Allardyce: 'Long Ball Makes Arsenal A Better Team'!

Last updated : 10 December 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

Allardyce has admitted he does get irritated by critics of his team's style of play. But adds that Arsenal are a better team for using the long-ball game.

Allardyce: "It does rankle that I'm labelled the way I am. You get nailed with that tag.

"It comes from other managers because we beat them at Bolton on a regular basis. The perception of how we played was only there when we beat big teams like Liverpool or Chelsea."

"You watch Liverpool in the first five minutes and 60 or 70 per cent of the balls were sent over the top of our defence.

"But people listen too much to the managers and it becomes clouded. The perception is that Liverpool and Arsenal play all this pretty stuff because that's what's generally put around the world of football.

"There's all this conflict about long ball, but everyone has to play long passes behind a defence to get opportunities to score.

"Arsenal are two-dimensional now where before they used to be one-dimensional which was roll it out through the back and play through midfield.

"Now, every now and again, the back four go bang. It makes them a better team."