Long ball specialists !

Sky sports have done a stat on who uses the long ball the most, we were way out in front of liverpool and wigan.

It seems mainly due to harry playing to crouch,s strengths, and harry upholds the use of it.

I personally would use it only as another option, much like the long throw, when appropriate.

Watch the interview yourself with harry tonight, its repeated about 10 times over the next 24 hours .

Thats it Im going to have a hissy fit. My team aren't a long ball team it's just doctored stats from a Spurs hating Sky anyalist. I refuse to belive this and expect the tape of 'arry has been somehow simulated. I won't believe, I won't, I won't, I won't . . . . . . .

intersting, so yids are the long ball tacticians of the prem league, wouldn of said that myself but if sky and harry are saying it it must be true.

very true baz if u had one, that style of football can be seen at the marshes every week.

fair play baz i wouldn expect anything else,

long ball, short ball,long throwins, penaltys,6ft 4" strikers i couldnt give a sh*t if it gets us in the top 4 or fa cup final this season, just the same as some dont care if theres not a british player in their 1st team.

Just found this on Sky & Redknapp is certainley not agreeing that we are a long-ball team . . . . . . . .


Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has hit out at claims that his side are a 'long ball' team.
With tall striker Peter Crouch now a regular starter in the Spurs team, certain critics have accused the North Londoners of adopting a route-one style.
Stoke players commented on their opponents going long after their victory at White Hart Lane earlier in the season and Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel brought the subject back to attention following the 0-0 draw between the two teams at the weekend.
However, Redknapp is angry at these suggestions and described the claims as 'absolute nonsense'.
He said: "That's rubbish. Absolute nonsense. We pass the ball to death and hit Crouchy in the right areas.
"They (Villa) got labelled a long-ball team by Arsenal, maybe a couple of their players wanted to pass the buck to us but I wouldn't know what a long-ball team was.
"If you can hit a 50-yard pass, it's better than a 10-yard pass or a backwards one. It's about creating strikes on goals, if it's 50 yards then it's a great ball. It's about quality."
"Every time we hit Crouchy against Villa he knocked the ball down and we had chances to score.
"If you are going to have Peter Crouch in your team you have to use him, you can't expect him to run up channels or to come short. That's not his game.
"He is an option when teams fill up the midfield and you can't pass through them. We have that great option to miss out the midfield, hit him and pick things up around the box."

Arseanal at Aston Villa ...........All passes 350..... passes successful 273... unsuccessful 77
Arseanal home to Aston Villa......All passes 477..... passes successful 387... unsucessfull 88

Total Attempted passes 827 ...Completed 660


Spurs at Aston Villa ...........All passes 458 ....399 succesful ... unsucessful 59
Spurs at home to Aston Villa ..All passes 296 ... 227 successful ...unsucessful 69

Total Attempted passes 754 ... Completed 626 .........Data supplied by The Guardian




We do play long to Crouch to often and I hate seeing it attempted time and time again even when its clearly not producing results .. We do it towards the end of tight games too often, giving up possesion when holding on to the ball is paramount...


We're not like the Gerry Francis long ball Tottenham despite what the long ball stats say about us We do and can actualy play the ball around unlike, that Francis team who couldnt string 5 passes together ...

I keep saying it ...with the players we have , if we cut out these long balls we will kill off alot of these teams in the premeirship .. I think we have to drop Crouch to do this but I just cant see it happening ...

VisionarySound wrote:What criteria is being used to define a long ball ? I've looked on the website but can't find the article. How far does a ball have to travel to be classed as a long ball ? Is a raking 40/50 yard diagonal pass from Thuddd to the flanks a long ball ? Does a a Gomes kick count ? I'd like to see the stats Sky have worked with because the distance traveled is not the full story . . . . .

A good point that Vis ................ For me its those balls from where the goalie rolls it out and from the backline of defence ........Balls from our third or near to it , into the oppositions third ...

I like to see our goalie roll the ball out more than kick it , Vis and ours does more than most ....
However it seems to me that when the opposition is tougher and is a good passing team themselves we give in to the long ball tactic far to easily ....

The long ball is fine with me when used on occasions as you say , when the opposition has pressed us high up the pitch ... But then I'd like these long balls to be played to players with pace rather than to their heads .....Lennon down the flank thats ok ... Defoe through the channels thats ok too if he can stay onside .....

VisionarySound wrote:Just found this on Sky & Redknapp is certainley not agreeing that we are a long-ball team . . . . . . . .


Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has hit out at claims that his side are a 'long ball' team.
With tall striker Peter Crouch now a regular starter in the Spurs team, certain critics have accused the North Londoners of adopting a route-one style.
Stoke players commented on their opponents going long after their victory at White Hart Lane earlier in the season and Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel brought the subject back to attention following the 0-0 draw between the two teams at the weekend.
However, Redknapp is angry at these suggestions and described the claims as 'absolute nonsense'.
He said: "That's rubbish. Absolute nonsense. We pass the ball to death and hit Crouchy in the right areas.
"They (Villa) got labelled a long-ball team by Arsenal, maybe a couple of their players wanted to pass the buck to us but I wouldn't know what a long-ball team was.
"If you can hit a 50-yard pass, it's better than a 10-yard pass or a backwards one. It's about creating strikes on goals, if it's 50 yards then it's a great ball. It's about quality."
"Every time we hit Crouchy against Villa he knocked the ball down and we had chances to score.
"If you are going to have Peter Crouch in your team you have to use him, you can't expect him to run up channels or to come short. That's not his game.
"He is an option when teams fill up the midfield and you can't pass through them. We have that great option to miss out the midfield, hit him and pick things up around the box."

Thats the exact sky article i heard vis, i never said harry agreed we are a long ball side, but he is agreeing what many said on here when we first bought crouch, that he would be targeted for the long ball, long pass whatever anyone calls it, its a hoof it long up field option but i really couldnt give a monkeys, if it gets the desired result, but in my opinion thats questionable because it isnt reaping any rewards from recent games that we should have taken all 3 points in.