Pre Season Friendlies. What have we learnt?

[Brovion]

What have we learnt from these pre-season friendlies? We've learnt that some people analyse things WAY too much.

(God knows what this place will be like if we only get, say, one point from our first three games. Doom and Gloom won't begin to describe it.)

 

[strings]

What have we learnt from these pre-season friendlies? We've learnt that some people analyse things WAY too much.

(God knows what this place will be like if we only get, say, one point from our first three games. Doom and Gloom won't begin to describe it.)

I think you are right. What worries me at the moment is ourlack of strength in depth. I think we won't see the teams true potential until Murray and Greer are back in contention.

I'm still hoping for a new striker - I think Hart is a brilliant player to bring on for the last 20 minutes if we have a couple of goals up as he annoys the defence and stops the other team from attacking by holing the ball up. However I'm not convinced Holdroyd is quite ready to play the first 2 games alongside Barnes. I would probably start with Hart and Barnes unless we can get another striker in.

 

[Easy 10]

We've got Baz to try out havn't we ?

 

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We've got Baz to try out havn't we ?

I'd only ruddy forgotten about him. How very dare I!

 

[keaton]

Right, so we were excellent at the end of last season, we've STRENGTHENED that team since and we're now going to do worse.

Someone PLEASE explain that logic to me, I genuinely can't get my head around how that works.

Don't skirt around the point or bring up irrelevant issues, answer the above or you are just being negative and talking bollocks.

I'm not saying I agree or disagree but this is exactly what happend last summer. There were loads of threads saying the papers or BBC website were idiots for predicting us to struggle, when we all knew we had a great manager and a much stronger squad than the end of last season when we finished well.

 

[B.W.]

I think you are right. What worries me at the moment is ourlack of strength in depth. I think we won't see the teams true potential until Murray and Greer are back in contention.

I'm still hoping for a new striker - I think Hart is a brilliant player to bring on for the last 20 minutes if we have a couple of goals up as he annoys the defence and stops the other team from attacking by holing the ball up. However I'm not convinced Holdroyd is quite ready to play the first 2 games alongside Barnes. I would probably start with Hart and Barnes unless we can get another striker in.

... and therein lies the problem... that is not a promotion-chasing strike force, even allowing for the fact Murray is out for the first 2 games; we need a much better option, IMHO...

 

[B.W.]

We've got Baz to try out havn't we ?

Too much of a risk...

 

[Acker79]

That pessimists will also be doing their own pre-season training including overstating minor problems, dismissing positives for any of a variety of reasons (luck, level of opponents, pressure not on, etc), and judging things with very little experience (i.e. judging a player on a 10minute run out, tactics on one half of a game, etc),

 

[Easy 10]

Too much of a risk...

Whats the point of bringing Baz and Batti all the way over here for a year then if we're not going to 'risk' them ?

Its a case of 'needs must' till Murray is back. I'd rather see what Baz has got than bother with Holroyd again, who we already know will struggle.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

I'm not saying I agree or disagree but this is exactly what happend last summer. There were loads of threads saying the papers or BBC website were idiots for predicting us to struggle, when we all knew we had a great manager and a much stronger squad than the end of last season when we finished well.

Big difference to this time last year though. We won 5 out of our last 7 at the end of 2008/09 season to stay up. It was a great run but mainly against mid table sides and we then lost Owusu who was crucial in that run. On the other hand, last season our good form was over a half season under Poyet so a lot more time to take it from. Any team can have a good run and win 5 out of 7 but getting 38 points from half a season proves consistency.

 

[Steve Foster]

Steve is a fan with a view ! his ok if you know him !
just like leon knight his alright

Nah - I'm a miserable git!!!

 

[dazzalewis1968]

Nah - I'm a miserable git!!!

not the steve i know lol !

 

[bhaexpress]

not the steve i know lol !

Get a room you two

 

[Finchley Seagull]

That pessimists will also be doing their own pre-season training including overstating minor problems, dismissing positives for any of a variety of reasons (luck, level of opponents, pressure not on, etc), and judging things with very little experience (i.e. judging a player on a 10minute run out, tactics on one half of a game, etc),

What still hasn't been explained by any of the pessimists is how we are suddenly going to change from a top 8 team in the second half of last season to a struggling team this year when we have only lost Crofts and Lua Lua and brought in some pretty good players. I do think that we will struggle to be top six without a new striker but I still think we will be top 10 even with the current squad.

 

[magoo]

we learnt this about the portugese:
“I think as well the English style of football doesn’t help. As soon as the Portuguese saw a tackle, a proper traditional English football tackle, they started crying. "

 

[B.W.]

Whats the point of bringing Baz and Batti all the way over here for a year then if we're not going to 'risk' them ?

Its a case of 'needs must' till Murray is back. I'd rather see what Baz has got than bother with Holroyd again, who we already know will struggle.

He (Baz) wasn't even mentioned by Gus when he talked about his current striker options... if he plays at all, I would guess it will be on the left of midfield... unfortunately, our best option in Murray's absence with a 4-4-2 is probably Barnes / OGH, which tells you straight away we need to invest in a striker, rather than reaching for the risky options...

 

[Finchley Seagull]

He (Baz) wasn't even mentioned by Gus when he talked about his current striker options... if he plays at all, I would guess it will be on the left of midfield... unfortunately, our best option in Murray's absence with a 4-4-2 is probably Barnes / OGH, which tells you straight away we need to invest in a striker, rather than reaching for the risky options...

Or we play the 4-5-1 formation that we played both games in Portugal. I think we will probably play 4-4-2 most of the season but with Murray out and both the first two games being away from home, I think that we will use 4-5-1 initially.

 

[Dave the OAP]

that people have yet to learn that pre season friendlies are for fitness and no points are up for grabs

then why charge for them?

How much are some of you paying to see Aberdeen saturday?

For a fitness training session?

 

[Brovion]

I'm not saying I agree or disagree but this is exactly what happend last summer. There were loads of threads saying the papers or BBC website were idiots for predicting us to struggle, when we all knew we had a great manager and a much stronger squad than the end of last season when we finished well.

Not just last summer. Almost every season we are told on here that the squad is 'much stronger than it was last season' and that Adams/Slade/Poyet has 'cleared out all the dead wood'. Anybody who DARES point out that the squad is merely different and still largely composed of journeymen third divison players, or ideed points out that other clubs too think they've improved their squads is shouted down as a miserable pessimist.

It's partly fans being optimistic of course and nothing wrong with that. And who knows, one day we may well start off with a significantly stronger squad than the one that finished the previous season. Maybe even this year?

 

[B.W.]

Whats the point of bringing Baz and Batti all the way over here for a year then if we're not going to 'risk' them ?

Its a case of 'needs must' till Murray is back. I'd rather see what Baz has got than bother with Holroyd again, who we already know will struggle.

First of all, I did NOT propose Holroyd...

Secondly, we need another top league 1 striker before the season starts... Gus knows it, I know it, but I guess you know best!

I believe Baz is primarily a left-sided midfielder anyway and not mentioned by Gus as one of our existing strikers... OK?