Can you win without a sweeper?

[Fuzzman]

The game sure is changing a lot and many of the older heads are finally accepting it's no longer your traditional 6 v 6 game any more.

The attempt to remove the cynical fouling will sure have a big affect next year as its an important part of the current systems where a team push forward together often working the ball sideways and back around a defensive blanket but if the ball is lost then often a man is dragged down so they can get time to get back and rebuild their defence.

I'd say the Dubs are a little worried as they are keen not to use a sweeper type system this year but will they change their mind come 1/4 final stage?

[DJGaliv]

I agree with that - the greater emphasis on strength and conditioning towards speed, agility quickness rather than pure strength.

Without wanting to offend the old school brigade - looking at other sports and seeing how they have developed and evolved.

Soccer for example was into the tough physical run-all-day midfielder - Viera ten years ago, and subsequently the sweeper/holder who was a free man - termed Makelele role, and progressed to Barcelona's small but technically excellent possession based players, through to today's German quick transition based football.

I know completely different games, but you wonder if you look at Armagh's physicality being comparable to Viera et al where people really started to take an interest in strength and conditioning. The sweeper role tactical method could equate to the Makelele holder/spare man. So is the next step an increase in the more technical speedier footballer or am I talking a load of sh1te?

Load of sh1te is probably the answer.

I think your reasoning is sound enough and bang on with the soccer stuff. But in terms of Gaelic Football as good big one will always beat a small good one. Just the nature of the game, there will always be room for a small techniquely gifted player, but not a team comprised of them.

That's true, the physicality allowed in the game will always result in a good big one favoured over a good small one.
I wonder how much the black card, as the lads have said, will impact the tactical aspect of the game?

Surely it will promote the running off the shoulder and direct at opponents - knowing the opposition run the risk of losing a key player. I worry we will see a huge increase in diving, and this may be followed by a decrease in the importance of physical footballers over pacy technical players if they are so well protected with the introduction of the black card.

[Wildweasel74]

Bomber Liston  would eat up the sweeper system lol. if you have some special defenders, you could get away with a flat back 6 but a team would need 4 outstanding defenders, most teams these days can barely get 1

[Sea The Stars]

Players 1-15 have always had license to go wherever they liked on the pitch. There has never been any rule preventing them from that. Along with evolution of tactics, players nowadays are more intelligent. The good players read the attacks instinctively and know if they need to get players back, the good half-backs and corner-backs also know when to pushup and get on the overlap. The whole idea of a "sweeper" is outdated too. Having one player the freedom to hang around his own defence is unfair to everyone else. Instinctively players should be adopting the sweeping role attack by attack. The good teams do this.

The theory behind Donegal's success last year is not down to a mass defence really. Gaelic Football nowadays can be divided in two, when you have the ball and when you don't. When you have it, then the players behind the man in possession should be trying to get up in support to create an overlap. Man in possession gets slowed down in first tackle, gives the ball off, and the sequence repeats. On top of that the players in front of the man in possession should be making runs, trying to create gaps and voids. A goal chance is never more than 5 seconds away in Gaelic Football (in my opinion). Mayo I felt perfected the art of movement in the forwards last year. Second part is what you do when you don't have the ball and that's simple really. You put pressure on the kicker, tackling, shadowing, whatever. But as in soccer, the focus of defence is only when the opposition crosses the half way line. I mean you don't want to press high up the pitch and leave loads of space behind you. A simple ball over the top will catch you out then.

In terms of positioning and this idea of zonal defending (and zonal attacking if there is such a thing) Gaelic Football is probably quite similiar ot soccer. Though the skills such as scoring, soloing on the run, tackling, blocking, catching will always be unique to this sport.
That's my philosophy anyway.

[Captain Scarlet]

Agree with Sea the Stars in his overall point. it's not a case of playing with a sweeper it's playing with cop on.
Jaysus lads Cavan's forwards dropped back into their own half so all the Armagh lads had to do was stay put and then Dunne wouldn't have had acres to run into.
Not needing a sweeper they needed a traditional centre half back who is and always has been meant to be the man with the ability to read a game. From Geezer to Glenn Ryan they would instinctively dropped in front of Dunne. That shouldn't need a tactic.

As for Galway when your full back line are running out the field when your team are under pressure leaving the keeper with a two v one that is just a lack of cop on.

We are obsessed these days with tactics and lads there are plenty of managers picking up cheques who want us all to belief that football is very complicated these days but the simple things still count.

Like Grimley is not keen on stopping an open style of play but that doesn't mean you leave a man inside with acres of space roasting you full back all day!