The squad has only been training for less than 2 weeks - and as any manager will tell you, it's just a take it easy run out and nobody gives a stuff about the result.
Except the supporters - where anything less than an 8-0 victory is not good enough.
Just got home. Kit looked good I thought. Llera and Mambo fit the the bill for league 1. Midfield 1st half absent but Jonjo class apart in 2nd. Bailey wasn`t interested and looked scared of getting involved so he must have a move in pipeline.Wagstaff looked lively and put in a lot of effort. Well taken goal too. Juan Manuel Fernandez Truy the triallist looked to me to be trying too hard. One or two nice touches but on whole failed to impress. All our strikers looked awful I thought. McLeod chased everything but created or did nothing. All the other were inept. Elliot looks a lot slimmer. Early days of course but we need to be a whole lot better in just a few weeks.
Just back from the match not much to say that hasn't been said.. Some tried some didn't wagstaff took his goal really well . Some players holding on to the ball to long. My main concern is we look like we tending to play a big long ball up to the forwards who for all their might cannot control and hold the ball up long enough for midfield support to arrive. We really should be trying to play through the team not just hoof it up there. I know some will say this is only the first friendly but if you dont try to play through the team in the friendlies your not likey to do it in the league.
looks like fleetwoods twin brother. If he played for Barca then I'm Barack Obama
1-1 final whistle - on this evidence we desperately need strikers. Burton dicko fleets and mcleod didn't create a thing.
Burton was actually decent. Needs good players to play with. Actually has a football brain in comparison to the rest of our strikers. He set up a few chances, you just won't see him taking many shots, he'd rather create a chance for someone else.
Long balls clearly weren't working. Basey tried a few, other players were trying to spray passes across the pitch, didn't work either. Our best moves came from passing the ball.
Mambo same when I've seen him before - solid but I've never seen him against good strikers. He's bigger and stronger than any striker he comes up against. He did well but hard to say just how good he is at the moment.
Llera didn't look comfortable on the ball and kept hoofing/slicing it out of play. Like Mambo he's good in the air.
Nice cross from Solly and a good header from Mambo for the disallowed goal. Dickson should have scored his chance, Tuna had a couple of chances to shoot, one time he didn't get the ball under control, other time he passed when he could have shot. He's not a left winger, so was out of position, but he's not as good as our other strikers - and they aren't particularly good anyway.
Looking forward to seeing us later on in pre-season with a few signings, fitter players, a team closer to our first choice 11 and the game being taken a bit more seriously. Really was just for fitness and a bit of practise.
keeper (elliott 1st half/ randolph 2nd) - neither really had much to do, but thgink Elliott is still the no 1.
defence - solly & basey did Ok, Youga looks completly different now that he has shaven all his hair off, mambo looks a good prospect and was denied a great goal by v. dodgy ref. Semedo played 2nd half as a centre half and probbaly best defender out there, Llera on this showing looked woeful - every clearance was sliced into tou#ch and when he had time to play the ball he invariably passed to one of their players. Not a good start. Will obviuosly give him time but omens don't look good. It may have been his first game and was a bit nervous, but for christs sake he was playing in front of 2200 people at Park view road, not 80,000 in the san siro.
midfield - Shelvey stood out head & shouldes above the rest, spraying the ball around and always looking for the ball. didn't realy notice Bailey and thought he sat deep until reading other comments on here and agreed he looked as though he was hiding. surprised with Matt Spring - looked good in centre midfield and marhalled his troops (1st half) well, Lloys Sam was quiet (although on other side of the pitch to me so I could just have missed him) and thought tuna looked sharp when running with the ball. Deffo need a creative plauyer to paly the strikers in, unless we are looking to play the long ball & miss out the midfield.
strikers - Dicko impressed (again) looked strong and always willing to turn and run with it. Only forward who looked as if he could score. Burton had a few nice touches but never threatened the goal,fleetwood played wide left so out of position and Mcleod still doesn't understand the offside rule. Last two still can't control the ball & don't think will make it
On this very brief showing my staring 11 would be as follows:
my take on the game.. bad pint in the welling club house nice pint in the deers club... looked average. cant get used to the new look yougs.. wagstaff looked very handy disapointed in the strikers yet again, nice sore head this morning and the missus aint talking to me so thats nice..
Apart from Tuna probably our best team at the moment. Would have Bailey on the left and Racon in the middle.
Obviously a right back will come in, Solly will provide decent back up. I think we'll see Llera and Fortune together, I think we will see an improvement in Llera. Well I hope we will.
Need a striker in there to take Dickson's place, but only if we find someone that will definitely score goals.
Comments
Cheers for the match reports all.
He could do well?
Thanks for the updates AFKA et al. Glad I didn't fly down for it...
Roll on the third division ;-)
Are you gay by any chance? haha
Except the supporters - where anything less than an 8-0 victory is not good enough.
Weegies a woman .. donut
I think we lost to them a couple of seasons back when we were preparing for a Premiership season didn't we?
Terrible game, as it is every year.
A number of ours looked completely uninterested - Bailey being the the real case in point.
Sadly lacking up front.
Wasn't impressed with Llera. His main contribution seemed to be hoofing the ball into touch.
Thankfully I plan on drinking myself into oblivion at my only other pre-season game - Bray.
Burton was actually decent. Needs good players to play with. Actually has a football brain in comparison to the rest of our strikers. He set up a few chances, you just won't see him taking many shots, he'd rather create a chance for someone else.
Long balls clearly weren't working. Basey tried a few, other players were trying to spray passes across the pitch, didn't work either. Our best moves came from passing the ball.
Mambo same when I've seen him before - solid but I've never seen him against good strikers. He's bigger and stronger than any striker he comes up against. He did well but hard to say just how good he is at the moment.
Llera didn't look comfortable on the ball and kept hoofing/slicing it out of play. Like Mambo he's good in the air.
Nice cross from Solly and a good header from Mambo for the disallowed goal. Dickson should have scored his chance, Tuna had a couple of chances to shoot, one time he didn't get the ball under control, other time he passed when he could have shot. He's not a left winger, so was out of position, but he's not as good as our other strikers - and they aren't particularly good anyway.
Looking forward to seeing us later on in pre-season with a few signings, fitter players, a team closer to our first choice 11 and the game being taken a bit more seriously. Really was just for fitness and a bit of practise.
keeper (elliott 1st half/ randolph 2nd) - neither really had much to do, but thgink Elliott is still the no 1.
defence - solly & basey did Ok, Youga looks completly different now that he has shaven all his hair off, mambo looks a good prospect and was denied a great goal by v. dodgy ref. Semedo played 2nd half as a centre half and probbaly best defender out there, Llera on this showing looked woeful - every clearance was sliced into tou#ch and when he had time to play the ball he invariably passed to one of their players. Not a good start. Will obviuosly give him time but omens don't look good. It may have been his first game and was a bit nervous, but for christs sake he was playing in front of 2200 people at Park view road, not 80,000 in the san siro.
midfield - Shelvey stood out head & shouldes above the rest, spraying the ball around and always looking for the ball. didn't realy notice Bailey and thought he sat deep until reading other comments on here and agreed he looked as though he was hiding. surprised with Matt Spring - looked good in centre midfield and marhalled his troops (1st half) well, Lloys Sam was quiet (although on other side of the pitch to me so I could just have missed him) and thought tuna looked sharp when running with the ball. Deffo need a creative plauyer to paly the strikers in, unless we are looking to play the long ball & miss out the midfield.
strikers - Dicko impressed (again) looked strong and always willing to turn and run with it. Only forward who looked as if he could score. Burton had a few nice touches but never threatened the goal,fleetwood played wide left so out of position and Mcleod still doesn't understand the offside rule. Last two still can't control the ball & don't think will make it
On this very brief showing my staring 11 would be as follows:
Elliot
Solly Semedo Fortune Youga
Sam Shelvey Bailey Tuna
Dickson Burton
Youga looked odd but no question it was him when he skimmed the ball out 3 times on the spin.
Wagstaff was v annoyed with strikers in 2nd half! Mc leod has pace, little else and that sideburned chap takes a tackle like a man!
Apart from Tuna probably our best team at the moment. Would have Bailey on the left and Racon in the middle.
Obviously a right back will come in, Solly will provide decent back up. I think we'll see Llera and Fortune together, I think we will see an improvement in Llera. Well I hope we will.
Need a striker in there to take Dickson's place, but only if we find someone that will definitely score goals.