Simon Ferry – Swindon’s missing link

Simon Ferry

He can play 50 passes in less than 90 minutes and knits defence and attack but lately illness has deprived Town of Simon Ferry in full flow, Alex Cooke looks at what we have been missing. “Less energy, more quality”. That was Paolo Di Canio’s opinion of what Simon Ferry brought from the bench to [...]

Why Matt Ritchie has to shoot

2011.09.24 Ritchie v Barnet

Swindon’s wingers are always cutting in instead of crossing from the by-line, Alex Cooke looks at seven reasons why. ‘Why doesn’t Matt Ritchie go down the line?’ ‘What is Ritchie doing crossing from there?’ ‘Why won’t he pass?’ You can hear the questions in the stands, read them on the forums and scroll quickly past them [...]

Alan McCormack, back where he belongs

Alan McCormack

Paolo Di Canio has changed him from a midfielder to a defender, but playing at the back has allowed McCormack to change the way Swindon play, writes Alex Cooke. It took an injury to get Alan McCormack’s Swindon Town career going: not an injury to him, but to Oliver Risser. For the Namibian had been [...]

Making up the numbers? Does Oliver Risser’s contribution add up

Oliver Risser v Reading

He might be a favourite of Paolo Di Canio’s but Oliver Risser hasn’t impressed everyone at the Country Ground. Alex Cooke looks at the statistics behind the midfielder’s contribution. Oliver Risser won just two tackles against Huddersfield over 90 minutes*. In the recent FA Cup tie, the midfielder went into four challenges but only came [...]

Can Swindon Catch the Parked Bus?

Thamesdown Bus

With Town on a roll, teams are increasingly coming to the County Ground aiming for a draw. But how can you beat an ultra-defensive side? Alex Cooke looks at Di Canio’s options. Part of the fascination, and some of the frustration, of football lies in that one team can always beat the other regardless of [...]

Home vs Away: Looking for reasons for five defeats on our travels

Medhi Kerrouche

With 13 points gained at the County Ground and 3 away, without any improvement in our form on the road we can kiss goodbye to promotion back to League One at the first attempt. What has been responsible for Swindon being beaten 5 times on the road, but only by Oxford at home? Paolo Di Canio [...]

Town Tactics: Form Vs Formation

Is Swindon’s 442 too open? Alex Cooke looks at the blueprints for Paolo’s master plan. No one could doubt that Paolo Di Canio is demanding: his pre-season training, half-time tantrums and full-time ABH prove at that. But tactically Paolo also asks a lot of his players because he has created a system that demands discipline and athleticism, and can yield great results, [...]

Johno’s Tactics: Town vs Crewe

Chalkboard

After the City game was postponed, Johno cast his tactics eye over the Crewe game last weekend. Not to be confused with the legendary ‘Townsend’s Tactics’ with Andy Townsend in the back of a white van during ITV’s The Premiership programme, but much like the former midfielder, I’ll try to assess where it went well [...]

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