Style over substance?

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Just heard some of the drivel that is 5Live Monday Night Club and some "expert" basically said that it's better to play well than win anything.

Personally, if I had the choice, I'd take winning something anyday because football is all about winning things. If it's good I want, I go to a concert or gallery, something that does not involve winning or losing.

What would you rather?

Play shit and win things or play like Arsenal?

(It may even take your mind of other things in the process).

[N'Zimidy]

Arsenal over Small Heath.

Personal opinion mind.

[brian green]

I do not think it is that black and white.   Sometimes the achievement of victory has a beauty of its own and sometimes a thing of proclaimed beauty falls short because it does not achieve what it set out to do.

Expressed another way is a painting by Millais - full of glowing colour and fine detail a better picture than a Picasso?   The answer is in the eye of the beholder.

[TheSandman]

I'd take winning over everything for sure.

That said I would not take Small Heath style football as that was not winning football.

[PeterWithesShin]

Winning every time, but there is no reason that both can't be done. Playing decent football doesn't necessarily playing like Barcelona.

However the fact that it took small heath 50 years of playing shit football to finally win something shows that playing shit will generally equate to being shit and winning nothing.

[Lobsterboy]

Winning is everything, simples

I am sure the Arsenal fans watching their team trying to score goal of the season week in week out and win rock all were much happier watching George Graham's teams boring the opposition to death, winning 1-0 and subsequently winning League titles

Not sure the Birmingham v Arsenal comparison particularly valid as Blose clearly didn't win often enough or else they wouldn't have been relegated!

[DeKuip]

Winning is everything, simples

I am sure the Arsenal fans watching their team trying to score goal of the season week in week out and win rock all were much happier watching George Graham's teams boring the opposition to death, winning 1-0 and subsequently winning League titles

It never ceases to amaze me that anyone paying to watch a football match could have this attitude - are these the type of fans that leave after half an hour to join the queue for half-time sausage and chips.
If all that matters is the result why bother with the game, just toss a coin. Or just buy a Rothmans Yearbook every summer, that's packed with results.
Give me Arsenal's style of football and no trophies any day.

[The Situation]

Yea, Big 'Eck's substance got his team relegated twice.

[old man villa fan]

Winning is everything providing you win.  However, if you do not end up a winner, the supporters end up losers as they eventually realise the football is rubbish and they lose interest.  You could say that MON had gone that way or partly that way.

Sometimes you start off with good intentions but the closer you get the more emphasis you put on the result rather than how you achieve it.  Eventually you get found out by the better teams - familiar?

[KevinGage]

Winning definitely.

But playing shit and not winning is the worst of both worlds.

[olofmilosevic]

i'd rather play shit and win things!! ALL DAY

[The Situation]

i'd rather play shit and win things!! ALL DAY

Teams that play shit don't win things though.

[olofmilosevic]

to be fair mourinho's first season in charge of Chelsea they played boring boring football lots of 1 nils!! in my first post i should have said boring instead of shit

[pooligan]

Winning comes first ,winning in style comes second. Somehow Barcelona manage to do both whenever i watch them play.

[Caiphus]

If we couldn't win with style I would still rather be winning then playing well without reward.