Tactics with Shaun (end of 2022-23)

This one of Shaun Calvert’s specials from last season. We all enjoyed them so much on the Blue Monday telegram group that I wanted to archive some here.

This is an end of season WTAFA Special (worth the admission fee alone) on Town’s impressive turn around in the execution of corners, with a thread of 5 observations (four of ours, one against us) and a musical link for each one (for old times sake, because… why not… you lucky people!).

At the end of last season, Kieran McKenna said that Town need to score more set-piece goals to get out of League One. This season, Town averaged 6.93 corners per game, the best in the division (Exeter were the next best with 6.11), scoring from 14 of them.

This could be the start of something… and who doesn’t love some Finnish jazz…

Corner #1 Evolution to the Love Train

Early in the pre-season friendlies we noticed that work had already been done by the coaching staff on inventive corners. Similar to the 2021-22 run-in, Town settled on three main corner routines as the season went on; the productive one to the near post, the short one & the organised confusion one.

Both defensively & offensively, the set-up on corners was tweaked during the season too with the following examples showing the changes from the beginning of the season to the end. Even if the opposition know which corner is coming (we have the same setup and signal for each main one) it seems as though neither zonal or man to man marking can stop the excellent delivery and execution.

We usually have two players on the edge (Morsy and Luongo during the run-in) looking to draw 1 or 2 defenders out of the box, to create more space for the ball played in, whilst still creating an overload for the short routine.

In our version of the Love Train, runners go to the near post, getting ahead of the static zonal defenders and to the space at the back post as other defenders ball watch. I believe the Love Train corner routine was first seen in Italy or Treno dell’amore as they call it…

Corner #2 The Routine

Our most Common routine on the corner is the one to the near post with both in-swingers from the right wing and out-swingers from the left wing. The signal, right arm in the air. Leif Davis has ended up taking them from both sides (when on the pitch), with excellent and accurate delivery, but earlier in the season we had Lee Evans, Conor Chaplin, Sone Aluko and Kyle Edwards also taking them too.

We all know the goals from these this season… from Edmundson, Woolfenden, Harness, Burns, Burgess, Hurst, Broadhead, etc.

A true collaboration, some of the originators working with one of the best to bring an outstanding result…

Corner #3 The $hort corner

Too many short corners for some of the ‘get it in the box’ brigade.

The signal – both arms in the air.

We always have an overload here unless the defending team send out equal numbers but then they are really undermanned in the box, with potential space for the attackers.

The short corner changes the angle of the cross plus defenders will move out, towards the ball and away from the goal, leaving potential space behind them to attack.

Here are a couple of my favourite short routines from earlier in the season…

Short Corner Routines

West Coast Hip-Hop, like the short corner, is under-appreciated by some…

Corner #4 Organized Konfusion

In organized Konfusion – the organised movements of the runners block any defender getting to the space or the route of the ball from the corner, along the floor, for a direct shot at goal.

Signal - no signal at all (from what I can see).

In this photo above Wes Burns, Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess are used as blockers, not looking at the delivery, whilst Broadhead discreetly lingers at the back and moves into the space for the shot.

This was the routine for first goal of the season, at home to Bolton, scored by Lee Evans and from a corner by Conor Chaplin. You can clearly see how much more intricate the corner routine has become since then.

Organised Konfusion Routines

It may seem a mess but turns out beautifully…

Corner #5 Magic Corner

This imaginative and innovative corner that really floats my boat, the funky routines are the hardest to work on and come up with, but the ones that can bring the most rewards.

Again, no signal at all (from what I can see).

This is one of the most interesting set-ups that I’ve seen all season, from our game at Port Vale, leading to their goal just after half-time.

We’ll end with a short clip of how that Port Vale corner played out plus my favourite Town funky, magic corner routine from the season, at Lincoln, where all the runners to the near post, leaving Evans spare on the edge of the box.

Funky Corners

…………..here’s hoping for more of the same in August.

When everything comes together, you’re left with a masterpiece…