Typical. Sat in kitchen in the dark listening to the Phil and Sam Show (reminds me of the advertising slogan - Philosan fortifies the over forties !). Completely forgot about beer and crisps after an over-substantial evening meal - Ginster’s Cornish Pasties plus mashed parsnips, spinach, peas and broad beans. Blackberry and apple plus vanilla ice cream and Greek style yogurt at half time so no room for beer and crisps. No wonder I’m on the last hole in my belt.
Good run out for many of the Development players. Unfortunately Dickinson has no presence or authority in his box. He is a long way short of League 1 standard. Hopefully he will develop. More concerning for Ainsworth was the poor defending from Obita and JJ for the last 2 goals. JJ has not started the season well.
Hopefully people will realise that yung players develop by playing games and therefore in time become less of a risk for that Ainsworth to utilise. You are not always going to find a dispirited ex Prem player willing to sit on a bench waiting his turn.
For some strange and inexplicable reason, I thought Bristol City were in League 1 and in seventh place. When @bluntphil referred several times to Championship players, I assumed that the likes of Naismith and Chris Martin had opted to switch from the Championship to a big, ambitious club in League 1. Very strange and all the more remarkable that Jasper Pattenden (for example), playing in non-league a few months ago, should have acquitted himself so well.
To be fair to Dickenson his confidence must be fairly low after his recent run of league games, the command of the box thing will come as he gains experience & confidence. I am sure LH has put an arm round his shoulder a few times over the last few weeks to help him stay focussed on the positives from his run in the first team.
Sam Vokes was very positive and upbeat about Al-Hamidi on the commentary last night, saying how impressed he is with him in training & how he constantly wants to learn & improve his game; so I suspect those negatives people have mentioned will be getting worked on sooner rather than later.
Really pleased that Jack Wakely came through the game unscathed and gave a decent account of himself, another lad praised by Big Sam on co-comms.
Overall I liked the way that Sam talked about the development team and how the senior pros help the younger squad members develop, says a lot for the coaching set up & mentality.
The thing that must be worrying GA & RD is the number of individual defensive errors being made by JJ & Obita (especially the former) it leaves us very weak wide on the left. Defensive matters have not been helped with Taff & McCarthy being out injured at the same time as Grimmer had a run of poor form.
I do wonder how Gaz will approach it after experiencing the Championship opening run - a lot of loyalty shown to players that proved to be not quite up to that level.
I do think there's a possibility of history repeating itself with how JJ and Grimmer have started this season. They've been outstanding servants, but their form is a big worry (if we are to push for playoff/auto as per the stated expectations).
I certainly don't go with the 'legs have gone' line of thinking for JJ. He was fantastic at the end of last season and will be just fine this season I'm sure. He did look out of sorts at times yesterday though. Also disappointing to see Obita come on and make such a big error. These things will be ironed out I'm sure as the defence becomes more settled, as we have seen a huge amount of changes thus far with all the injuries.
The development lads all showed promise. Went under the radar perhaps, but I thought Leathers had some really nice touches after coming on. I actually thought he'd been released, so was somewhat surprised to see him on the bench!
Like others I thought that was a good night for the development players.
Jasper has definitely got something about him and is certainly up for the fight of playing in professional football. Not quite sure what his best position is yet but there’s plenty of time for that…..and yes he is very reminiscent of a young Dannie Bulman.
Lots to like about Jack Wakely’s performance, defended well, was strong in the air and showed a bit of bottle. He’s young and sometimes a little ungainly (big centre halves often are) but he’s a big unit and can defend. I think it was him who didn’t shirk the confrontation when Chris Martin started trying to intimidate the young players in the first half at that corner. I like that. More to come from him I think.
AAH too. In the right place for the goal and generally showed he could lead the line. Needs to improve in the air and holding the ball up but it’s very early days and there’s lots to like. Once Vokes and Hanlan fit, a further spell in the National League wouldn’t hurt.
Liked what I saw of Adam Leathers. A big mobile no.8 midfielder. Something we don’t really have at the minute. The sort of player that Championship squads are full of. Could be an interesting one.
Overall I liked the way that Sam talked about the development team and how the senior pros help the younger squad members develop, says a lot for the coaching set up & mentality.
I loved listening to him talking about that. Was really interesting to get the perspective of someone who has been around a number of big clubs, especially the fact that he said he'd never been at a club where the development players are allowed anywhere near the first team players, let alone training, eating, socialising etc. together. He spoke very positively of it, suggesting it was benefiting both sides of the coin equally.
The development squad has been outstanding for us. You'd like to think Mehmeti is potentially worth £1m+. Forino is potentially £500k+. Both of which have contributed significantly to our first team in the last few years. Pattenden looks like another gem. Wakely was always spoken about very highly prior to his spell of injuries - if he stays fit maybe he's the next one to kick on. Al-Hamadi and Parsons are certainly National League quality already. Could both be solid League 2 standard players by next season. Then you've got 3-4 new development squad players that we've recently signed and not even seen yet. Superb.
You have to factor in that a lot of these development players have come straight from a 'life time' of U23 football. Therefore they have never played a competitive game in their lives. They are probably quite taken aback when someone like Martin starts doing the intimation thing. It is also not a surprise that Jasper is adapting quicker as he has been down and dirty with Worthing for a while and has experienced having to avoid players who have less ability than him and emphasise their physical side of the game. If AAH, Mellor, etc can learn off Sam Vokes they have a chance.
TBF to JJ - I think he was simply caught out by the intensity of the press. Very few (if any) lower league players would press in that position in the 93rd minute when 2-1 up.
It was an unusual position for him to receive the ball in. Normally he's in a half space on the left hand side. Not on the centre circle receiving it on his right foot. Tyla isn't blameless either. It was a strange decision to give it to JJ with the delay and soft weight of pass.
Surely, the development team (though not in any way a substitute) is a roundabout way of sort of having an Academy, the return if which was so championed by many ever since it was hooked? I would have thought signing young players with an eye to developing them for the first team, even if it does not come off, is a great thing for a club like us to be doing. Not sure it stops us from signing The Player.
A lot to be positive about last night. Pattenden is the stand out amongst the young starters. Wakely was pretty decent and Al-Hamadi was a bustling handful. Mehmeti is proven class now and I thought we really missed Chris Forino when he went off but I understand why.
The one outfield youngster who probably had an indifferent game was Young, he didn’t get into it last night but that is just one game and youngsters can be like that.
All in all the development squad is a massive success. 👍
Delighted to see such positivity in what was after all a defeat. Agree with the comments about how well the development squad players performed and big shout out to Sam Grace for the wonderful job he’s done in recruiting and coaching these young lads. I see nothing but positives in having the squad, if just one in ten becomes a first team regular it has been a success and with Mehmeti and Forino we are already ahead of schedule.
Comments
Words I thought I’d never utter. Thought Sam Vokes was superb tonight.
How were the crisps?
Typical. Sat in kitchen in the dark listening to the Phil and Sam Show (reminds me of the advertising slogan - Philosan fortifies the over forties !). Completely forgot about beer and crisps after an over-substantial evening meal - Ginster’s Cornish Pasties plus mashed parsnips, spinach, peas and broad beans. Blackberry and apple plus vanilla ice cream and Greek style yogurt at half time so no room for beer and crisps. No wonder I’m on the last hole in my belt.
Good run out for many of the Development players. Unfortunately Dickinson has no presence or authority in his box. He is a long way short of League 1 standard. Hopefully he will develop. More concerning for Ainsworth was the poor defending from Obita and JJ for the last 2 goals. JJ has not started the season well.
Hopefully people will realise that yung players develop by playing games and therefore in time become less of a risk for that Ainsworth to utilise. You are not always going to find a dispirited ex Prem player willing to sit on a bench waiting his turn.
I'm all for Gareth signing Chinese players. Yung seems to be an ideal target as his name means glory or honour!
That Ainsworth is relatively risk averse.
For some strange and inexplicable reason, I thought Bristol City were in League 1 and in seventh place. When @bluntphil referred several times to Championship players, I assumed that the likes of Naismith and Chris Martin had opted to switch from the Championship to a big, ambitious club in League 1. Very strange and all the more remarkable that Jasper Pattenden (for example), playing in non-league a few months ago, should have acquitted himself so well.
Difficult to be too critical of much changed teams chasing a game.
To be fair to Dickenson his confidence must be fairly low after his recent run of league games, the command of the box thing will come as he gains experience & confidence. I am sure LH has put an arm round his shoulder a few times over the last few weeks to help him stay focussed on the positives from his run in the first team.
Sam Vokes was very positive and upbeat about Al-Hamidi on the commentary last night, saying how impressed he is with him in training & how he constantly wants to learn & improve his game; so I suspect those negatives people have mentioned will be getting worked on sooner rather than later.
Really pleased that Jack Wakely came through the game unscathed and gave a decent account of himself, another lad praised by Big Sam on co-comms.
Overall I liked the way that Sam talked about the development team and how the senior pros help the younger squad members develop, says a lot for the coaching set up & mentality.
The thing that must be worrying GA & RD is the number of individual defensive errors being made by JJ & Obita (especially the former) it leaves us very weak wide on the left. Defensive matters have not been helped with Taff & McCarthy being out injured at the same time as Grimmer had a run of poor form.
I do wonder how Gaz will approach it after experiencing the Championship opening run - a lot of loyalty shown to players that proved to be not quite up to that level.
I do think there's a possibility of history repeating itself with how JJ and Grimmer have started this season. They've been outstanding servants, but their form is a big worry (if we are to push for playoff/auto as per the stated expectations).
I certainly don't go with the 'legs have gone' line of thinking for JJ. He was fantastic at the end of last season and will be just fine this season I'm sure. He did look out of sorts at times yesterday though. Also disappointing to see Obita come on and make such a big error. These things will be ironed out I'm sure as the defence becomes more settled, as we have seen a huge amount of changes thus far with all the injuries.
The development lads all showed promise. Went under the radar perhaps, but I thought Leathers had some really nice touches after coming on. I actually thought he'd been released, so was somewhat surprised to see him on the bench!
Like others I thought that was a good night for the development players.
Jasper has definitely got something about him and is certainly up for the fight of playing in professional football. Not quite sure what his best position is yet but there’s plenty of time for that…..and yes he is very reminiscent of a young Dannie Bulman.
Lots to like about Jack Wakely’s performance, defended well, was strong in the air and showed a bit of bottle. He’s young and sometimes a little ungainly (big centre halves often are) but he’s a big unit and can defend. I think it was him who didn’t shirk the confrontation when Chris Martin started trying to intimidate the young players in the first half at that corner. I like that. More to come from him I think.
AAH too. In the right place for the goal and generally showed he could lead the line. Needs to improve in the air and holding the ball up but it’s very early days and there’s lots to like. Once Vokes and Hanlan fit, a further spell in the National League wouldn’t hurt.
Liked what I saw of Adam Leathers. A big mobile no.8 midfielder. Something we don’t really have at the minute. The sort of player that Championship squads are full of. Could be an interesting one.
Superb action picture of our goal. Love the expression on the defenders faces. https://www.wwfc.com/news/2022/august/24/report-wycombe-bristol-city/
Out of interest, Does anyone know how many of the 3.5k attendance were from Bristol. Bigger crowd than I expected.
@Erroll_Sims said:
Overall I liked the way that Sam talked about the development team and how the senior pros help the younger squad members develop, says a lot for the coaching set up & mentality.
I loved listening to him talking about that. Was really interesting to get the perspective of someone who has been around a number of big clubs, especially the fact that he said he'd never been at a club where the development players are allowed anywhere near the first team players, let alone training, eating, socialising etc. together. He spoke very positively of it, suggesting it was benefiting both sides of the coin equally.
And people say it's a waste of money/time... It's one of the best things that's ever happened to the club.
The development squad has been outstanding for us. You'd like to think Mehmeti is potentially worth £1m+. Forino is potentially £500k+. Both of which have contributed significantly to our first team in the last few years. Pattenden looks like another gem. Wakely was always spoken about very highly prior to his spell of injuries - if he stays fit maybe he's the next one to kick on. Al-Hamadi and Parsons are certainly National League quality already. Could both be solid League 2 standard players by next season. Then you've got 3-4 new development squad players that we've recently signed and not even seen yet. Superb.
You have to factor in that a lot of these development players have come straight from a 'life time' of U23 football. Therefore they have never played a competitive game in their lives. They are probably quite taken aback when someone like Martin starts doing the intimation thing. It is also not a surprise that Jasper is adapting quicker as he has been down and dirty with Worthing for a while and has experienced having to avoid players who have less ability than him and emphasise their physical side of the game. If AAH, Mellor, etc can learn off Sam Vokes they have a chance.
TBF to JJ - I think he was simply caught out by the intensity of the press. Very few (if any) lower league players would press in that position in the 93rd minute when 2-1 up.
It was an unusual position for him to receive the ball in. Normally he's in a half space on the left hand side. Not on the centre circle receiving it on his right foot. Tyla isn't blameless either. It was a strange decision to give it to JJ with the delay and soft weight of pass.
What were the 'JJ's leg have gone' people doing for 90mins last night when he was having a decent game against tricky opposition.
Waiting to launch in to minute 93 with improportionate force by the sounds.
They are probably quite taken aback when someone like Martin starts doing the intimation thing.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub I can't work out who Martin is or what the "intimation thing" is.
Surely, the development team (though not in any way a substitute) is a roundabout way of sort of having an Academy, the return if which was so championed by many ever since it was hooked? I would have thought signing young players with an eye to developing them for the first team, even if it does not come off, is a great thing for a club like us to be doing. Not sure it stops us from signing The Player.
It's when the frontman from Coldplay starts winking at you
Totally agree.
A lot to be positive about last night. Pattenden is the stand out amongst the young starters. Wakely was pretty decent and Al-Hamadi was a bustling handful. Mehmeti is proven class now and I thought we really missed Chris Forino when he went off but I understand why.
The one outfield youngster who probably had an indifferent game was Young, he didn’t get into it last night but that is just one game and youngsters can be like that.
All in all the development squad is a massive success. 👍
I thought Leathers was the standout performer of the "unknowns" last night. Looking forward to seeing him again
@DevC 1040 in the away end.
Delighted to see such positivity in what was after all a defeat. Agree with the comments about how well the development squad players performed and big shout out to Sam Grace for the wonderful job he’s done in recruiting and coaching these young lads. I see nothing but positives in having the squad, if just one in ten becomes a first team regular it has been a success and with Mehmeti and Forino we are already ahead of schedule.
What was going on with all those Bristol City head injuries last night? Surely a deliberate tactic.