Zonal Marking

[Guest]

It doesn't work.

Being out-tacticed by Peter Taylor is embarrassing enough without them having to capitalise on this stupid, stupid system. For any managers nosing around hoping to pick up tips on how to beat City, don't put any men into the box until your corner taker is about to kick the ball; it confuses the hell out of our defence, and knackers up the zonal system.

As for attacking corners, surely there must be another option other than Williams floating one over? We've gone beyond predictable now, and I didn't think this was possible.

[Anish]

You're right again.

This system that Levein persists with is a shambles. We cannot defend set pieces to save our lives and the fact that Hull hit the bar/post from 3 set pieces proves this. We always look dodgy when defending them and it is no suprise that we concede goals from them.

As for our attacking corners, when was the last time we scored from a direct corner with a defender/attacker powering a header on goal? Our set pieces under Levein are laughable, and it is definitely holding us back.

To be honest I think this problem could be harmful for Levein - he has had enough time to sort it out but still nothing's changed from last season. What does that say about the coaching/management?

[Guest]

Stearman put in a beautiful cross for the equaliser; I belive any player who can cross well can take a corner. Give someone else a go!!! Hint, hint.....

[Shum]

Zonal Marking = PISH!

Gareth Williams Floating Corners = PISH!

SORT IT OUT!!

[Stuliasz]

I can only agree with everything said here. We don't look dangerous from attacking set pieces and are embarrassed when defending them. Practically every chance they created in the match was from a Nick Barmby set piece and whilst they were good, they easily exposed the weakness in zonal marking...IT IS SO EASY TO MANIPULATE!

[Hitesh]

Said this all along, ZONAL MARKING DOESNT WORK!!

The only way it works if you have defender who are excellent in the air and attack the ball no matter where the offensive player is! This way you get the ball out no matter what! But you need a few players who can do this, and leicester simply dont have them!

We need to go back to the simple man to man marking at coners! But even then, we need to learn how to attack the ball from set peices. Definitly needs sorting out!!!

As for offensive corners, we need some decent players who can head the ball and we need someone to put the ball in properly. As i said in the other thread, we need to mix it up, keep the oposition guessing!

Leicester City are too predictable at the moment.

[Anish]

This is zonal marking for you. 2 Hull men in the 6 yard box with 4 Leicester players in the picture. De Vries is marking Sylla (or is it the other way round? ) while Maybury and possibly McCarthy watch on as Fagan scores.

Well done chaps, good job. Morons. <_<

[The People's Hero]

Notice also how scared Rab Douglas looks in that picture.

We must be the only team in the Championship who have a keeper who is scared of the ball.

On a serious note though... that is shambolic marking.

[filbertway]

Yeh i agree, i think if we dont sort this out it will be the difference between top 6 finish and mid table mediocrity.

Its so simple man mark.

Corner whip it in at head height and get them worried.

[gazzat1957]

I totally agree with the sentiments in this thread. I've been tearing my hair out at our defending of corners. No attacking of the ball and a sense of "after you" to clear it???

The other thing that worries me is the insistence of defending corners with all 11 players? Obviously the ball will come straight back if it is cleared and enables the opposing team to chance more players into our box......maybe if there were fewer players in the box, we would be more active in attacking the ball and clearing it?

In respect of the attacking corner, we seem to have continued with that ability to hit the first defender or float a ball too near the keeper. We need more options such as hard to near post, short corners etc. That way, the opposing defence is constantly on edge not knowing what is about to be served up.

Rant over.

[The People's Hero]

Damn right.

It's all very well saying Keep The Faith, or whatever is the current twee marketing slogan and I accept that Levein DOES need time to sort it all out, it is not acceptable to be making the same mistakes week in, week out.

1) Has Levein noticed out set pieces are sh it?

2) Has he done anything about it?

If we don't try doing something different soon, you've got to question yourself.

[Hullfox]

Agree fully with everyone's sentiments.

[Scow]

It doesn't work, so why persist with it?

This ploy of defending set pieces may have worked at Hearts, but Levein has admitted this division is more physical than the SPL. I just don't see the benefits of it.

It wouldn't be much of a problem if there was a mixture of man/zonal marking.

They hit the bar four times in the first 30 minutes - Have you woken up yet, Mr Levein?

[Ric Flair]

We are no better than we were last season. We've completely changed our team, but results wise we are still massively under-achieving. I've never known a team consistently play relatively good football and hardly ever win matches like we are doing at the minute, we are defying science.

Our set pieces were a major problem last season and Levein said he would sort it, we've got a new defence and it's still a problem, which indicates it's the system used and not the players. Zonal marking might work up in the SPL, but down here things are different and if you mark your man and stay goal side of them then 90% of the time the ball will be cleared.

Having 11 men back isn't the end of the world, i've noticed alot of teams are doing this now but if you do have 11 men back then you need to make quick breaks and push out when cleared. Chances are unless you have 5 players up the pitch, when the ball is cleared your not going to win it and it's about pushing out and closing down the opposing players. I'm not sure how many goals we've conceded from set pieces this season, but last season it was a horrific amount and if 20,000+ fans can see what the problem is, why can't Levein?

As for Williams corners, they are pretty poor but how many of our players have put header after header over the bar from them? It's shocking. I'd rather have Williams just outside the area and someone teeing him up for a Scholes like volley from corners, he scored a beaut against Blackpool last season in a similar move.

11 days until the next feast of football, can't wait.

[Katy]

Can he not see that we are totally inept at it? Can he not see that Gareths corners are not working?

If we can see it, why cant Craig Levein?

[PRIOR09]

I was watching skysports soccer special yesterday and Allan Macanally was watching the leicester game, and he said that Williams was putting some great swerving balls into the box from corners.

[Guest]

I was watching skysports soccer special yesterday and Allan Macanally was watching the leicester game, and he said that Williams was putting some great swerving balls into the box from corners.

I'm sure he had his fingers crossed the whole time.

[rossporterlc]

it can work if you have defenders who command their zone and will get on anything in and around them, we don't have this, we need to man mark and maybe leave dublin to try and get a header out

[LC/FC]

It would only work if all the players on in the team have brilliant self and space awareness... unfortunately they don't.

And what's the point in putting all your team into your own box.. who's the ball going to come out to?

[SilverFox]

I posted this first on the other side, but thought I'd just let out the frustration here as well;

Mrs Silver: 'Why is that bloke standing on his own, shouldn't we be marking him'

SilverFox: 'Craig likes to Zonal mark, if we cover every area, in theory no one scores'

Mrs Silver: 'Oh, well it looks silly to me, we should be standing on their toes'

*A fast corner comes in and the ball is deflected to a man standing alone, he's wearing a Luton Shirt and he quickly despaches the ball into the City net, beating Rab Douglas and leaving everyone else in the defence scratching their heads...Luton 1 - Leicester City 0!*

Mrs Silver: 'Thats why we are one nil down! What a silly thing to do. I've never seen defending like that'

SilverFox: urrrghhh? Yeah. Bollocks!

Mrs Silver: 'Where did you get your manager, he should tell them to pick a man and stand on their toes for corners'

SilverFox: 'Scotland honey! I'm concentrating here'.

Mrs Silver: 'Is that why Scotland never make the world cup?'

SilverFox: 'Probably'

That ladies and gentlemen was a taste of Saturday with my one and only. She has come to one other City match with me, no sorry two! There was LCFC Millwall, where we won the game 4-1 and Birmingham City where I think we lost 2-0, in a game that ended with LCFC having only 9 men remaining. She knows little about us, asks little about us, and can't understand my fascination with turning out to watch a team that seem to lose every week...'Why do you put yourself through that honey?' She Asks, 'Because you take the bad times with the good, I know they'll be back! I know they will come through' is my usual reply. In fact its been my reply to that very question for the past 3-4 years! But I do believe we will be back and regardless of how often I get knocked down by this team I'll always fight their corner.

I know that doesn't help me right now. It also doesn't help when my Uncle who lives in Luton calls me up to gloat, 'We're better than Leicester you know! We easily won the league last year and we'll do it again'. 'Yeah but the devils gonna spit roast you in hell and piss all over your burning corpse' I say...in my head! 'Yer, you're fabulous...fancy winning the old division three, gosh you must be proud', I actually say with a fair bit of venom.

Mrs Silver: 'I don't think I could do this every week'

SilverFox: 'I don't know why I do'

Mrs Silver: 'Why come then? The tickets are a rip off anyway. You could go and watch Chelsea or Fulham, we'll be near them'

SilverFox: 'You women just don't understand, that would be the equivalent of me sleeping with someone else behind your back'

*SilverFox grins as he says this...its meant to be a joke...shes meant to get it*

*SilverFox finds himself cooking his own dinner later that evening*

*And no I'm not talking about myself in the third person, and I'm not Micky Adams, I was just writing in a script writer style*

I wish I could tell you the point of my rattling on like this. I guess all I'm trying to say is that even when I am at my most low, and when the penny has finally dropped that we perhaps are s*it and don't have a god given right to win or gain promotion, I still believe in Leicester City Football Club. I still picture memorable nights in my mind, and although with each year the success gets further and further away, it is still there in my mind as vivid a picture as ever. From Buckets of spirit at the Wembley finals, to Claridge cup shins and Matty Elliot headers...I still believe! From Blue and white flowers in Martin O'Neil's Jacket on Cup final day, to Micky Adams being overcome with emotion when we achieved promotion...I still believe!

It gets harder to remeber these things when we let ourselves down so often. When we lose to teams we shouldn't and only draw when we're in command, but I can't quit, and I won't quit! Please Leicester City, give us something to smile about...

The old fox still has it in her! *N.b. this is not a reference to Mrs Silver!*

[Hitesh]

I posted this first on the other side, but thought I'd just let out the frustration here as well;

Mrs Silver: 'Why is that bloke standing on his own, shouldn't we be marking him'

SilverFox: 'Craig likes to Zonal mark, if we cover every area, in theory no one scores'

Mrs Silver: 'Oh, well it looks silly to me, we should be standing on their toes'

*A fast corner comes in and the ball is deflected to a man standing alone, he's wearing a Luton Shirt and he quickly despaches the ball into the City net, beating Rab Douglas and leaving everyone else in the defence scratching their heads...Luton 1 - Leicester City 0!*

Mrs Silver: 'Thats why we are one nil down! What a silly thing to do. I've never seen defending like that'

SilverFox: urrrghhh? Yeah. Bollocks!

Mrs Silver: 'Where did you get your manager, he should tell them to pick a man and stand on their toes for corners'

SilverFox: 'Scotland honey! I'm concentrating here'.

Mrs Silver: 'Is that why Scotland never make the world cup?'

SilverFox: 'Probably'

That ladies and gentlemen was a taste of Saturday with my one and only. She has come to one other City match with me, no sorry two! There was LCFC Millwall, where we won the game 4-1 and Birmingham City where I think we lost 2-0, in a game that ended with LCFC having only 9 men remaining. She knows little about us, asks little about us, and can't understand my fascination with turning out to watch a team that seem to lose every week...'Why do you put yourself through that honey?' She Asks, 'Because you take the bad times with the good, I know they'll be back! I know they will come through' is my usual reply. In fact its been my reply to that very question for the past 3-4 years! But I do believe we will be back and regardless of how often I get knocked down by this team I'll always fight their corner.

I know that doesn't help me right now. It also doesn't help when my Uncle who lives in Luton calls me up to gloat, 'We're better than Leicester you know! We easily won the league last year and we'll do it again'. 'Yeah but the devils gonna spit roast you in hell and piss all over your burning corpse' I say...in my head! 'Yer, you're fabulous...fancy winning the old division three, gosh you must be proud', I actually say with a fair bit of venom.

Mrs Silver: 'I don't think I could do this every week'

SilverFox: 'I don't know why I do'

Mrs Silver: 'Why come then? The tickets are a rip off anyway. You could go and watch Chelsea or Fulham, we'll be near them'

SilverFox: 'You women just don't understand, that would be the equivalent of me sleeping with someone else behind your back'

*SilverFox grins as he says this...its meant to be a joke...shes meant to get it*

*SilverFox finds himself cooking his own dinner later that evening*

*And no I'm not talking about myself in the third person, and I'm not Micky Adams, I was just writing in a script writer style*

I wish I could tell you the point of my rattling on like this. I guess all I'm trying to say is that even when I am at my most low, and when the penny has finally dropped that we perhaps are s*it and don't have a god given right to win or gain promotion, I still believe in Leicester City Football Club. I still picture memorable nights in my mind, and although with each year the success gets further and further away, it is still there in my mind as vivid a picture as ever. From Buckets of spirit at the Wembley finals, to Claridge cup shins and Matty Elliot headers...I still believe! From Blue and white flowers in Martin O'Neil's Jacket on Cup final day, to Micky Adams being overcome with emotion when we achieved promotion...I still believe!

It gets harder to remeber these things when we let ourselves down so often. When we lose to teams we shouldn't and only draw when we're in command, but I can't quit, and I won't quit! Please Leicester City, give us something to smile about...

The old fox still has it in her! *N.b. this is not a reference to Mrs Silver!*

Quality!

[Scow]

it can work if you have defenders who command their zone and will get on anything in and around them, we don't have this, we need to man mark and maybe leave dublin to try and get a header out

Zonal marking can be easily manipulated. For example, teams can easily bypass McCarthy/Johansson/Dublin by playing the ball away from their 'zone' to what they perceive as their best players in the air. Even when it's played in to their respective zones, the opposing players making runs in to the area (from usually outside the area) will always have a running jump.

[Guest]

Zonal marking can be easily manipulated. For example, teams can easily bypass McCarthy/Johansson/Dublin by playing the ball away from their 'zone' to what they perceive as their best players in the air. Even when it's played in to their respective zones, the opposing players making runs in to the area (from usually outside the area) will always have a running jump.

Hull kept most of their players outside the box until the last second. Not only did this aid them with jumping, they could run into and exploit the spaces, and it confused our defence far too much.

Man-marking.

[The People's Hero]

Man marking is indeed the way forwards.

I reckon we'd find some way to fu ck it all up though.

[Hullfox]

Hull kept most of their players outside the box until the last second. Not only did this aid them with jumping, they could run into and exploit the spaces, and it confused our defence far too much.

Man-marking.

Hence woodwork being peppered heavily.