Tactical failings

[jezzascfc]

Tony Pulis has an inherently defensive approach to football management. It is what makes him such a success at stabilising a team near the bottom of the table, making them difficult to beat.

Where he clearly seems to struggle is when his team is the favourite for a game, where he has to set it up to take a game to the opposition, especially when the opposition snatch a goal or two and then defend deep (which is his own preferred tactic away from home). If the opposition have a big physical defence themselves that won't get muscled out of the game, there seems a lack of any semblance of a plan A let alone a plan B.

When it comes to the crunch, he reverts to what he knows, two solid banks of four, with a big striker who drops deep for the defence to thump the ball up to in the hope his speedy partner can get onto flick ons. If that fails, he seems all at sea as to any viable alternative.

We all know the above, so do other managers in this league. Yes, he has done a great job over the season as a whole, but now, when we most need leadership, tactical nous, a bit of something different to help us sneak a win in a tight end of season game, it seems beyond him.

It's such a shame as we have come so far, but look like just coming up short in the final run in. If we don't do it this season (and I pray to God we do), can the Pulis leopard change his spots or is he too long in the tooth to change his flawed philosophy now?

[jnb14]

I'd pretty much agree with all you say there Jezza. Pulis's tactics have never varied, just the personnel. I remember in the binary season, losing 1-0 at home to Sunderland and the next home game winning 1-0 to Coventry. The performances were exactly the same.

Macari once said that in his second season here, he could tell what sort of performance he was going to get when he'd brought in some of the players he wanted. I guess that's what managers want - predictability.

Like you, like us all, I want us to go up. But after being unable to get to sleep for two successive nights, I've pretty much accepted that the top two is out of the question and as for the play-offs, they just make my bowels twist!

I've just listened to Phil Rawlins on Knowingeye's thread. Phil is obviously talking before the Palace match and about the three hour meeting with Coates and Scholes and plans for the Premiership. I would imagine that some of that meeting would have had to have talked about - what if we don't go up?

This for me is now the real question. Apparantly we are two years into a three year plan. Is Coates going to carry on backing the club for another season? I can't see Pulis being sacked, after all we'll probably finish in a higher position than last season.

We surely won't be in the same position as last summer - Griffin, Diao, Cort, Shawcross, Cresswell, Whelan, are all permanently signed. Fuller, Lawrence, Wilkinson, Dickinson and Simonsen have long contracts. (Obviously, any of these players could be sold).

The question is would the likes of Gallagher, Pearson, Ameobi, Bothroyd, Riggott, Fulop (or similar) come to a Championship club? Permanently or on loan? Would Coates want to risk two/three year contracts from now when that would take us over the three year plan? Or would he sanction it for good players who could be sold on for hefty fees? (Pericard comes to mind here - in one of the sunday papers he was credited with turning the game for Soton with his "powerful running"!! Wonder what fee we could get for him?

The only way I can see Pulis changing is for him to get more players with pace in. I think that's the only plan B that is likely.

[daviesall]

the biggest tactical disaster pulis has distilled into our players is to sit back and defend any sort of lead instead of going on to win the game easily .how many games this season have we draw or even lost after being infront . loads!!!!!!

[dexter97]

I don't think TP has any tactics to speak of. He has a strategy, but at the moment there's no evidence of a plan of how that should be realised.