Lincoln City are the Championship's top team for long passes this season, a statistic that has reignited the long-running debate about the club's direct style of football. The Imps sit 12th in the table with 11 points from eight games, a position that includes a recent 1-2 home defeat to league leaders Swansea City, who themselves rank fourth for long passes.
This season's data continues a historical pattern for Lincoln, a club whose identity has been intertwined with pragmatic, long-ball football for decades. The approach has often been a point of contention, labelled as 'anti-football' by some critics. Yet its effectiveness is evident across the English pyramid this term, with Barnet, Bradford City and Swansea all leading their respective tables while also ranking highly for long passes.
A proven historical blueprint
The club's modern history is built on this foundation. The 1976 title win under Graham Taylor set a record points total using direct football. Later, managers like Colin Murphy in the nineties and Keith Alexander in the early 2000s built successful, budget-conscious sides around a physical, direct game. Alexander's 2002/03 team, operating with limited resources, used pace and power to reach the play-offs.
This philosophy has seen Lincoln repeatedly outfight wealthier opponents. The Cowley brothers' 2018/19 league title win came despite the club not having a top-five budget in the division. The method involves more than just hopeful clearances; it includes precise passes into space, high pressing, and a sophisticated set-piece strategy. The club were pioneers in appointing a dedicated set-piece coach, with Scott Fry's work previously highlighted for its impact.
The wider football context
Lincoln's style finds echoes in successful teams past and present. Hull City's promotion last season came with the third-highest long-ball count in the Championship. At international level, Norway's qualification for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups under Egil Olsen was built on a organised long-pass system, with striker Jostein Flo a key weapon. Graham Taylor, who later managed England, once argued his side were "robbed in the Netherlands when Koeman should have been sent off" during a failed 1994 qualification campaign that was used by many to criticise the direct approach.
The debate often overlooks nuance. An accurate, targeted pass forward is fundamentally different from a aimless clearance. The modern iteration at Lincoln looks for a target man to win aerial duels, but is supplemented by coordinated pressing and dead-ball routines. This blend has kept the club competitive. Their recent form shows two wins, a draw and two losses from the last five, with Freddie Draper scoring the winner in a 0-1 victory at Bristol City.
While the style has had detractors-Dario Gradi criticised Murphy's Lincoln, and John Beck was booed by his own Cambridge fans-it has repeatedly delivered results when executed well. This season's squad, missing the sidelined Tendayi Darikwa, continues this tradition. With seven goals scored and eight conceded so far, finding the right balance remains the ongoing challenge. The latest standings show Lincoln six points behind Swansea, proving the direct method can keep pace at this level.
Read the full report at The Stacey West
