Interesting Points

[ernie06]

Taken off the OMB it looks like our defence was "Surprised by PACE"

Luke O was left in GG's wake!!!!

Weathers and Bower both caught out - how long will it take for club scouts to spot our instant weakness.......

unless we play " we score more goals than you" football et al Kevin Keegan' Newcastle united then we may ship goals.

Especially as everyone seems to rate our big Jamacian friend in the nets.....bring back Zabica ...he has to be our worst keeper since Prudoe

[Jantje]

The thing with Ricketts is yes he seems to lose concentration at times and make a simple mistake but then, in the second half he pulled off a blinding save that he possibly had no right to get to. He's definitely an enigma who people either like or dislike with equal amounts

[Northern]

Spot on JS, Ricketts is great at making spectacular saves that you only see Premiership 'keepers make. Ricketts' downfall is the simple stuff. The problem with that is that the simple stuff make up 95% of the game! For me Ricketts makes far too many mistakes and is a liability!

:sorry:

[briggus]

Taken off the OMB it looks like our defence was "Surprised by PACE"

Luke O was left in GG's wake!!!!

Weathers and Bower both caught out - how long will it take for club scouts to spot our instant weakness.......

unless we play " we score more goals than you" football et al Kevin Keegan' Newcastle united then we may ship goals.

Especially as everyone seems to rate our big Jamacian friend in the nets.....bring back Zabica ...he has to be our worst keeper since Prudoe

"Pace" - exactly my point the other day when we signed Hecky - we now have at least three senior defenders who can be caught out with pace. This leaves Ricketts exposed too often. We will find our team playing too deep again and let teams come on to us - deja vu? It hardly makes the football enjoyable to watch.
We need to be signing some players through out the team with pace and also some height - is it possible with Stu's budget - we will have to see? None of the players signed really come into these categories - the strikers while around 6 foot are not that tall for fotballers in this day and age and none have pace - Evans while I have no objection to him signing - is not the tallest or fastest.

[Tyneside BCFC]

I am definately in the "vastly overrated" camp as far as Ricketts is concerned. I do not trust him as he totally lacks concentration.

[Devil's Advocate]

Pace can be all in the mind though, we have defenders who can read the game and I don't think it will be too long before they get some match sharpness back and you start seeing them nullify the threat of pace with their brains and not their legs. As a defender if threatened with pace you can do 1 of 2 things, mark tight to prevent them running at you or give them 5 yards to give you time to react to their pace. You don't have to be speedy gonzales to combat pace and that is where Wetherall and Bower come in as they have the credentials to be able to stop pace without being quick. To a certain extent I would want a bit more pace on the flanks but then again I'm a full back and I'm about as quick as a stoned sloth, still doesn't stop me being effective in defence, so some say!

[king billy]

Why don't we see what the final squad/teams like and how they perform first of all FFS?
Wethers, Bower and Hecks will be a class above any other defence in this league - John Terry doesn't have much pace - he aint done too bad - an intelligent defender reads things (or should) before the need for pace, positioning and timing are more important!!

I've more faith in Stu's abilities than i do with the moanings of a few on here....

[Devil's Advocate]

Why don't we see what the final squad/teams like and how they perform first of all FFS?
Wethers, Bower and Hecks will be a class above any other defence in this league - John Terry doesn't have much pace - he aint done too bad - an intelligent defender reads things (or should) before the need for pace, positioning and timing are more important!!

I've more faith in Stu than any of you lot....

Moaning fookers!!

Not all of us! I agree about patience. Effectively Macca is putting together an almost completely new team, albeit he has a few main players to work with in Wethers, Bower and Ricketts. Other than that our first team will look very different to what we have been used to and it will inevitably take toime for them to gel. Pace may catch a few out in this division but I have every faith in the main defenders we have to be able to counter that threat.

Typically though as we are City fans we are looking for any negatives we can find and are quick to condemn them before they have even entered the court room! We're :poo: and we know we are we're :poo: and we know we are! :rolleyes:

[Jamaica Love]

Matt clarke has pace!!!

[king billy]

Anyone with pace in this division is shite/doest not have a final ball or cannot shoot....
Pace is one of the biggest assets a player can posses and pacey players are coverted, if you end up with a bit of pace at this level its because your **** and/or cannot shoot or play a final ball to save your life - ala Ben Muirhead...

Hecks, Bower, Wethers could ply their trade at a higher level, it won't be a problem!!

[Devil's Advocate]

Anyone with pace in this division is shite/doest not have a final ball or cannot shoot....
Pace is one of the biggest assets a player can posses and pacey players are coverted, if you end up with a bit of pace at this level its because your **** and/or cannot shoot or play a final ball to save your life - ala Ben Muirhead...

Hecks, Bower, Wethers could ply their trade at a higher level, it won't be a problem!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/140000/images/_142862_jones150.jpg

Don't Panic!

:D

Izzy McLeod isn't slow and can shoot a bit, still Wethers'll have him in his backpocket!

[king billy]

Izzy McLeod won't kick off the season in this division - he's being chased by Charlton, Wolves, Leiecester, Coventry etc to name a few.....

[beerbantam]

Im not worried in the slightest about how we performed last night!

However as i believe 'The Ginger Duo (C)' will get it right for promotion over the season, in doing that the following two things will have to change;

1 - Ricketts
2 - wethers/Bowser partnership

The Ricketts point is self explanatory as bar his odd fantastic save he is basically shite - i fully expect to see another goalie in before the season starts!!

Point two is a problem that (imo) has needed addressing for some years now - and indeed we do need pace in the center, whether it means dropping one of them or going to 3 at the back (which i doubt we will), something has got to give!

I'd be amazed come xmas is either of the above points are in the team!!:rolleyes:

[Devil's Advocate]

Izzy McLeod won't kick off the season in this division - he's being chased by Charlton, Wolves, Leiecester, Coventry etc to name a few.....

Wethers'll have him in his back pocket next year then!

http://www.lushtshirts.co.uk/images/products/sarcasm_offer.jpg

[ernie06]

I am optomistic about the new season - and im not moaning what i am pointing out is that our defenders may well put Rickie under pressure -

AT this level we should be watertight on paper with an international goalkeeper and an experienced back line up.........

WHEN we get promoted then we have to have a total re think...

[Devil's Advocate]

Im not worried in the slightest about how we performed last night!

However as i believe 'The Ginger Duo (C)' will get it right for promotion over the season, in doing that the following two things will have to change;

1 - Ricketts
2 - wethers/Bowser partnership

The Ricketts point is self explanatory as bar his odd fantastic save he is basically shite - i fully expect to see another goalie in before the season starts!!

Point two is a problem that (imo) has needed addressing for some years now - and indeed we do need pace in the center, whether it means dropping one of them or going to 3 at the back (which i doubt we will), something has got to give!

I'd be amazed come xmas is either of the above points are in the team!!:rolleyes:

Didn't think it would be long before you picked up on the Wethers issue! Did he make you spill your pint in the BB or what? ;)

Personally I think Wetherall and Bower are perfectly capable of doing a decent job in the middle, I think what we have lacked is a ball-winning, tackling midfield general (in the McCall mode) and that has exposed them more often than not as they have little support or cover in front of them. A defence constantly under pressure will make more mistakes than one that is backed up by a midfielder who can actually win the ball and keep it.

Have you copyrighted "Ginger Duo"? No mugs in this set!

http://store1.yimg.com/I/chezlatina2_1872_5749349

http://chezlatina2.stores.yahoo.net/gingerduo.html

[briggus]

Didn't think it would be long before you picked up on the Wethers issue! Did he make you spill your pint in the BB or what? ;)

Personally I think Wetherall and Bower are perfectly capable of doing a decent job in the middle, I think what we have lacked is a ball-winning, tackling midfield general (in the McCall mode) and that has exposed them more often than not as they have little support or cover in front of them. A defence constantly under pressure will make more mistakes than one that is backed up by a midfielder who can actually win the ball and keep it.

Have you copyrighted "Ginger Duo"? No mugs in this set!

http://store1.yimg.com/I/chezlatina2_1872_5749349

http://chezlatina2.stores.yahoo.net/gingerduo.html

Whist i fully agree with your points on how do deal with pace and the fact your midfielders and indeed strikers at time have to cover - that does alter the fact on numerous occasions with experienced defenders our defence was exposed last season - due to good passes that turned our defender and their strikers were first to the ball. Indeed on odd occasions one on ones we were left wnating. It also concerns me to counter it we have to play deeper - which in turn attracts the pressure you alluded to and we get the type of footie we have plyed poorly for a number of seasons.
Unlees we are to play a sweeper we need at least two in defence with a bit of pace to cover. Alternatively a defensine midfield / anchor man would help but has it restrictions offensively.
As for Ben M some one made the point it did not help his game - but ask the Rochdale fans - at this level they would not agree.

[king billy]

Maybe the answer is a disciplined anchor man then - a Makalele type!! I always fancied Bentham in this role!!
At premier league level - Carvalho and Terry have to be one of, if not the, slowest centre half pairings in the prem, the protection offered to em before they even have to deal with the ball ensures they act as a pretty awesome pairing tho, aswell as being clever players who have it upstairs even if they don't have it in the legs, the threat is usually nullified long before they have to take someone on one on one for pace - were talking league two level now, and Wethers and Bower - but the same sort of principles apply!!

Like i said above - Stu's canny enough to already know and appreciate all this - and much, much more.....if its a concern for him i'm sure he'll do something about it.....he certainly don't strike me as having a "best mates club" in the team, and i would expect he'll chop and change personnel and tactics where called for....

So whats the big concern for?

[Jantje]

I've seen Bentham captain the youth and reserves from Centre Back as well as Midfield. Give the lad a decent chance and a bit of responsibility and like KB says he can do a holding job for us

[briggus]

Maybe the answer is a disciplined anchor man then - a Makalele type!! I always fancied Bentham in this role!!
At premier league level - Carvalho and Terry have to be one of, if not the, slowest centre half pairings in the prem, the protection offered to em before they even have to deal with the ball ensures they act as a pretty awesome pairing tho, aswell as being clever players who have it upstairs even if they don't have it in the legs, the threat is usually nullified long before they have to take someone on one on one for pace - were talking league two level now, and Wethers and Bower - but the same sort of principles apply!!

Like i said above - Stu's canny enough to already know and appreciate all this - and much, much more.....if its a concern for him i'm sure he'll do something about it.....he certainly don't strike me as having a "best mates club" in the team, and i would expect he'll chop and change personnel and tactics where called for....


So whats the big concern for?Bentham is a good call - he certainly good at breaking the game up and helping his defence out. Given a few games one after each other to grow in to the role would certainly help - which he did not get under CT.

[ernie06]

I would choose Bentham out of all out younger players

Mould him into a jakes / macca style player and you have your answer - even maybe a future captain.

Think Obrien has a future elsewhere ...servinc chips with Brown maybe!!

[king billy]

Think Obrien has a future elsewhere ...servinc chips with Brown maybe!!

PMSL!!....:D

[beerbantam]

I would choose Bentham out of all out younger players

!!

Why though Ern?

He's been threatening to be a decent player for years now & injuries & managers n stuff have stopped him from fulfilling that potential - what makes him any different to the likes of Danny Forrest, Bamby Grant and other 'gonna be good someday' players we have had at City??

I hope im wrong - but i doubt it!!

As for Jobo - a very raw deal was dealt theretdwn:
Strikers are paid to get goals and in the few chances he got in the 1st team he delivered - other so called upandcoming players who always looked shite got much more of a chance!!

[ChuckleBantam]

Jobo made Danny Forrest look like a footballer and that ****ing takes some doing!

[beerbantam]

Im not worried in the slightest about how we performed last night!

However as i believe 'The Ginger Duo (C)' will get it right for promotion over the season, in doing that the following two things will have to change;

1 - Ricketts
2 - wethers/Bowser partnership

The Ricketts point is self explanatory as bar his odd fantastic save he is basically shite - i fully expect to see another goalie in before the season starts!!

Point two is a problem that (imo) has needed addressing for some years now - and indeed we do need pace in the center, whether it means dropping one of them or going to 3 at the back (which i doubt we will), something has got to give!

I'd be amazed come xmas is either of the above points are in the team!!:rolleyes:

Well its taken 9 games into the season, but some quarters suggest that neither Wethers or the Don will be in the team tomorrow!!

I hope its right!! Well done & about time Stu!tup:

[Macca Ha Ha Ha]

Wethers is playing tomorrow as is Bower and Ricketts - no new players have been secured - shoudl be good......................

[ernie06]

well i dont want to say i told you so - but it only took 9 games for every club game scout to suss out our weakness.

[neversaydie]

I'd go along with the defensive midfielder idea. I think Evans could do the job. Bentham probably deserves a chance to show what he can do if Evo is not fit enough for MK Dons.