The wingers question...

[Neil Young]

More of a shame that you needed it explained...

"Most knowledgable fans" indeed...

Sorry, Syd. No offence meant.

[Craig_H]

Hmm, I wonder.

I was enjoying the circularity of the argument.

I promise* not to try to wind you up again. Ever.



* Promises are made to be broken.

I wasnt *that* annoyed about losing yesterday, but you've sure fixed that

[Johnny]

Beckham could consistently put in killer balls into the box, without beating the man. Pennant hasnt demonstrated the ability to do this.

It's easier to put a dangerous cross in, from beyond the fullback, than it is from deep.

Simple simple stuff really.

Why would the standard of Pennants crossing suddenly improve just because he beat his man and is now at the byline(Where he has less space),surely he simply can or cannot cross,you say he can`t.

[Craig_H]

Sorry, Syd. No offence meant.

None taken.

[Neil Young]

That`s the answer i was asking for.

Yes but he gave it to me so you'd better ask him for your own one.

Also, are you now suggesting that you knew the answer all along and were just asking Syd to see if he knew, much like a patronising teacher would?

For shame...

[Craig_H]

Why would the standard of Pennants crossing suddenly improve just because he beat his man and is now at the byline(Where he has less space),surely he simply can or cannot cross,you say he can`t.

You're messing me about again, arent you?

When you beat the fullback at pace, and put in a cross from the byline, more often than not, everyone in the box (bar the keeper) will be facing goal when they meet the cross. This makes it harder for defenders to deal with it and easier for attackers to threaten goal. With crosses like that, any kind of touch, deliberate or not, can be a threat. So the cross doesnt have to be deadly accurate.

Now feck off with your daft questions!

[Neil Young]

Why would the standard of Pennants crossing suddenly improve just because he beat his man and is now at the byline(Where he has less space),surely he simply can or cannot cross,you say he can`t.

Have I wandererd into the remedial class or something?

[keniget]

Why would the standard of Pennants crossing suddenly improve just because he beat his man and is now at the byline(Where he has less space),surely he simply can or cannot cross,you say he can`t.

It's not necessarily about the ability of his crossing.

Do you agree that it's harder to create a goal scoring opportunity when you're in, say, Finnans usual attacking position and the defenders know what's coming?

We've had a few games in which we've bombarded the box with crosses, but have come away with little to show for it? Why is that?

Once you get past a defender to the byline, their defence is no longer organized, composed and able to easily predict what is going to happen. Depending on your position, also, you might find yourself bearing down on goal, drawing other defenders away from the goal and giving your strikers and onrushing midfielders a chance to find a bit more space.

[Johnny]

[QUOTE=DJS;323928]You're messing me about again, arent you?

QUOTE]

[Johnny]

It's not necessarily about the ability of his crossing.

Do you agree that it's harder to create a goal scoring opportunity when you're in, say, Finnans usual attacking position and the defenders know what's coming?

We've had a few games in which we've bombarded the box with crosses, but have come away with little to show for it? Why is that?

Once you get past a defender to the byline, their defence is no longer organized, composed and able to easily predict what is going to happen. Depending on your position, also, you might find yourself bearing down on goal, drawing other defenders away from the goal and giving your strikers and onrushing midfielders a chance to find a bit more space.

Agree with all that,but sometimes a quick cross can catch the defenders out,i agree that pennant doesn`t take on enough defenders when he has the ability.Both he and Gonzo seem to have a lack of confidence.

[kurtangle01]

What annoyed me yesterday was that in 2 or 3 occasions in the first half Gonzalez got the ball out on the left with acres of space to run into and put a ball in the box yet every time he slowed down and pased the ball infield. It's not even as if he had anyone blocking his path. Frustrating is not the word.

[Johnny]

Have I wandererd into the remedial class or something?

[keniget]

Agree with all that,but sometimes a quick cross can catch the defenders out,i agree that pennant doesn`t take on enough defenders when he has the ability.Both he and Gonzo seem to have a lack of confidence.

Yeah, a lack of confidence in both of them has been fairly obvious, although Pennant seems to be coming into his own more and more. Either way, I don't think either are good enough to start for a side with title aspirations.

I think we're going to have to be ruthless in the summer when it comes to our attackers. In my opinion, Bellamy, Kuyt and Garcia warrant a place in the squad for next season - everyone elses place is up for grabs.

[Jack D Rips]

Just because Pennant has ONE similar characteristic in his play to Beckham, doesnt make him anywhere NEAR as good as beckham. Beckham didnt beat the man, but his crosses were right on the money, so he didnt need to get in behind the fullback to deliver a killer cross, because he did it anyway.

Pennant's crosses ARENT as good as Beckham's, not by a long shot. Getting behind the man to the byline puts you in a position to put a very dangerous ball into the box.

If Pennant's crosses were as good as Beckham's, then fine, dont beat the man. But they're not. Getting beyond the fullback puts you in a position where it's easier to put in a killer ball. So if his crosses from deep arent good enough, then he needs to get himself into positions where he CAN put in better crosses - eg, beyond the defender.

I cant believe you needed that explained, in truth.

Either you're on a windup, or you lacked that basic understanding.

Did you ever stop to consider that maybe the quality of player in the box was better at the end of Beckham's crosses than at the end of Pennant's. I have and I am convinced that therein lies the problem. A cross from deep is every bit as dangerous as a cross from the byline if you have capable bodies in the box to attack.

[Johnny]

Yeah, a lack of confidence in both of them has been fairly obvious, although Pennant seems to be coming into his own more and more. Either way, I don't think either are good enough to start for a side with title aspirations.

I think we're going to have to be ruthless in the summer when it comes to our attackers. In my opinion, Bellamy, Kuyt and Garcia warrant a place in the squad for next season - everyone elses place is up for grabs.

I`d agree with Garcia staying if he didn`t give the ball away so much.All other aspects of his game are fine/great.