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Farnborough FC vs Saints - 21st July

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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Just got back (live a few mins down the road), here's what I thought:

 

Bart - didn't have a great deal to do, but looked comfortable enough, happy with him as backup to Kelvin

Forecast - again, wasn't troubled a lot, made one decent stop but you'd have expected keepers at any level to have kept it out, had a bit of a fumble on one ball into the box

 

Seabourne - didn't look too assured alongside Martin, mainly in a positional sense, but dealt with most things physical, sounds oddly Welsh when he shouts

Martin - shouts a lot but almost for the sake of it sometimes, always looked like he was going to give away a foul when challenging in the air, dare I say it, reminds me a lot of Lancashire (but that may be a bit harsh)

 

Butterfield - looks solid, good workrate, good in the tackle, got pushed back quite a lot down his side though (McGlashen didn't track back much), so couldn't get forward very often

Mills - worked hard, but mainly hit aimless punts into the channels when he had the ball

 

McNish - off the pace, showed bright touches at times, but the game seemed to pass him by

Pullis - anonymous until he ran into the back of someone and messed his arm up

 

Holmes - not quite sure what to make of his performance, lot of huff and puff, but little quality

McGlashen - bit of a headless chicken, quite pacy but just ran into blind alleys and held the ball for too long, made some stupid fouls too

 

Barnard & Connolly - both worked hard but had little service, good finish by Barney for the goal

 

Subs

 

Reeves - looked bright when he came on, kept it fairly simple

 

Not worth writing about the others, nobody really stood out or had enough time to

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John B

John B

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Were you at the same game?

 

Forecast Produced an Excellent Save to keep us in the Game and got a round of Appaulse for his effort.

 

I watched him in the Warm Up and he made a couple of decent saves then

 

Butterfield did not look a Championship fullback - Quite slow Reeves however looked Very Good

 

Seabourne played very well so did Martin but his distribution was poor

 

Pullis was far from anonymous putting himself about

 

Holmes always looking for the ball produced the cross for the winner

 

Perhaps you were at the same game on reflection

 

McNish - off the pace, showed bright touches at times, but the game seemed to pass him by

 

McGlashen - bit of a headless chicken, quite pacy but just ran into blind alleys and held the ball for too long, made some stupid fouls too

 

Barnard & Connolly - both worked hard but had little service, good finish by Barney for the goal

Edited by John B
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SuperMikey

SuperMikey

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Here's the promised match report..

 

We were made to work for the win, I went to the game expecting a 2-0 or 3-0 judging by the strength of the squad, but Farnborough were very good for the entire 90 minutes and it was certainly not the dominant win that was forecasted. We looked a bit suspect in midfield, the majority of our posession went straight from either GK or DF straight to the strikers, and it wasn't very effective at all. We didn't keep the ball either, Farnborough had a lot of posession and moved the ball around well, and caught us on the break a fair few times. It's not unfair to say that our strikers were completely marked out of the game, although they did have very little service, but Connolly and Barnard showed signs of a good understanding with some nice flick-ons and one-twos being played. I think a fair result would've included at least one Farnborough goal, as they did pose quite a threat going forward, and Dean McDonald in particular was very threatening and turned our CBs inside out a couple of times. If the quality of finishing had been better overall, I think it would've been a 2-2, but seeing as it's pre-season, i'll let them off for the lack of goals! On with the player ratings;

 

Bialkowski 8 - Very solid in goal, some very good takes from corners and made a few good saves before being subbed at half time. Hope he signs a new contract as he could be a good long term replacement for Kelvin.

Butterfield 6 - Didn't see much of the ball, but his marking was good although he did get beaten for pace a few times, something we might have to get used to.

Mills 5 - Seemed to be the main playmaker in the first half, although his distribution wasn't great and defending was a bit suspect at times too. Faded when moved to midfield in 2nd half.

Martin 6 - Solid at the back, good communication and bossed the players about getting them organised for set-pieces etc. Looks a good prospect.

Seabourne 5 - Squeaky buttocks whenever the ball went near him, as his passing was awful and got us into trouble a few times. Pass it off as pre-season rust, but must do a lot better if he wants to be playing first team football this season.

McGlashan (Trialist) 6 - Made some good runs and showed his pace, although he was under-used as a creative option when he was quite often in space. Took a crack in the shins from the goalie and went off, but he looked good overall.

Holmes 5 - I'm a fan of Lee, but he didn't make any more fans tonight. He dived quite a few times (which prompted some synchronised miming from some FFC fans!) and had a couple of opportunities to shoot but tried to over-complicate things. Must do better!

Pulis 4 - Looked completely bemused, i'm not sure he realises he's meant to be a footballer! Went off injured with what looked like a dislocated shoulder, so could be out for a while and may be a good excuse to cancel his contract.

McNish 6 - Worked hard but it never really paid off for him. Reckon he could pop up around the first team this season as Pards seemed to be pleased with his performance.

Connolly 6 - Anonymous for most of the game, save for a few good moves. Looked quite unfit I thought, or perhaps just tired. Either way, he was pretty static all game, should've been subbed earlier imo.

Barnard 8 - He was like herpes, he was bloody everywhere! Never stopped working and took his goal very well, and it was deserved too. Looking forward to seeing him bang them in for us this season!

 

SUBS

Forecast 5 - Credit to the guy, he did make one very good save, but apart from that he was dire imo. Very shaky at dealing with crosses/corners, and almost lost the ball by trying to beat an oncoming striker with the ball.

Racine 5 - Didn't see much of the ball, and was played out of position at CM, but he did okay. One for the future.

Reeves 6 - Looked good at LB, coped better than Mills did with their right winger and looked good going forward. If we didn't already have 3 senior LBs in the first team, i'd put him on the bench a couple of times before Christmas and loan him out for experience.

Argent - Not enough time to make an impact

Doble - Not enough time to make an impact

Tafazoli 6 - Solid at CB, very tall and imposing and won some good headers. Looked comfortable alongside Martin, potential future CB pairing? Needs to go on loan for experience imo.

Holder-Spooner 6 - Looked promising, very energetic and quick. Played out on the wing but looked more comfortable playing centrally. Another one for a loan spell/a few cameo sub appearances.

 

Farnborough honourable mentions go to Dean McDonald (who's just about to sign for Swansea), their No.7 (we could do worse for cover at CM) and their No.11 (Fast winger who beat his man a few times). Not too sure about the names for the last two, but i'm sure you'll be able to find them somewhere. Farnborough also had young Daryl McLean on trial, I didn't know we'd released him and only found out when I got chatting to his Dad whilst queueing for a HT snack! Apparently he's had interest from some league clubs and is training with Farnborough for fitness "until something better comes along". Good luck to the lad though, always thought he looked like a good player when I saw him and i'm sure we'll regret letting him go one day! I'm signing off for the evening now to get some well-earned rest, so goodnight everyone!

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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Were you at the same game?

 

Forecast Produced an Excellent Save to keep us in the Game and got a round of Appaulse for his effort.

 

I watched him in the Warm Up and he made a couple of decent saves then

 

You sure you watched him in the warmup? He was struggling to kick a ball straight at Bart in what is one of the simplest tasks in a GK warmup.

 

His save was ok, you'd expect Sunday keepers to have made it, it was at a nice height and not that far to the side of him.

 

Took one corner well (you'd expect a pro keeper to do so) but then went almost dropped one at a strikers feet.

 

Hope he gets used to grounds like Farnborough's, because when his contract ends he'll be in non-league f'sure.

 

It's not a one-off either, I was at a ressie game last year vs Swindon and he was awful, Wally Downes was sat nearby and all I could hear was him cursing him.

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John B

John B

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You sure you watched him in the warmup? He was struggling to kick a ball straight at Bart in what is one of the simplest tasks in a GK warmup.

 

His save was ok, you'd expect Sunday keepers to have made it, it was at a nice height and not that far to the side of him.

 

Took one corner well (you'd expect a pro keeper to do so) but then went almost dropped one at a strikers feet.

 

Hope he gets used to grounds like Farnborough's, because when his contract ends he'll be in non-league f'sure.

 

It's not a one-off either, I was at a ressie game last year vs Swindon and he was awful, Wally Downes was sat nearby and all I could hear was him cursing him.

 

God what a joke of a post

 

You just seem to want Tommy to Fai he played quite well I thoughtl.

 

By the way if Wally coached the team to play hoof ball like they did in the first half he should be cursed Farnborough played better than us in the First half by passing to players feet thought their number 9 passed very well

Edited by John B
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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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Also, to put things into perspective, the following Reading team also only beat Farnborough 1-0 and it took a fluke of a goal from Noel Hunt to do so:

 

Reading: Hamer (Locke, 42mins), Cummings (Davies, 46mins), Mills (Pearce, 46mins), Griffin (Gunnarsson, 46mins) , Kelly (Williams, 46mins), Henry (Kebe, 46mins), Karacan (Sigurdsson, 46mins), Howard (Tabb, 46mins) , Robson-Kanu (McAnuff, 46mins), Long (Church, 46mins), Rasiak (Hunt, 46, Antonio, 75mins).

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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God what a joke of a post

 

You just seem to want Tommy to Fai he played quite well I thoughtl.

 

By the way if Wally coached the team to play hoof ball like they did in the first half he should be cursed Farnborough played better than us in the First half by passing to players feet thought their number 9 passed very well

Seems you are like

 

By his previous showings, last night was not too bad, but trust me, he is a very poor keeper and I wouldn't want him anywhere near the first team.

 

Shotstoppers are ten-a-penny in goalkeeping, even down to grassroots level.

 

It's the bigger picture that's a problem. He's not very vocal, defenders seem nervous with him behind them and he is shaky on crosses and decision making.

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John B

John B

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By his previous showings, last night was not too bad, but trust me, he is a very poor keeper and I wouldn't want him anywhere near the first team.

 

Shotstoppers are ten-a-penny in goalkeeping, even down to grassroots level.

 

It's the bigger picture that's a problem. He's not very vocal, defenders seem nervous with him behind them and he is shaky on crosses and decision making.

 

God what a joke of a post

 

You just seem to want Tommy to Fail he played quite well I thought last night.

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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However, I agree about the first half tactics, with Connolly and Barnard upfront against two physical centre-halves, long-ball was not the way forward.

 

That said, when we got the ball out wide, it was wasted by Holmes and McGlashan and we couldn't play through the middle because McNish and Pullis were passengers.

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John B

John B

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However, I agree about the first half tactics, with Connolly and Barnard upfront against two physical centre-halves, long-ball was not the way forward.

 

That said, when we got the ball out wide, it was wasted by Holmes and McGlashan and we couldn't play through the middle because McNish and Pullis were passengers.

 

I agree with your analysis of the first half but in the second I thought Holmes was beginning to play OK I was sitting near him and he did some good things.

 

But Butterfield did little in attack I thought compared with Reeves so nothing came down the right.

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whizz

whizz

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I went last night... quite a good turnout by the Saints I thought - probably a 50/50 crowd!

Was basically a fitness excersise and it showed! Bit scrappy and the midfield was weak (although we knew that when team was announced). Without giving more ratings on all the players, I just thought I'd say my standout players.... Bart was confident and assured, he seems to look lean & mean these days! Certainly lost a bit of weight. Martin was very vocal and won everything in the air, Butterfield did well, good defender, you can tell he's got some quality about him (didn't realise he was such a short @rse!). McGlashen bags of pace, and good skills but sometimes ran into blind alleys. Barnard did well, worked hard and seems to be everywhere and didn't give the ball away. Connelly was pretty anonimous. McNish was pretty poor, I was sitting right by the dugout and all I could hear was the coach shouting at him to do things! Credit to Farnborough, I think they will do well in Conference South, the ground has also seen a lot of improvement in the last year or so.

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Dynamo Naive

Dynamo Naive

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A pretty dull game, but a few things stood out for me. McGlashen, despite his unorthodox use of language, is worth persevering with. Very quick, good feet, just needs a bit more composure. McNish, on the other hand, looks very composed and comfortable on the ball, but needs to go looking for it more, get more involved.

 

Forecast did make one good save but looked shaky on crosses and corners – does not instill confidence in me (or his back four I would have thought).

 

Biggest disappointment was Holmes, who just didn't look interested. Granted he can cross the ball well, but if a winger is not even prepared to have a run at non-league defenders then he shouldn't be playing on the wing. No pace and no ideas. And repeated diving.

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John Smith

John Smith

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Bad hunting ground for me so I'm pleased Saints won. Horrible memories of a Hampshire cup final 21 years ago.......

 

Same here. Lost 2-1 in the same final but 20years ago. Horrible game, really disjointed, somehow 3 people scored goals, our management team couldn;t cope and many players left the next season. bad memories.

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John B

John B

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A pretty dull game, but a few things stood out for me. McGlashen, despite his unorthodox use of language, is worth persevering with. Very quick, good feet, just needs a bit more composure. McNish, on the other hand, looks very composed and comfortable on the ball, but needs to go looking for it more, get more involved.

 

Forecast did make one good save but looked shaky on crosses and corners – does not instill confidence in me (or his back four I would have thought).

 

Biggest disappointment was Holmes, who just didn't look interested. Granted he can cross the ball well, but if a winger is not even prepared to have a run at non-league defenders then he shouldn't be playing on the wing. No pace and no ideas. And repeated diving.

 

It quite amazes me how some people see the game

 

I can assure people who did not go to the game that Forecast played well as did Holmes once he ran from his position at a corner twenty yards or so to receive a short one but his marker followed him

 

I was sitting down the left hand touch line where Holmes was contantly asking for the ball and pointing to where it should be passed

 

He never dived in the second half was fouled and pushed a few times and looked quite sharp

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sfc4prem

sfc4prem

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Reading all the different match reports from you lads is pretty confusing, I guess it shows how people view football so differently. According to John B, Holmes looked sharp, but to others he was consistently diving and lacked pace and desire. According to John B, Butterfield was poor; no pace and didn't look like a Championship fullback, but to others he looked like he had a bit of class about him and was pretty solid.

 

So, so confusing for someone, like me, who wasn't at the match. :(

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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Reading all the different match reports from you lads is pretty confusing, I guess it shows how people view football so differently. According to John B, Holmes looked sharp, but to others he was consistently diving and lacked pace and desire. According to John B, Butterfield was poor; no pace and didn't look like a Championship fullback, but to others he looked like he had a bit of class about him and was pretty solid.

 

So, so confusing for someone, like me, who wasn't at the match. :(

 

Opinions are like ar$eholes, everybody has one!

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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this is worrying.

 

To be honest, I didn't see it that way, just looked a little rusty but worked his socks off (I believe he hasn't had the benefit of a full pre-season?)

 

There was an instance when a winger got the wrong side of him but he motored back, executed a perfect tackle and came away with the ball.

 

I thought he was solid enough.

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Dynamo Naive

Dynamo Naive

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To be honest, I didn't see it that way, just looked a little rusty but worked his socks off (I believe he hasn't had the benefit of a full pre-season?)

 

There was an instance when a winger got the wrong side of him but he motored back, executed a perfect tackle and came away with the ball.

 

I thought he was solid enough.

 

Agreed. I think with a few more games under his belt he'll be class. That tackle you refer to was superb.

 

Also thought Martin looks a good prospect: very strong in the air, and seems to read the game well. I would rate him higher than Seaborne from what I've seen.

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John B

John B

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this is worrying.

 

He did do a great tackle at one point but it was after the winger had gone past him

 

 

Just was expecting a little more especially in attack I expect he will get better but he was prety small as well not pretty and small in the least

Edited by John B
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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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He did do a great tackle at one point but it was after the winger had gone past him

 

 

Just was expecting a little more especially in attack I expect he will get better but he was prety small as well not pretty and small in the least

 

You're right in that he showed nothing in attack, but McGlashan just had his head down and ran into the corner, rather than holding it up and waiting for an overlap from the fullback or going to the corner and than playing it back to the fullback.

 

I think if he plays with Puncheon down the right, who varies his play a little more and has bit more discipline, we'll see Butterfield's attacking qualities.

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

Posted
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Also, how f*cking fat was Farnborough's No.24? He made Stern John look like Kate Moss!

 

I was more taken aback by how, proportion wise, Dean McDonald appeared to have the build of a midget! (short arms, short torso, short chunky legs) Was amazed to find out he's actually 5'7"!

 

Still, he looked dangerous and must be a decent player given that he scored a bucket-load for them last season and has impressed on trial at Swansea.

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SuperMikey

SuperMikey

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I was more taken aback by how, proportion wise, Dean McDonald appeared to have the build of a midget! (short arms, short torso, short chunky legs) Was amazed to find out he's actually 5'7"!

 

Still, he looked dangerous and must be a decent player given that he scored a bucket-load for them last season and has impressed on trial at Swansea.

 

He was very dangerous, thought HCDAJFU as cover at least, he was one of the best players outside of the league last season in many people's views. Was speaking to the FFC kitman through work on Wednesday (he actually got me a free ticket for the game after I mentioned I was planning to go, very nice bloke!) and he said that Dean was due to go up to Swansea today to sign a contract with them. He did look like a good player though, it may have been that Farnborough have played more games and our CB pairing was relatively inexperienced, but he turned them inside out a couple of times and had his finishing been better, he may have scored a couple too. Think we missed the boat on that one.

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oxfordshire_saint

oxfordshire_saint

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He was very dangerous, thought HCDAJFU as cover at least, he was one of the best players outside of the league last season in many people's views. Was speaking to the FFC kitman through work on Wednesday (he actually got me a free ticket for the game after I mentioned I was planning to go, very nice bloke!) and he said that Dean was due to go up to Swansea today to sign a contract with them. He did look like a good player though, it may have been that Farnborough have played more games and our CB pairing was relatively inexperienced, but he turned them inside out a couple of times and had his finishing been better, he may have scored a couple too. Think we missed the boat on that one.

 

Quite strange that Swansea allowed him to play based on that.

 

I hear Celtic took a look last season too.

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whizz

whizz

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Also, how f*cking fat was Farnborough's No.24? He made Stern John look like Kate Moss!

 

hehe the No.24, when he came on as sub the Farnborough announcer said over the tannoy: "Coming on for Farnborough No.24... unknown player"!!! Maybe a last minute trialist for them!?

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