Are we expecting to see what GA feels is his strongest team in the last friendly or are we expecting lots of chopping and changing to give everyone minutes?
Very strange line up. 3 at the back with only 1 notable CB.
Williams is definitely not a LB that can play CB so I'd expect him to be LWB which leaves JJ as one of the CBs?
That would make more sense - but twitter saying lining up 3-5-2; which seems even stranger to mess with the formation with 1 week to go and also ship a CB out on loan this week, only to say they are playing 3 at the back tonight.
If defensive regard action is needed full back drop back to help defence, mid field form a flat 3.
If we're on top, full backs push up to mid field and one of Saunders gape or Bloomfield top a triangle in the mid of the park and link play with the front 2.
I'm I the only one that seems that football in the last 5 years has grown beyond rigid formations and banks of 4-4-2 etc?
won't score many goals ................ we won't either if Bayo doesn't do what he did last year we will struggle ....... all this crap about how we smashed Wimbledon off the park coming home to roost now we can't currently with 10 to go beat Maidenhead.
we won't score enough goals to be anywhere near the Top 7, woeful finishing this evening and some good goalkeeping but we should be beating these teams friendly or not.
It doesn't look good or bad does it @trevor? It looks totally irrelevant. Tonight's game especially featured a new system, several players missing and some in unusual positions.
Not a sparkling end to pre-season. Following a non-event of a first half the second half was a bit of an improvement but wet conditions on an overly grassy, sloping pitch meant it wasn't one for the connoisseur.
What did we learn tonight?
Not too much really.
I think the team the began the second half in the familiar 4-3-3 formation will most likely start next Saturday.
Sido and El-Abd were given plenty of on pitch time tonight and should form the CB pairing. Though Max Muller again looked the part for the short time he was on.
A midfield of Bloomfield, Saunders and Gape, although Luke may edge Blooms out which I think would be the right call.
And then a front line of Bayo, Southwell and Tyson. Although none of them had a particularly great night tonight. Nathan missed an open goal, Bayo scored an OG (unless my eyes deceived me) and Southwell was anonymous.
Lots of chances tonight from both sides, the majority in the second half. Not too much happened before the break, Tyson had an attempt which went wide, Sido had an effort from close range. We played some decent stuff at times. Second half was more end to end. Maidenhead could have taken the lead when they shot wide after being denied by Scott Brown, who had a good game. We had attempts from Bloomfield, Bayo, and a glorious chance from Tyson who shot over from a couple of yards. Maidenhead always looked like they could score, and they finally did, when the ball was turned goalwards through a crowded box from a corner. As mentioned above, looked like an OG from Bayo.
I'd say that the main problem tonight was that we couldn't convert our chances, although Maidenhead seemed to be in the same boat.
Not a bad crowd for a wet night, probably about 800.
Plenty of positives for us, I'd say. El-Abd looks solid, Müller looked good when he came on. Brown did well in goal. Bayo did his usual thing when he came on after the break, wasn't really his night though, in more ways than one. Still, roll on Lincoln.
Saw my first friendly of the season tonight and have to say it rather dampened my hopes for the season.
Positive:
Jombati was great at CB again.
Muller really is good on the ball.
Gape buzzed effectively in front of the defence.
O'Nien added a lot of energy in the second half - I really like his spirit, but he can play, too.
Brown showed himself to be a very solid 'keeper. Seems he won't let us down this season.
Neutral:
Williams, the left-sided trialist, has some life. Not fully in tune with those around him and lost the ball a couple of times. Not one to get us up but not a waste of space.
Harriman put in some good balls when he got forward in the second half.
Freeman showed his usual sound touch but doesn't seem sure what to do in the final third
Our playing style - there was a good amount of one and two touch play in the middle of the park and out from the back. But it tended not to go anywhere and little real threat was created until Bayo came on (and, I would venture, none at all in the first half). Players like Muller, Saunders, Freeman, El Abd and O'Nien have attractive footballing instincts but it is not clear that the team knew what they were trying to achieve by their play tonight. More than ever, tonight I understood the distinction between "attractive" football and football that gets you promotion.
Negative:
Saunders, Tyson, Bayo and (especially) Hayes were off the pace, to a considerable degree at times in a couple of cases
Pierre - my goodness we're going to miss him. El Abd talks a lot and can clearly play, but he's only about 4'10" tall. We are going to be having to deal with a lot more balls being headed on into danger areas if he plays regularly.
Southwell - I felt he did not get a proper chance last season, generally being asked to play out wide with Bayo in the middle. In the first half tonight, he had the run of the park and offered very little. I'm not sure what he's bringing to the party at the moment. Not notably strong, quick or skilful, he butchered a couple of decent chances in the second half, of the sort that Clive Allen wouldn't have thought twice about in his heyday (to help those not present imagine them rather than to complain that Southwell is not as good as the First Division's premier goal scorer at his peak).
The defence, collectively - there were some exceptional moments individually with a couple of remarkable blocks in the area and some skilful defending. But there needed to be! Hopefully, greater cohesion will come as the season progresses and combinations gel.
Rowe - was a clear downgrade on Gape when they traded places.
I've been feeling very positive about the season. Tonight was a reality check for me. Notwithstanding the comments of some others, I did not perceive any of the players to be going easy tonight. Maidenhead were good value for their win. We had good chances in the second half, but the balance of play was very much the home team's. I like many of our players very much. I am not sure I see us as likely promotion candidates right now.
Comments
Are we expecting to see what GA feels is his strongest team in the last friendly or are we expecting lots of chopping and changing to give everyone minutes?
nothing like the strongest side I suspect.
Bean, PCH, Kashket, and Stewart not involved.
Harriman on the right, Williams on the left with Jombati, El-Abd and Jacobson as the back three?
Very strange line up. 3 at the back with only 1 notable CB.
Williams is definitely not a LB that can play CB so I'd expect him to be LWB which leaves JJ as one of the CBs?
Maybe it's a 4-4-2?
STs - Southwell, Tyson
LW - Williams, CMs - Gape, Bloomfield, RW - Saunders
LB - Jacobson, CB - El-Abd, CB - Jombati, RB - Jombati
That would make more sense - but twitter saying lining up 3-5-2; which seems even stranger to mess with the formation with 1 week to go and also ship a CB out on loan this week, only to say they are playing 3 at the back tonight.
Maybe it's all a devious ruse by the social media intern to throw off Maidenhead's management team!
Could be both 3-5-2 and 5-3-2
If defensive regard action is needed full back drop back to help defence, mid field form a flat 3.
If we're on top, full backs push up to mid field and one of Saunders gape or Bloomfield top a triangle in the mid of the park and link play with the front 2.
I'm I the only one that seems that football in the last 5 years has grown beyond rigid formations and banks of 4-4-2 etc?
Is Cowan-Hall injured?
Pro tip - that "defensive" 4-5-1 formation can suddenly switch to an attacking 4-3-3. Who knew?
I get the use of the formation but just questioning why you'd play it with 4 full backs in the team and just 1 centre back.
probably better to test who out of our full backs have ability to play CB now, rather than mid October in the middle of an injury crisis?
Sounds like a crap game.
Nathan misses an absolute sitter from 2 yards - subbed straight after.
Nathan misses an absolute sitter from 2 yards - subbed straight after.
really
won't score many goals ................ we won't either if Bayo doesn't do what he did last year we will struggle ....... all this crap about how we smashed Wimbledon off the park coming home to roost now we can't currently with 10 to go beat Maidenhead.
Maidenhead score. Cancel the season eh?
Maidenhead score. Cancel the season eh?
hardly looking good is it draw to slough and losing to maidnehead we should be beating these teams .
we won't score enough goals to be anywhere near the Top 7, woeful finishing this evening and some good goalkeeping but we should be beating these teams friendly or not.
It doesn't look good or bad does it @trevor? It looks totally irrelevant. Tonight's game especially featured a new system, several players missing and some in unusual positions.
Ffs a shit friendly get a Life. It means nothing.
Friday night and you're on a forum whinging about how a crap glorified pre season training session is some sort of doomsday scenario.
Awful scenes.
You two are the sort of chaps who if we won at Wembley would be moaning about how it was a bottle job we didn't go up automatically.
At this point i'm sure that @trevor is a spoof, the profile picture finally convinced me.
Sadly @rmjlondon is exactly the sort of bitter, negative fan that you hope your season ticket doesn't land you next to/
Not a sparkling end to pre-season. Following a non-event of a first half the second half was a bit of an improvement but wet conditions on an overly grassy, sloping pitch meant it wasn't one for the connoisseur.
What did we learn tonight?
Not too much really.
I think the team the began the second half in the familiar 4-3-3 formation will most likely start next Saturday.
Sido and El-Abd were given plenty of on pitch time tonight and should form the CB pairing. Though Max Muller again looked the part for the short time he was on.
A midfield of Bloomfield, Saunders and Gape, although Luke may edge Blooms out which I think would be the right call.
And then a front line of Bayo, Southwell and Tyson. Although none of them had a particularly great night tonight. Nathan missed an open goal, Bayo scored an OG (unless my eyes deceived me) and Southwell was anonymous.
Friday night and you're on a forum whinging about how a crap glorified pre season training session is some sort of doomsday scenario.
Awful scenes.
You two are the sort of chaps who if we won at Wembley would be moaning about how it was a bottle job we didn't go up automatically.
no i would not don't talk wet .
Lots of chances tonight from both sides, the majority in the second half. Not too much happened before the break, Tyson had an attempt which went wide, Sido had an effort from close range. We played some decent stuff at times. Second half was more end to end. Maidenhead could have taken the lead when they shot wide after being denied by Scott Brown, who had a good game. We had attempts from Bloomfield, Bayo, and a glorious chance from Tyson who shot over from a couple of yards. Maidenhead always looked like they could score, and they finally did, when the ball was turned goalwards through a crowded box from a corner. As mentioned above, looked like an OG from Bayo.
I'd say that the main problem tonight was that we couldn't convert our chances, although Maidenhead seemed to be in the same boat.
Not a bad crowd for a wet night, probably about 800.
Plenty of positives for us, I'd say. El-Abd looks solid, Müller looked good when he came on. Brown did well in goal. Bayo did his usual thing when he came on after the break, wasn't really his night though, in more ways than one. Still, roll on Lincoln.
Saw my first friendly of the season tonight and have to say it rather dampened my hopes for the season.
Positive:
Jombati was great at CB again.
Muller really is good on the ball.
Gape buzzed effectively in front of the defence.
O'Nien added a lot of energy in the second half - I really like his spirit, but he can play, too.
Brown showed himself to be a very solid 'keeper. Seems he won't let us down this season.
Neutral:
Williams, the left-sided trialist, has some life. Not fully in tune with those around him and lost the ball a couple of times. Not one to get us up but not a waste of space.
Harriman put in some good balls when he got forward in the second half.
Freeman showed his usual sound touch but doesn't seem sure what to do in the final third
Our playing style - there was a good amount of one and two touch play in the middle of the park and out from the back. But it tended not to go anywhere and little real threat was created until Bayo came on (and, I would venture, none at all in the first half). Players like Muller, Saunders, Freeman, El Abd and O'Nien have attractive footballing instincts but it is not clear that the team knew what they were trying to achieve by their play tonight. More than ever, tonight I understood the distinction between "attractive" football and football that gets you promotion.
Negative:
Saunders, Tyson, Bayo and (especially) Hayes were off the pace, to a considerable degree at times in a couple of cases
Pierre - my goodness we're going to miss him. El Abd talks a lot and can clearly play, but he's only about 4'10" tall. We are going to be having to deal with a lot more balls being headed on into danger areas if he plays regularly.
Southwell - I felt he did not get a proper chance last season, generally being asked to play out wide with Bayo in the middle. In the first half tonight, he had the run of the park and offered very little. I'm not sure what he's bringing to the party at the moment. Not notably strong, quick or skilful, he butchered a couple of decent chances in the second half, of the sort that Clive Allen wouldn't have thought twice about in his heyday (to help those not present imagine them rather than to complain that Southwell is not as good as the First Division's premier goal scorer at his peak).
The defence, collectively - there were some exceptional moments individually with a couple of remarkable blocks in the area and some skilful defending. But there needed to be! Hopefully, greater cohesion will come as the season progresses and combinations gel.
Rowe - was a clear downgrade on Gape when they traded places.
I've been feeling very positive about the season. Tonight was a reality check for me. Notwithstanding the comments of some others, I did not perceive any of the players to be going easy tonight. Maidenhead were good value for their win. We had good chances in the second half, but the balance of play was very much the home team's. I like many of our players very much. I am not sure I see us as likely promotion candidates right now.
Appreciate some lengthy, balanced insight @HCblue, thank you.