The Mail Bag
Moyes and subs
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As someone who has critisised David Moyes over the last few months, I am very happy to give him credit for the second-half performance on Saturday. There is one area, however, in which I feel his tactics are particularly abysmal, ie, substitutions:
It seems to me that Moyes uses subs when someone is hurt, to have a final desperate throw of the dice or, to waste time near the end.
We need to start to play a thirteen man game. The finest team I have seen in recent times was the Juventus team that included Ravinelli and Vialli. They constantly pressurised the opponents' back four and goalkeeper. The effect was to make a back pass almost impossible. Playing out of defence was also hazardous and the opposition were forced to play the long ball.
I would suggest that we play the Yak for 90 minutes (he's a quality goalscorer, but, to be frank, he won't pressure anybody). Alongside him, for 45 minutes each we play any two of Vaughan, Vic and Saha. Constantly press, chase every ball and make our opponents change their tactics to suit us.
Positive substitutions; proactive, not reactive.
Andy Crooks, Posted 27/10/2008 at 19:46:11
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Bet he?s not on £17 million over 5 years though!!!
Given that you think Andy?s idea is ridiculous, care to suggest another constructive option??
To suggest one could pre-empt the necessity, validity or form of a substitution without taking the game into account.... is NOT better than what Moyes does at the moment. It is a daft idea in the extreme.
My constructive opinion? How about making substitutions based on the manner that the game is proceeding... rather than soothsaying!
Groundbreaking idea eh!
a) Moyes subs are not proactive and
b) He could make better use of his resources
I would agree with you on both points. In most games so far, including Manure, an earlier substitution made sense to me. Bringing on Vaughan a bit earlier to run at a shakey Utd defence could have tipped the game in our favour. I thought Saha was good on Sat and looks like he?s getting a bit of form back but he ran out of puff. I also think that Vaughan is a very good player who we should be trying to make the most of.
Maybe a bit riskier but might have been interesting would have been to bring on Castillo for Osman with say 15 to go. The risk is that it could have affected the flow of the game but it certainly would have given us more legs in the middle and Utd more to deal with. I do worry that Castillo is not getting a fair go.
Your "hard coded" point is ludicrous, at no point did Andy suggest that on the dot, whatever had happened before in the game, Moyes must sacrifice The Yak?s first half partner. Rather a McClaren one-trick-pony move, it might help, and as Moyes feel our strikers don't work hard enough this may give them a kick.
Did you actually read the article?
Hard coding is exactly what he suggested!
It says:
"I would suggest that we play the Yak for 90 minutes (he?s a quality goalscorer, but, to be frank, he won?t pressure anybody). Alongside him, for 45 minutes each we play any two of Vaughan, Vic and Saha"
THAT IS A DEFINITIVE PLAN, irrespective of the content of the game!
"Moyes will only bring on a sub to stay in the game, NEVER to win it. That?s why he will never be a real winner. "
Probably the most accurate thing I have ever read on this site.
Credit for the turn around on Saturday belongs to Jimmy the masseur and to Phil Neville, who clearly decided he wasn’t going to take any more of this underdog crap whilst Moyes continued to cower to what he always sees as inevitable - defeat at the hands of the Sky 4.
I have read quite a few of your posts and I know that you are pretty astute on tactics.I am puzzled ,therefore that you seem happy that subs should only be made in accordance with how the game is going.That seems to me to be negative and in keeping with typical David Moyes tactics.
If you agree with my sentiments ,how do you suggest we play sustained pressing,hi-tempo football?
Let the oppositon worry about what we are doing.
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1 Posted 28/10/2008 at 08:26:30
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Just to take a recent example. In the Arsenal match, we’d not seen their half for 20 minutes before they got their second goal.
We were crying out for a second striker to provide an outlet in addition to Yakubu, who just couldn’t get hold of the ball against 3 defenders. One of the wee lads in midfield should have made way for Vaughan, then we’ve got 2 different options, hit Yakubu or hit it long for Vaughan’s pace. At least we could have relieved a bit more pressure.
Sadly, it was all too inevitable for 15 minutes and eventually the goal came and we bent over.