Our set pieces are not dangerous!

We seem to get a couple of free kicks per game in and around shooting distance but we never ever convert them. We often hit the wall or it's just too weak to trouble the keeper. What's the problem?

Okocha, Campo, Frandsen, Sturridge, Anelka, Taylor, and a string of others have produced fantastic things for us in recent years but we seem to be passing up a big chance to get goals from this proven area. Why?

Well it's fairly simple, the players don't have the quality to either score directly or deliver good service at a consistent rate.

that said, the quality of free kick and corners around the league is on the whole appalling.

Because we suck.

I think its likely to be a combination of lack of raw ability and less focus during training.

In general all our set pieces both attacking and defending is pretty terrible, just depends on how much time is dedicated to them in training usually.

Taylor's set pieces were awful for the most part. He would score 1 free kick a season, but he consistently hit the first defender at a corner.

I haven't played football on an actual football pitch for years, and this probably sounds like bullshit, but I could stick a corner kick between the penalty spot and edge of the 6 yard box nine times out of ten.

largehat wrote:
I haven't played football on an actual football pitch for years, and this probably sounds like bullshit, but I could stick a corner kick between the penalty spot and edge of the 6 yard box nine times out of ten.

I believe you.

Our delivery at corners is pretty disgraceful.

How a premiership footballer cannot get the ball above the first defender and just outside the 6 yard box is beyond me.

Oh whilst were taking about set pieces etc, N'gogs headers are also terrible, for a guy that tall he should at least be able to aim the ball with his head, but to be fair he gets enough stick and I actually quite like him.. don't want to sound too harsh.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:
I haven't played football on an actual football pitch for years, and this probably sounds like bullshit, but I could stick a corner kick between the penalty spot and edge of the 6 yard box nine times out of ten.

I believe you.

Thanks. I don't understand how elite footballers can't take a corner kick. I genuinely don't.

Having said that, Nolan's goal on Monday came from a vicious Taylor corner that the keeper couldn't handle - typical.

largehat wrote:Taylor's set pieces were awful for the most part. He would score 1 free kick a season, but he consistently hit the first defender at a corner.

I haven't played football on an actual football pitch for years, and this probably sounds like bullshit, but I could stick a corner kick between the penalty spot and edge of the 6 yard box nine times out of ten.

No, I believe you. Same here. And with free kicks. I played a decent level and it was very rare I hit the wall. And on corners, I just could never understand why other players could not consistently hit the spot they were aiming for. I could.

Maybe they approach it wrong. Taking a corner I would either pick out an exact spot or exact player I wanted to aim for. Then I would take the corner as if it were a fast, off the ground, pass, and got it at least 9 out of 10 - like you said. I can't see what the problem is.

Players make 25 yard passes all the time in the air with accuracy, why can't they do what is essentially the same on a corner?

ive always thought the same thing, I can more or less get a ball were i want it to go, when i used to play football i was the free kick taker most of the time.

the issue for me is again we seem to be inviting pressure when defending a set piece by having 10 men in the box -this was a megson thing and really used to frustrate me. why have we started to do it again?

the ball get cleared up to the halfway line...but there is only one place its going to end up - back in our box! its infuriating that we leave ourselves with no out ball...

Seems like we have the makings of a fantastic Bolton Nuts 5-a-side team

Natasha Whittam wrote:Seems like we have the makings of a fantastic Bolton Nuts 5-a-side team

with subs too!

only issue is who would sponsor us...

blue and white would be the colours...

Who ever decided to let Eagles take free kicks wants sacking, he doesn't even get the ball in the air half the time when trying to float a ball into the box from one.

As for defending corners, for me coyle simply hasn't even bothered trying to address the situation since he came in. He doesn't strike me as the type of manager who spends a couple of hours on set pieces.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Seems like we have the makings of a fantastic Bolton Nuts 5-a-side team

I'd be the dribbler of the team. It just comes naturally to me. I was a regular corner taker as well. None of that random nonsense that eludes everybody and goes for a throw-in or goal kick either. It really isn't that hard. Took a mean PK as well.

We don't have any means of attacking that is dangerous!

I'm at the stage now where I don't even get excited seeing us on the counter attack. You know 99 times out of 100, it will amount to nothing.

I'll play ! However, such were my skills that the team made a new position for me, ... left out.

I was routinely right-off!

I am Left Back (in the changing rooms)

I've always been amazed how professional footballers can't shoot straight to begin with. Free kicks sailing into the upper deck....poor corners...etc etc. Our boy Muamba has more chance of hitting the corner flag than the net on most occassions. Every game you ever watch footballers edge the ball inches forward then proceed to hammer it over the bar. They would be better to move the ball back a yard then have the manager tell them to aim for the bloke in the 15th row.....that would just sail in nicely.
As for our set pieces just put two men on SKD and that's us done for. There's no invention at all.

terenceanne wrote:I've always been amazed how professional footballers can't shoot straight to begin with.

I've been saying this for months now, the current generation of footballers is pisspoor. A current PL team would have struggled in League 1 10-15 years ago.

Coyle seems to have put together a squad of players who can't hold onto a ball for more than 2 seconds, and can't pass a simple ball 5 yards.

Anyone who has watched Wigan of late will know how a pass and move team should play.