Both those sides would murder 1p5wich. Youth, experience, finding the right blend of the two. If it came to it, and Mcnally sanctioned our most expensive signing ever , I'd go with it, because I have more belief and trust in our current manager than I ever did in Hughton - and he managed to ostensibly waste circa £8m
If the link works (?) here are highlights from last night's match vs Cambridge Utd - and a rare chance to see some net-busting from RvW
I think it's a bit unfair to call RvW's goal and Toffolo's as well 'tap ins'. In both cases their runs were well timed and the pull backs well worked to allow the goals to be scored on the run.
I thought the RvW goal was really tidy finish. It's not easy controlling that ball when moving at speed into that far post. You'd obviously expect him to finish it but it's a good sign of how AN is getting us playing, with late runs coming into the box. That's the style that suits Ricky.
Not the friendlies matter that much, but is no one else concerned that over 100 & 20 minutes in a game that according to AN we controlled that we only score 3 against a league 2 team.
What would you have been happy with? If we battered them 10-0 then you could moan they weren't difficult enough opposition. We played the entire fixture with makeshift defences, and at one point took Jerome off and played without a suitable striker. The players are still early in their pre-season, the opposition ramp up over the next three weeks. Sunderland got beaten by a third tier American side, I don't think that is a reflection of how they'll perform this season.
I'm not remotely interested in the final scoreline as its irrelevant at this time, nor do I think the result will have any bearing on our performance this season. I wouldn't even say our defense was light for playing a league 2 side and I get the point about fitness, however surely Cambridge were in the same position. AN said we controlled the game, which suggests to me our midfield was more than up to the job. I think you probably hit the nail on the head when you said that when Jerome was off we lacked a suitable striker. My concern is (and I fully accept there is plenty of time for things to change) that we scored only 2 goals from open play in a game we controlled, which kind of reinforces my view that other than Jerome we don't really have a striker that is of premiership standard. I would have thought Hooper, Grabban & RvW in particular would have been showing AN what they can do. I don't know who Cambridge played for the second 60 (i.e. same 11 players for the whole game or second 11) but I would have thought either way we should have done better, particularly in the second 60 minutes. I would have been more reassured with the same scoreline if we'd hit the post/ crossbar loads and their keeper had played a blinder.
Are you saying that Hooper isn't a suitable striker DH? Seriously, both line-ups were make-shift and we had 5-6 players missing, so 3-1 was a reasonable result. Apparently Cambridge defended heavily and depended on breaks to try to score. That won't often be the case in the PL. I'm actually pleased that we had to work harder for our goals. Full credit to AN for arranging the 120 minutes to allow all the players to get arpound 60 minutes of playing time. I thought RvW did well with a good goal and an assist in his first game and unheralded players like Toffolo and Thompson had a chance to shine.
RvW and Toffolo seemed to have got good write-ups, it seems like the rest of the team has at least got minutes under their belts, and nobody seems to have picked significant injuries. Hooper supported by wingers doesnt seem a normal front line, no.
Fair enough DH. It was a pity that Andreu wasn't available, as he and Hooper looked good against Hitchin.
I'm with you in having very modest concern. It isn't just about fitness, it's about finding working combo's and embedding systems. If we aren't finding those combos and aren't breaking down the defense of and scoring against L2 sides then that is a moderate worry. We did get a couple from open play though so its not much of a concern , but then I was getting concerned when we weren't scoring in pre-season with CH at the helm, so what would I know! Bah!
It's harder to embed systems when we're still playing two different sides in a game. Also remember that we were missing some key players like Howson and Andreu as well, which led to replacing Jerome with Josh Murphy.
I'm not so sure. The system should be drummed in during training and then embedded/played out on the pitch. I may be wrong to a degree and I'm sure that AN has more than just a plan A, but I thought he had a very definite idea of how he likes to set up his teams. This plus the additional layering should be progressing nicely and to an extent work across the squad if they are all being molded to seamlessly slot in to the first team and it's way of play. So switching personnel should only alter the individuals abilities to be effective in their allot position but not the system. All that said I totally believe in AN and we'll be thrashing the PL elite in no time at al! Bah!
For those among you who do not understand the reason for pre-season friendlies, let the manager explain! http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...tisfied-despite-pre-season-defeat_234498.html
Didn't see all of it, but from what I did see, a couple of things stood out. Vadis OO has something about him that seems to generate a spark around him. Whether it's his energy or that he gets into really good positions off the ball, I can see him being an important impact player this season - and maybe more if others in front of him get injured. Howson was one of the only players who stood out in the first half. Some great touches in a midfield that otherwise didn't seem too well balanced until the changes. Hooper really struggled to hold the ball up in that first half. Opposite of Howson, his touch kept deserting him and he looked frustrated. Redmond also struggled. His first game time of pre season, so no surprises really. Good run out and some good football in the second half that deserved a goal.
