SB Nation - James Morrison

West Bromwich Albion vs. Arsenal, 2013 Premier League: Final score 1-2, 10-man Gunners hang on for three points

Callum Hamilton — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:56:46 -0000

West Brom made a lively start to the game as they looked to put their recent poor form behind them, and came close to taking the lead after a bright start. Claudio Yacob got into a fine position from a corner, but his glancing header was cleared off the line by Tomas Rosicky, before the Argentine attempted to hook the ball over his shoulder to catch Lukasz Fabianski off his line, but his effort dropped wide.

More from our team blogs: Arsenal FC blog The Short Fuse

Against the run of play, however, it was the Gunners who opened the scoring, as Gervinho showed some fine trickery down the left wing to leave Billy Jones with twisted blood, cutting inside and arrowing a shot into the far corner which Tomas Rosicky interrupted with a fierce header that gave Ben Foster no chance at all.

West Brom almost equalised soon afterwards however, as Chris Brunt attempted to catch Fabianski out with a free-kick at the near post, but with the Baggies lurking for the rebound, the Pole managed to hold onto the ball. Regardless, Arsenal had gotten themselves on top, and almost doubled their lead with some wonderful flowing football from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud - the Spaniard threaded a brilliant pass through for the striker, whose backheel found the onrushing Aaron Ramsey, but his toe-poke was wide of the goal.

Not long after half-time, Arsenal appeared to get a killer second goal, again through Tomas Rosicky. The Czech midfielder was released to test Foster with one effort, but the rebound came straight back out to the Czech and he made no mistake the second time, firing home to put the game seemingly out of West Brom's grasp.

West Brom felt they should have had a penalty when James Morrison tried some nifty footwork to dance past the Arsenal defence, and Per Mertesacker appeared to handball to deny the opportunity. Replays showed, however, that the German simply fell over and landed on the ball with his arm glued to his side, so the correct decision was made.

That didn't matter for long, however - West Brom soon had their penalty, and a red card for Mertesacker to boot as one incident turned the game on it's head. Shane Long was set free in the area with the German defender out of position, and his terrible attempt at a recovering tackle got none of the ball and all of the man, which saw the referee point to the spot and duly dismiss the centre-back.

James Morrison's penalty was scruffy, straight down the middle and off Fabianski's legs, but it found the net regardless and heralded a siege on the Arsenal goal for the remainder of the game. The Gunners simply couldn't clear their lines at all as West Brom bombarded them for twenty minutes in search of a goal.

First Romelu Lukaku missed a fine chance as the ball rolled to him in the left channel a few yards from goal, but his attempted curled finish to the far corner drifted just wide of the post. Shortly afterwards, Shane Long also found space to escape his marker down the left channel, but his fierce effort flew over the bar.

West Bro's profligacy appeared to have saved Arsenal, and despite five minutes of added time being awarded, the hosts could not force another chance, and Arsenal held on for a fortunate victory.

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Scotland vs. Wales, 2014 World Cup qualifying: Preview and TV schedule

Callum Hamilton — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:00:08 -0000

An injury doubt over Gareth Bale has taken up most of the build-up to Scotland's game against Wales, with the Tottenham Hotspur winger suffering from an ankle problem that could keep him out of the game.

Wales will be sweating over the in-form winger's fitness, and although neither side has much chance of qualification, the game could, if some reports are to be believed, be Wales boss Chris Coleman's last if his side suffers defeat at Hampden Park. The visitors will also be without Liverpool's Joe Allen, who is out for the season.

Scotland have one likely starter out injured in James Morrison too, so it will be intriguing to see who is selected to support Steven Fletcher in attack. Ross McCormack and James Forrest are also out for the Scots, though neither were likely to start. Gordon Strachan could instead opt for a bold 4-4-2 with Jordan Rhodes, which has been called for by pundits and former players for some time. Barry Bannan has also been called up and could start in midfield.

Even if Gareth Bale starts, the Scots will be slight favourites in Strachan's first competitive game. The former Celtic boss fielded a very attacking lineup in his first match against Estonia, and he could well follow suit here at Hampden.

Match Date / Time: Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m. local, 4 p.m. ET

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland

TV: ESPN 3 (U.S.), Sky Sports 2 (U.K.)

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More international news: the funnies from Scotland

Kirsten Schlewitz — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:52:37 -0000

Sky Sports News have announced that Barry Bannan has been called up to the Scotland squad, probably due to the fact that West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison has pulled out with a hamstring injury. In addition, Ross McCormack, James Forrest and Danny Fox all withdrew from the squad on Monday. Apparently no one wants to help Scotland beat Wales and Serbia.

No one, that is, except Barry Bannan, the Scottish Messi. Despite the fact that the Aston Villa midfielder has only earned his recent starts due to other injuries in the squad, Gordon Strachan has seen it fit to include him in the side. That or, as you can see above, there are just no other Scottish players who he can call upon.

Then again, having Bazza in the national team isn't quite as funny as having Alan Hutton, who went off to Real Mallorca just so he could get a chance to play for his country. The strategy worked and Hutton was called up to the original squad. Possibly because, as he put it, playing against Cristiano Ronaldo has prepared him well for facing Gareth Bale.

Does Hutton not remember that he has faced Bale in the past? Or has he blocked all time in England out of his mind?

ASU Football: Initial Impressions from Pro Day

Brad Denny — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:49:13 -0000

- The departing ASU seniors participated—Kevin Ayers, Charles Beatty, Deveron Carr, Josh Hubner, Keelan Johnson, Brandon Magee, Cameron Marshall, Jamal Miles, James Morrison, A.J. Pickens, Rashad Ross and Brice Schwab—as well as former Sun Devil Shelly Lyons.

- The former running backs did well on the bench press. Marshall had 22 and Morrison 21. Schwab lifted the 225 pounds 29 times, and Miles 15.

- Due to the rainy weather in the area, the on-field work was conducted in the Dickey Dome. Throughout the workouts, there seemed to be a lot of issues with traction, resulting in several slips.

- The big watch for the 40-yard dash was on Brandon Magee, who looked to improve upon his 4.74 time from the Scouting Combine. He did just that, posting in the mid to high 4.5s.

- Magee did have some issues during the drills, likely caused from his recovery from the injury suffered during the Fight Hunger Bowl, including some dropped passes.

- Deveron Carr did himself some favors today, and was arguably the day's star. He ran in the low 4.4s, was fluid in agility drills, and did well in the defensive drills. He showed glimpses of being a very good cover corner while at ASU and has the tools to play in the NFL. All he needs is the consistency.

- Rashad Ross ran into the low 4.3s, as expected. Schwab clocked in at 5.3.

- Jamal Miles was in the mid 4.4s, and showed off some nice hands during the receiving drills, something that went off course during last season. He looked explosive, and may get a camp invite as a return specialist.

- Marshall looked to be in terrific shape, and ran in the 4.5s, along with some good work in the agility drills. He also showed off some polish as a receiver out of the backfield.

- Keelan Johnson posted a 4.49 40 time, and improvement from his 4.54 at the Combine, and was solid if unspectacular in his other work.

- Josh Hubner punted a little early on, but his powerful leg kept bouncing ball off the ceiling. He did spend some time talking with and working with a Cardinals scout.

- Scouts from the Steelers, Saints, Ravens, Jets, Giants, 49ers, Eagles, Cardinals, Browns, Redskins, Panthers, Titans, Bills, Chargers were among the teams in attendance.

- After the workouts, Marshall was busy filling out a paperwork packet from the Houston Texans.

- Former Sun Devils Vontaze Burfict and Gerell Robinson were in attendance

Talking Tactics: West Bromwich Albion (A)

KarlJones — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00:09 -0000

Danny Graham was given his first Sunderland start alongside Steven Fletcher as Martin O'Neill's plan for a partnership started in earnest. This saw his side switch to a flat 4-4-2 formation, which was mirrored by West Brom as Shane Long partnered Romelu Lukaku up front.

Cutting Out The Supply (Or Trying To)

With the teams set up almost identically, any advantage would have to come through creating mismatches in personnel, rather than system. Sunderland sought to do this down the right-hand side; Craig Gardner's 84 touches were the highest in the game, as was his passing combination to Stephane Sessegnon (the former found the latter a total of 14 times). As a result, Sessegnon proved to be the visitors' most lively performer, hitting the target on three of four occasions and being credited with two chances created.

The hosts were well aware of this, and as a result their attempts to thwart Sessegnon came in the form of seven fouls - the highest on an individual player - and a goal-line clearance after the Sunderland man failed to cleanly connect with a Sebastian Larsson corner.

Much in the same vein, James Morrison was the Baggies' source of production beyond the steady base of Youssuf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob. The Scottish international led the way in final third passes (30 played, 23 successful) and was responsible for four of his team's goal-scoring chances.

The Wingers Need A Wingman

As stated, both teams were set out to match one another but where they differed was going forward. In the first half in particular, Liam Ridgewell offered an overlapping threat which sought to create a mismatch against Gardner - or at the very least provide Chris Brunt with sufficient time and space on the ball. It was a ploy that proved effective, as Ridgewell's 60% cross completion was the highest of those that attempted more than one cross.

To contrast, Gardner failed to make the most of the possession he was afforded; his pass completion was his team's second-lowest and all six crosses were unsuccessful. To compound Gardner's wayward day with the ball, he was credited with 29 total losses of possession.

Both Gardner and Jack Colback led the way with interceptions, but offered little support to their wingers, from which Adam Johnson particularly struggled - often receiving the ball well away from the penalty area and without an outlet, increasing the possibility for West Brom to double mark him.

Romelu Reigns

This is a fine case of statistics being misleading, as a breakdown of the battle between Lukaku and Sunderland's defence sees the latter in the ascendency. Lukaku won just 4/9 aerial duels - only one of which in the penalty area - and won just 4/12 challenges on the floor. None of those lost resulted in fouls, which would indicate that Sunderland did enough to stifle the teenage terror.

However, a closer look at Sunderland's clearances gives a clearer outcome; just 13/39 were cleared successfully (compared to West Brom's 15/28 successfully cleared) which enabled the home side to recycle possession, and provide for their attacking focal point, which Lukaku took full advantage of by firing at goal on a game-high six occasions, with four hitting the target.

Conclusions

It is yet another game that Sunderland could, and perhaps should, have taken something from. The visitors were credited with creating four clear chances - compared to West Brom's three - in addition to Sessegnon's well-taken goal. Just where the hosts were able to influence the game was by controlling ‘second ball' situations. As mentioned above, Sunderland were competent against Lukaku initially, yet the Baggies still managed to out-pass their opponents in their respective attacking thirds of the pitch (see below) and thus continuing to produce opportunities for Lukaku to test Simon Mignolet.

A notable element was Steven Fletcher's tentative passing. Despite playing most of the season as a lone front man, the majority of his passes are directed forward. However, just 27% of his passes went ahead of him on Saturday, with him linking up with Graham on just five occasions. Sunderland was close to a breakthrough when the roles reversed - as Fletcher's first-half effort hit the post.

Over the course of this season, Fletcher has had options ahead of him as the wide players and Sessegnon, so often roaming just behind, are able to advance up the field. The graph above depicts a dearth of activity where Sessegnon usually operates, indicating that Sunderland were simply too predictable in possession, possibly contained by the rigid nature of its implementation of 4-4-2.

Typically, of this season at least, Sunderland's best moments came shortly after conceding - an issue that cannot be addressed tactically or stylistically - although the conversion of chances is one fundamental that needs to be put right urgently.

Opposition Scout Report: Reading FC

Lamin Oo — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:01:17 -0000

A blindfolded female figure sits atop a gloomy globe. In her arms, she is embracing a battered harp, all its strings snapped except for one. As she plugs away tentatively at this remaining string, she leans her head right up against the instrument as if to catch every single faint note it sings.

This is the image that Victorian artist George Frederic Watts has beautifully put on canvas. It definitely has a mysterious and arresting quality. Yet it would have just been another ordinary painting if not for its title: Hope. The picture, reputedly painted at a moment of anguish (when Watts's adopted daughter died), is hardly comforting. In fact, G.K. Chesterton, a British author, and an all round smart-arse, once quipped that 'Despair' might have been a more accurate title.

But of course Watts was getting at something very profound by calling it Hope. That an intense form of hope is birthed in moments of despair. That hope is vital in the darkest of days because despair is not a state in which one can exist for long*. Out of courage or of folly (the line between the two is blurry), we hope, we grasp at that single strand to keep us going. And like a dimmed background, desperation sets up for hope to shine.

*Unless, of course, you are a Tottenham fan. BANTZ!!!

So we hope. Despite the sacking of a lovable club legend who tamed the Big-Eared One, despite being kicked off of the competition we just championed, despite Fernando Torres, despite the hiring of a hated figure, despite his "management," despite his excuses, despite being schooled by minnows time and again, despite not winning the "easy" cups, despite not being one of the Thoroughbreds in the annual "two-horse race," despite not having a reliable midfield, despite the home form, we hope. We grip that raggedy harp tight with one hand while picking its solitary string with the other, one note at a time. The last two notes, Swansea and Brentford, almost broke the string, which is still vibrating as we prepare to strike the next: Reading FC.

* * *

The Approach

Brian McDermott’s Reading usually plays in an orthodox 4-4-2, two strikers upfront, two wingers bombing down the flanks and so on. But a string of poor results in December forced McDermott to consider a change in formation. Prioritizing defensive solidarity, he has made a switch to a 4-5-1 in recent weeks with striker Pavel Pogrebnyak aka The Perfect Villain in Every American Cold War Movie leading the attack.

The advantage of having a five-man midfield is that it can be the initial protective shield for the defense. A crowded midfield makes it hard for opposition to penetrate. When executed well, a defensive 4-5-1 can withstand the continuous assault from THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD (EVER) over two legs and get you to a major cup final*.

*We know what we are…

But ironically, the Royals have not been any good defensively despite the change of shape. This is mainly due to their poor defensive organization. Both West Brom and Newcastle, Reading’s most recent league opponents, were able to dominate the game and create chance after chance. Here’s an example from Reading’s home game against West Brom.

This is the buildup to Romelu Lukaku’s first goal. Instead of covering the central midfield zone alongside Daniel Carrico and Danny Guthrie, Jem Karacan moved out of his position to press high on the right. As often is the case, pressing is not a problem here but disorganized pressing is. Carrico was not able to fill in the spot left by Karacan on the inside right, allowing West Brom a direct route to Lukaku with a simple forward pass. From his attacking midfield position, James Morrison would support Lukaku in attack; two passes later, the ball ended up in the back of Reading’s net. This, perhaps, highlights the importance of organization in defense no matter what the formation is.

The 4-5-1 has also not been great for the Royals’ attack. Pogrebnyak is often too isolated like a strayed Russian tank. Their attacks and counter-attacks look disjointed. And their every forward adventure leaves them vulnerable on the breaks.

They started with a 4-5-1 against West Brom and Newcastle, played poorly, and fell behind. But, and this is quite a big ‘BUT’, Reading came out victorious in both occasions after making second-half substitutions and changing the shape to 4-4-2. In comes Adam Le Fondre—the connoisseur of "being at the right place at the right time", Mr. Poaching-Is-My-Business-And-Business-Is-Good—in place of a midfielder to pair up with The Pog up top. The team began to attack purposefully down the flanks with targets to cross to in the box. The impact of the change was more instant against Newcastle but it didn’t fail to get Reading out of trouble in both games.

There are other factors in play in these come-backs of course. The opposition tends of take their foot of the gas when they are ahead, especially in the later stages of the game. There were also the element of luck and the overwhelming force of momentum to consider. But it seems reasonable to suggest that Reading plays better as a team in a 4-4-2. It is now up to Brian McDermott whether to stick with the current "winning" strategy, start with a 4-5-1 and make a second-half switch, or send his team out in a happier 4-4-2 from the kick off. My guess is that they will persist with 4-5-1 against Chelsea and make changes only if they fall behind.

The Player

Pogrebnyak and Le Fondre have scored a total of 6 goals (three each) in the last 4 league games, but it is the right winger Jimmy Kebe who is in the spot light in this preview for two reasons. First, Reading's attack depends on the movement down the flanks and good delivery into the box; Kebe provides both. Second, Chelsea, when playing without a defensive winger, suck at defending in the wide areas against pacey wingers (see under Walcott, Theodore).

This was a traditional wing play from Reading against Newcastle in the buildup to the equalizer. Kebe positioned wide on the right, looking for a long pass in behind the defense, which Mikele Leigertwood was happy to supply. The Mali international beat the fullback with speed and slipped a low, inviting cross into the box; Le Fondre would le flounder onto the ball and scored. Simple and effective.

Kebe is a relatively big fella as well and can be a dangerous presence in the box when the attack comes down the other flank. Here's what happened against West Brom. Again, the ball was sprayed to the wide area from central midfield, the Top Pog drifting wide to pick it up this time. When Garath McCleary whipped in a cross, Le Fondre attacked centrally, le feinting the ball through his legs, while Kebe arrived at the back post to nod it into the goal.

There is nothing complicated about these attacks, but they can, and will, punish a defense that is not on top of its game.

Of music or beautiful things

To quote G.K. Chesterson, an essayist and an all round Mr. Know It All, "Life exists for the love of music or beautiful things." Sometimes the songs aren't all that cheerful. Sometimes that harp in your arms is shoddy and has only one string left. But you keep playing. You keep playing because there is nothing else to do. You keep playing because it keeps you alive. You keep playing for the love of music and the possibility, however slim, of beautiful things.

West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa teamsheets

Aaron Campeau — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 16:50:15 -0000

Just like that it's back to the 3-5-2, which is just fine by me. The big news for Villa is the return of captain Ron Vlaar, whose name on the teamsheet is like a comforting hand on our collective shoulders. Andreas Weimann is conspicuous by his absence, with the rumor being that he's been left out of the team due to illness.

Reading vs. West Bromwich Albion: Final score 3-2, Royals make a stunning comeback

Zach Woosley — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 17:09:19 -0000

Two moments of excellent inter-play between Romelu Lukaku and James Morrison had West Brom up 2-0 with eight minutes to play and the match all but won. Then Reading awoke like Smaug under a pile of gold scoring three goals in eight minutes to steal a completely undeserved victory and leave Steve Clarke wondering what bus just ran him and his team over.

Reading struggled from the opening whistle to deal with Morrison and after some close calls through the first 20 minutes of the match, he finally made them pay for the inability to deal with him.

In the 19th minute Morrison worked his way down the left wing, tying up defenders as he waited for a teammates to work his way in to space in front of the Reading Goal. Lukaku obliged, setting up shop six yards out from the goal and receiving Morrison's pass and putting it past Adam Federici with a left-footed shot.

The remainder of the half, and really off it honestly, was defined by West Brom's defense who didn't allow Reading any space to operate and effectively dealt with their occasional attempts to attack.

A moment in the 42nd minute just about summed up Reading's first half. Jobi McAnuff received a long pass in space with a genuine chance to challenge Ben Foster. Instead McAnuff uncorked a harmless shot right in to Foster's arms for an easy catch save.

Lukaku put the ball in the net for the second time in the 49th minute, again thanks to a great pass from Morrison. Unfortunately for the on loan striker, he was offside and the goal was disallowed.

It was Morrison and Lukaku again in the 69th minute (are you sensing a theme yet?) putting the nail in Reading's coffin for the day. Morrison again set-up the Belgian striker who hit a cannon shot that rattled off the underside of the crossbar and in to the net, giving West Brom a 2-0 lead.

With the match all but in the bag, West Brom took their foot on the gas and allowed Reading to pull a goal back with eight minute left to play. Garath McCleary was given far too much time and space on the left wing before sending a well placed ball in to the Baggies box where Jimmy Kébé was making a run at the far post. Kébé laid out and headed the ball past Foster to give Reading a glimmer of hope.

Never give anyone a glimmer of hope.

West Brom's Jonas Olsson clattered in to Kebe in the box, giving Reading a penalty that was smoothly converted by Adam Le Fondre to pull Reading even at 2-2 with two minutes to play.

They weren't done.

A late free kick opportunity for Reading proved fatal to West Brom as the initial kick in was headed down by Alex Pearce to Pavel Pogrebnyak who flicked a shot past Foster to complete the unfathomable comeback. Just a stunning finish at the Madejski Stadium.

SB Nation - James Morrison

West Bromwich Albion vs. Arsenal, 2013 Premier League: Final score 1-2, 10-man Gunners hang on for three points

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Scotland vs. Wales, 2014 World Cup qualifying: Preview and TV schedule

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More international news: the funnies from Scotland

ASU Football: Initial Impressions from Pro Day

Talking Tactics: West Bromwich Albion (A)

Cutting Out The Supply (Or Trying To)

The Wingers Need A Wingman

Romelu Reigns

Conclusions

Opposition Scout Report: Reading FC

West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa teamsheets

WEST BROMWICH ALBION STARTING XI:

WEST BROMWICH ALBION BENCH:

ASTON VILLA STARTING XI:

ASTON VILLA BENCH:

Reading vs. West Bromwich Albion: Final score 3-2, Royals make a stunning comeback