Zonal Marking

[cheltenhamlion]

There are many things I blame MON for, but our defending from set pieces this season? Do me a favour!

[Bosco81]

Surely man to man marking is the easiest system to implement, how difficult is it to assign our 4 best header(ers) to mark their 4 best.

We're not reacting to the 2nd ball which is what is causing us problems.

[ktvillan]

I still think we are zonal "marking".  Percy you said under O'Neill we just lined up our best headers along the 6 yard box.  As far as I can see that's what we still do, it's just that our best headers aint what they used to be.   What's the difference?  In any case even if we are  intending to man mark, by doing it very badly our players end up marking space.  Which is, by default,  zonal defending isn't it?  Whatever it is, it's useless and needs fixing.

[Norm Crandles]

Notwithstanding our own recent record, corners are pretty useless and produce very few goals.  Around 2002, FIFA stats had the ratio at 150:1.   The new ball might have shifted that slightly since then.
  I`d like to address some confusion on here about zone coverage versus man-marking.   All of the teams I coached in my final fifteen years up to 2002 employed ZC and goals conceded from corners were very rare.

Here is how Zone coverage is supposed to work:-

- All players come back to defend and are positioned thus:
   - One on each post ;
   - three equi-spaced across the six yard box;
   - three similarly placed five yards further out;
   - one short between the goal and the flag
   - one on the `D`
 ALL OPPOSING PLAYERS ARE IGNORED THROUGHOUT.

Defenders concentrate solely on the flight of the ball and the closest player attacks and clears it from the zone in front of him.  No backing up.


This is compared with man-marking which effectively requires a defender to impede or otherwise foul his opponent while ignoring the ball.
We all know that a penalty could be easily be called against most defenders at every corner.   What does 'losing my man' actually mean?  That he broke free from my grip?.    The sight of players dodging and juking with each other in a manic game of hide and seek, whilst both ignore the ball is frankly ludicrous.
   Much as I hate to do so, check out ManC.  at corners and you`ll see zone coverage worked to perfection.
  I commend ZC to all coaches out there.  It`s easy to teach, easy to implement and I`ve not yet had a player tell me he preferred old fashioned man marking.

 

[Percy McCarthy]

Notwithstanding our own recent record, corners are pretty useless and produce very few goals.  Around 2002, FIFA stats had the ratio at 150:1.   The new ball might have shifted that slightly since then.
  I`d like to address some confusion on here about zone coverage versus man-marking.   All of the teams I coached in my final fifteen years up to 2002 employed ZC and goals conceded from corners were very rare.

Here is how Zone coverage is supposed to work:-

- All players come back to defend and are positioned thus:
   - One on each post ;
   - three equi-spaced across the six yard box;
   - three similarly placed five yards further out;
   - one short between the goal and the flag
   - one on the `D`
 ALL OPPOSING PLAYERS ARE IGNORED THROUGHOUT.

Defenders concentrate solely on the flight of the ball and the closest player attacks and clears it from the zone in front of him.  No backing up.


This is compared with man-marking which effectively requires a defender to impede or otherwise foul his opponent while ignoring the ball.
We all know that a penalty could be easily be called against most defenders at every corner.   What does 'losing my man' actually mean?  That he broke free from my grip?.    The sight of players dodging and juking with each other in a manic game of hide and seek, whilst both ignore the ball is frankly ludicrous.
   Much as I hate to do so, check out ManC.  at corners and you`ll see zone coverage worked to perfection.
  I commend ZC to all coaches out there.  It`s easy to teach, easy to implement and I`ve not yet had a player tell me he preferred old fashioned man marking.

 

Brilliant post Norm, thanks for sharing. In your opinion, does this efficient-sounding system bear any resemblance to the shambolic rubbish that we are currently enduring? It didn't look much like zonal coverage to me when Nathan Baker was facing his own goal and vainly chasing Cahill around our box on Saturday.

[TheSandman]

You missed out the worrying bit -

“But next season it is something I’ll address.”

The deluded **** thinks he will still be here next season .....he won`t will he?

Yes he will, so I think a lot of people are going to have to address the issue.

I will address it by not renewing my two season tickets - the club should not underestimate just how many feel that way... and before anyone starts wittering on about loyalty or fickleness - just recall Moscow or Eastlands - what price loyalty?

Anybody who thinks Houllier won't be our manager next season - barring relegation - is deluding themselves.  He is here to stay for next season at least.

And I'm saying that as someone who shares your views.

He's now lapsed into blaming his predecessor for his own failings too. It's not the marking system he has inherited that is to blame as it worked fine under MoN and it is probably the way to go in marking set pieces.

Needless to say I fully expect we will now go and buy another new back four like we did before under MoN but this time to replace the perfectly serviceable defenders we already have.

[Risso]

I will address it by not renewing my two season tickets - the club should not underestimate just how many feel that way... and before anyone starts wittering on about loyalty or fickleness - just recall Moscow or Eastlands - what price loyalty?

I heard lots of people say something similar on Saturday Clive, and not just shouty internet types either.  Real fans like you, who have just had enough.

[Cuz]

I'm getting one with my 7yr old but by then we will have a new manager fingers crossed

I will address it by not renewing my two season tickets - the club should not underestimate just how many feel that way... and before anyone starts wittering on about loyalty or fickleness - just recall Moscow or Eastlands - what price loyalty?

I heard lots of people say something similar on Saturday Clive, and not just shouty internet types either.  Real fans like you, who have just had enough.

[hawkeye]

You missed out the worrying bit -

“But next season it is something I’ll address.”

The deluded **** thinks he will still be here next season .....he won`t will he?

Yes he will, so I think a lot of people are going to have to address the issue.

I will address it by not renewing my two season tickets - the club should not underestimate just how many feel that way... and before anyone starts wittering on about loyalty or fickleness - just recall Moscow or Eastlands - what price loyalty?

VCTM, I understood Moscow, we had a knackered squad although i think MON overdid the number of changes because he had not utilised the squad before. I can not understand the Fiasco at Eastlands and the manager trying to mug off the fans. I feel for you mate. UTV

[Chris Smith]

I can not understand the Fiasco at Eastlands and the manager trying to mug off the fans. I feel for you mate

I can accept that you don't agree with it but squad rotation is surely not that difficult a concept to understand. Prioritising attempts to stay in the PL is also quite easy to understand, I'd have thought.

[Risso]

I can not understand the Fiasco at Eastlands and the manager trying to mug off the fans. I feel for you mate

I can accept that you don't agree with it but squad rotation is surely not that difficult a concept to understand. Prioritising attempts to stay in the PL is also quite easy to understand, I'd have thought.

and it's all working so well.  I just don't know why people are so upset.

[Chris Smith]

I can not understand the Fiasco at Eastlands and the manager trying to mug off the fans. I feel for you mate

I can accept that you don't agree with it but squad rotation is surely not that difficult a concept to understand. Prioritising attempts to stay in the PL is also quite easy to understand, I'd have thought.

and it's all working so well.  I just don't know why people are so upset.

Yes, I can understand that people are upset. I have the ability to comprehend things that I might not agree with.

[hawkeye]

I can not understand the Fiasco at Eastlands and the manager trying to mug off the fans. I feel for you mate

I can accept that you don't agree with it but squad rotation is surely not that difficult a concept to understand. Prioritising attempts to stay in the PL is also quite easy to understand, I'd have thought.

I have no problem with squad rotation, a thing that was an anathema to our last manager. GH has since admited that he should have told the fans that the FA Cup was not a priority, which is contradictory to the statements he made before the game. Changing 8 players is not squad rotation as i understand it, it is picking a completely different team. So its ok for our manager to be disingenuous and so lilly livered that he does not believe he can get 10 points from 10 games against the teams that we were about to face. I would have accepted squad rotation against Citeh but nor surrender.

[Chris Smith]

It's not lilly livered or any of the other emotive tosh spewed out in recent days, it was pragmatism. We are in a relegation fight and he decided to try to protect some of his players for what he (and i'm guessing Randy) considered the priority of avoiding it. As it was our only fit and experienced centre half picked up an injury so the risks were real.

I though he made a couple of changes too many but then I'm not charged with ensuring we stay in the league so it us easy for me to say.

[cdward]

Was it pragmatic to put young and downing on when the game was effectively over and risk losing them to injury?