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Post by Andy K on Jul 28, 2013 22:23:53 GMT
Before we go too harsh on Nelson, just remember that last season our "first choice" right back was Boateng. Do I need to elaborate any more?
Last seasons there were very few daft mistakes at the back in the PSF's and yet our first half of the season was full of them. I think the PSF's are to get us in the best shape, in terms of fitness and tactics for the start of the season. Also we've got some new players, so it's also about them getting used to the way we play.
Yesterday we saw a starting XI which could well be the one we start at against Eastleigh. Yes a couple of mistakes were made, but it's a friendly. It doesn't matter. What matters is identifying these to iron them out. Like frakey said, it has very little bearing on how the season pans out, and there were certainly some positives to take out of our performance, including the best goal of the game.
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dave1
Youth Team Player
Posts: 223
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Post by dave1 on Jul 29, 2013 6:04:20 GMT
We did make some poor defensive mistakes in pre-season last season (Orient, Kingstonian, Metropolitan Police) -Paul Doswell commented at the time that he'd rather the mistakes were made pre-season than when points were up for grabs. Unfortunately, bad habits are sometimes difficult to break and they continued for some time into the start of the season (starting with two at Basingstoke in the first game of the league season).
My concerns are less about mistakes but more about 'vulnerabilities'. Lack of concentration by our (otherwise talented) full backs and lack of height and pace in the centre of defence (and general vulnerability on crosses). Moses looks to me like he should be in the starting XI.
As for the standard of opposition we are playing, Bromley have beaten a couple of Conference Premier sides in the last couple of weeks and Boreham Wood beat a young Arsenal XI 3-0.
While I agree that pre-season form isn't necessarily an indicator of what is to come when games start to matter, I must admit to feeling somewhat less optimistic than I was a month ago. Still plenty of time to sort things out though.
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Post by silverf0x on Jul 29, 2013 9:16:09 GMT
Are we going to get any post match managerial comments?
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Post by sallycat on Jul 29, 2013 13:00:44 GMT
That's what friendlies are for, delboy. I would be very surprised if that sort of thing got past Dos! I always say I prefer to lose PSFs than win them (or at least make our mistakes then), because that gives an opportunity to see what went wrong and plan tactically to stop those mistakes happening again. Winning them all faultlessly may instil confidence, but doesn't really help in terms of learning for the Real Thing. Friendlies are for fitness, getting the side settled and playing well, and maybe looking at a few new players along the way. With the added bonus of boosting the coffers this season. Granted you can learn in defeat but you also can in victory. In no way is it ever better IMO to lose rather than win. Confidence is a big thing at any level but particularly once you get to lower levels. See us last season if you need any more proof. That said so far we wouldn't have been expecting many results so confidence shouldn't have been dealt any sort of blow. I would prefer one game against someone at a similar level or below that we can win by a couple so we have a bit more of an opportunity to play. That said we should feel that we can get a result against Aldershot. I'm not saying you're wrong, but then how do you work out where your vulnerabilities are, address them and assess the impact of them in terms of getting results, if your PSFs always go well and you win them all? You can get fitness, settle the side and get them playing well by having a good training programme with practice games. But with PSFs, you're more likely to spot the team's collective flaws that don't come up in training because different sides have different playing styles. |
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