No deadline day signings. No forwards in at all, not even on loan. Danny Welbeck is available Marcus. One strong argument for promotion is to not have to participate in this Christing competition. ‘Playing the kids’ apparently and breaking the rules. 2-0 Gills
I usually get irate when we field weak sides in Cup competitions but for this one i couldnt care less, dont get me wrong i never want to see us lose but this really is a crap competition. As for the lack of transfer activety its a question of " different season same old bollocks ", just shameful.
We have a forward signed from Borussia Monchengladbach, Keanan Bennetts, and I look forward to seeing him showing us what he's made of.
0-0 at half time then. Our young team have had the most possession without really doing much with it. A lot of keep ball at the back but it has at least given the team some confidence to play and compete. Up front, Simpson isn't making enough runs to stretch the defence and Lankester is a bit guilty of making more backwards passes than forward. Dobra is lively as always and McGavin is playing well in the middle. Baggott looks like a good CB in the making, playing confidently but a little too cautiously. There have been a number of chances for him to bring the ball forward into space but he's played it safe, he has come forward a couple of times though. Gillingham seem to be comfortable to let us have the ball in our half, dropping off when we have possession. With a little more pressing they could force more mistakes and put more pressure on us but they haven't really done that so far. Our lads are having difficulty in the final third, lacking creativity and movement at crucial moments. With a bit more bravery we could get a result here.
We signed a centre back on loan from Arsenal. I know he’s cup tied for today but hasn’t even made the squad for any of the league games. I always thought that the purpose of loan signings was to improve the 1st team not just bolster the number of squad players. In addition, if he continues not to play, how many clubs in the future would be willing to loan us their young players just to have them not play
That's right loans are a two way thing, usually a player from a higher league comes to improve his game at a lower level and at the same time improve the team he's loaned to, but if he doesn't play then everyone's wasting their time.
Oof, that was embarrassing........for Gillingham. If I was a Gills fan I'd be pretty annoyed that my team drove all that way for a leisurely stroll around the Portman Road pitch. They really offered nothing and missed a chance to put a young Town team under pressure. For us though, a great 2-0 win. We had a lot of possession in the first half, although mainly on our side of the centre line, it helped the team grow in confidence. Gillingham were happy to fall back into shape and wait for us, it was almost like we bored them into submission. Second half was more of the same from Gillingham, no pressure exerted at all. We continued to retain the ball well but started to move it quicker and the overall movement was much improved. Dobra's goal was a beauty and he made a lot of mazy runs with the ball that was fun to watch. Gibbs didn't give up on a pass down the channel and came away with the ball when you wouldn't expect it. He then played a great pass across the six yard line so that Folami, who had slowed his run and then arrived at the right time, could slide in for an easy second goal. No handshake at full time, Lambert walking straight towards the tunnel as Evans took to the pitch instead. Cornell - comfortable with the ball at his feet, not so good at long passes. Rushed out at the wrong time a couple of times but got away with it. Great save from a curling shot in the first half. Ndaba - good game at LB. Possibly did enough to start a league game ahead of Kenlock. I felt like it was an audition for Corrie. Baggott - had a fabulous debut. Obviously trusted with the ball he played a big part in the game. Also communicated well with Ndaba, pointing and directing him at times like a seasoned pro. Woolfenden - solid performance from Luke. Donacien - did well enough. I can see why Chambers is playing in the league games ahead of him though. Gibbs - quiet at times but also instrumental in the second goal. He'll be happy enough with that. McGavin - always available to take a pass from Baggott, Brett played well in the middle. Linked defence with attack all match. Folami - not too involved out wide left in the first period. He popped up centrally a few more times in the second and had more of an impact. Great timing for the goal. Lankester - a bit timid in the first 45, playing many back passes. Grew in confidence and contributed more in the second. Dobra - fun to watch and constantly involved he played a great game. Simpson - I thought his movement was poor until after the break when he made more intelligent runs. Although he didn't score he did his part up front, no complaints here. Great game to watch from our youngsters although it was easy against a Gills team who did little to intimidate or pressure our lads. I hope the first team players treat the boys to something nice, they deserve it!
Great summary SD. Clearly a good win, enterprising and some players showing real promise. Lets hope the seniors can show the same sense of purpose this Saturday!
Tbph, from what I understand, we only had two players in, from the side that played in the league on Saturday. Basically we weren't interested. We've had to bring loans in and we have already lost our main two midfield players due to serious injury....hence more players brought in. It's just not worth the risk, I would have been well hacked off if we lost anyone in last nights tinpot game, hence the title of this thread.
Hey brb, how are you doing mate? Figured you'd respond to my summary, you normally come and say hello when we play your lot. You're right, you did have only two players start that played in your last league game. You had a decent bench though, with many of your first team on it. I can totally understand your concern on injuries, we really shouldn't be playing this cup this season anyway. Having said that, those that were on the field didn't take their chance to impress your manager. You can see we weren't interested in the game either. We will gladly accept a 5000 pound fine if we're deemed to have fielded a weak side were the reports today because Lambert doesn't want to play a strong side in this trophy. We had our academy boys fill the majority of the squad except for our RB, RCB and goalie and they were out to play well and have good individual performances. It was certainly an opportunity for Akinde to bully our 17 year old debutant CB but to be honest, your team just didn't turn up last night and that's what I'd be annoyed about. I'm proud of our boys for at least giving it a go and wanting to show what they can do when given a chance, same can't be said for your second string side. Stay safe
