Nelson Jardim - new style of play

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c725196p4qlo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/videos/cv2gvgk3333o

Views anybody?

Well I’m filled with unsurprise re the style of play, I just wonder how it’ll fare against a high press as teams try to close us down.
Reactionary old sods like me will doubtless hate the faffing about in our own box to which we will doubtless be treated so I suppose that like many others, I’ll have to be patient. My own opinion is that a mixture of the long game in addition to the expected “ tippy-tappy “ is more likely to be successful. It’s going to be interesting!

Peter Nicholas, when managing Newport A.F.C., said that it is about players not formations. Hard working and flexible full backs and a competent mid field could make 4 3 3 work quite well for us. I do like to see wing play. Watching Spain recently was seeing the resurrection of old style wingers. England and others simply couldn't cope with them.

In 60 years of following County I've seen a lot of managers come and go. I have yet to hear any new manager say anything other than that we will be playing positive football, and that he wants his players to enjoy their football and is looking forward to passionate fans taking to this new brand.

The proof of the pudding as always will be in the eating. Let's be honest if we win more games than we lose we'll all be delighted and of course if we lose more than we win we'll all be up in arms. It was ever thus.

Nelson Jardim has the job. I wish him well. The summer signings have been interesting. I have no idea how the coming season will pan out. Neither does anybody else. That said and for reasons I can't explain I am feeling optimistic at the moment. Which is novel.

County 'til I die, etc, etc.

Like you Stan, I am inexplicably excited about the forthcoming season. However, having watched Newport for over 50 years, invariably at the lower levels, it does seem to be a case on men against boys at this level. Although we will have some experienced heads, the bulk of the squad seems to be made up of boys.
I'm my opinion this season will be about survival. With most of the new players on two year contracts and, with a season of league football under their belts, then the 2025/6 season has the prospects of being very good.
I hope our supporters give them time to develop. It is imperative we survive in the league this season because if we don't, given the two year contracts handed out, we will be in serious trouble.
That said, I'm looking forward to this season more than I have for many years.

With apologies for cross-posting, we discuss the "style of play" issue in the latest pod:



Available as always from https://shows.acast.com/1912exiles

1912 Exiles wrote:With apologies for cross-posting, we discuss the "style of play" issue in the latest pod:



Available as always from https://shows.acast.com/1912exiles

Well worth a listen, as indeed are all your podcasts.

I've yet to see the new County in pre-season, but I'm happy to see a return to 4 at the back as I felt last season the defensive personnel weren't comfortable as a 3/5.

On reports it sounds like there's more bite in midfield and more attacking endeavour. Obviously there could be further additions and pre-season is an opportunity to look at the wider players available, look at combinations and generally experiment a little. I don't think County will be a direct copy of the 'Swansea way' but suspect the basic premise will be taken and adapted for the skillset of County players.

I'm very excited for the forthcoming season. Perhaps it's buying a season ticket for the first time ever. But I suspect seeing things ripped and a fresh piece of paper used regarding how the club will operate going forward has got my juices going. It's going to be a boom or bust season, no in-between...

I have no concerns about the quality of the Head Coach, or the benefits of younger, more coachable and more quickly-recovering players (supported by experienced ones). I'm not even that bothered that we're about to attempt to adopt one of the most boring possession-based styles of play in existence, or that the analytics about giving the ball away near your own goal compared to hoofing it up the pitch absolutely don't appear to make any sense.

My only concern is that a team in County's situation won't have been able to recruit good enough players to play the style that's being built. We already saw it not work with Rowberry and Cardiff's U21s - let's hope we don't have 4 months of having to learn that lesson again, because much as County's fans are fantastic when they're behind you, they also pull no punches and have no patience when it doesn't.

Here's hoping.

sjg99 wrote:I have no concerns about the quality of the Head Coach, or the benefits of younger, more coachable and more quickly-recovering players (supported by experienced ones). I'm not even that bothered that we're about to attempt to adopt one of the most boring possession-based styles of play in existence, or that the analytics about giving the ball away near your own goal compared to hoofing it up the pitch absolutely don't appear to make any sense.

My only concern is that a team in County's situation won't have been able to recruit good enough players to play the style that's being built. We already saw it not work with Rowberry and Cardiff's U21s - let's hope we don't have 4 months of having to learn that lesson again, because much as County's fans are fantastic when they're behind you, they also pull no punches and have no patience when it doesn't.

Here's hoping.

I think it's a case of knowing when and where to play tippy-tappy football. And if you start getting caught in possession playing near your own box and concede a goal because of it, then you might decide on a different option. Often the big thing about playing this new style is whether players are making themselves available for a pass or not. I suspect the team advising Jenkins on signings know that the new recruits can play this style of football and so won't require 'learning' to make themselves available for a ball from other County players...

wattsville_boy wrote:
I think it's a case of knowing when and where to play tippy-tappy football.  And if you start getting caught in possession playing near your own box and concede a goal because of it, then you might decide on a different option.  Often the big thing about playing this new style is whether players are making themselves available for a pass or not.  I suspect the team advising Jenkins on signings know that the new recruits can play this style of football and so won't require 'learning' to make themselves available for a ball from other County players...

I think you underestimate how fully in one style of play coaches can be - Swansea were one of the most uber-possession sides when they were successful, so I doubt there will be anything other than 100% commitment to that, based on the chairman's knowledge and his contacts. The most modern iteration of that style involves short goal kicks, passing across your own 6 yard box and all manner of risky passing in the defensive third just to be able to set traps to draw in opposing players, play through the press and stretch play, and to get overloads where you've got more players in attacking areas of the pitch than the opposition. I don't go to Southampton matches anymore since Covid, but God knows there's a side that was 100% all in on passing the opposition to death last season, conceded 62 goals in doing so (many from giving the ball away under 30 yards from their own goal) and their current manager/head coach came directly from Swansea too.

Also, the idea that all they need to be coached is "to make themselves available" MASSIVELY undersells the amount of work on pattern of play and decision-making that is required to make a system like that work, to get the players to buy into it and to have them drilled in making those decisions every time, rather than the easy out of launching it, which L2 defenders generally deal with almost every time. If your system is designed so that you boss possession and "rest with the ball", constantly giving it away is going to cause all manner of problems for fitness and where players are on the pitch in relation to the ball.

All that said, it may be that those in charge already know we'll need more of a hybrid approach than just trying to keep the thing away from the other team, we'll have to see how it pans out - I remember Pochettino managing to get Saints into a coherent high pressing unit at Man U within 17 days of taking over which was an incredible achievement in transforming a playing style - but those players already knew each other too. Then again, you saw them at Barry and I didn't, so you've got a better idea of what they appeared to be trying to do.

I've no doubt that the recruitment is being done on the basis of fitting the intended system, that still doesn't guarantee the players will be able to implement it when they've got L2 players hurtling at them and breathing down their necks, especially if they're used to lower, say, Southern League or Welsh Premier League levels.

So, just watched the Bristol City game...

Overall pretty impressed - yeah sure, lost 2-0 and spent 90% of the match defending, and maybe couldn't tell anything about what we'll look like as an attacking side, but considering the opposition County defended really well and looked comfortable on the ball.

A couple of overplayed passes at the back which put Townsend under pressure (and some stuff across the 6 yard box, but not much), but they did mix it up, were able to get the ball out of the press and on a few occasions worked it really well to get into wide situations to take the ball forward. Most importantly it wasn't excessive possession, they were trying to get it forward even at 0-0, and were able to do that against a team a couple of divisions above which hasn't had the level of change County have (and which pumped us by 8 this time last year). Genuinely impressive up to the point where there was a need to attack. Once or twice it looked like they might create something, and nearer the end Jephcott really should have scored, but the last 20 minutes or so were all over the place anyway due to making 8 changes which is when the goals happened.

Townsend probably went long a bit too often, but it looked like a solid basis to build on, they'll get more chances in L2 and hopefully will be able to knock it about playing like that - if they can control the urge to "get rid". Still no Evans, CBR didn't look too at home as a main lone striker either.

sjg99 wrote:So, just watched the Bristol City game...

Overall pretty impressed - yeah sure, lost 2-0 and spent 90% of the match defending, and maybe couldn't tell anything about what we'll look like as an attacking side, but considering the opposition County defended really well and looked comfortable on the ball.

A couple of overplayed passes at the back which put Townsend under pressure (and some stuff across the 6 yard box, but not much), but they did mix it up, were able to get the ball out of the press and on a few occasions worked it really well to get into wide situations to take the ball forward. Most importantly it wasn't excessive possession, they were trying to get it forward even at 0-0, and were able to do that against a team a couple of divisions above which hasn't had the level of change County have (and which pumped us by 8 this time last year). Genuinely impressive up to the point where there was a need to attack. Once or twice it looked like they might create something, and nearer the end Jephcott really should have scored, but the last 20 minutes or so were all over the place anyway due to making 8 changes which is when the goals happened.

Townsend probably went long a bit too often, but it looked like a solid basis to build on, they'll get more chances in L2 and hopefully will be able to knock it about playing like that - if they can control the urge to "get rid". Still no Evans, CBR didn't look too at home as a main lone striker either.

My impression is that having a 3 in attack didn't really work, because the reality is that it's two wingers and one striker. And the one striker often had two CB's closing him down immediately. Whether the system could adapt to accomodate 2 strikers I don't know, but there is seems to be a few players in the squad that can play in two or three positions, which may provide some scope for flexibility 'in-play'...

wattsville_boy wrote:
My impression is that having a 3 in attack didn't really work, because the reality is that it's two wingers and one striker.  And the one striker often had two CB's closing him down immediately.  Whether the system could adapt to accommodate 2 strikers I don't know, but there is seems to be a few players in the squad that can play in two or three positions, which may provide some scope for flexibility 'in-play'...

They seemed to get most of the stuff that looked like it might be promising going forward from the space up the wings, so it worked in that sense, but it certainly didn't work with CBR as a central striker/target man (because he had no-one to give it to when he was a direct outlet and as you said, the CBs had nothing else to do but mark him). They should just watch some video of him and Telford for County if they want to know how best to use him - and the way it looked against Bristol City coaching the defending and attacking sides of the game maybe haven't been joined up yet?

Will be interesting to see how they develop further in pre-season, if Evans ever features, and how it looks/whether it works in the first months in L2.