7/29/2019 Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning - Week 5
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Roy of the Rovers A New Beginning
Week 5
It was Monday morning. Vernon Eliot and Gerry Holloway were at
the training ground early. The
players were not due until 10am, so the management team had met
in the media suite to watch a
re-run of Saturdays defeat at Carford. Not pretty is it Vernon?
Such simple football cut us to
ribbons. We really lack pace and mobility in the centre of
defence. Piedra and Lamidel were leftisolated in the air against
Santa Maria and Shipp, they were covering for Daley and Jones, who
just
couldnt stay with their men.Vernon nodded his agreement, So
today we work out who is going to
come into the back-line. But Im not sure we need to make any
changes. Will any other side play like
that? Carford are so direct and attacking, Burndean wont be.
They play patient passing football. I
dont think Jones and Daley will be exposed like they were on
Saturday. Gerry did not wholly agree,
But we do need to find a more mobile centre-half. There are lots
of direct teams in this league. Its
only a matter of time before that performance is repeated!
Gerry loaded his dossier on Burndean and switched the projector
input to his lap-top. On Sunday he
had watched a recording of Burndeans opening match of the season
against Holverton. They had
drawn nil-nil in a dull game of few chances. The assistant
manager and expert analyst had entered all
the data from the match and compared it with matches from the
end of the 2012/13 season. There
were few differences in Burndeans approach. Their Dutch manager
preferred a passing game, a
slow build up from the back. They played very few long balls.
Notably the goalkeeper rarely punted
the ball aimlessly forward; sixty percent of his distribution
was rolled or passed short to a full back.
See here Vernon, last season, Burndean only scored three goals
from open-play crosses. Thats not
because their forwards missed headers, its that they just dont
cross the ball. Gerry flicked onto the
page showing Burndeans typical formation and line-up.
Little width, no natural wingers. The three attacking
midfielders interchange positions at will. The two central
midfielders hold position in front of the defence. They
dont often join the attack. On paper it matches nicely
against our line-up. Weve got more energy and our
wingers should stretch their midfield. The only worry is if
we get out-numbered in the middle. If Burndean get into
their rhythm we could find it very difficult to sustain any
pressure. Then we will be relying on converting any half-
chances we can create. And we know thats not our strong
point.
How do they score then Gerry? Vernon asked politely.
Last season they scored the most set-piece goals of any
side in the Premier League. They win free-kicks around the
area. Glazer and Diefi are experts at drawing contact and they
go down easily. Macdonald and Chase
are dead-ball specialists and the centre-back Seasman scored
nine goals, all from set-piece
situations. In fact they remind me of you and Freddys early
Kelburn side. They dont have the star
players, but they are well-drilled and very solid at the
back.
Yes, they won the F.A. Cup last year. So many one-nil wins. It
seems they can do enough to score
and then hold out for the win. So why were Burndean only
mid-table, if they are so effective?
7/29/2019 Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning - Week 5
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It was a good question, Ah! That would be their home form. The
system just doesnt work as well at
home. Teams sit back and watch them keep possession. They dont
have the quality to breakdown
stubborn and well-organised defences. Its great in cup
competitions when everyone attacks, but in
the league against clubs just aiming to survive, who are happy
to draw, they lack penetration.
Vernon already knew most of what Gerry had told him, but the
assistant manager had a way of
presenting the most complex of situations in a simple manner.
The manager now had to interpret
Gerrys information and work out the best way to beat Burndean.
It was the way they worked, Gerry
did the opposition, Vernon picked the team and tactics. Richie
Lyons will have to drop deeper into
midfield than he did on Saturday. No! Wait, well swap Lyons and
Van Den Broeck. Freddy can play
the attacking midfield role. I dont think Richie has the
discipline to do that job. So this afternoon we
do pressing drills, we cant afford to let Burndean settle on the
ball. The midfield need to press and
press, but be careful not to drift out of position. Burndean
will have the numbers, so we will need to
be clear in our communications. But with well-timed pressing and
disciplined positioning we can
simulate having an extra midfield player.
* * *
At Mel Park, Trevor Brinsden and David Roth were in the
board-room, their newly appointed press-
manager was midway through a presentation of the Sunday
newspaper and television coverage of
the weekends match. Joey Goldfield had worked with Roth in
London and had attended the City of
London School for Boys with his son, Dave Junior, on a music
scholarship. David had spotted his
potential early and had backed the youngster through university,
arranging his interview and even
paying his fees. He knew it was a wise investment, Goldfields
service in the following years would
more than pay-back any of the incurred costs. Joey was one of
the top media and public relations
managers in the country, but this was new territory for him, he
just could not understand why a
football club needed him, especially on his salary.
Although he had known David for over twenty years, he knew
little about the workings of any of his
businesses, he just told him what others thought of him and how
he should present himself in a
media friendly manner. Major image issues with the tabloids!
Trevor, its love-hate, they love to
write hateful things about you and youre an easy target. David,
you appear to conflict with the
community ownership of the club. Youre just too successful for
their readers to connect with, so
they slate you!
Successful! Ive been bankrupt twice, every single other club
owner in the country is wealthier than
me. But as you say, its the image. But Im hardly going to show
up at Mel Park in a grey tracksuit
driving a clapped-out Cortina, am I?
Whats Lucas written in the Gazette? Trevor was becoming obsessed
with John Lucas, the senior
sports correspondent at the Daily Gazette, I hate that man and
it seems he hates me. Goldfield
took unopened copies of Mondays edition and slid them across the
table for the Chairmen to read,
Lucas delights in the defeat of Melchester. He scoffs at the
lack of investment in the team. But, in
fact, he writes next to nothing about either of you. I suppose
he views the defeat as a direct
reflection of the leadership of the club, so he doesnt need to
write anything. Well find out more
when Rovers win a match, Im sure. Hes an experienced man, is
John Lucas, nothing libellous,
nothing too personal. I dont believe we canchallenge anything
hes written so far. But if you want
to tempt him, perhaps we could leak a story or two. Fly-fishing
I call it, we lure him in, with a fake
story, like the fake fly, if hes hungry hell bite, and men like
Lucas are always hungry!
