Gillingham assistant manager John Schofield writes exclusively for the KM Group
People on the outside looking in can get obsessed with
complicated formations and tactics but we’ve kept things
simple.
No matter what formation, tactics or
game-plan you use, the basics of football are still the same. If
you pass the ball and keep the ball well, you dictate the tempo of
the game.
The simple thing is to play the way
you face and then lose your marker. Give the player a couple of
options and move. It is as basic as that.
When you move, it’s about the pace and
intensity that you move at and likewise when you have the ball.
What we’ve been doing in training is
getting the ball and playing quickly and concentrating on the
basics. That’s what we’ve incorporated since day one.
When it comes off it looks more
complicated because we look so good but when we are moving the ball
around that’s all it is, we are playing the way we are facing.
It’s about movement off the ball and
the athleticism we have got now that takes us forward. Every day we
base ourselves on the same principles but every day is like a new
chapter. It’s fantastic working with these players.
It is working at the moment and you
can see with the smiles on the players’ faces that they are
enjoying themselves. The atmosphere around the club is
fantastic.
There is a lot of laughter and a lot
of noise. The gaffer always says that if you open the patio doors
at home and the birds are chirping, then everything is good in the
garden. It’s similar to when the lads are warming up.
It’s unbelievable how the noise levels
build up as the players are warming up. The garden is looking well
because there is plenty of noise and everyone is buzzing.
We're back at home on Saturday and we
want to get back to winning ways.
Our preparation during the week has
all been about that and making sure we are prepared and ready to go
for maximum points. This game will be like any other – strengths
and weaknesses.
It’s not about a team’s position or
form, it’s about how you perform on the day, whether that be us or
them. The only thing we can concentrate on is us.
Last Saturday we came away from Oxford with a good point to keep
our undefeated away run going, which meant we picked up four points
from the two away games in the week.
Did we want six? Yes, of course, we did. You always want a bit
more.
11/10/12
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