Swindon hammered Portsmouth 5-nil thanks to James Collins, but it wasn’t just his arrival which altered the direction of the match, says Alex Cooke. James Collins changed the game against Pompey and their 352 formation, but you knew that. What he did wasn’t hugely sophisticated – it is his natural way of playing – strong, quick, central, but the contrast
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It was a great performance from Paolo Di Canio’s men as they exploited the holes in the Tranmere defence, but they made it easy for Swindon, says Alex Cooke. There are many reasons why Swindon thumped Tranmere 5-nil. Pressure and presence were vital as Town’s midfield swarmed and swamped with controlled aggression, but so was the general ineptitude of Tranmere’s
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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 on Twitter. For a player
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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 the gap, or gulf, in
Read moreIs 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, but also leaves little margin
Read moreAfter 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 and wrong for Swindon most
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The Washbag 