View Full Version : Why did Pagan put Houlihan in the centre for the last quarter?
legendtofski
10 Jun 2007, 02:32
Why did Pagan do this? As soon as he took Bentick out and put Houla in there, Port started to get easy clearances and kick goals with ease. Rodan (a guy with major knee reconstructions) made Houla look slow and weak. It was only when Pagan put Bentick back in the centre that we plugged Port's flow-on.
Please Denis, why do you make such moves, when it's clear to anyone with 20-20 eyesight (or good glasses) that Houla is NEVER first to the ball, even if he played against the Littlies at half-time!
Blue Dawn
10 Jun 2007, 05:58
Why did Pagan do this? As soon as he took Bentick out and put Houla in there, Port started to get easy clearances and kick goals with ease. Rodan (a guy with major knee reconstructions) made Houla look slow and weak. It was only when Pagan put Bentick back in the centre that we plugged Port's flow-on.
Please Denis, why do you make such moves, when it's clear to anyone with 20-20 eyesight (or good glasses) that Houla is NEVER first to the ball, even if he played against the Littlies at half-time!
Is the glass half empty - or half full (26 disposals & 3 goals)?
Houla showed vs Port that he is better up the ground than in defence, near the goals, on a wing...in defence he is way too slow, weak and unaccountable. His goals vs Port showed that is where he is most useful to the side.
AlecDuncan
10 Jun 2007, 09:21
Why did Pagan do this?
Because everyone else (except Setanta) was knackered.
Sticks 4
10 Jun 2007, 09:30
Because everyone else (except Setanta) was knackered.
Correct. Everyone keeps asking for more midfield rotation. Denis gave it to us. We had busted our balls to get the lead we had, it's not surprising the intensity dropped a bit. Overall Houlihan played bloody well. Keep in mind, he was knackered too, whereas Rodan had been quiet for long patches of the game and probably had more run in the last quarter.
We had an excellent win yesterday. Just enjoy it for Christ's sake
legendtofski
10 Jun 2007, 10:57
*cough, cough* ..any of you guys at the game, or watched it on the InterNerd or Foxtel...?*cough,cough* splutter. But I'll take the win, it was great (but coulda been 60-70 points in Houla wasn't put in the centre for jogging alongside players all night, and thankfully kicking a few receieved goals in open space!)
Geez, maybe I should stay indoors more now that winter has arrived!
Sharks On A Plane
10 Jun 2007, 13:11
*cough, cough* ..any of you guys at the game, or watched it on the InterNerd or Foxtel...?*cough,cough* splutter. But I'll take the win, it was great (but coulda been 60-70 points in Houla wasn't put in the centre for jogging alongside players all night, and thankfully kicking a few receieved goals in open space!)
Geez, maybe I should stay indoors more now that winter has arrived!
Look, you've obviously got a chip on your shoulder re: Houlihan, but honestly get over it. The bloke kicks three fantastic goals and has 26 touches of the footy - if he received handpasses to get them, who cares?
Not everybody plays in and under the packs, all teams need highly-skilled finishers.
Well done Ryan on another great game.:thumbsu:
The Old Dark Navy's
10 Jun 2007, 14:26
*cough, cough* ..any of you guys at the game, or watched it on the InterNerd or Foxtel...?*cough,cough* splutter. But I'll take the win, it was great (but coulda been 60-70 points in Houla wasn't put in the centre for jogging alongside players all night, and thankfully kicking a few receieved goals in open space!)
Geez, maybe I should stay indoors more now that winter has arrived!You do yourself no favours by trying to set yourself up as a poster with superior knowledge and belittling others for having an opinion. Did you address their points about tiredness or midfield rotation? No. You simply swung away and took cheap shots.
What do coaches and players do after games? I will tell you ... they study the tapes because the tapes show them things they could not pick up in the hustle and bustle of live action. Recruiters .... study tapes. Don't try and suggest that the best or only way of judging a game or a player is to be at the game.
I live in Queensland and watch every game a couple of times. I also go to Carrara or the Gabba to watch games. I know that I see more when I watch the replay and only pick up incidental behind the play things when watching live compared to the replays. I resent the implication that my opinion is not as valid because I can not get to the game every week.
BLue_Bloys
10 Jun 2007, 15:28
Think Billy Brownless mentioned on sunday footy show this morning how he rates Houlian one of the best finishers around!
Look, you've obviously got a chip on your shoulder re: Houlihan, but honestly get over it. The bloke kicks three fantastic goals and has 26 touches of the footy - if he received handpasses to get them, who cares?
Well done Ryan on another great game.:thumbsu:
Agreed. Whatever you think about Houlihan generally, he's in some decent form right now and was one of our best in a great win yesterday. Don't know what more you could ask from him - that he be someone he isn't and never will be?
In modern football you have to rotate your midfield. Bentick was doing a great job but doesn't have the stamina to go all game - no-one does. It'd be nice if we had 12-14 capable midfielders a la West Coast, but we don't, so Houlihan has to spend time in there. And while his best efforts seem to be up forward, he certainly hasn't let us down too often this season.