Martin Out

[SafewayFox]

2 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

What you have successfully argued is that Brighton are well run and we're not. I didn't need to be convinced of that. I was just presenting contrary evidence to the idea that you can't be successful by having significantly more possession than the opposition. 

Not at all.

 

Not only are they well run but to play a certain style, they have a forward thinking plan.

 

In essence, they’ve upgraded from Bissouma pretty much with every replacement, allowing them to play the style that they play.

 

It’s deeper than being well run, it allows for them to play possession football.

 

 

[RedSoxUK]

4 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

We definitely saw a change in approach against Doncaster. There was a change in formation and there was definitely not as much emphasis on playing the ball around the back, particularly between the goalkeeper and the central defenders. We even saw the keeper going long from goal kicks. It wasn't a great performance but we still had plenty of opportunities to have scored more goals. The approach was certainly more pragmatic, but we still give away many chances. It seems to me that he just knew that he had to win and that him having to abandon some of his principles to do that is very telling. It will be typical if we go on a 4/5 game winning run being more pragmatic and then he starts to feel comfortable and reverts back to type. In the championship playoffs he went to West Brom with a back 5 and got a 0-0 draw and then beat them comfortably at home in the return leg and then won a play-off final against Leeds with <40% possession and then reverted back to type once they were promoted. 

Few things here. Farke also wants his team to have the ball, and I would say that Leeds team was better on paper than Southampton. Likewise when they went up and played the big boys, it's not like they had 60%+ in those games. They had: 43%, 41%, 44%, 38%, 45%, 42% Vs the 'Top 6', and still lost hopelessly, obviously. I don't think he went into those play off games with a 'ignore what I've been saying the last 46 games' mindset. Their two league games Vs  Leeds were 43%, and 47%.

 

We had 59% Vs Donny in the first half and Martin would have wanted to """kill the game""" in the 2nd,  that didn't happen. We were clearly more purposeful with the ball in possession and the change of shape / personnel probably contributed to that more than any Martin instruction and it helps that Doncaster are a shit bog standard L1 team.

 

Tldr; I don't think he's going to revert to type, because he hasn't actually changed much other than the shape - something he changed only because we were leaking goals.

[Lesta Legend]

5 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

Brighton have averaged 60% possession this season and are third in the premier league. Having more possession than the opposition isn't in itself a play style. There are many different ways of playing that involve having more of the ball than the opposition. I do think that Russell Martin's brand of football is largely ineffective though. 

Brighton are also second for most accurate LONG balls, the best in the league (by some distance) for possession won in the final 3rd and shots on target and big chances. 
 

Get the ball forward quickly, press from the front which is a clear template for success and the opposite of RM approach. 
 

I hope he sticks with the change in approach.