I didn't say "win at all costs" although I see why you would think that. My view is a consistent one I have expressed right back to the original BBC 606. It's "safety first, THEN concentrate on providing attractive football". If we were in the top half of the table then I wouldn't want to see a boring defensive performance. But when we're in the relegation zone then I'll happily settle for that if it means points on the board.
Edit: Just read Theo's post above mine - yes, that 1 2 3 is exactly what I mean; he's encapsulated it better.
In my experience, the ones who claim to want attractive attacking football at all costs are the first to moan when we lose match after match because the defenders are all way up the pitch.
Oh and I would hate to follow a team of dirty cheating diving/violent/whatever players, so really my view is very far from "at all costs". I'm thinking of something like Dickov's Oldham team, when we used to play them - I would come away from the games thinking, how can those fans go there week after week to watch that? I'd hate us to be like that. But to play defensively, when we've been conceding 3+ goals a game for most of the season so far - yes, I'll settle for that.
Edit: Just read Theo's post above mine - yes, that 1 2 3 is exactly what I mean; he's encapsulated it better.
In my experience, the ones who claim to want attractive attacking football at all costs are the first to moan when we lose match after match because the defenders are all way up the pitch.
Oh and I would hate to follow a team of dirty cheating diving/violent/whatever players, so really my view is very far from "at all costs". I'm thinking of something like Dickov's Oldham team, when we used to play them - I would come away from the games thinking, how can those fans go there week after week to watch that? I'd hate us to be like that. But to play defensively, when we've been conceding 3+ goals a game for most of the season so far - yes, I'll settle for that.