Winning Headers In The Box

Alger

Member
Was at game today considering the amount of corners we had we did not appear to
Win many headers in box
This is particularly strange considering we have quite a few tall players in team
i.e. Lafferty Goldson Macaulay
I noticed this more in second half as I sit in Copland
Not sure how it was in first half as eyesigh not the greatest at distance
What does anyone else think about this
 
Was at game today considering the amount of corners we had we did not appear to
Win many headers in box
This is particularly strange considering we have quite a few tall players in team
i.e. Lafferty Goldson Macaulay
I noticed this more in second half as I sit in Copland
Not sure how it was in first half as eyesigh not the greatest at distance
What does anyone else think about this
A fair point. The lack of chaos we caused in their box was disappointing to say the least
 
My dad made the same point, was quite annoyed at how little headers on goal we got away from the 50 corners we took. Strange because Goldson and McAuley were pretty dominant in the air in defence.
 
To win a header in the box, you need two things - someone who can strike the ball so that it doesn’t hit off the first defender, go straight to their keeper or out the other side of the park, and someone who can judge the flight of the ball and has the skill to direct it past their keeper, into the net.

I grew up listening to stories from my Dad about the Waddell/Thornton partnership. I stood on the terraces watching Tommy McLean set up perfect chances for Derek Johnstone.

Like shooting from distance, getting the ball on target and stringing two or more forward passes together, it seems to be a lost art for us, sadly.
 
The average conversion rate for corners is something like 2-3 per hundred..

If true then something needs to radically change in relation to teams approaches to corners.

I suggest playing it to a man who then swings it in from deep or something- or anything that will shake up the defense. Defenses are too good nowadays to concede from corners- so why doesn’t it change?
 
If true then something needs to radically change in relation to teams approaches to corners.

I suggest playing it to a man who then swings it in from deep or something- or anything that will shake up the defense. Defenses are too good nowadays to concede from corners- so why doesn’t it change?

That's why teams like Man City play short corners, possession leads to goals a lot more than corners or crosses (1 goal every 92 crosses).
 
Not having someone who can get on the end of our crosses and corners is annoying. Morelos can win more balls in the air than he should do for his height but he can’t be the end of every move. Defenders are not always the best at attacking headers as the timing and positioning is different but they should cause some disruption. We need attackers who can win headers. Unfortunately that is not Lafferty at all. He’s one of those tall guys who actually gets smaller when he jumps - he always seems to hunch his shoulders and almost bend over as he does it.

Getting a midfielder runner or another attacker with some spring would be very useful. It has to be remembered that the best players in the air are not always the tallest. Those of average or even small height who learned timing and spring are often the most deadly. Tall guys who have spring are very rare and often very valuable
 
Scottish teams are all pretty bad at set plays, us included.
The Sheep are probably the best at it with that train thing they do, personally I think that if you stick Macauley at the front post and play for him to flick the ball on we'd score a lot more.
We seem quite flat footed when the ball is in the box, either in position too early or just not moving.
It's not really criticising the deliveries either, some of them were really good, we just couldn't get someone free, which comes down to practice. We got a lot of practice yesterday so hopefully we'll score a couple from corners v HiV's :)
 
My son made the point yesterday - why were virtually all our corners outswingers.Surely, mixing it up with some inswingers would put more pressure on a defence?
 
We seem quite flat footed when the ball is in the box, either in position too early or just not moving.

This ^^^, definitely.

I don't think I've ever seen a team as static as ours in such situations.

The same even applies when we are defending corners and the ball is in the air, sweeping down.
Few of our players seem to know how to "attack the ball".

It's similar to this situation we see in midfield when the ball is in the air and coming down.
Opposition players get in there to claim it -- the vast majority of our guys seem to be standing back thinking, "Now, where is that going?"
 
The amount of crossballs either corners or open play must have neared 50!!
All the same type floated into an area.
whatever happened to picking a player out or if its a congested box drilling a ball across the face?
These teams in our league lap up crossballs for fun.
The way we play plays into these teams hands.
 
20 corners and 30 crosses and barely a whimper.

Lack of bodies in the box, poor deliveries and lack of movement. Only 1 goal from open play in 6 games, we need to get it sorted sharpish.
 
We need a big target man.

Lafferty is 6’4 but I genuinely think I’m better in the air than he is.
 
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