Thoughts v Neal Ardley

[Super_Danny_Allsopp]

Positives:

- Palmer again played well. Tidy throughout, never looks in danger.
- No injuries.
- Rodrigues a little rusty but 'full of it'. 
- Cal survived a fair few challenges and got his goal after a bit of a frustrating afternoon.
- Taylor looked fairly solid down the left.
- JOB changed the game when he came on. Injected pace and running.
- Continue to play despite the ref. It wasn't just the red card, but everything.... I hope he doesn't ref us in the actual league... mickey mouse ref. 
- Sam was impressive when he came on. He'll need to be, if the competition is anything to go by.


Negatives:

- Conceded on the counter, again.
- Conceded from a set piece, again.
- Rawlinson doing his best Ben Turner impression.
- Whoever told Slocombe he's Neuer needs to have a word because he actually believes it. Does stupid **** and makes dumb decisions. There's taking risks and there's being stupid.... at the moment I fear we're on the verge of stupidity.
- Cameron does stupid ****. Back-heeling and losing the ball. Not there. Not there.
- Francis. Not exactly sure what he does. Not aggressive enough defensively to be that passive. 
- Mitchell. Oh dear. Fear we've been sold a dud here. Raw - to say the least.
- Wootton didn't impress.
- 2 up front, if that's our backup formation - won't work with Wootton and Mitchell. Think again. 

 

 

Think we need a striker and a CB, if truth be told. Rawlinson needs competition beyond Lacey and we still don't have backup/alternative to Wootton. 

[DangerousSausage]

Our best phase coincided with me leaving the room (which happens a lot when I watch us on TV), but that had me worried. We looked chaotic at the back and had great difficulty getting the ball out of our own half at times. There was a phase in the first half when Solihull looked like scoring every time we lost the ball, which was often. At times we looked casual and sloppy all over the pitch. 

The sending off was petty. It did look like a red to me - Rawlinson's challenge was clumsy and he was the last man. But all the same, it wasn't a dangerous challenge and this was a friendly in which both teams would have been better served if it had remained 11 against 11.

Roberts is wasted in CM, it isn't his position at all. Him and Francis in a midfield three is too lightweight, as we saw in the first half. I think we're best served with him or Ruben just behind Wootton, and that's what I'm expecting to see next weekend. It was important to give Mitchell some match practice today, but I think he'll be on the bench at best. 

[ARLukomski]

Burchnall said in the week, they had been working on defensive situations which is good to hear. Just need to apply it when it matters. E.g. the willingness and determination to get to the ball first from a cross or a set piece and clear it. At least they are seeing the areas of weakness and are working to try and fix them issues. When the set piece coach is appointed, I'm sure that will help.

Still think we need a centre-back with pace as we can be suspect to a ball over the top. The injury to Lewis Knight has also left us with a gaping hole up front, in terms of the absence of a pressing, pacey striker. 

Palmer's decision making with the ball is something I'm very pleased about. He says a forward pass quickly and that gives him the chance to link the play with either, his fellow centre mid or a player further forward, to get us on front foot. O'Brien's 3rd man runs, forward running and energy helped us get back into it. Rodrigues making space for the other forward players and his ball carrying is was massively key too. 

Decision making needs to improve at the back. There's a time to control the game with possession and slow it down and a time where you need to up the intensity and get it to the wings or through the centre of midfield and get on the front foot. There's having possession, but you have to use it with purpose and you must play through the thirds quickly, with slick passing and pressing forward with the ball. There are times we have played ourselves out of a sticky situation at the back (e.g. Derby) but when the time comes to get rid, get rid of it.

[Chris]

I have read thoughts from other fans, and it's mostly what has already been said, I don't think we treat friendlies as a means to get settled for the season, but that doesn't take anything anyway from the basic errors we keep seeing.

I'm not overly worried, as I think with time and hard work things will improve.

I would feel a lot more comfortable if we had signed another solid CB, and a striker that could properly assist Wootton. I wished we could get Thomas back, though it looks like he's retired (unless he's signed for someone unknowingly to me).