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Boro vs. QPR (A) 3-0 (Ayala, Friend, Traore)


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I liked this comment: "Middlesborough were the most organised side I have seen at LR for a very long time. Defensively first class and with the pace to burn on the counter."

 

Very good to hear after Monks random organisation. I believe that this organisation will carry us into the play offs and improve our chances in those crucial three games.

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Imagine Pulis being Boro manager in the 90's Juninho would be out on his ear.

 

He loves traore but wouldn’t like Juninho I don’t get that

 

To be fair, physicality isn't just being tall. Comparing Juninho to Traore physically is still one hell of a difference.

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Just because Pulis likes a defensive full back and players with a bit of physical strength in keay areas doesn't mean that he can appreciate other qualities. He's also signed Chadli and Matt Phillips to provide something other than just physical presence. Those two were just off the top of my head, as I'm sure there are others. Granted if you aren't given the funds to bring in exciting players you make do with what you have.

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I don't think anyone thinks he doesn't like those kind of players. But there's certainly a greater appreciation of physically big players in areas he deems as key to have them. For example, he's not going to sign a John Stones over a John Terry.

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If you've heard the Tony Pulis talk that he does at Oxford university (It's on youtube) he's asked about whether Messi could 'do it' on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke. Pulis absolutely raves about Messi and what a wonderful player he is, he says he's the second best player of all time after Maradona. ( Yes that's Maradona not Brian Deane).

 

I think Pulis is sometimes a bit unfairly labelled as a manager he had small pacy players at Palace, the likes of Etherington and Pennant at Stoke and the technical players already mentioned at West Brom.

 

People keep mentioning 'Pulis ball' on here, what does that even mean? If you've watched us play in the last few games we haven't been negative, cynical or a long ball team. Yes he likes a physical backbone to his team but to suggest he wouldn't like Juninho has got to be a joke.

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If you've heard the Tony Pulis talk that he does at Oxford university (It's on youtube) he's asked about whether Messi could 'do it' on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke. Pulis absolutely raves about Messi and what a wonderful player he is, he says he's the second best player of all time after Maradona. ( Yes that's Maradona not Brian Deane).

 

I think Pulis is sometimes a bit unfairly labelled as a manager he had small pacy players at Palace, the likes of Etherington and Pennant at Stoke and the technical players already mentioned at West Brom.

 

People keep mentioning 'Pulis ball' on here, what does that even mean? If you've watched us play in the last few games we haven't been negative, cynical or a long ball team. Yes he likes a physical backbone to his team but to suggest he wouldn't like Juninho has got to be a joke.

 

Long Ball is often used as a dirty word, but we're hardly playing hit and hope passes. There can be just as much beauty in a pin point 40 yard pass that sets an attack away than a succession of 30 completed passes. 

 

I personally find more entertainment in us moving the ball forward quickly and directly than passing it aimlessly a*** the defence and midfield to boost our possession stats...

 

It's a results business and I think it suits Pulis that he's undersold and labelled as one dimensional.

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He is mostly one dimensional. He got that reputation because his teams have tended to play that way not because people are being unfair to the bloke. His sides haven't been known for their flowing football, they've been known for being well organised and quite direct. Is there anything wrong with this? No. But let's not pretend that it didn't happen. He can talk about whatever he likes, it's what he does that matters and what he does is tend to play a more direct style of football. That doesn't mean that he can't recognise how great Messi is, it's just that he does something different with his teams.

 

In the Fulham game we had about 38% possession and over 25% of our passes were categorised as long - that's in a home game. In the QPR game it was about 42% possession and just under 24% of our passes were categorised as long. The league average of long balls/passes is a lot lower than that and our percentage of possession prior to him becoming our manager was a fair bit higher. We have become a more direct side under Pulis, there is no debate to be had about this, the stats show it and quite frankly the games show it. You can like it or not like it but pretending it's not happening is ridiculous.

 

Pulis is a good manager. His record shows what he can do. He gets his teams organised, he likes his wingers and he's happy to be more direct and get the ball forward more quickly. He's already shown that he's more than happy to utilise a player like Traore so his teams aren't going to be bereft of excitement but at the same time it's not going to be like watching Man City at the moment. We are a more direct side, we play more long balls, that's just how it is.

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He is mostly one dimensional. He got that reputation because his teams have tended to play that way not because people are being unfair to the bloke. His sides haven't been known for their flowing football, they've been known for being well organised and quite direct. Is there anything wrong with this? No. But let's not pretend that it didn't happen. He can talk about whatever he likes, it's what he does that matters and what he does is tend to play a more direct style of football. That doesn't mean that he can't recognise how great Messi is, it's just that he does something different with his teams.

 

In the Fulham game we had about 38% possession and over 25% of our passes were categorised as long - that's in a home game. In the QPR game it was about 42% possession and just under 24% of our passes were categorised as long. The league average of long balls/passes is a lot lower than that and our percentage of possession prior to him becoming our manager was a fair bit higher. We have become a more direct side under Pulis, there is no debate to be had about this, the stats show it and quite frankly the games show it. You can like it or not like it but pretending it's not happening is ridiculous.

 

Pulis is a good manager. His record shows what he can do. He gets his teams organised, he likes his wingers and he's happy to be more direct and get the ball forward more quickly. He's already shown that he's more than happy to utilise a player like Traore so his teams aren't going to be bereft of excitement but at the same time it's not going to be like watching Man City at the moment. We are a more direct side, we play more long balls, that's just how it is.

 

There's more than one type of long ball though isnt there, people talk about Pulis as if he's John Beck at Cambridge punting aimless balls into the corners.

 

I agree we get the ball forward quicker under Pulis than we did under Monk or Karanka I don't need stats to tell me that. I also don't need stats to tell me that we're not a long ball team with no other option, we mix things up and I've seen lots of good football with the likes of Downing and Traore coming inside and joining in with the play.

 

I posted on this topic this morning to refute the suggestion that he'd be anti-Juninho, it's either a windup or complete stupidity.

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