It is Pritchard/Kermorgant/Harriott up front so call that 4-3-3 or 4-5-1. Sound commentary on CAFC Player under "Latest News" (thanks for that tip, Billy). ICT hit the post after 8 minutes with Hamer well beaten. I wouldn't rate ICT above a fairly good Div One side (like MK or Preston) so we ought to win this by a couple. Hamer Solly, Morrison, Devite, Wiggins Stephens, Gower, Jackson, Pritchard, Kermorgant, Harriott
Yes, thanks. Interesting I listened for 10 minutes without hearing his name mentioned. Not sure if that is down to him or the commentator, but central midfield players never have an excuse to be out of a game unless the team is launching the ball from the keeper and back four straight to the strikers. That doesn't seem to be happening, but nor is anything else. Dull. Button starts second half.
Green or for Stephens. Hopefully last chance for both of them to break into the team. This team sounds nowhere no ready for an away match in the Championship. I imagine our better physique will let us snatch a late goal or two to win but that won't mask our deficiencies. Funny the commentator just mentioned what I was thinking. Pigott played in front of Kermit against Welling and scored a hat-trick in 20(?) minutes, but since then has either not played or played instead of Kermit. Why?
Sounds as though Stephens and Gower have both been playing too deep. I nearly went. Decided at the last minute to walk the dog instead. Seems to have been a good call. Feels like all is not well down the valley. Can't believe we are a week away from the new season with en even weaker squad than we finished last year with. CP's hands tied behind his back I guess. Wonder what happens when Yann gets injured or suspended. No official comment on season ticket sales either. They've been making announcements every other week for the last two years about increasing sales. I can only conclude that it wasn't just me who didn't renew. Has anyone spotted that about twenty of our squad are out of contract at the end of this season? There may be trouble ahead as the song goes.
0-1 to ICT with 10 minutes to go. Well done, ICT, they are just a bunch of kids and English lower tier rejects but have matched us all game. Cousins on for Dervite for last few minutes. FT 0-1 Well done to all who went to show their appreciation for Paddy and to also to those who travelled down from the Arctic Circle (well, almost). Sounded awful. The commentators were trying to say we can hear highlights tomorrow but then burst out laughing at the absurdness of that remark.
The highlight of the game was the pitch. It looked like a bowling green, and was a great tribute to our head groundsman. 4-5-1 was a real mess, Jackson was particularly ineffective, although it's a bit unfair to single anyone out. One prediction I will make- Solly to win POTY for the 3rd time.
Please God no. Solly stood out for me in a poor team performance. He's not only our best defender, he's our best crosser, always in the right place. As the song goes "He's ****ing quality".
That was quite poor. It is telling that we looked much more dangerous after Pigott came on and we had 2 up front. Yann on his own just doesn't work, particularly when you have a right winger who isn't really a right winger (Pritchard - and with every game my faith in Danny Green diminishes) and a midfield who either can't get up there in time to support him or aren't willing to do so (Gower and Stephens). Harriott's effort with his stronger left foot that went painfully wide shows that in front of goal he still resembles the rabbit in the headlights. Basically, unless we're prepared to throw Pigott in, we need a new striker of the BWP variety. Defence was mostly OK today, although someone should have stopped the ICT midfielder running most of the pitch in the build-up to their goal. Also, the attendance of just under 3000 was a bit disappointing for Colin Powell's testimonial.
Yes, walking the dog was a good option, Jimbo... First half was horrible and the sight of two left at the back was deeply disturbing - surely that's not a feasible option in the Championship for goodness sake. Second half was way better and particularly the introduction of Pigott, who put himself about to great effect. Solly MoM by a country mile. ICT - a well organised Spam Sketch team, and full marks to their winger for chasing what looked like a lost cause to cross for the goal and to the 75 or so Callie fans in Lower West. The time for experimenting is over. If we're going to ask Kermorgant to do as much work as he did today, he's going to be knackered by Christmas. Let's go to 4-4-2 (or rather 4-4-1-1) with Pigott partnering Yann. And please let's go with Andy Hughes rather than Mark Gower - I saw nothing today for him to be picked as a first choice. Attendance was poor today, but the hospitality side will have added to the coffers - thought the celebrations were pitched exactly right.
Thanks to the Cally fans who made the long trip down. Good turn out for a friendly for them, and they got their reward. The less said about our performance and the crowd the better really, but wiyh seven days to go, TJ needs to start to think about whether relegation is really desirable in a business sense, as no further investment in the team will probably lead to the value (and the club) dropping down a level. Bit gloomy from me, but I'm not happy tonight.
'You're just a small team from Norway' was the chant of the day. Lovely to hear the ICT fans singing to Paddy Powell. Got to shake Terry Butcher's hand. The rest was dismal. Pritchard was particularly woeful, though.
This for me was a little sad for a man that has been with the club 30 years. Forget that people are saying the oppo was only ICT, you turn out to support the person not who we are playing, we have played a few naff sides and got better numbers. Sat with the ICT fans nice bunch
It's good to see that playing quality opposition in pre-season is paying early dividends for Callie... Position Team Played Points 1 Inverness CT 3 9 2 St Johnstone 3 7 3 Celtic 2 6
