Vital Football article on Ingi....

[Man Friday]

Coppell didn't sign Ingi from Wolves - Pardew did.

Get your facts right. Article is drivel.

[Baines]

Coppell didn't sign Ingi from Wolves - Pardew did.

Get your facts right. Article is drivel.

Ingimarsson was Coppell's first signing.

[Wycombe Royal]

Coppell didn't sign Ingi from Wolves - Pardew did.

Get your facts right. Article is drivel.

[Alan Partridge]

Coppell didn't sign Ingi from Wolves - Pardew did.

Get your facts right. Article is drivel.

Deary me.

CLOLueLOLess

Coppell's first signing and made his debut at Sheff Utd, Coppell's first away win i think. Williams bullet header and Fozzy's wonder goal.

[Man Friday]

Apologies. Yes, I was wrong.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

Ingimarsson is one of our 'untouchables' in terms of the fan's view. The majority will not have a single bad word said against him but will quite happily gun-down another player for the odd mis-placed pass or lack of closing down higher up the pitch.

Whilst I don't agree that he should be dropped and that his days are numbered, James is right with the fact that Ingimarsson is a definite backpeddaller.

Obviously I'm no professional, far from it, but when I was coached at a younger age I was told to deal with danger as early as possible. Ever since Bentley's goal for Blackburn, I've noticed that Ingimarsson will retreat onto his own eighteen-yard line and allow an opponent to carry the ball into our area unchallenged. This is not what a Premiership defender should do.

Fair enough, Oster presented Bentley with the ball, and Shorey was easily turned, but Ingimarsson was in a position to either make a challenge, or to stand Bentley up on the half-way line. Instead, he let the Blackburn player run freely and allowed him to score the winning goal in an excellent, but somewhat easy fashion.

I'm not knocking any other part of Ingimarsson's game, and admit that he has taken to the Premiership with relative ease. But saying this, I feel that his backpeddaling is something that needs to be addressed as it has harmed us on more than one occassion.

Feel free to gun me down as you have the article, but look out for similar incidents in the near future and you may be surprised.

[Alan Partridge]

It is a way of dealing with danger, back pedalling, is a form of defending, he's waiting for the forward to make a mistake, either with a poor touch or a bad decision so that he can win the ball. You can't just dive in all the time, otherwise you get booked/ sent off or just make the forwards mind up. By diving in to a challenge and NOT getting there you are completely taken out of the game, and as the last defender, it means that a goal would be almost inevitible.

To pick Ivar up on this and claim it for a reason his days are numbered is bordering on farcical. He has been consistently brilliant this season against all opposition. Whether they be giants like Bolton's or Fulham's strikeforce, or the pace of Baptista and Bellamy etc he has stood up and passed all the tests.

He's player of the season and by a long way for me.

[rollsy]

not even going tok honour it with a response. just appauling oxf**ding tat for my liking.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

It is a way of dealing with danger, back pedalling, is a form of defending, he's waiting for the forward to make a mistake, either with a poor touch or a bad decision so that he can win the ball. You can't just dive in all the time, otherwise you get booked/ sent off or just make the forwards mind up. By diving in to a challenge and NOT getting there you are completely taken out of the game, and as the last defender, it means that a goal would be almost inevitible.

To pick Ivar up on this and claim it for a reason his days are numbered is bordering on farcical. He has been consistently brilliant this season against all opposition. Whether they be giants like Bolton's or Fulham's strikeforce, or the pace of Baptista and Bellamy etc he has stood up and passed all the tests.

He's player of the season and by a long way for me.

Like I said, I'm not agreeing that he should be dropped as a result of this matter.

I agree that diving in with a rash challenge in such a situation would do the defence no favours, but there is an 'in-between' and it seems you're failing to appreciate this.

Watch Bentley's goal, then watch one of the two Liverpool goals (I can't remember which), and finally, watch a moment in the second half when Ingimarsson backs off of a Charlton player on their right and allows him to run unchallenged into our box.

Yes, it was right of him to not go flying in with a challenge, but to give the player the space to run into is not good defending in the slightest. In all three cases, Ingimarsson is not marking another player so there is no excuse. Reading are a hard-working team, and Ingimarsson can afford to be pulled out of position to deal with the danger at hand and allow the likes of Harper or Sidwell to fill in for him at the back and pick up any runners off of the ball.

Suggesting that it's good defending to wait for a Premiership footballer to make a mistake is also quite a questionable statement. What would be the point in defenders at all if this was the case mate?

[Alan Partridge]

You make it sound as though Premiership footballers are just immune to mistakes. Ingimarsson or whoever by backing off is waiting for that slight bad touch so that he can win the ball fairly, thats the back pdalling technique. Your told from the day you start playing football 'to Stand up, stay on your feet'

I haven't seen the Blackburn goal again nor will i bother tbh, was a great strike, from what i remember the ball was given away and then Bentley has ran full pelt at Ingimarsson (i presume) before smacking it in the top corner.

Now this is all in hindsight so this is easy to say, well Ivar should have dived in, taken him out and probably got at worst a booking, maybe sent off.

Now put yourself in Ivar's shoes

someone is running at you full pelt, on at the time i would imagine isn't the best Reading pitch, your the last man, now no matter who it is if your running full pelt with a ball there is a geunine chance the ball could bobble or your touch would be slightly worse. That's what I expect Ivar was waiting for, i would also presume that as Bentley is about to shoot Ivar has attempted to make the challenge, even so as a defender i'd still be pretty happy with him shooting from that angle, i'd back my keeper to save that. Was a great strike, you just say fair f*cks.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

You make it sound as though Premiership footballers are just immune to mistakes. Ingimarsson or whoever by backing off is waiting for that slight bad touch so that he can win the ball fairly, thats the back pdalling technique. Your told from the day you start playing football 'to Stand up, stay on your feet'

I haven't seen the Blackburn goal again nor will i bother tbh, was a great strike, from what i remember the ball was given away and then Bentley has ran full pelt at Ingimarsson (i presume) before smacking it in the top corner.

Now this is all in hindsight so this is easy to say, well Ivar should have dived in, taken him out and probably got at worst a booking, maybe sent off.

Now put yourself in Ivar's shoes

someone is running at you full pelt, on at the time i would imagine isn't the best Reading pitch, your the last man, now no matter who it is if your running full pelt with a ball there is a geunine chance the ball could bobble or your touch would be slightly worse. That's what I expect Ivar was waiting for, i would also presume that as Bentley is about to shoot Ivar has attempted to make the challenge, even so as a defender i'd still be pretty happy with him shooting from that angle, i'd back my keeper to save that. Was a great strike, you just say fair f*cks.

You're right, it was a great strike and I'll certainly not blame Ingimarsson for the goal.

The thing is though, the ball was given away in the middle of Blackburn's half. Shorey was facing the wrong way and was in a standing position, so Bentley took it past him with relative ease. In the centre of the field, Bikey is marking a player and Murty another. Ingimarsson is the spare man and just retreats towards his own goal.

Look at it like this. Ingimarsson holds his position, and makes Bentley work for his goal. He doesn't fly in with a sliding challenge, he just holds his ground and forces Bentley to act. In such a situation, chances are Bentley would either pass the ball inside, or being a winger he would look to go down the line and get a cross in. As it happens though, Ingimarsson basically invites him to run directly towards goal. Bentley has all the time and space in the world and is offered the quickest route.

If Ingirmarsson had stood his ground, not making a challenge as such, the very worst that could happen is that he would buy his team mates time. They would be able to get into a position to cover for the AWOL centre back, and would have the chance to organise themselves accordingly.

Backing off a player and allowing him the easiest route to goal when you're not the last man is bad defending, full stop.

[higher]

I have to agree with Alan Partridge in the great back pedalling debate.Its an art electing the optimum time to effect a challenge.The defender by back pedalling presents the striker with an on going obstacle thus slowing up progress.During this jockeying a certain amount of time is bought for other defenders to narrow the strikers options and outlets thus enhancing the chance of an error.The tackle is commited at the optimum moment.
Of course there is always the chance that a striker pulls of some fantastic piece of marksmanship but its simply about limiting opportunitys and playing percentages.
The day Ingi starts diving in early is the day I would start questioning his future.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

I have to agree with Alan Partridge in the great back pedalling debate.Its an art electing the optimum time to effect a challenge.The defender by back pedalling presents the striker with an on going obstacle thus slowing up progress.During this jockeying a certain amount of time is bought for other defenders to narrow the strikers options and outlets thus enhancing the chance of an error.The tackle is commited at the optimum moment.
Of course there is always the chance that a striker pulls of some fantastic piece of marksmanship but its simply about limiting opportunitys and playing percentages.
The day Ingi starts diving in early is the day I would start questioning his future.

There is no denying that backpedalling is a useful defensive technique, but both yourself and Alan Partridge's comments are questionable in this case.

There is a good fifteen-yards between Bentley and Ingimarsson in the incident I'm referring to. You've both suggested that it's excellent defending by Ivar to wait for the attacker to make a mistake. However, even if Bentley does take a heavy touch or the ball bobbles up slighty, Ingimarsson is allowing him so much space that a poor touch wouldn't even come into play. He has so much time and ground ahead of him that he can easily regain control of the ball without Ivar being close enough to capitalise. I certainly wouldn't describe this as 'jockeying'.

When Bentley eventually hits his wonder-strike, Ingimarsson is on the six yard line more-or-less! He's allowed the attacker to dribble from his own half to the edge of the Reading area completely unchallenged, and then he's allowed him to have a free strike at goal. Bentley is put under no pressure and has time to take his pick. I really can't see how you can both suggest this is quality defending.

Partridge has admitted he hasn't seen the goal again, and this was a few months ago now so I really can't see how he thinks he's in such a good position to comment on it.

I agree, backpedalling can be very effective if used correctly and the ball carrier isn't given too much space, but in this instance Ivar has retreated at a high speed and basically taken himself out of the game.

[Wycombe Royal]

The simple fact is that if you don't back pedal when you have a player running at you the chances are he will just run past or you have to bring him down. Take the Bentley example - Bentley was already in full flow BEFORE Ingimarsson comes into play. If Ingimarsson didn't back pedal Bentley would have just run past him with a little bit of skill. The trick when back pedalling is to try and guide the attacking player out wide thus restricting his options, but that isn't always possible. Ingimarsson did keep Bentley in a fairly wide position and when Bentley realised he was being pushed out wide and that he couldn't get past Ingimarsson he decided to have a shot as there were no other options available to him. Unfortunately for us he hit that one shot in a hundred that flew in to the top corner.

[Thomas L'Heureux]

In theory, the three of you are all spot on. It would have been good defending if Ingimarsson had shadowed Bentley's run and not allowed him the time and space that he inevitabley did.

The fact is though, that he effectively wasn't even there. He gave Bentley at least fifteen-yards of space to run into, and not once did he try to push Bentley out wide or block off his options.

Yes, Bentley is breaking at pace, but Ingimarsson is also retreating at pace. It is eventually Sidwell, coming from the other side of the pitch, that is closest to Bentley when he strikes the ball.

I think this has been blown out of proportion if I'm being honest. Everyone makes mistakes, and apart from an iffy few moments, Ivar's been as solid as a rock.

It just gets to me how fickle some Reading fans are. Ingimarsson is 'untouchable' in most people's views, yet they are quick to soley blame Nicky Shorey for hitting the wall with a free-kick at the other end of the field for a goal that Ivar should have done better with himself!

Backpedalling is effective in some cases, but in the situations I've outlined before, Ingimarsson basically shits a brick and legs it away from the player. He is not 'jockeying' or waiting for a mistake, he's retreating. He let Pennant get into a crossing position for Liverpool's winner when he could have closed him down on the half-way line. Eventually someone else is forced to go and make a challenge on Pennant but it is too late - he's already at the byline.

If Ingimarsson is not marking a player of his own, and is giving the advancing attacker ten, fifteen, twenty-yards of free space to run into, then what exactly is he doing?

Yes, he's been a rock at the back and is probably our player of the season. This doesn't mean he should be exempt from criticism.

If Bikey was guilty of similar incidents then I'm sure most of those backing Ingimarsson would be on Bikey's case in a flash.

[Y21_Royal]

I don't think there is anything wrong with placing every player under the spotlight and questioning their place in the team. It can only benefit the team in the long run.

Ingimarsson has been exceptional this season. For a short man (in centre back terms) he is surprisingly dominant in the air and his positional sense is consistently excellent. Also his experience is invaluable, without Murty the defence is completely reliant on Ingi organizing it.

Sonks and Bikey may well be the long term pairing but for that to be the case one, or both of them, will have to develop more leadership skills because Marcus doesn't have it and we can't expect Murty to be playing 30+ games next year.

[79Royal]

Watch pictures of Bobby Moore, possibly England's greatest defender, and you'll see him backing off time and again, waiting for the mistake.

And he captained a world cup winning side.

[Tinrib]

Interestingly, although not a major headline, but on the Ian Wright show on talksport on Monday, Adrian Durham who co hosts with Wrighty, whilst discussing the PFA nominations, threw Ivar's name into the hat as a player who deserved recognition for his performances this season.

Ivar has obviously caught the attention of some outside of RFC.