Exactly What Is The Long Ball Game?

[ron]

I think of long ball as our goalie kicking the ball as far up the opponents end as possible and one of our team trying to get it, usually in a head to head with an opponent, players like Smith are useful in this style if play. As opposed to a footballer running around skillfully dribbling the ball as if it its stuck to his feet, and be able to read the game and position of the other players, Eg Ashkan running like hell at defenders last year with the ball superglued to his toe, also Messi comes to mind.
You need skillful intelligent footballers to play the passing and dribbling game successfully, if you don't then your players lose the ball to the opposition all the time.

I think you've summed it all up by saying that as long as you keep possession, then it doesn't matter how long the passes are. People get "hoofball", i.e. boot it and hope, and "the long ball game", i.e.60 yard passes to winger or forward in space, mixed up.
I bet Johnny Haynes never lay awake at night thinking "Those passes I did today were too long. I'll have to play to the nearest teammate more often...."

[cmg]

West Ham clearly dont play long ball. They play with wide players supplying the forwards with chances.

Agree. They didn't seem to play 'hoofball' whenever I have seen them play, even when they had Carroll fit.

I think that many Hammers fans are so wedded to the idea that WHU play some uniquely beautiful type of superior football that they can't see the virtue in any other approach.

[nose]

i think MJG was mainly correct in saying it is percentage football.
you hit the majority of passes long and hope something happens as a  result. Long passing is not necesassarilly the long ball game... if you have four forward and they have two back it makes sense to play it long... that isn't the long ball game

wimbledon used to do it,, as their defenders got possesion their forwards would start advancing and the midfield moved with them and the ball was launched forward, the hope is something happens.


I do not happen we are playing the classic long ball game because we do not support the front players properly. i think we have just played poor football. for the ball we play to smith to be the long ball game would require ross to be close and two midfielders to be close and wide men well advanced.

in my book we are playing hit and hope.