Grant, Huckerby & "Tracking Back"

IMHO this is probably a naive way of looking at things, but....

I have never understood football managers who expect their attacking players to "track back and help out with the defence"-why?

They are attacking players for a reason-that is, they are there to create chances and score goals. That is their task in the side and what we pay to see them do. I don't pay to watch Norwich to see people like Hucks helping out the defence, I expect to see him running and defenders and creating chances, scoring goals.

What the f**k is the defence for if all we hear is that attacking players have to "track back"-aren't they there to defend, can't they manage on their own? You can have four defenders plus a defensive midfielder and still the manager wants the attacking players to "track back", get the f**k out of here! The defenders defend, the attackers attack and how can they do that if they are constantly expected to be haring about between two penalty areas, no wonder we keep losing possession, we're hoofing it upfield but no-one is there as they have been "tracking back"!

Besides, whoever heard of a manager, our manager, lambasting his defence for "not getting forward and helping out the attackers"? They are expected to defend, only they should "track back", not the attackers.

Let the flair and attacking players do what they are expected to do, not try to turn them into extra defenders, so we end up playing 10-0-0.

Posted By: Martin Peters, Nov 21, 14:51:52