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Gaffer answers more fans questions

Posted on: Wed 11 Nov 2009

How can we go from having one of the best defences in the league last season to one of the worst this season?
DUNCAN BIGGIN

That was one of the foundations we were hoping to build from this season because we were changing the style of the way we wanted to play this year and we've shown that style is different - we are more attack-minded. We move the ball, pass it well and we are creative.

But we have shipped some really poor goals and it's more down to individual mistakes than it is down to a unit. We know the players in this football club can get back to their best but we have to get right back to the basics again.

Players do go through periods in games where they will make a mistake - everybody is going to make a mistake on the pitch whether you are a striker, a goalkeeper or a defender - it's about making sure those mistakes don't become costly. Unfortunately, of late, we've made a fair few mistakes and they have been costly.

I have to be honest, over the last two games, I think the defence has looked as solid as it has been, and although we have conceded, the goals haven't been as sloppy and we've looked more solid.

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Do you deploy a man-to-man marking system for set pieces or zonal marking and what is your view on putting men on the post at corners?
STUART PINDER
Well, everybody has their view and an opinion on set pieces. Some managers sit every player behind the ball and don't leave anybody up and put two men on the post. Last season alone we had 290 set plays including corners and free kicks and we only conceded five goals which is good going, so defensively we have done really well.

We do deploy a simple man-to-man marking system at corners. I also deploy a zonal marking from wide free kicks because you can't man-mark in those positions anyway. I've been generally satisfied with the set plays, although we conceded one on Saturday against Queens Park Rangers and that was disappointing because that was the first one of the season but generally we have been very good - we don't concede many goals from set plays.

Sometimes, depending on the opposition, I might put a man on the back post or have a holding player on the front post and as soon as the ball goes over his head he's got to go to the front post zone. I do use different systems now and again depending on the opposition, and if they are aerially very strong, then we have to be very protective of our goalkeeper.

Would you be prepared to release figures from ProZone and publish them on the official website?
ANDY GEE

The ProZone stats have been fantastic and they are very enlightening. The information that is given from ProZone is enormous, it's influential, and we can use it as much for the opposition as we can on ourselves.

But the bits of nitty gritty information that ProZone gives us on individual players can't be released because it could give the opposition too much leverage. We don't get that information from the opposition and that's why I wouldn't publish the individual statistics. We know which players are doing really well, for example, but we don't want the opposition to know that.

Click here to watch part two on Wednesday Player

Missed part one?

Click here for the first part of this five-part special with Brian Laws

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