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 MuddyWaters |
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I'm still trying to work out this anti- Berrett thing. I didn't go today but talking to someone who did, they said that Berrett and Kamal looked pretty good against a Championship midfield. Surely that bodes well for League 2 doesn't it if Berrett is our 'third or fourth choice'?
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| TheRonRaffertyFanClub |
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Just watched the highlights and it looked a good show. Barnsley didn't play well but they were not allowed to.
One or two things occurred to me - one was that the side wasn't weakened by the subs which is the sign of a decent quality squad. The trialists seemed to fit in easily enough to show what they can do which is the sign of the plans being simple and no overcomplicated tactics.
Another thing - we seem to be getting out of that bad habit of chopping people down on the edge of the box. A few times Barnsley got to good positions but we closed them down without diving in. Hope that is a deliberate change and we can keep to it.
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― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty." |
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| headingly_mariner |
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I'm still trying to work out this anti- Berrett thing. I didn't go today but talking to someone who did, they said that Berrett and Kamal looked pretty good against a Championship midfield. Surely that bodes well for League 2 doesn't it if Berrett is our 'third or fourth choice'?
I'd agree with this, he's been involved as much as anyone in pre season and was involved under slade at the end of the season. It looks like he is going to be involved. |
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| Maringer |
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Not anti-Berret as such. I just don't think he's nearly good enough. He's got an OK touch but is lacking pace, weak in the challenge and he rarely offers anything in a game. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen him have better than a below average game.
I'd love to be proven wrong but, on last season's evidence, not going to happen.
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 The Yard Dog |
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[/b]If I was a Barnsley fan I'd be worried about the coming season based on that performance. On top but not wholly dominant against a central midfield of a triallist and Berrett, who is surely our third or fourth choice in that position? Can't bode well for them. Their forward line for the first hour was lacking in strength and the later players didn't add much to the team. [b]
As for the triallists/new signings, Dixon looked solid to me so it doesn't surprise me that we're interested. Not as good as Andrew, probably, but hopefully still up to the job.
KAEH looked OK to me but we do have so many central midfielders on the books that I can't see us signing him. He is a good bit taller than our other midfielders so that is one extra thing on his side. Incidentally, the rumour I heard was that Clements is on his way, possibly to Crewe, as Slade doesn't rate him. I think he's done quite well but then I'm not the manager.
Cardwell showed a few good touches in his short time on the pitch (excellent flick header which led to the goal) and is certainly worth another look. A much bigger unit than any of our other attackers which gives us another option.
Robinson got stuck in and looks strong considering he's far from the biggest. Won lots of free-kicks which indicates he was causing defenders some real problems. This, despite the fact that I always shudder when I hear a player can play either out wide or up front - too many memories of Junior Mendes!
Do we have the budget to sign both of these players or do we need them both? Not sure, I have to say.
Dembele looks good prospect so I hope he can deal with the physicality of a more intense, competitive game, given his slight physique. Good to see him so delighted to score, despite the fact that the game was only a friendly.
Clarke looked OK but for his misjudgement with their goal. Do wonder if we'll struggle to deal with big, physical strikers, however, as he's smaller than Collins who isn't the biggest himself. Hopefully their experience will mean we can deal with pacy players well enough.
All in all, a decent performance and good result in a relatively low-key game. My main concerns were that Kelly was rather anonymous and Jones put in a bit of a half-arsed performance, albeit against a higher-division team.
I was speaking with a Barnsley fan down the seafront this morning, he said that they have lost all their best players and this season, will have to start with the younger players. He said that he would not be surprised if they went down this season and that it was impossible to hold to their star player (forget who he said) has he wanted £27k a week. |
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| Hertsmariner |
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Quite enjoyed that-and I thought all the trialists did well.
Whilst Al-Haj's hairdo draws the eye anyway, I thought he protected the back four pretty well, and not least because of his good eye for the first time pass to relieve the pressure, plus that fantastic dinked pass to set up Jones for the one-on-one, which he duly fluffed! That was the pass of the match for me! Yes, he did get caught in possession once or twice in tight situations, even though not in dangerous areas. One or two fouls close to the 18 yard line would probably have picked up a booking in a league game but some of the Barnsley players were mighty quick to get away at times and needed to be stopped-one way or another!. (It's called 'taking one for the team' I suppose).
Thought Dixon also did well-another Mr Reliable-and generally blocked the supply line from the right. Also got down the line in overlap mode a few times. He can also enact a decent throw-in! Pleased to hear RS seems willing to offer him a contract.
Whilst both Robinson and Cardwell only made brief appearances, I thought both looked very useful. Cardwell had the edge over Vernon for me, posing more of a physical threat, though I suppose Vernon was more isolated in that first half. I also thought Robinson was tenacious, held his balance and possession well against some pretty determined challenges, and worked well alongside Yussuf.
But no review would be complete without a mention of 'Streaky' Dembele-what a talent he is! He seemed to be everywhere that mattered. There are no lost causes for him-a real joy to watch! I just hope he can survive the 'cloggers' he'll come up against in L2.
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| sam gy |
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I'm still trying to work out this anti- Berrett thing. I didn't go today but talking to someone who did, they said that Berrett and Kamal looked pretty good against a Championship midfield. Surely that bodes well for League 2 doesn't it if Berrett is our 'third or fourth choice'?
His name seemed to be getting mentioned more than anyone else's by the commentary in the first half. He could get 3 assists and a hattrick and people would still moan about him. But he was written off before he'd even kicked a ball for us, along with Summerfield. |
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| MuddyWaters |
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His name seemed to be getting mentioned more than anyone else's by the commentary in the first half. He could get 3 assists and a hattrick and people would still moan about him. But he was written off before he'd even kicked a ball for us, along with Summerfield.
I think he was in danger of becoming another central midfielder played wide, like Paddy Mclaughlin, who also clearly isn't a winger. |
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| Davec |
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I've seen people mention that we can't sign both Cardwell and Robinson and it can only be one or the other, why can't it be both? If Slade thinks it's worth offering them both deals then why can't he? Yes we'll have a few strikers but what's to say somebody like Yussuf won't depart? I know he looks a different player this pre season so maybe he's putting himself in the shop window.
Even if Yussuf doesn't depart and we sign Robinson and Cardwell, that would leave
Jones
Vernon
Asante
Yussuf
Cardwell
Robinson
Rose (possibly)
That is 6 or 7 strikers, remember Asante is unfortunately injury prone, Jones isn't even a striker and Robinson can play on the wing like he did in Holland and Yussuf could still depart, but even if he doesn't, we're going to get injuries and suspensions on top of Jones and Robinson possibly not playing up front and remember we can only sign players in January after the summer transfer window, unless we sign a free agent, so I think I would rather be safe than sorry as anything can happen.
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