Pendle Sportswear Users Guiseley AFC have a chance to get within two points of league leaders Hyde in Blue Square Bet North tonight.

The Lions boss was named ‘Manager of the Month’ for March yesterday and his side play their game in hand over Hyde when Gloucester City visit Nethermoor.

After eye catching away wins against leaders Hyde and fierce local and promotion rivals FC Halifax,  Guiseley further cranked up the pressure on the leaders with a 3-0 home win against Corby on Saturday.

Another win in tonights game would cut the gap to just 2 points and ,with Hyde facing a very difficult looking trip to Altrincham on Saturday, Could Guiseley see themselves top at Easter?

We hope that Guiseley AFC continue their great form and that their Pendle Sportswear Football Kit continues to bring them good luck.

Villas-Boas’s assistant, Roberto Di Matteo, has been appointed the new first team manager for the remainder of the season.

The 2011/12 season is fast proving to be Chelsea’s least successful since Abramovich bought the club, with Chelsea having won less than 50 percent of the games played under AVB. Problems with senior players, a dry spell bigger than the Sahara for his supposed Star Striker and a lack of tactical know-how along with dreadful recent results sealed AVB’s fate.

However, Villas-Boas becomes the eighth Chelsea manager in nine years to lose his job, the list including some of the finest football managers available.

So is Abramovich blaming the right people?  Why not clear out the players that are clearly not cutting it at Chelsea – instead of chopping and changing managers? Was AVB really given enough time to build his new Chelsea team, shape what he believed was a successful system, and push Chelsea towards being major contenders again? Are Chelsea just too quick to cut their losses regardless of the costs involved?

The recent decline in the performance of the team would suggest that maybe they are. Stability is surely what is required at Stamford Bridge to bring back the success of the Mourinho era.

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Practicing The Skill –  Player 2 starts with the ball and passes the ball down the line for player 1 to run across to and play the ball back first time. Player 1 then moves quickly to the other cone to receive the pass from player 3 and again play a first time pass back. This sequence continues for about 1 – 2 minutes, depending on the fitness of the players, as shown in the diagram below.

Developing The Drill – This drill continues nicely from the one above with a few additions and the introduction of a defender. Player 1 must call out the name of the person from whom he is receiving the pass from. Depending on the position of the defender, player 4, he can either make the game easy and play a pass straight back to the person he has received it off, or he can elect to turn the defender and dribble the ball over the line as shown in the diagram below. A good tip is to go one way and then quickly the other before shouting out to receive the pass. This should allow you to get to the ball well before the defender, giving you a great opportunity to turn and get over the line. Be patient though! Please see below.

 Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation – Player 1 starts with the ball and just like the drill above, only plays the pass once instructed to do so by player 2. Again, player 2 can either be patient and pass the ball first time back to the first player or he can turn and bring his team mates into play, players 3 and 4. If he elects to turn and pass to his team mates, the game becomes live and players can move anywhere around the marked out area until either the ball goes out of play or a goal is scored passed player 8. Please note that players 3,4,6,and 7 are not allowed inside the marked out area where players 2 and 5 are until the game becomes live. Please see the diagram below.

Game Situation – Play a normal sided game encouraging your players to be patient and play the way they are facing, but when presented with the opportunity, be able to make the correct decision to turn and attack.

PENDLE VERDICT – These are great drills to practice first time passing and playing the way you are facing. They are also very good drills to encourage players to be patient and only elect to turn when presented with the opportunity to do so. This isn’t to say that players should never be positive, it is more the case that they should learn to make the correct decisions in a positive way. 

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Practicing The Skill – Player 1 starts with the ball about 10 – 15 meters away from the second player. He passes the ball, playing a one, two with him, before passing and following his pass to player 3. With his second touch, player 3 passes and follows his pass to the second player who is facing him. With his first touch, he lightly, but confidently knocks the ball back to player 3 before turning and running back to the cone.  The sequence continues as shown in the diagram below. Care must be taken with the initial pass and also the first touch of the player in the middle.

Developing The Drill – Player 1 in midfield starts with the ball and plays a one, two with the centre forward (player 2), before passing to player 3 to run on to and score. The first player replaces player 2 and to keep the drill flowing, player 2 moves behind the cone where player 5 is positioned, as shown in the diagram below. The fifth player continues the sequence, playing a one, two with the centre forward (now player 1) before playing a through ball to player 6. The drill is repeated as shown in the diagram below. Please note that ball collectors will be required behind the goal to keep the drill moving.

Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation – As with the drill above, player 1 starts with the ball and passes to to the centre forward (player 2) who must lay the ball off first time. At this stage, the drill becomes more of an “open practice” in that the midfielder (player 1) can play a first time pass to any of the other 3 players on his team. The attacking players off the ball (players 3,4 & 5) must work hard to make a run in behind the defence. Player 1′s decision on the correct pass to make is dependent on the run of his team mates. The practice continues until either the defending team retrieve the ball, a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play. Please see the diagram below.

Game Situation – If possible, finish with a normal sided game encouraging the “up, back and through” pattern of play. Players won’t like it, but you can introduce a “two touch game” to encourage this to happen. Two goals may be rewarded if a goal is scored from this game situation.

PENDLE VERDICT – This is a great practice to encourage first time, quick passing in attacking areas. It will also focus the players off the ball to work hard to get into areas where they may have an opportunity to score. High intensity is required to make all the drills work.

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Practicing The Skill – Player 1 passes to player 2 and follows his pass. Player 2 controls the ball, playing it into space and down the line to deliver an accurate cross to the third player. Player 2 then  follows his cross, replacing the third player and becoming the goalie. Player 3 catches the ball and throws it back to player 4 to repeat the sequence. The third player waits behind the cone to repeat the exercise as shown in the diagram below.

Developing The Drill –  Player 1 passes to player 2 who controls the ball and with his second touch lays it off to the third player. As soon as player 2 passes the ball, he quickly moves in behind the third player to receive his pass that has been played into space and attempts to deliver an accurate cross. Player 3 becomes a defender, attempting to stop the cross from being played in. Once player 2 has delivered the cross, he replaces the seventh person, with player 3 replacing the fifth as shown in the diagram below. Players 1 and 6 take turns to start the move, attempting to meet the cross and score. The sequence continues and the drill is repeated as shown in the diagram below.

Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation –  This is the same as the drill above, but with some additions to make it more like a more realistic game situation. These additions are the introduction of two defenders, players 8 and 9. The eighth players task is to attempt to stop the cross from being delivered whether by intercepting the ball from player 3 or from player 2. The ninth person is the central defender whose job it is to stop the apposing striker from scoring.  The sequence continues as above and the drill is repeated as shown in the diagram below.

Game Situation – Play a normal full size game if possible encouraging you players to try and create situations where it is possible to deliver a cross. Two goals may be rewarded to the team that score from a cross into the box.

PENDLE VERDICT – These are all great drills which focus on two very key points. These are the importance of trying to get into the right kind of position on the pitch to execute a telling cross and the skill of being able to deliver an accurate cross into a dangerous area. To ensure a continues flow with all the drills, a useful tip is to have a ball collector behind the goal and several balls to hand.

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Practicing The Skill – Player 4 follows the ball after passing it 20 meters to player 2 who controls it with his first touch and shoots.  Player 2 moves to the back of the queue where player 6 is positioned. Player 6 repeats the sequence, passing it to player 4 and the drill continues. The drill can be repeated at the same time on the other side of the pitch if you are struggling for goalkeepers as shown on the diagram below.

Developing The Drill –  This drill is the same as the one above, apart from with the introduction of a defender. When player 4 passes to player 2, the defender (player 9) is allowed to try and close down the player receiving the pass. In this case, the second player. Player 2 has to try and get a shot on goal before the defender can close them down. The attacker can choose to dribble past the defender if he feels that he can’t get a clear strike on goal. The sequence continues as shown in the diagram below.

Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation –  This is a simple small sided game of 4 v 4, but with some important rules. Player 1 starts with the ball and joins in with the attacking team after playing a short pass to the second player. When he passes the ball to player 2, the defending team must be in a line at least 15 meters away. One of these defenders will then have to try and close down player 2. Three defenders can move anywhere on the pitch, but there must always be 1 defender within the zone between the goal and the yellow line, as shown on the diagram below. The attacking team can only score from inside the marked out area. This will encourage players to shoot early and when they can. Swap defenders and attackers and repeat as below.

Game Situation –  Play a normal game encouraging your players to shoot when presented with the opportunity. Two goals can be rewarded if a goal is scored from outside the penalty box.

 PENDLE VERDICT –  So that there is a continues flow with the first two drills, ensure that there is a ball collector behind the goal and there are several balls to hand for the players to use. Also, just be careful with the same two drills that the attacking players on each side of the pitch are not shooting at exactly the same time. A high tempo is required for the last drill. These small pointers should make for a great training session!

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Practicing The Skill – Player 1 passes to player 2 who with his first touch turns and passes the ball accurately to the third player.  The decision to turn to the left or the right is made by taking a look behind before receiving the pass, to ascertain which direction the player that you are passing it too has moved. Player 3 passes the ball back to player 2 who repeats the exercise, passing it back to the first player. Swap over and repeat. Please see the diagram below:

Developing The Drill – This drill is the same as the one above, but with the introduction of a defender, player 4. There is one other important difference in that the players decision on which way to turn is ascertained by the position of the defender. This is why it is always important to look behind you before you turn. From the diagram below, you will see that the defender, player 4 has left a small gap for player 2 to turn into. Player 3 will now move into position depending on the direction the attacking player has turned, as shown in the diagram below. Swap over and repeat.

Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation – Player 1 passes to his team mate, player 2, who are both competing against players 3 and 4. Players 1,2,3,and 4 are not allowed to move into the half where the fith and sixth players are located and likewise vice versa. The object of the game is to try and get the ball to their third team mate, in this case, player 5, who will try and turn the defender (player 6) to get a clear shot on goal. Swap defenders and attackers and repeat the exercise as shown below.

Game Situation – Finish with a  normal game, preferably on a full size pitch, encouraging your players to turn the last defender to get a clear strike on goal. Two goals may be rewarded if a player is able to turn a defender and score. If you’re feeling harsh, 20 press ups can be given to the defending player! 

PENDLE VERDICT – When practising the skill to turn a defender, it is also important that players are aware of what is behind them before attempting to turn an opposing player. It is also important for players to be aware of the positions of other team mates around them in order to ascertain if there are better options available for their team.  These drills will allow players to practice the skill of turning with the ball and will also get them into the habit of looking behind them before attempting to do so.

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Practicing The Skill – Player 1 runs at the cone with the ball and attempts a trick to dribble round the cone, as if it was an opposing defender. He passes the ball to player 2 who also dribbles round the cone, passing it to player 3 to repeat the exercise. Each Player should always keep their head up and a burst of pace is required once the player has taken the ball past the cone. They all follow their pass and the sequence continues as shown in the diagram below.

Developing The Drill – This drill is the same as the one above, however the cone in the middle is replaced with a defending player. The defender swaps with one of the attacking players once he has stopped them from dribbling the ball to the other side. This sequence is repeated as shown in the diagram below.

Moving The Drill Into A More Realistic Game Situation – Player 3 passes the ball to player 1 who is positioned about 20 meters away and moves into the centre of the marked out area to become the defender, as shown in the diagram below. Player 1 receives the pass and runs at the third player, attempting to go past him and score. Player 3 moves to where the first player was and the fourth person repeats the exercise as shown in the diagram below.

Game Situation – Finish with a  normal game on a full size pitch if possible, encouraging your players to take on and dribble past players when appropriate. Encourage the players to dribble, but only in the right places.

PENDLE VERDICT – Just be careful when you finish off with a normal game that players are not running around “blind”, trying to dribble past players in positions that do not require them to do so. Encourage your team to make correct choices, most importantly, whether or not they should play an easy pass or be possitive and have a go at going around a player. Focus needs to be on keeping your head when running with the ball and a quick change of pace when going past a player.

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?

Big names have either retired or left including Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Owen Hargreaves. Whilst these players were probably past their best, most were arguably world class in their time and would still have been able to offer many positive attributes to the united squad.

With the exception of Ashley Young, the new signings, goalkeeper David De Gea and England under 21 international, Phil Jones are both relatively untested at the highest level. Will their introduction really strengthen the united squad or are they just a small positive to a squad that is now very much weakened?

PENDLE VERDICT -  We were surprised that Wes Brown and John O’Shea both went to Sunderland, given that they are both very strong squad players and can be trusted to perform at the highest level. The departure of injury plagued, Owen Hargreaves makes no difference to the strength of the squad because he never played and it was probably the right time for Gary Neville to hang up his boots. Most people would agree that Paul Scholes is a player who’s retirement has to weaken the United squad in some capacity as he was arguably the greatest player that England have produced in recent times. Edwin van der Sar was still at the top of his game when he retired, so his departure has to be a blow.

 On conclusion, the answer is YES, we do think that United are weaker going into the new campaign.

YOUR VERDICT – What do you think?