Why Can't we play like Swansea ?

[Southbank Old Boy]

Coppell + Swansea's current team = Mid-table premiership

Coppell + Swansea's current team = relegation to League 1

Coppell can't manage foreign players or those who are so-called 'luxuries', the more intelligent players would grow frustrated with his primitive tactics and the flair players would inevitably leave.

I dont think he has a problem with foreign players, more a problem with certain types of player

By intelligent player I guess you mean more creative flair players with a bit of maverick tendancies about them. The type of players that on their day are exceptional but at our level dont actually have their day often enough to win you a league

Coppell has plenty of intelligent players in his sides, they are still pragmatic types like Murty and Ivar though

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I think that if we were to finish 3rd or 4th then the only team that would be able to match/beat us home and away would be Swansea

I would have no worries about any other team but Swansea just have something about them.

Apart from Cardiff who've already done it you mean?

One could argue that:

Preston (currently 4th) - Lost 2-1 away, drew 0-0 home
QPR (currently 1 point behind Swansea) - Drew 0-0 home and away

could be added to that list...

[Ian Royal]

Preston certainly, QPR I don't think will get in there. Too many other teams fighting it out with good form and a better position now.

Mind you, I guess they're only a point behind Swansea, so maybe I'm biased.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

I wasn't wishing to get involved in this debate - merely chucking a couple more teams into the equation.

As you rightly say, QPR are only a point behaind Swansea - both have a game in hand on Sheff Utd (6th), Bristol City (7th) and Burnley (8th) and Swansea areo nly 3 points behind the Blades.

Preston are only two points ahead of the Blades so it's not inconceivable that both Swansea and QPR could make it.

One thing is for certain - there's a bloody long way to go before it all gets sorted out

[Ian Royal]

And it's going to be fun all the way with snowball's meangingless stats, Royalee's Coppell hatred and Schards' determination to call everything he can dull and uninspiring.

Wan't trying to drag you into a debate. My apologies.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

No need to apologise, Mr Marr.

[Sarah Star]

Having read through this thread, I just have two questions:

1, How did we manage to beat Swansea 4-0 at the beginning of the season?
and
2, Is the long ball game AP says he's seen so much of lately have more to do with the state of the pitches the game has been played on rather than the skill of the team?

[Alan Partridge]

Having read through this thread, I just have two questions:

1, How did we manage to beat Swansea 4-0 at the beginning of the season?
and
2, Is the long ball game AP says he's seen so much of lately have more to do with the state of the pitches the game has been played on rather than the skill of the team?

1. Swansea at the start of the season were still very much finding their feet, there was a fear factor that any newly promoted side faces. Similar to us when we first went up in 2003, we played Derby went 4-5-1 with Butler up front which we never did in the entire previous season, we got hammered 3-0. Swansea would have tried a few new things at the start of the season and once they'd realised the division wasn't actually very good and they could attack it as normal, well they have now gone 16 games unbeaten in all competitions and in terms of 'pure football' are lightyears in front of anyone.

2. I think we should start questioning our groundsman if this is the case. Swansea have the Ospreys playing rugby on their pitch, they also suffer from more rainfall than most places, their pitch was in prestine condition. They don't really have any 'workhorses' in their team, no players that are in their mainly to battle away. Their entire midfield Dyer - Allen - Gomez - Britton - Gower, is there to attack. It's full of skill and flair and it's something we at Reading don't have. It's not a criticism just a totally different and inventive way that they play. They all put a shift in ave genuine quality with the ball at their feet to make things happen. Reading and no one else really in the division has that or attempts to play like they do.

Reading have played some super stuff this season but it's been in fits and starts, they are a very effective side, have good forwards but just as importantly a solid defense. It's very much a squad that's built to get promotion. However if both Reading and Swansea were to go up, then IMO they would be far more suited to Premiership football than Reading would and it would cost far less to keep them there than us.

[Royalee]

Having read through this thread, I just have two questions:

1, How did we manage to beat Swansea 4-0 at the beginning of the season?
and
2, Is the long ball game AP says he's seen so much of lately have more to do with the state of the pitches the game has been played on rather than the skill of the team?

1. Swansea at the start of the season were still very much finding their feet, there was a fear factor that any newly promoted side faces. Similar to us when we first went up in 2003, we played Derby went 4-5-1 with Butler up front which we never did in the entire previous season, we got hammered 3-0. Swansea would have tried a few new things at the start of the season and once they'd realised the division wasn't actually very good and they could attack it as normal, well they have now gone 16 games unbeaten in all competitions and in terms of 'pure football' are lightyears in front of anyone.

2. I think we should start questioning our groundsman if this is the case. Swansea have the Ospreys playing rugby on their pitch, they also suffer from more rainfall than most places, their pitch was in prestine condition. They don't really have any 'workhorses' in their team, no players that are in their mainly to battle away. Their entire midfield Dyer - Allen - Gomez - Britton - Gower, is there to attack. It's full of skill and flair and it's something we at Reading don't have. It's not a criticism just a totally different and inventive way that they play. They all put a shift in ave genuine quality with the ball at their feet to make things happen. Reading and no one else really in the division has that or attempts to play like they do.

Reading have played some super stuff this season but it's been in fits and starts, they are a very effective side, have good forwards but just as importantly a solid defense. It's very much a squad that's built to get promotion. However if both Reading and Swansea were to go up, then IMO they would be far more suited to Premiership football than Reading would and it would cost far less to keep them there than us.

Spot on.

[Royalee]

And it's going to be fun all the way with snowball's meangingless stats, Royalee's Coppell hatred and Schards' determination to call everything he can dull and uninspiring.

Wan't trying to drag you into a debate. My apologies.

It's not hated, it's a frustration at his limitations and that he never learns from his mistakes.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Bet Martinez gets found out quicker than Coppell ever will.

When the star loan players get withdrawn that'll be it. Martinez as a player was a cheating diving pcnut who was'nt afraid of toe-punting shins himself.

Once they return to his tactics (some that were evident in the 4-0) they will flounder.

[Royalee]

Bet Martinez gets found out quicker than Coppell ever will.

When the star loan players get withdrawn that'll be it. Martinez as a player was a cheating diving pcnut who was'nt afraid of toe-punting shins himself.

Once they return to his tactics (some that were evident in the 4-0) they will flounder.

So you're saying he was a clever player who managed to get away with a lot and get maximum results with limited resources? Pity Coppell has no idea on the subject. All the best managers were limited players - look at Alex Ferguson and Mourinho.

[Alan Partridge]

I think Coppell on the contrary is the master of getting results on limited resources, a collection of his cheap signings have produced excellent results for a number of years. His record in this league in particular is excellent.

As for Martinez can only commment really on what he's achieved so far as a manager. What he was like as a player is totally irrelevant. What he's achieved is a championship and he's produced a superb football team with limited resources but along with some excellent comtacts in spain and in Europe.

Similar to Coppell he's taken players that other managers haven't got the best out of and he's made them into an excellent team. There is no guarantee that if he went elsewhere he could do it again, sometimes you just get a set of players that just works at a club.

It's going to be an exciting end to the season in the CCC, see if Swansea can keep that level of performance up and make the playoffs at worst, there are loads of other teams with a say, and with none of the top 3 showing any consistency they will start to believe in a top 2 finish.

[Alivey]

Swansea likes to have wing play with squad depth that challenges for spots. This goes against the whole Coppell ethos. Doyle, Hunt, etc must start every game and we perfer the long balls sadly.

[Mr Angry]

if we put out a 4-5-1 formation at home (as Swansea did against us) the same people who are moaning about Coppell and "why can't we play like Swansea??" will go ape.

They had an absolute axe man in centre mid (Pratley) who destroyed everything we tried to do - we have no equivilent.

They had 2 stylish midfielders who, with the ball given to them by Pratley, were able to orchestrate attacks at will - we have Marek and ??

They had two genuine wide wingers, who weren't just quick, but had end product, and because we played 4 across the middle we only had the opposite winger trying to mark each of their wingers (and on the day, Kebe went AWOL after the aforementioned Mr Pratley hammered him in the first 5 mins) whilst they were able to double mark both SHunt and Kebe whenever they got the ball.

Finally they have a stirker who is very well suited to the lone striker role in Jason Scotland, who can hold the ball up for support from the wings or from midfield, and who is in fantastic form; we don't have an equivilent striker at this time.

Pratley is out for the season, but even so Swansea will continue to be effective AND pretty; we look grim in comparison because we are up against teams who have sussed that if you double mark our wide players, we are ineffective.

And the big issue is that SSC seems to not have a Plan B.

Personally, I think he needs to mix things up a bit for a few games at least, as I think ALL teams who come to The Mad Stad will flood the midfield and so negate our threats.

[Snowball]

Swansea looked very good because Fulham let them play to a certain extent. // I think in the next few weeks Swansea will start to find it much harder in the Championship as everyone knows more about them now and teams will start to flood the midfield and deny them space. Coppell admitted after we lost there that maybe he got his tactics wrong.

Agreed. The question is are they that much "extra" and able to overcome such tactics.

I was thinking only last night that maybe both Wolves and Reading were being "found out"
a little, that after over half a season sides were finding ways to stop both teams Plan A

and the managers would need to rethink their tactics to counter-the-counter

How often do we see sides do well in the first third/half of a season and then slowly get sussed/

Carlisle in their only season won their first six and topped the table. They were relegated.

Hull is a similar situation, flying, then sussed a bit.

Obviously, quality players will usually do reasonably well, but too many sides want to simply stop games flowing

[Snowball]

I think that if we were to finish 3rd or 4th then the only team that would be able to match/beat us home and away would be Swansea

I would have no worries about any other team but Swansea just have something about them.

Not Cardiff? I think "on our day" we can beat either at Reading
but if we do drop into the POs we will be slipping, lower morale.

[brendywendy]

And it's going to be fun all the way with snowball's meangingless stats, Royalee's Coppell hatred and Schards' determination to call everything he can dull and uninspiring.

Wan't trying to drag you into a debate. My apologies.

It's not hated, it's a frustration at his limitations and that he never learns from his mistakes.

i thought hed started to make real in roads into these problem areas this season, in terms of more rotation/less loyalty


also, id love to play like swansea, but there is a reason they are where they are, and we are where we are
this may change, but currently we are more consistent and pragmatic, and get more results than they do
of course if our slight hiccup continues and their good form does too we could swap places by the last weekend, but that is neither certain, nor even probable


id take gomez and scotland off them though

[Snowball]

I think that if we were to finish 3rd or 4th then the only team that would be able to match/beat us home and away would be Swansea

I would have no worries about any other team but Swansea just have something about them.

Apart from Cardiff who've already done it you mean?

One could argue that:
Preston (currently 4th) - Lost 2-1 away, drew 0-0 home
QPR (currently 1 point behind Swansea) - Drew 0-0 home and away
could be added to that list...

QPR didn't really try to play us. I think we'd could WD at worse if they had to play

We never should have lost at Preston, we blew what looked like a win
and they didn't try to play at the Mad. neither of these would frighten me

[Alan Partridge]

And it's going to be fun all the way with snowball's meangingless stats, Royalee's Coppell hatred and Schards' determination to call everything he can dull and uninspiring.

Wan't trying to drag you into a debate. My apologies.

It's not hated, it's a frustration at his limitations and that he never learns from his mistakes.

i thought hed started to make real in roads into these problem areas this season, in terms of more rotation/less loyalty


also, id love to play like swansea, but there is a reason they are where they are, and we are where we are
this may change, but currently we are more consistent and pragmatic, and get more results than they do
of course if our slight hiccup continues and their good form does too we could swap places by the last weekend, but that is neither certain, nor even probable


id take gomez and scotland off them though

Must say i'd take 4 of their 5 that played in midfield saturday + Bodde when fit, Scotland, Williams the CB and Rangel the RB.