Originally Posted by
Badly Ironed Shirt
Precisely. Football is not basketball or grid iron where set plays can come into play. Eric seems to think a manager says "hit it long all night". It is nowhere near that simple, but then Eric tends to use manufactured statistics to inforce his views - it's a crude form of p hacking. This post illustrates a further lack of understanding of the game.
He would come up with stats about Cardiff rarely winning having conceded first, without acknowledging that Cardiff rarely conceded first in comparison with other teams. He would then use this information as a reason to sack a manager who was improving league position year on year and was getting the club to a cup final.
Eric, Warnock may well say "play it down the channels, turn the defence to get them faving their goal" but he certainly won't be saying "hoof it long". The opposition may sit deeper, mark tighter, or push wide midfielders up, narrow, back etc. It's this that impacts on Warnock's tactics, and may result in Warnock's team playing long ball football. TOBW also makes good points that, hopefully, will help you understand.