Up front is still a worry, isn't it? McLeod sounds hopeless and presumably Gray will be off as soon as he's fit. Hope Dicko's absence doesn't mean he's off to the Jills. That would leave us with Burton and Fleets. Oh well. I expect Parky is on it...
[cite]Posted By: Vincenzo[/cite]Up front is still a worry, isn't it? McLeod sounds hopeless and presumably Gray will be off as soon as he's fit. Hope Dicko's absence doesn't mean he's off to the Jills. That would leave us with Burton and Fleets. Oh well. I expect Parky is on it...
You make some very good points and I hope something gets sorted out as soon as possible. However, I think a number of teams in Div 3 this season would be happy with Burton and Fleetwood up front.
Sometimes we forget how far we've fallen; but sometimes we forget there's a lot of teams still looking up at us with some envy.
Very comfortable afternoon for us. They hit the bar late on but then so did we and if Izale had taken his chances then the score would have looked like a more accurate reflection of the game. Thought Sam and Rchardson linked up pretty well and apart from one misunderstanding so did Dailly and Llera. Typically having given him a big build up all week at work Jonjo had a bit of a mare by his standards, but he was playing in a 4 rather than off of Burton.
Shocking tackle on Solly near the end - went off on stretcher - hope its not serious - otherwise agree with Bournemouth addick - look well short of goals up front though
..also quite nice to see Bailey being subbed after losing the plot in the second half. Either he fancied using up all the hot water before the other lads or the guy is still 100% behind us and [fingers crossed] not going anywhere just yet.
Especially as it wasn't strictly a competitive match.
Izale also 'scored' with a cool finish, according to the OS updates - even if it was subsequently disallowed.
And apparently was a handful for defenders all afternoon.
Which actually sounds quite encouraging, even though he didn't actually get on the scoresheet himself.
It was a good finish for the offside goal and he went on a good positive run before setting up the second goal but I remain unconvinced - his positioning in the box was poor there were several times when Sam and Youga got to the byeline and sent in good crosses but McLeod and Gray were static waiting for the ball rather then showing movement plus he is shocking in the air
Bailey's reactions were a bit over the top for a friendly - also McLeod blatantly fouled one of their players in front of ref in retaliation for an unpunished tackle from behind on Burton - wld have a booking at least in a league game - back 4 looked fairly solid and Racon and Sam were good in midfield
We did ok, lack of quality up front is our main problem now. Richardson, Dailly and Llera should all be good players for us this season. Llera especially will make mistakes at time, but that's expected at League One level.
McLeod just never looks right when he gets a chance, other players would make a bit of space, take their time, or take an early shot, but he always seems to take the wrong option. He was getting shots off in the end, but they weren't particularly good, and better players would have taken them differently.
Both teams hit the bar, Racon for us, with a very good left footed shot under a bit of pressure.
Basey was captain for a bit as no one else seemed to want to take it from him.
Actually Basey did well when he came on and in the last 15 him and Youga caused them all kinds of problems on the left.
I thought Racon looked a class above and Sam should be one of the best players in this division if he can get his head around it. I liked Dailly and Richardson and although I agree with Sco on Llera I think he is a very decent centre half for this level. Jonjo actually had a little bit of a shocker (one shot aside) but he touches the ball so often, he will occasionally get himself in a rut but he certainly has the ability and confidence to play through it.
As Sco said our weaknesses are up front. If Igoe's shot would have gone the other side of the goaline then it would have been a draw and in a real game that would have been a travesity as it should have been well and truly over by then.
I was glad I went though, we walked out in good spirits. In fact my two mates were both season ticket hold-outs but will purchase this week. I particularly liked the way we dominated the game playing a good tempo game with some very nice passing and movement.
Does anyone know how Solly is? That was a terrible tackle in the context of the game with 5 minutes to go. What was annoying was despite some Bournemouth players coming over to Solly to see how he was, the culprit just stood on the touchline waiting for the game to restart.
Anyway, was a good day out and I wish I was going Saturday. Suppose I better renew my CAFC TV!
it is a credit to the players and management that they have been focused and played well when the club is in such awful limbo, others teams in such circumstances could have been a shambles
Agree with Chicago & Scoham; some really encouraging football at a decent tempo. McLeod did struggle to finish, but his overall performance was much better than previous run-outs. He constantly wanted the ball, never hid, and unsettled them with his direct running. Then there was the finishing! I even thought Gray did quite well for his first game in too long. Having seen and understood the recent 4-5-1, it was nice to see a more positive attacking approach, even with the obvious weaknesses. Both full backs were also encouraged to push on but weren't found wanting defensively. Llera might have his moments getting caught trying to play out (a la Boogie), but he's settled nicely now and Dailly appears a sensible partner.
Jonjo's perhaps had a couple of below par games recently, which I think we can excuse a 17 year old, but what's nice is how well the others have played in midfield (Spring included), so that he doesn't need to stand out every time. Such a skillful player sometimes only needs a moment to win a game, though we all know how hard he works. After such a pessimistic summer, I'm genuinely looking forward to the season now, even if we don't quite have the necessary firepower.
[cite]Posted By: Salad[/cite]it is a credit to the players and management that they have been focused and played well when the club is in such awful limbo, others teams in such circumstances could have been a shambles
Well done the much maligned Parky. We all know how difficult we've found things this summer - just imagine if you were in his position! Shows great character, and I'd love to see him turn it round this season.
Went to the game on Saturday and was pretty upbeat afterwards.
If we keep Racon, Bailey and Shelvey they will be too good for anyone in this League.
Major problem for me was seeing Spring in the centre of midfield - utterly useless as usual meaning Bailey was out of position on the left. Spring didn't put in one tackle, make one pass or break forward into the opposition's box on one occasion during his 45 minutes. What a waste of space he is.
Thought Richardson looked solid and the CB partnership will be plenty good enough for this level.
Shelvey struggled playing in centre-mid and though a lot of people dislike 4-5-1 that is the system that will bring the best out of Jonjo IMO.
McLeod looked sharp and lively but as I said to my mate he will always find a way not to score a goal. Gray looked poor and off the pace to me but others seem to think he did okay so maybe I misjudged his performance.
As others who were there have said we looked good at the back and in midfield - it's just upfront that could cost us if we dominate games but don't score any goals.
Comments
Cheers for the updates
I wonder why D.I.C.K.O wasn't in the squad?
Apart from the two defeats that's now four wins on the trot...
Things are begininning to look up....
Sometimes we forget how far we've fallen; but sometimes we forget there's a lot of teams still looking up at us with some envy.
Especially as it wasn't strictly a competitive match.
Izale also 'scored' with a cool finish, according to the OS updates - even if it was subsequently disallowed.
And apparently was a handful for defenders all afternoon.
Which actually sounds quite encouraging, even though he didn't actually get on the scoresheet himself.
Bailey's reactions were a bit over the top for a friendly - also McLeod blatantly fouled one of their players in front of ref in retaliation for an unpunished tackle from behind on Burton - wld have a booking at least in a league game - back 4 looked fairly solid and Racon and Sam were good in midfield
another win which is good but we do really need a forward.
theres been enough penalties this pre season ain't there lol
The phrase "precautionary X ray" was used re Solly so hopefully not as bad as it evidently looked from the descriptions above.
Pretty certain this must be because the takeover has happened and we have bought Curbs back... ;-)
Maybe he went on the lash in Bournemouth like a lot of the fans!
McLeod just never looks right when he gets a chance, other players would make a bit of space, take their time, or take an early shot, but he always seems to take the wrong option. He was getting shots off in the end, but they weren't particularly good, and better players would have taken them differently.
Both teams hit the bar, Racon for us, with a very good left footed shot under a bit of pressure.
Basey was captain for a bit as no one else seemed to want to take it from him.
I thought Racon looked a class above and Sam should be one of the best players in this division if he can get his head around it. I liked Dailly and Richardson and although I agree with Sco on Llera I think he is a very decent centre half for this level. Jonjo actually had a little bit of a shocker (one shot aside) but he touches the ball so often, he will occasionally get himself in a rut but he certainly has the ability and confidence to play through it.
As Sco said our weaknesses are up front. If Igoe's shot would have gone the other side of the goaline then it would have been a draw and in a real game that would have been a travesity as it should have been well and truly over by then.
I was glad I went though, we walked out in good spirits. In fact my two mates were both season ticket hold-outs but will purchase this week. I particularly liked the way we dominated the game playing a good tempo game with some very nice passing and movement.
Does anyone know how Solly is? That was a terrible tackle in the context of the game with 5 minutes to go. What was annoying was despite some Bournemouth players coming over to Solly to see how he was, the culprit just stood on the touchline waiting for the game to restart.
Anyway, was a good day out and I wish I was going Saturday. Suppose I better renew my CAFC TV!
Jonjo's perhaps had a couple of below par games recently, which I think we can excuse a 17 year old, but what's nice is how well the others have played in midfield (Spring included), so that he doesn't need to stand out every time. Such a skillful player sometimes only needs a moment to win a game, though we all know how hard he works. After such a pessimistic summer, I'm genuinely looking forward to the season now, even if we don't quite have the necessary firepower.
Well done the much maligned Parky. We all know how difficult we've found things this summer - just imagine if you were in his position! Shows great character, and I'd love to see him turn it round this season.
If we keep Racon, Bailey and Shelvey they will be too good for anyone in this League.
Major problem for me was seeing Spring in the centre of midfield - utterly useless as usual meaning Bailey was out of position on the left. Spring didn't put in one tackle, make one pass or break forward into the opposition's box on one occasion during his 45 minutes. What a waste of space he is.
Thought Richardson looked solid and the CB partnership will be plenty good enough for this level.
Shelvey struggled playing in centre-mid and though a lot of people dislike 4-5-1 that is the system that will bring the best out of Jonjo IMO.
McLeod looked sharp and lively but as I said to my mate he will always find a way not to score a goal. Gray looked poor and off the pace to me but others seem to think he did okay so maybe I misjudged his performance.
As others who were there have said we looked good at the back and in midfield - it's just upfront that could cost us if we dominate games but don't score any goals.
MOM for me: Racon.
And in the 8th minute, according to the OS, he fastened on to a Sam pullback - and shot just wide of the post?