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Post by aussie on Apr 24, 2009 19:14:40 GMT
Merse you do get your self into some predicaments don`t you! ;D
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Post by petejones on Apr 25, 2009 5:47:37 GMT
King Alex was always working himself into prime position to receive a short simple pass and get the team playing. I would have Russell down as the greatest TUFC player I have ever seen – not necessarily the most skilful or flamboyant, but certainly the one who could make a team tick – and make other players look good. Of course those three seasons all revolved around Alex Russell and it really went wrong for Leroy when Alex left and the wine turned back into water. We had two perfectly adequate midfielders by League 2 – or even by League 1 standards – in Hewlett and Garner. But they often had to drop deep to get the ball and did not possess the incredible ability that Russell had to develop the game from there. As a result, the 2005/06 team never really worked, despite having some very good players, because it was a Russell-centred team without a Russell. It took Cornforth and then Atkins coming in to realise that and quickly develop some alternative tactics that might just work. I don't want to turn this into a reminisce-a-rama on the eve of our biggest game since THAT match last summer against THEM at plainmoor, but I do recall taking some neutrals well versed in football at all levels along to our match away at Sheff Wednesday in league 1, and also to Walsall. One friend was utterly astonished at Russell's ability to find 5 yards of space and spin on the ball, opening up the entire field of play to him and his magical right boot. It was really quite majestic to watch that quick nip into a deeper position, him receive a well timed pass (credit where it's due!), spin away from whatever lumbering oaf was 'marking' him and pick out an instant 40/50/60 yard ball to either Graham (in promo season) or Bayo (once he was fit and in fantastic form in that oh-so-near escape). I agree that Wroe is nowhere near the standard of Aggy, not yet anyway, and we cannot expect him to make us play like that. Nor can we expect Bucks to force the team to play like that when it doesn't possess the personnel. As Jon says, that was a quite exceptional 'perfect storm' of footballers under Leroy and I doubt any team in this league or the one above has the luck to have enough players of the requisite ability to play like that. As I mentioned on Barton Downs' thread, I will always feel an illogical attachment to that Leroy team due to a million and one factors, many of which have nothing to do with the team or even football in general. But we can't hold every subsequent team up to them. Time to get on with the present, to accept we won't see football like that from ANY team at this level, and try to stuff Burton out of sight tomorrow using any means possible... |
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