Birmingham preview / line up / subs time!

...til Tuesday stallion, when Luton knock us out

 

Good game and we played well.......

 

Good to see that famous realistic Town fan outlook kicking in early in the season....

 

Downes looks a lot like Trevor Putney....

 

I'm very optimistic this season, I actually think we will make top six. I just think we'll lose in this cup as we are short on numbers and Luton will be up for it more than us

 

Definitely better,not brilliant, but an improvement on last Season,so far.Chambers far more comfortable in his natural position.Iorfa looks a good acquisition but Knudssen is still the weak link.
First half was pretty woeful from both sides and hope Dozzell's injury isn't too bad but Downes showed he can fill in well.
Garner looks ok but we really shouldn't be pumping the ball up to him and Sears as they're far from being the tallest pairing.

 

I thought Knudsen played well today and I also thought we tried playing the ball out of defence more than we have for years.

 

Oh and Joe Garner looks like Joe Swash......

 

TWTD is dead, oh silly me we WON A GAME! That will be why. Get in town well done. Will need to see the highlights.

Thought this was a great time to play Brum, the fixture calendar was kind to us however I couldn't care less.

Points for me =

* Amazed we went 3-5-2. Got the three so pleased.
* Gutted for Dozza. Hope the injury is nowhere near as bad as first feared.
* Did this with Webster / Celina / McGoldrick all bench. Huws / Adeyemi not even in the squad, same as Rowe which I'm very surprised about so shows we perhaps do have a bit more depth this season than last year.
* Very pleased for Downes making his debut, apparently a good performance.

Still think we're relying on players being fit for the season, hoping for a couple back for Barnsley.

 

Downes was very impressive...tried to play the ball all the time and got stuck in when needed.

Chambers still thinks he is hard as ****

 

Jesus this place is quiet after a win!

I was there today and overall it was a solid, but unspectacular game. I thought Birmingham edged it first half, but we were superior in the second. They clearly lack pace and a proper striker, whereas we created little in the way of clear-cut chances, but of the two we made, Garner put his away and Sears missed what was effectively a sitter from close range.

I was surprised we went 3-5-2, but in retrospect it was probably the best way to go about this match. We clearly played on our solidity and organisational strength. Dozzell, Skuse, and Ward offered a decent blend of player styles. Dozzell looked bright before injury removed him from the game, but Downes came on and my God that lad can play. Okay it was only an hour-ish of competitive football, but he went in for every challenge, won most of his aerial duels despite his short stature, and pretty much completed all his passes, bar one wayward pass forward towards the end.

A quick comment on the overall style of play. Yes, we played a lot of long balls from the back, but as the game progressed, we seemed to be more comfortable and in the second half we actually played some attractive football! A lot of ball on the ground, passes to the feet, and some good combinations. Defence was mostly solid, although I thought Knudsen and Smith looked a little rusty. Chambers played well and Iorfa looked very comfortable on the ball and bombarded forward. Skuse, a player I'm not particularly fond of (like many on this board), had an impressive second half where he looked mobile and actually played some dangerous passes forwards! Ward impressed and Garner played a Murphy-like role. I wasn't impressed with Sears, who, as mentioned before, missed a great chance to make it 2-0.

As people have mentioned, it was good to get the three points despite a host of midfielders missing and some players not match fit. I'd hope we would avoid 4-4-2 going forwards and play some variance of 4-2-3-1 with Iorfa, Chambers, Webster, Kenlock, Downes, Adeyemi, Celina, Huws, Ward, and Garner.

So, in conclusion, we can probably chalk the Charlton defeat up as a blip, but we shouldn't get too carried away. This was far from the hardest opposition we will face this season (Birmingham could well be in trouble this season if they fail to add attacking options), but it was a decent performance and a good victory. The next few fixtures looking more favourable now.

 

It's a lot quieter after a win than a loss Nuggets that's for sure.

I too was very surprised we went 3-5-2 however glad it apparently worked.

Anyone going to Barnsley!?

 

Too busy at work to contribute yesterday, nice win to kick off the season.

 

I was up at Old Trafford yesterday watching the Test Match. Jimmy Anderson ripping through the South African batting was a lovely sight! I hate Football in August!

Good result for us though!

 

Nuggets, were you watching Ipswich by any chance?! Am so pleased to read a positive, praiseworthy report after all the garbage we endured last season. Flowing...passes to feet...bombing (sp) forward...wished I had been there for a pint of Adnams beforehand, ooops, Warky still avoiding me! Ha!

All I had to follow was occasional BBC sport text report, but thats another battle that San Diego and I are fighting with idontFollow ex-Player service. Utter crap, we think.

Promising start, well done all the lads and Mick. Puts a smile on all our faces. And we seem to have engineered our pre-season training to arrive at the start with half our players unfit!

 

I am a traditionalist when it comes to my sport Gaffer. Nothing but Cricket from June to the end of August and then Football from September to May! I have been up to the Oval a few times this Summer watching Surrey play in the T20 Blast! Great atmosphere!

 

I must admit I was half cut writing that comment last night! We played well and yes, we really did keep the ball on the ground and made some promising moves in the second half. Still early days, but I'd like to see us keep that up.

 

We are going to Barnsley Westy and hopefully we will see an attacking display to really get after them after such a rocky start for them at Bristol.

 

Me too, Warky, and it was rare that I got to PR in the heat of August, but when I lived up there, it was a breeze!
I love the cricket, and the T20 blasts are proving popular. I used to bike ride 12 miles from school to watch the great Hants CC team made up half the Windies team! When the legendary Gordon Greenidge got in his stride, pure poetry!
More of a boat man in summer too, and enjoy exploring rivers, estuaries and lakes in a small dayboat, a Frenchie, rowing & sailing!
Helps me keep fit and healthy with all this crap cancer treatment too!

I do hope for all our sakes, that after a promising start, we bet to enjoy footie again.

 

Malcolm Marshall and Gordon Greenidge are both proper legends of the game. God they had an awesome bowling attack back in the day! Holding, Croft, Roberts, Marshall and Big Bird Joel Garner! No wonder Boycott retired!