We Have To Mix It Up - Coleman

Last updated : 29 October 2009 By Covsupport News Service
Coventry City manager Chris Coleman has said that good football cannot be played all the time with the players he has available.

Speaking to the CT, Coleman said: "I said to the players after the game that I could show them the stats from Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday where we had 300-odd passes to their 200-odd in the first half, so we were 100 passes better off than them.

"This league, unlike the Premier League, it is not necessarily about the team that passes more than most that gets the points, it is how effective you are in both boxes.

"We had loads of passes against Cardiff and didn't go anywhere, especially in the second half. We passed them off the park and lost 2-0.

"At Sheffield Wednesday we couldn't match them for the first 20 minutes when they were too strong and then we had loads of passes but couldn't score and lost the game.

"But while we were picking points up and winning and doing well it wasn't because we were playing great football.

"I love playing good football if you have got the players or squad to do it, but with the players we have got, we have to mix it up.

"We can pass the ball but unless we are on the front foot and tackling second phase we don't pick points up.

"It is different for West Brom who play a certain type of player and that gets them points because they have got the players to do it.

"The squad of players we have got we have to be bang at it, maximum with eleven players doing the dirty horrible jobs and then we can play a little bit of football as well, but the horrible stuff comes first and that's what we did on Saturday.

"We didn't get three points but we got a point and we got a clean sheet.

"Any football supporter around the country, if you have drawn 0-0 and you are not playing very well, or nick a 1-0 win and aren't playing very well, as long as you are chipping away at results and if they see you climbing up the table they don't mind that," said the City manager.

"So I don't care how we do it against Reading, we have got to get the points to give us another good platform.

"We got a good draw against West Brom and clean sheet and I want to know what we can offer against Reading."