Match Thread v York

Perhaps we should take a look at who played yesterday and who didn't.  As DA said in his interview post match, we played 4 youths and 3 trialists at some time during the match, also JDS and Thomson picked up injuries and had to be replaced and there are several other first team players out with niggling injuries too.  McJannet, who is left footed and normally plays on the left side of two or three CB's was played on the right side yesterday, probably to accommodate a CB trialist.   If we are going to slag the team off based on those facts, and also the fact that not all of them have played together in our previous pre season friendlies, then I think we are being unfair.

Some people are already talking about relegation, really!  I just can't get my head round people who think like that.  We have 3 more weeks of pre season for the team and for other incoming players to adapt to the way we will play, and learn to play together.

I am not worried at all, this season DA has probably got some of the players he wanted, but not all, as some of his targets may have been snapped up by other clubs for whatever reason, as opposed to joining GTFC.  I just hope that the players we end up with are suitable for the style of football DA and the owners want us to play and that come the end of the season we are somewhere in the top half of League Two.

I'm not stupid, I know that there can be many reasons why this might not happen, and I also realise that we have no divine right to stay in League Two for next season, as every other team in this League will trying as hard as us to be successful.

So at the end of the day, I have been supporting Town for longer than I care to remember and will never stop doing so, and I will back the management and Team to the hilt.  I think this season may be the beginning of a major improvement for our club, and I am looking forward to watching the Mariners make a concerted effort to finish in the top half of the League.  UTM!

Quoted from Ruuger

Perhaps we should take a look at who played yesterday and who didn't.  As DA said in his interview post match, we played 4 youths and 3 trialists at some time during the match, also JDS and Thomson picked up injuries and had to be replace and there are several other first team players out with niggling injuries too.  If we are going to slag the team off based on those facts, and also the fact that not all of them have played together in our previous pre season friendlies, then I think we are being unfair.

Some people are already talking about relegation, really!  I just can't get my head round people who think like that.  We have 3 more weeks of pre season for the team and for other incoming players to adapt to the way we will play, and learn to play together.

I am not worried at all, this season DA has probably got some of the players he wanted, but not all, as some of his targets may have been snapped up by other clubs for whatever reason, as opposed to joining GTFC.  I just hope that the players we end up with are suitable for the style of football DA and the owners want us to play and that come the end of the season we are somewhere in the top half of League Two.

I'm not stupid, I know that there can be many reasons why this might not happen, and I also realise that we have no divine right to stay in League Two for next season, as every other team in this League will trying as hard as us to be successful.

So at the end of the day, I have been supporting Town for longer than I care to remember and will never stop doing so, and I will back the management and Team to the hilt.  I think this season may be the beginning of a major improvement for our club, and I am looking forward to watching the Mariners make a concerted effort to finish in the top half of the League.  UTM!

I get where you're coming from but we released/lost 13 players and have signed 6 with 2 youths coming through. That leaves possibly 5 gaps? Add to that, we haven't seen Pyke, Rose or Tharme and we look threadbare with the season only three weeks away - with the start we've got, we could be at the wrong end of the table very early and our fans aren't blessed with a great deal of patience.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I get where you're coming from but we released/lost 13 players and have signed 6 with 2 youths coming through. That leaves possibly 5 gaps? Add to that, we haven't seen Pyke, Rose or Tharme and we look threadbare with the season only three weeks away - with the start we've got, we could be at the wrong end of the table very early and our fans aren't blessed with a great deal of patience.

That kind of backs up what I posted right.  You would expect two of those three, maybe all three to be in our first starting eleven of the season.  Three weeks is a long time, I'm sure we will have an up to strength squad by then.  Also, it's not where we are in the table at the start of the season, it's where we are at the end.  

Quoted from Ruuger

That kind of backs up what I posted right.  You would expect two of those three, maybe all three to be in our first starting eleven of the season.  Three weeks is a long time, I'm sure we will have an up to strength squad by then.  Also, it's not where we are in the table at the start of the season, it's where we are at the end.  

It's hard to tell from a friendly with most of the team missing. I'm sure it was terrible, but it's really difficult to judge half the team when the other half are youth/trialists that probably aren't good enough. A few good players in the team can transform the performances of everybody, so I don't think there's any reason to panic yet. But the squad is threadbare and 3 weeks is not a long time to sign players when we are light and seemingly have several that won't be ready for the start of the season. Sometimes you get away with players not playing together much, but not often.

I don't think that anybody expects Pyke to be in our first-choice starting line-up this coming season! Didn't get a start under Artell, did he, even when he was occasionally fit?

Quoted from mariner91

That sounds worrying. Is it a similar problem to last season which was a lack of central midfielders willing/able to come and get it? I still think we’re desperately short of real tried and tested quality in the midfield.

That’s how it seemed to me. First half 3 of Khouri, Green & McEachran with Khouri the deepest of them. York were pressing quickly and we just never seemed comfortable receiving it from the CBs or keeper, think we managed to work our way out that way probably twice in the first half. You could see the difference Thompson makes instantly - gets the ball and always moves it, never kills it and happy to turn either way (whilst being heavily right footed) looking for an option. Without him we tend to stop it dead, facing our own goal, and then have to either go straight back or turn into trouble.

The whole issue wasn’t helped by having McJannett playing on the wrong side, so when he was receiving the ball, it was he was generally going back to the left - Cass barely touched the ball all half. Meant that when there wasn’t a clear option, neither CB would bring it out to try find an option or change the angle - Mcjannet because he was on his weaker foot and the triallist just wasn’t much good. He was really winding me up towards the end of the match stood there with the ball at his feet, holding his hands out waiting for someone to collect it off him - just move a bit mate?

Don’t think Carson played as badly as people are making out, he was absolutely blowing at the end but that’s because EVERYTHING was down his side all day, he had a quick winger against him & their main tactic seemed to be pinging it behind him when he’d pushed on - don’t think he ever got fronted up & beaten one-on-one.

If there’s one thing that Wright (and Eastwood) will benefit from in the next 3 weeks, it’ll be practising clipping a pass to the full back over the attackers. Get that sorted and it’s a massive help.

Quoted from Ruuger

That kind of backs up what I posted right.  You would expect two of those three, maybe all three to be in our first starting eleven of the season.  Three weeks is a long time, I'm sure we will have an up to strength squad by then.  Also, it's not where we are in the table at the start of the season, it's where we are at the end.  

I totally accept that it's where we end up that counts - notwithstanding that, GTFC fans are not notoriously patient and an early poor start might not go down well with those who have, again, shelled out in their numbers for season tickets.

Quoted from pen penfras

The players know what he wants to do, they're just not good enough. Same as last season. You're not going to sign a bunch of players that can dominate a game playing possession football in L2 without a Wrexham sized budget. Only the best players at this level can do that, and we can't afford them.

The truth that many supporters find it hard to deal with. Despite the elevation of Stockport, Wrexham & Mansfield L2 is once again going to be really tough and a mid table finish will be a decent result I reckon.

Got the usual bet on with my mate here who is a Crewe fan.  Whoever finishes higher take the cash.  Sounds like I should cough up now.

Still, remember, England lost in their pre Euro friendly to Iceland and we got to the final!

The Crewe fan getting hefty value there!