Peter Anderson ⚽ There are some things that today's professional footballers do that annoy the b'jasus out of me'

Like not shooting with their weaker foot or diving and rolling around like they'd been shot by a sniper.

But there is one thing that annoys me more than the others: not stopping a cross. Let me explain. I didn't start playing football seriously until I was 21, before that age I played rugby. All my mates were playing for a local club and they had 3 teams. All the teams met in the bar after the matches and the craic was 90, drinking pints, eating off platters of chips and sausages and watching the scores coming in on the late Saturday afternoon TV. I wanted to be part of it and was assured that even though I was a duffer who couldn't play for shit, that I would get a game with the 3rds in division 5 of the North Down Area League. 

The manager of the 3rds, 'oul Jimmy, played me on the left wing as I was left footed and would cause the least damage out there, out of the way! Occasionally, as the only left footed player on the team, I had to fill in at left back. He would always say to me that the main duty of a full back is to stop the cross because 95% of goals are scored from inside the box, so our defence depends on keeping the ball out of the box. Simple enough. He taught me that if my winger was fast then sit off him by about 2 meters, then he would have to beat you in a race to the bye line to cross the ball or he would shape to cross the ball from deep. If he shaped up to cross the ball, then I was to close him down and put maximum effort into blocking or tackling. Just stop the cross. And I found it pretty easy to stop the crosses, if I was determined and stayed on my toes the winger would have to be brilliant or lucky to get a cross into our box. 

I don't know how many times I heard Jimmy shouting "stop the cross" from the touchline, it was so fundamental to our defence. But every week in the EPL I see full backs just dangling a leg and not stopping the cross, which leads to a goal. This week it was the new Ukrainian left back at Everton, Mykolenko. He failed to stop a cross which led to Norwich's first goal. If he had made the proper effort, he could easily have stopped the cross. It happens every week. Why? If the coaches in Division 5 of the North Down Area League know how to coach a full back, just what are the EPL coaches doing?

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

Stop The Cross

Peter Anderson ⚽ There are some things that today's professional footballers do that annoy the b'jasus out of me'

Like not shooting with their weaker foot or diving and rolling around like they'd been shot by a sniper.

But there is one thing that annoys me more than the others: not stopping a cross. Let me explain. I didn't start playing football seriously until I was 21, before that age I played rugby. All my mates were playing for a local club and they had 3 teams. All the teams met in the bar after the matches and the craic was 90, drinking pints, eating off platters of chips and sausages and watching the scores coming in on the late Saturday afternoon TV. I wanted to be part of it and was assured that even though I was a duffer who couldn't play for shit, that I would get a game with the 3rds in division 5 of the North Down Area League. 

The manager of the 3rds, 'oul Jimmy, played me on the left wing as I was left footed and would cause the least damage out there, out of the way! Occasionally, as the only left footed player on the team, I had to fill in at left back. He would always say to me that the main duty of a full back is to stop the cross because 95% of goals are scored from inside the box, so our defence depends on keeping the ball out of the box. Simple enough. He taught me that if my winger was fast then sit off him by about 2 meters, then he would have to beat you in a race to the bye line to cross the ball or he would shape to cross the ball from deep. If he shaped up to cross the ball, then I was to close him down and put maximum effort into blocking or tackling. Just stop the cross. And I found it pretty easy to stop the crosses, if I was determined and stayed on my toes the winger would have to be brilliant or lucky to get a cross into our box. 

I don't know how many times I heard Jimmy shouting "stop the cross" from the touchline, it was so fundamental to our defence. But every week in the EPL I see full backs just dangling a leg and not stopping the cross, which leads to a goal. This week it was the new Ukrainian left back at Everton, Mykolenko. He failed to stop a cross which led to Norwich's first goal. If he had made the proper effort, he could easily have stopped the cross. It happens every week. Why? If the coaches in Division 5 of the North Down Area League know how to coach a full back, just what are the EPL coaches doing?

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

7 comments:

  1. Into the technical side of the game this week Peter.

    Barry - a great result for Leeds. The Hammers are not easy beaten.

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    Replies
    1. Anthony

      Note that Leeds won despite losing another two first teamers to hamstring injuries in the first half. But Bielsa stuck to his principles and conjured up three points that I never expected A certain other PL club should take note rather than running to the PL demanding and getting a postponement just 24 hours before kick off.

      We are well on the road to Premiership safety (he says). I admit I would like to see the Hammers getting a top four spot and a trophy. The East End mist challenge the West End and North London!

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    2. Am I the only person that disapproves of modern penalty taking styles? Leave Panenka in the TV archives!

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    3. Barry
      I have to agree, all this showboating at penalties is very annoying. Though you have to agree that it takes some skill to wait until the keeper dives before deciding which side you are going to place it.

      Steve R
      I was going to mention Glen Johnson in the article! When Uruguay put England out of the World Cup in 2014, it was because Johnson let Cavani cross the ball completely uncontested and Suarez had a free header. A full back with loads of caps and experience at Liverpool and Chelsea and he watches an attacker cross the ball without any attempt to block it. He was defo overrated!

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    4. Peter,

      I was completely baffled when Liverpool paid big bucks for him after he left us. Occasionally he was good but bloody hell was he was inconsistent.

      My son forced me to watch the Chelsea highlights v Brighton. Brighton's goal came from a corner were nobody marked the far side runner. Schoolboy stuff and due to tiredness. Chelsea have played far to many games, 15 since the start of December and that's at least three more than Man City never mind all the help the FA give Liverpool and Arsenal who've also played a lot less (Pool getting a massive hand by dodgily saying they had false positive lateral flow tests, aye my hole!)

      We can piss and moan that they are paid fortunes but nobody can be so superfit they don't need a mental and physical break.

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  2. I tell my boys team to NEVER go in for a slide tackle. The top teams defend so well by sheparding the attackers into wide positions allowing time for the rest of the defender to do their job and mark up.

    I can still remember Glen Johnson stupidly diving into a slide tackle on the halfway line which the attacker just skipped overt hen ran on to set up a goal.

    Next week Mourinho had sold him lol

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  3. Liverpool played very well last night against Arsenal - after the first leg, I was not confident they could do it. Matip had a bad game, however.

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