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menzinho
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Everything posted by menzinho
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Let's hope we can extend the record come Saturday, I wonder how long we've managed to go unbeaten into a season before? In our NL promotion season we also went 8 games unbeaten before we lost to Dorking... That's still a league, albeit not in the Football League. Is 8 the best streak?
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Yeah I totally understood the thinking behind the starting 11, Bromley are a very physical and in past seasons we’ve struggled against them. I think Cundy is one of those who needs the run of games having missed a year of football through injury (he’ll do well to get it through cos Macari, Platt and Bedeau have been solid). From all accounts he was a tad slow to get started but got better as the half went on. There’s good character to this team and that’s probably what impressed me most because the first 10 minutes was pretty disastrous. Interesting to hear how adamant Andy Woodman was that it wasn’t a penalty, it’s hard to see from the highlights as the picture isn’t that close. I agree it looks a soft one but we had the misfortune of a lot of those type of fouls go against us in our own penalty box last season. The second half performance was very dominate though and again we fully deserved the victory. Our attacking threat is really good, so much so I’d back us to be able to score a minimum of 2 goals every game right now. We just look so capable and dangerous, long may it continue!
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We always had close games against Bromley in the NL, but we never won there. The artificial pitch has gone now so that slight advantage has been levelled and I think we're more adapt to playing against the physical sides with our new recruits. Bromley's style won't have changed and Stuart Maynard and co will have faced them in the NL numerous times too so they'll know what to expect. I'll happily take a game playing against them when Cheek doesn't score, cos that seemed to regularly happen!
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I think Accrington might be in for a long struggle of a season, the fact we beat them so easily with Crowley, Jodi and Jatta all missing is pretty telling. It was a very comfortable performance in the end, probably should’ve scored more and that’s really all I can complain about. We just seemed to cruise through that match and maybe better opposition would’ve given us more of a game but it felt like a bit of a training session at times only broken up by an Accrington player flying in late. I didn’t like the inverted wing-backs much to be honest, I thought both Austin and Tsaroulla were very ineffective, more so in the first half where we struggled at times to really move the ball down both flanks. Tsaroulla was more of a threat second half but I think Accrington had tired by then and the player marking him was on a yellow! McGoldrick was just in a class of his own in terms of ability again, I only wish we could’ve had him 6 seasons ago! And Hinchy and Abbott did very well too, we ask a lot of our centre mids in this system. We know how key and tricky it is there, but they dealt with the pressure from the Accrington press. All in all a very impressive start to the season.
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Are Carlisle sure about that? I know Shaun Derry gave him a lot of the credit for his success when he was here and that great escape season. But they weren’t able to build on it, the recruitment (and football) the season after was truly awful. Shaun and Greg were a lot more involved with that side than our head coaches are nowadays. I just looked it up, we signed 6 players aged 33 and over and players like Taylor McKenzie, Cieron Kean, Jordan Cranston and Elliott Whitehouse who had either zero or minimal experience of men’s football. To try and rectify the disastrous summer we then bought in 14 loan players that season after the summer window closed! It was a total mess. When Greg returned to be Neal Ardley's new assistant I was pretty shocked to be honest as I always felt his style of coaching was the complete opposite to the Bros vision, no surprises they didn't last the season... Anyway, seems his job at Carlisle is pretty safe!
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I’ve not watched Accrington this season but statistically I don’t think they’ve been quite as bad as their current league table position suggests. They’ve lost a few of their better players though and I don’t think they’re as good as they were last season. I’d expect them to come and play a bit like Fleetwood did, play two banks of four, probably be more like a bank of 4 and 5 with 1 upfront (chasing lost causes) as they’ve played 4-2-3-1 this season. So we need to be brave on the ball, make runs into spaces and actually pass into them too! Constantly passing it to feet all the time will make it easy for Accrington to defend. We’ve definitely got the quality, if we play right, to hurt them. McGoldrick or Jatta will be the potential dilemma for Stuart Maynard, do we stick with the induvial quality or return to a player who probably suits our style the better and gives us the ability to switch things up more? I think if the game pans out as expected it won’t be end to end and we will dominate the ball so McGoldrick who can provide a bit of magic in tight spaces could be more useful. But I get that Jatta will be more of a threat in the box. Tough decision!
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The 2nd McGoldrick goal was the first shot we had in that second half, we barely got out of our half by the sounds of it! But at least we defended well, clearly they deserve credit after being under the cosh for periods of that game. Bass sounded very commanding again, I think he’s made a massive difference. I’ll be interested to hear from those who went/watched it if we were as ropey as it sounded 2nd half in particular or were Swindon just not very good... We’re not going to win every game playing total football so it’s a great result, that's the kind of game we'd have lost last season.
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I was tracking a few of the games last night, when I checked the stats for the Millwall game after about 60 mins they hadn't even had a shot! By all accounts it was a really poor performance but if you don't provide your strikers with any chances what are they supposed to do. I really hope it works out for Macca, it's still very early days for him there but Neil Harris won't have exactly helped his confidence with comments like that.
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I really like him, considering he'd just moved to a new country he did incredibly well to come into the team immediately and have an impact. He should feel more settled now with a pre-season and with the summer signings he's no longer the new boy. There's just something about his presence which I think gets us crossing the ball in more often, last season at times I thought we didn't cross the ball when we had the chance because Macca was surrounded but with Jatta, he's got the ability to out jump and out muscle a centre-back. Mad to think we've lost a player as good as Macca, yet I'm not worried about this team not being able to score and right now Jatta is a big reason for that.
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Controversial stuff first, I think it was handball for Crowley's goal, but I agree it wasn’t a pen for them. I hate to see soft pens given and football is a contact sport Hinchy made minimal contact. Jatta’s was offside too, but it was so marginal and the linesmen is having to make a split-second decision. It's almost like the "old days" of giving the attackers the advantage that for me, Grimsby should've cleared it anyway. What's the alternative right now, VAR? Who really wants that... That all said and done I thought we were a level above Grimsby tonight, even if they had ruled the goals out I’d have backed us to have gone on still scored more than them. It was a very good performance and we fully deserved the 3 points. Our passing and movement was a joy to watch and we kind of eased up on them after the fourth went in. Noticeable performers for me; Hinchy did well coming on, screened the defence pretty well and moved the ball around a lot quicker. Tsaroulla looks so much more at ease and dangerous in the opposition’s half. Jatta looking like he’s capable of getting 20 goals. Edwards ran everywhere and was really good on the ball when he got it. Jones showing he can be just as much as a threat on the right as the left. Last but not least; Dan Crowley, he was just a technical footballing master out there. I’m not sure what Grimsby’s plan was, they nearly caught us out with a couple of quick counters when we flooded forward but we wised up to it pretty well after. They looked like a team playing lucky breaks of the ball and for set-pieces and corners. Only real shame for me is Robertson who looked sharp and on it in his short spell on the pitch. Was holding his ribs/abdomen so hopefully not a repeat strain leg injury.
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Yeah I can understand a packed a venue isn't for everyone, I don't always enjoy being in places where I feel I've got no space. Still, great to see it's so popular. And a pleasant surprise for the fans in there with the appearance of Alex and Chris, anyone go and get the chance to have a chat? They seem very approachable.
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Strange game, it was a bit reminiscent of last season’s troubles – but this time were able to fight back and deservedly got something from the game. I think first half we really struggled to get the ball into their third. Fleetwood set up well defensively and tracked a lot of our key attackers so I felt we needed to be bit quicker with our passing or somebody in the back line needed to try and carry the ball forward to try and draw the attention of a Fleetwood player to create a gap in their defensive set-up. Hinchy is still young and learning our game but he wasn’t really able get on the ball to bridge the gap between our defence and attacker. Crowley did play higher but we didn’t find him very often so he understandably dropped deep. And the left-hand side was like a dead-end road, Chicksen struggled to advance the ball and Scott was just ineffective. I think we’ll get better at dealing with teams that do just come and sit back and a slight personal change should help too. The team that finished the game looked very comfortable and dominate so hopefully we’ll be able to punish teams a bit earlier on in games that do just sit in a low block. We did look very good in the latter stages of the game, I get that by keeping the ball it does tire the opposition out as Fleetwood did struggle and got deeper and deeper. Tsaroulla was impressive in his short cameo, looks comfortable on the ball and I think he’ll be perfect as LWB for us. Was great to see Palmer get his first minutes of the season too, he will be like a new signing once he's back up to speed!
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I think the team will be very similar to the one that played at Tranmere, none of the injured players were on the bench for Shrewsbury but I'm hoping one or two might be fit for Sunday. I thought Didzy and Grant in an attacking sense were really good against Shrewsbury, so I wouldn't be surprised if both stayed in the team. Should be a good match and a great atmosphere, I think it'll be quite close but I'm hoping for a touch of over confidence from Fleetwood after beating West Brom in the League Cup. Maurice Ross is the assistant manager at Fleetwood now, he joined Cowdenbeath as their head coach after he left us and got them relegated into the Lowland Football League! I'm pretty sure he was winless at Meadow Lane during his short-spell with us, fingers crossed it continues when he visits again.
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We had so much control after a really good 1st half but we were just far too complacent in that 2nd half. Two of the goals were gifts, put them in the highlight (horror) reel with the others from the last game against Shrewsbury, but our performance was really lacklustre. I don’t know if the players were lured into a false sense of security by just how poor Shrewsbury were 1st half but you’ve got to come out after half-time like it’s 0-0. Had that been a league game at least we’d have drawn, but you’ve got to say when you’re 2-0 up to go 3-2 down is really poor. Can we not play Shrewsbury for a bit now ta.
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We’re a bit hampered by injuries at the moment so whilst I think Stuart Maynard would like to make some changes, he might be limited by who he can pick. Rod McDonald, Robertson, Gordon, Tsaroulla and even Palmer could be missing. I’m hoping this might be the first time we see Palmer though, I think a first round second level cup is a good time to get some game time. I’m sure we’ll see a few changes though, Slocombe in goal could be one, he’s not had the best pre-season but Stone has barely featured at all. I’d start Cundy so you can rest one of the three centre backs that started against Tranmere. And I'd start Edwards, Grant and Didzy too, that way a few are rested but the team is still pretty strong. I’m not particularly fussed by the Carabao Cup (is it still called that?) to be honest but I’d like to beat Shrewsbury because our last showing against them was comically bad defensively and I need that memory to be erased and replaced with a win!
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Cedwyn's throw was surprising, it was odd seeing it for the first time but I can understand why Luke Williams just ignored it! *Controversial opinion alert* I think the long-throw is the most overrated tactic in football. So many teams try it, I think they all think they've got the next Rory Delap but the reality is the ball just about reaches the box. Unless you've got a really useless defence it rarely results in a goal these days. Cedwyn's throw was decent but Tranmere weren't exactly in panic mode over it. I think teams would just be better playing a short throw where you knock it straight back to the thrower to just cross it in!
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I think the most encouraging thing is how well we defended our box – something we rarely said last season! Platt, Bedeau and Macari were really solid as was Cundy when he came on and we’ve got some real height at the back now. I know it was only the first game but Bass looks like he might just be the keeper we’ve been crying out for, didn’t panic when he came out to claim the crosses. Crowley was probably the best play on the pitch for me. Not having one of Robertson and Palmer fit (and Edwards being ill) I get especially with Henchy being so new why you’d drop him deeper, but we really missed him in an attacking sense. Austin and Scott struggled to bridge the gap between our midfield and Jatta and Jodi was doubled marked for a lot of the game too. I thought we improved when the subs came on, considering he’s never played with any of his team mates before Grant showed some nice touches and we could’ve won right at the end!
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I'd expect the team that started against Peterborough in that first game will make up the majority of the starting 11. I'm hoping that Robertson is fit enough to start and I'd be tempted to partner him with Edwards, otherwise I guess Hinchy will get his first start! Tough first game, like many have alluded to, I'd be happy with a draw.
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Notts have made no secret of their ambition to improve on last season’s mid-table finish and push for promotion this season. Finishing in the play-offs seems a very realistic target. However, it’s not going to be easy. Several clubs have similar aims and have recruited well in the hope of securing a place in League 1 come the end of the 2024/25 season. This isn’t a prediction as such but rather an analysis of the teams that have recruited well and will be hoping to push for promotion this coming season. (Yes, I’m too cautious to stick my neck out and predict who will get promoted!) MK Dons, having finished 4th last season, will be many fans’ favourites to win the league next season. There could be some concerns given their poor showing in the play-offs, but over the course of a long season, with the talent they have in their team, I’d expect MK to do well. They’ve strengthened their defence with the signings of centre-backs Sam Sherring and Luke Offord. Both are 24 years of age but have considerable league experience. Sam, formerly of Northampton, won promotion to League 1 and was a key player in their team, while Luke was captain at Crewe, racking up over 150 appearances. Just like Notts, they have also acquired two players from Crawley. Liam Kelly and Lawrence Maguire were mainstays in the team last season and both featured in the side that beat MK in the play-offs. They’ve added experience too, with Tom Carroll, who played in the Premier League with Tottenham and Swansea, and was playing for Exeter in League 1 last season. The central midfielder impressed their fans in his 42 appearances and turned down their contract offer. Losing young forward Max Dean to Gent isn’t ideal, but replacing him with Salford’s Supporters’ Player of the Season, Callum Hendry, will have softened the blow. On paper, MK have had an extremely impressive summer, adding a lot of quality to what was already a strong squad. A top-three finish should be their aim. It’s no secret Gillingham are financially well-backed and were one of the teams tipped for promotion last season, but they struggled for goals, scoring only 46 – the second-lowest in the division. So, this summer, it’s no surprise their recruitment has focused more on attacking players. Jack Nolan scored 17 goals for Accrington last season, and he’ll be hoping to continue that form for the Gills. Elliot Nevitt wasn’t far behind in the scoring charts, netting 16 times as he helped Crewe to a play-off final. Armani Little has joined from Wimbledon and should add some much-needed creative flair. Meanwhile, the direct and quick winger Arron Rowe has joined from Huddersfield after a solid season on loan at Crewe. Perhaps the most important new recruit, however, is head coach Mark Bonner. His last spell in League 2 was with Cambridge, and it ended in promotion to League 1, as well as finishing as the league’s top scorers. Given Gillingham had the 4th most touches in the opposition’s box last season, the addition of some proven goalscorers should result in more goals. They’ll be hoping the added firepower will get them closer to promotion this season. Doncaster had an incredible finish to last season, winning 10 in a row and only losing 1 in 18, so for many, they were the favourites going into the play-offs. However, a defeat to Crewe meant they missed out on Wembley and face another season in League 2. Billy Sharp is the headline signing, rejoining his old club, but at the age of 38, he’ll need to be managed effectively to get the best from him. Harry Clifton is a smart signing; the former Grimsby Player of the Season will improve their central midfield options, and Joe Sbarra will add creative flair. Winger Jordan Gibson was surprisingly released by Carlisle after making 40 appearances in League 1 and scoring 9 goals. Doncaster have kept most of their side together from last season and have signed some talented players. Manager Grant McCann will be counting on continuing their good form into the new season, and they’d have no excuses if they don’t finish inside the top 7 again. Swindon have high hopes for this campaign too. Their controversial owner, Clem Morfuni, has said, “The budget’s gone up. Our budget’s quite healthy this season, and you’ll see that reflected in the players we sign.” I’d agree – their summer recruitment has been encouraging. They’ve signed three centre-backs, with the headline signing being Grant Hall, who’s made over 150 appearances in the Championship, most notably for QPR. However, recent injuries have meant he’s struggled for game time, but if he can stay fit, he will be one of the best centre-backs in the league. Just as impressive is Will Wright, who was one of the stand-out centre-backs in League 2 last season. He’s equally adept on the ball as he is off it, so he will be a massive help in playing out from the back. Ryan Delaney, who turned down a contract offer from Newport, should provide good competition too. In Rosaire Longelo and Tunmise Sobowale, they’ve added two young wing-backs with experience of playing in League 1. In midfield, they’ve paid an undisclosed fee to sign Ollie Clarke, who was a key man in Mansfield’s promotion-winning side. And Harry Smith, the 6ft 5in striker who scored 11 times in a poor Sutton side, will provide a different and more direct attacking option. Swindon's fans have doubts over their owner, and ultimately what goes on behind the scenes seems to dictate a club’s fortunes. While those at the top might aim high, if the unsavoury relationship between fans and board continues, it will probably hinder the club’s progression. Darren Moore will be expected to get Port Vale back into League 1 at the first time of asking. At the end of the 2023 season, he had just led Sheffield Wednesday back into the Championship, yet now in 2024, he finds himself in League 2. George Byers is their stand-out signing; the central midfielder has played his entire career in the Championship and League 1, and at the age of 28, it’s surprising he’s now dropped into League 2. You have to assume playing under Moore at Sheffield Wednesday was a key factor in this move. His potential midfield partner, Ryan Croasdale, was a player many Notts fans would’ve been pleased to see at Meadow Lane after helping Stockport win the League 2 title a few months ago. Jayden Stockley is also dropping back down into League 2. His last time playing at this level was with Exeter between 2017 and 2019, where he scored 36 goals in 66 games. He’s since been less prolific but decent nonetheless as he’s spent his time in the Championship and League 1. If they were concerned Stockley may not hit the heights, they’ve backed him up with two young promising forwards: Lorent Tolaj, who scored 19 goals in the National League for Aldershot, and Ruari Paton, who scored 17 in the Scottish Championship. The main concern for Vale would be bringing their disastrous form into next season, having only won twice in 2024. It might also take the signings time to gel, but if they do click, they should be a really impressive team. Fleetwood has managed to recruit some good players, noticeably a trio of talented midfielders in Matty Virtue, Mark Helm, and Elliot Bonds. However, a number of good players have departed to stay in League 1. Clubs like Crewe and Wimbledon have found themselves in a similar situation, losing good players after a successful season and struggling to bring in quality replacements. Interestingly, Chesterfield are the current bookies’ favourites for the title, but I would be very surprised to see them top of the table come the end of the season. Their only strong additions have been Paddy Madden and centre-back Chey Dunkley, who featured regularly in League 1 for Shrewsbury. I think a play-off spot is a more realistic target. Some other notable transfers for teams hoping to improve on last season include the signing of Ben Woodburn by Salford. The former Liverpool player was described as one of the most gifted young players at the club and, at the age of 24, has even made 11 appearances for Wales. Bradford has added the talented attacking midfielder Antoni Sarcevic after his departure from Stockport, and Charlie Wyke could be a tip for top scorer. He’s been racking up goals for numerous League 1 clubs before re-signing for Carlisle, who will be hoping to bounce back after last season’s relegation. The season’s start is nearly upon us, but only at the end of the season will we be able to see if the recruitment has paid off. The promotion fight could be a lot closer with well-backed teams like Stockport, Wrexham, and Mansfield all gone. Let’s just hope Notts, after a decent summer of recruitment, find themselves in the thick of the battle to get to League 1 too! Click here to join in with the Pride of Nottingham's match discussion: Share your thoughts and opinions ahead of this weekend's opening League Two fixture against Tranmere Rovers. Join in the debate and add your thoughts on the new away and third kit: do you like them? Have your say on this matter within the Pride of Nottingham community forum.
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For those that are interested I've found the highlights from the Peterborough site, they are free to view! Highlights of the first match: https://www.theposh.com/video/player/0_qr5ds7cb?feed=572d5031-67d2-44eb-90e1-19cf03693c7d§ion=9029b27b-2dd9-4a50-8844-77c477038c99 Highlights of the second match: https://www.theposh.com/video/player/0_idoqe8ih?feed=572d5031-67d2-44eb-90e1-19cf03693c7d§ion=9029b27b-2dd9-4a50-8844-77c477038c99 Second match is, um, more entertaining... ???? ????
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That would be the dream @Robbie! And then he leaves Millwall at the end of the season by mutual consent and re-signs for us!
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I get the concerns about not having a starting 11 that would more resemble the starting 11 against Tranmere, I feel like this pre-season we’ve struggled more with injuries than is being revealed. It’s not helped all the games have been away games so fewer fans have seen the team, most fans are relying on the club to bridge the gap and our media coverage is usually top notch but it feels like we’ve been fed scraps this season. The updates on the games have been minimal and highlights non-existent. I’m having to watch other teams highlights and interviews to try and gauge how we got on! I’m still not overly concerned, yet… But I totally understand why fans would be concerned that we couldn’t score, but conceded against a team with 10 men. A post-match reaction from Boston would’ve gone some way to help calm and explain. I’ve heard we’ve been doing double sessions before games, so if that’s true it would explain why we seem to tail off as games wear on.
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Some highlights for those that are interested. Oh and the trialist midfielder was apparently Jake Taylor, he came through Forest's academy before playing for Port Vale and Morecambe.
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I’d say we are ticking over quite nicely, we’ve got the bodies in CM now and I’d want to see Robbo, Edwards and Palmer get a bit more game time this coming week as it should be 2 from the 3 starting come Tranmere. Scott perhaps understandably will take a bit of time to get back in the swing of things considering the amount of time he was out injured. The good news is Jatta is looking very sharp and if he carries on like he has when the real matches start I think the worries about Macca’s replacement will disappear. I’m not overly concerned with the result, it’s meaningless and all the players know it – they’ll just be wanting to build up their match sharpness and avoid a potential injury.
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I know it's only pre-season but a result like that is definitely encouraging. Assuming like us they put out a mix of pros and youngsters, the level of the Wycombe team will be a lot better than Alfreton. Love to know who the trialist was that scored, judging by the team-sheet I'd say it was the trialist midfielder (although given our gun-ho attack at times you can't 100% rule out that the trialist defender scored it!) Elliot Thorpe could be the guy given he played against Alfreton... There’s is a picture online that shows Haji Mnoga played in the game, first half as he's playing in defence behind Gordon. He's a player that you would say is in a similar situation to Alex Kirk, in that he needs to join a team and settle down to properly start his career. However, given they both play primarily in the RCB spot you’d think we’d only have a spot for one them... Hard to know who has the better potential. Kirk wouldn’t have stayed at Arsenal for as long as he had if they didn’t think he’d have a chance of making it. Whilst Mnoga is a year old he's played a lot more professional games and even featured internationally for Tanzania. I’m glad I don’t have to be the one who has to decide, if indeed we do eventually sign one of them!
