, for most of the time, he’s impressed me with his attitude and his willingness to do the out of possession stuff demanded by his manager, but is there now a danger that he is becoming almost regimented in such thinking?
We didn’t sign Tanner because of his work when Lewes didn’t have the ball, we signed him because of the exciting things he could do when he had it. By the same token, it was Tanner’s goals and attacking skills that impressed Erol Bulut enough in pre season to turn him from someone not good enough for the York City team last season into a regular in our first team squad this time around. I’m not saying Tanner should not have defensive responsibilities, but I thought it looked tonight as if he is shackled by them – I’d like to see him being encouraged to express himself more as he struggles to be the player his manager wants him to be.
There’s not much to say about the game, because not a great deal happened. Even very early in the match both sides played at a walking pace at times as they waited for the other to commit themselves, but one incident provided a perfect example of how these two sides operate.
City have been able to mask a lack of creativity without Ramsey with their rediscovered attacking set piece game (before tonight they were the highest scoring team from set pieces in the top two divisions on eleven with the next best on eight) and the closest we came to a first half goal was from a City corner.
However, this was because Joe Ralls’ delivery was probably his worst of the season and when Callum Robinson lost possession on the edge of the penalty area, City were looking at a counter attack where they were outnumbered four to two. It all ended with Jeremy Sarmiento rolling a shot which travelled ever so slowly to hit the post with sub Brandon Thomas-Asante unable to turn the rebound home.
Sarmiento, on loan at West Brom from Brighton had the last laugh though with a viscous twenty five yarder on fifty minutes from out on the left which flew past a startled Alex Runnarson and into the corner of the net with my first reaction being that the keeper, who again kept Jak Alnwick out, might have done better with it. I’ve only seen the goal once as I write this, so I’m not sure if I’m being harsh on Runnarson there or not, but, rather like it did towards the end of last season with Ryan Allsop, you start to question almost every goal a keeper concedes once a seed of doubt about them has been planted.
For all that West Brom deserved their win, Sarmiento’s fine effort was their only one on target all game – Thomas Asante had a header he should have done better with, but there was honestly very little from the visitors to suggest another goal.
There was even less to warrant a goal from City though, Josh Bowler had our one on target effort around the half an hour mark when he worked his way between three defenders and drew what had to be the save of the game (I can’t think of a goalkeeper saving a shot besides this one mind!) from Alex Palmer in the Albion goal.
It was a piece of individual skill which got us our best chance then and for all of City’s honest endeavour, it’s hard to think of much else they did in an attacking sense – Bowler was not too far over with a well struck second half volley, Kion Etete, on for Tanner, made a mess of what was a hard headed chance from a good cross from another sub, Rubin Colwill and the Canton Stand got worked up about a possible penalty for handball against Kyle Bartley – that was it though in a game which was eerily reminiscent of all of those 1-0 home defeats we suffered in the past two seasons.
Fellow MAYAns,
Please read and re-read Paul’s perceptive comments on Ollie Tanner. This coach is no good for him.
I have come to the regrettable conclusion that I dislike Erol Bulut. And what has sealed the deal for me, is his duplicity over Alnwick. Truly, my animus towards him is running full throttle.
Send this usurper keeper back to London N6. He is not a patch on Jak Alnwick or I’d guess for that matter, 21 year old Rohan Luthra.
And 21 is not young.
Remember, Gianluigi Donnarumma was 16, Gary Sprake, was 17, and Iker Casillas just 18 when they became regulars at their stellar clubs… so send this blighter back to the Arsenal… if Arsenal are indeed dictating to us* that we must play him. Pity he cannot take the coach and his coaching staff with him.
Talking of young goalies… Tonypandy’s own Dilwyn John was just 17 when I saw him play a stormer in our 3-2 thrilling win over Chelsea in the top flight, under lights on Wed 6th September, 1961.
Mervyn Day was another young keeper who became first choice between the posts at 18.
Alas we have a coach/manager who cannot think for himself. Great managers realise that only dead fish swim with the stream.
Please get Kieffer to save us going down.
*rumoured to be paying half his wages.
TTFN,
Dai.
Great reply, Dai. Such righteous anger and passion. A call to arms. Henry V, eat your heart out!
Honestly, you’ve roused me from my torpor and listless fatalism – I now want, and expect, Messrs Bulut, Dalman, et al, to get it right, to maximise what is essentially such a promising base…and put an end to these crummy 0-1 home defeats.
And, as ever, gracias to our Blogmeister Paul for providing much wisdom, and a platform for the rest of us.
Thanks Paul.
Summed it up perfectly again.
It was like a game of chess and the teams cancelled each other out apart from a goal of real quality. Think our manager a bit disingenuous suggesting it was a lucky strike and sometimes have to just acknowledge a superb piece of skill.
West Brom very well organised and solid – as you say Paul, compact – or a tidy team as we would otherwise say!
Think once Ralls faded with his spraying of passes, then we lacked ideas apart from the odd Bowler thrust. Definitely agree that Tanner was off-key and seemed more concerned with covering and passing back than heads up and playing forward.
Defensively we looked solid but that missing spark and final pass costing us dear again!
Just hope we are not now settling into that home defeat familiarity again after a good run of positivy. Roll on the return of Ramsey.
Huw compadre, you are so right in hoping for the return of Rambo, and also in noting the curiously toothless wing-play of Ollie Tanner. I note that unlike me however, you do not pin the blame for his negativity on Mr Bulut.
Possibly because you are a more charitable fellow than me… which would methinks not be difficult.
But that said, I now cannot help but feel, that I was completely deluded when back in the summer I said I liked the cut of Bulut’s gib.
His nakedly dishonest treatment of Alnwick has spoken volumes as far as I am concerned about Bulut’s character: he can get us promotion and the following season into Europe… and he will still never fully redeem himself in my eyes. He is now in my crosshairs for life.
Vincent, our great benefactor, deserves so much better.
Oh, before signing off… thanks Lindsay for your kind words. And especially for having the class not to take me to task for my ‘neither/or’ solecism.
TTFN,
Dai
Thanks everyone for your replies, Dai, there’s been plenty of talk on the messageboards asking about whether Arsenal are effectively deciding who we play in goals because of some sort of clause in Runarsson’s loan agreement stipulating that he had to play a minimum of, say, ten first team games. I can’t see it myself, Runnarson is not a youngster looking to be developed any more and I think I’m right in saying that his contract runs out at the end of the season, so my guess is that the decision to pick him in the last two matches has been Erol Bulut’s alone.
I’ve finally got around to watching the goal on the club website and am still not convinced either way as to whether Runarrson was at fault for it – it does seem to me that he was too close to his near post mind.
Lindsay, I think that we need to maintain something like three points from every two games through December to keep Tan and co thinking a Play Off place is possible and that the boat should be pushed out in January – Bulut was talking in terms of four newcomers in the transfer window, but I think we need to stay in, say, the top ten through December for that to happen.
Huw, some of Erol Bulut’s post game comments surprised me, it wasn’t a lucky strike for the winner, it was maybe down to an error by the keeper he’s picked for the last two games though. I don’t understand his comments regarding VAR being used in the Championship either – it also seemed a funny time to go on about officials not respecting his team. I would have thought that, compared to some of our recent games (e.g. Blackburn, Norwich and Preston), it was all pretty non controversial on Tuesday.
Good morning Paul and fellow correspondents – some interesting views as always following Tuesday’s setback and I hope it is not too late to add my own for what they are worth.
West Brom are a decent team, worldbeaters certainly not, but clearly up in the top quartet in the Championship. It did not take me too long to realise that we were going to have difficulty scoring against them and that perhaps the best we could hope for was a goalless draw. Well, we were not too far away. But as for the goal, it appeared to me that our Icelandic stopper was not ready for it. And that was, for me, game over.
In the programme notes for the game with Norwich, Alnwick stated, when asked about the deal he recently signed “When I came to Cardiff, this is where I wanted to settle. I’ve moved around a a bit through my career. which a lot of goalkeepers do. I’ve racked up a lot of games to get to this level, but as soon as I came down here, I knew it was somewhere I wanted to settle. Signing the contract was an absolute no brainer and I can see my future here for a long time”. How ironic then it is that after three consecutive shut outs, the trio he conceded against Norwich would result in him being immediately benched!!
But with the new incumbent having two questionable displays, perhaps, and hopefully, time for a recall.
As I have mentioned before, I can’t wait for the return of O’Dowda and Ramsey. I think we need at least one full back ( not sure about Panzo as a left back ) but here I might upset Dai because I do not feel we need his hero Kieffer Moore as our spearhead. He now has very little game time at Bournemouth, and even Page failed to select him for the Turkey game. He is too ponderous and ball control suspect. I like the look of a year younger Alfie May who moved to Charlton in the summer. Smaller in stature, but quicker in response, but a proven goal scorer at many levels.
Finally, and back to West Brom. They swatted aside an Ipswich team over the week- end who have surprised everyone in this division this year. But last night the Tractor Boys did the same to Millwall coming out of the starting blocks with a pace and determination that is so very far removed from our lot. So the question is “Why don’t we give it a go?”
Thanks for that about Alnwick BJA, I was unaware of that interview. Erol Bulut wasn’t asked about the goalkeeping situation at his press conference yesterday (or I’ve not seen anything relating to it if he was). This came as a surprise to me because it seems a very relevant current story which is, arguably, effecting our results. As I mentioned, I’m not convinced that Arsenal would be too bothered about how much football Runnarson is playing for us because I’m pretty sure he’s out of contract in the summer and his chances of getting a new one must be negligible. However, the question which arises from that is why does our manager think he is more worthy of selection than the man who had been our first choice through the first third of the season? No doubt about it. Alnwick was at fault with the goal against Watford and I think he could have done better with Norwich’s winner, but is that enough to drop him? I hope the stuff about Runnarson being picked because he’s better with the ball at his feet is not really the reason for the change because, although I accept that it’s an important part of the modern game, surely keeping the ball out of the net still has to be the main priority in that position and, in my opinion, Alnwick is the better of the two in that department on the evidence of this season.
BJA warms my heart with his defence of Alnwick… who I genuinely believe to be the most gifted place kicker in 60 years… better even than Allsop, who was no slouch himself, and could kick further than Alnwick… but not quite as accurately over a distance.
And yes Paul, we all know the REAL reason for Erol showing this blind faith in the Icelandic boy… it is us ‘dancing to Arsenal’s tune’. But WTF… who are Arsenal anyway? Just a Johnny-come-lately team.
When we beat them in 1927, we were the BIGGER team…!!*. We just never had Herbert Chapman join us in the Thirties.
But my real objection to this whole ‘replacement’ fiasco is Erol’s** duplicity in not spelling out the TRUE reason for this perverse decision.
Runnarsson is ‘better with his feet’… !? What an insult that is to the intelligence of us City fans… and worse… how insulting it is to Alnwick that such twaddle should be given currency by a Cardiff City manager. The fact that he could tell a manifest untruth so glibly (to hide from us the fact that we are holding out a begging bowl to the club who ‘stole’ Rambo from us for 5 mill)… well… let’s just say that it was a damascene moment for me with regards to how I see our manager in the future. Let’s just say that were I to have my own version of Jackie Charlton’s little black book… our manager would now have a page just to himself.
Now changing the subject…
As for Kieffer Moore, BJA need have no fear that he would upset me in his dissing of him. After all, BJA is – unlike our manager – giving an honest opinion on Kieffer Moore, and not attempting to deceive us. And weirdly, thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that BJA is right. But, not because of the reasoning that he gives.
The fact that the very last act of the Turkey game saw the ball bounce off Kieffer after he failed to control it in their penalty area, was unfortunate, but predictable, given that he had almost criminally been sidelined by Page until the 84th minute… and then been expected to perform miracles. Were I Mr Moore, I’d have told the Tylorstown Tinker to ‘go forth and multiply’… and then announced my immediate retirement from international football… before Page could beat me to the punch.
Page should have been sacked on the spot over that dereliction of duty. Look, those two Turkish defenders might have strutted about like bully boys and saw to it that Brennan Johnson got nothing aerially, but they were no descendants of the man who flogged TE Lawrence. No… they would have wilted under the Kieffer threat in the air. But Page kept him warming the subs’ bench for 84 minutes… quite shocking. And why did he do it… in part because a so called ‘progressive’ manager at Bournemouth has decided that such a style of player is ‘persona non grata’ in today’s game.
Huh…!! ‘Pass the sick-bag Alice’. Like the band YES a so called ‘progressive rock’ band got a firm NO from me (though their musicianship was unquestionable)… so equally does such ‘progressive’ managers as the handsome boy at The Vitality… for such blinkered thinking.
And back to BJA… I also respectfully disagree with BJA on Kieffer’s ball control… oh for sure, with his back to goal, he is no Mark Hughes, let alone a Wyn Davies, but for a big man, neither he is a Tony Hately***…
But what is beyond a peradventure of a doubt is that Moore is the best header of the ball goalwards in the EPL today… he could give Haaland some lessons there… (but admittedly be his pupil in all other departments…!!)
And that realisation is why I have come to side with BJA**** (but for different reasons)…
What is the point of having Ollie and Josh starting as wingers when the manager patently does his darnedest not to encourage them to take the ball down to the byline and cross it, (Dan James style, remember those of us with short memories?)… for Kieffer to power in, and head it firmly into the far corner of the net?
No point at all. He’d be better off going to The Liberty where Duff seems to at least moderately favour wingers.
Right, time to put down my pen.
* inside of my cheek slightly bruised, but not inaccurate.
** I must remember to call him ‘Bulut’ like he is the accused in the dock… for I now have a deep distrust of anything the man says, based on his manifest duplicity in the ‘Runnarsson affair’.
*** I nearly said, MARK Hately… but remembered in time that he was a lot more useful with his feet than his dad.
**** I assume that BJA works at GCHQ… there must be some reason for his coded monicker. I defend to the death anyone’s decision to call themselves what they want, but longstanding MAYAns will remember how the late Harry Kirtley, a stylish City player from my early boyhood, had his name permanently sullied by an abject coward hiding in his (mid-Rhondda) anonymity.
TTFN,
Dai.
Dai – Paul knows who I am, so, in deference to your goodself whose return to the fold these past months is so very welcome. I will reveal all so to speak, or write. I am not based in Cheltenham, but the delightful village of Creigiau where I have resided for the past 51 years. I am Brian Andrews, Canton High School 1950 – 55, widowed sadly twice*, and have seen us promoted to the upper reaches of English football on all four occasions since 1951. (I wish for another but that may be beyond us this season ). BJA is now consigned to the bin and will henceforth contribute in response to Paul’s splendid writings in my own name.
* My late wife accompanied to the CCS on a few occasions and I will forever remember her standing up and yelling with gusto to our men in blue as they dilly dallied with the ball “kick it in the goal”. No truer words ever spoken. I just wish I had the courage to stand and echo her words as forcefully..
Dai, I’ll leave your footballing words to stand for themselves, but I have to say one thing in reply – I agree with you about Yes.
Brian, compadre,
Just saw your sweet note posted lat Friday evening… apols for my being 5 days late in replying.
Creigiau, eh…?
I used to make business calls on the Swiss gent there with the fancy restaurant… and just outside the village I used to go the Caesar’s Arms on the outskirts of Efail Isaf… being introduced to that fine dining experience by the late John Anstee, a splendid man who did so much to broaden my culinary horizons.
Gee… in the whole of Lincolnshire, I cannot find a steak to match the quality I recall one always got at Caesar’s.
TTFN,
Dai.