Pre Season 22/23

[S-Clarke]

That was a chance, the movement in front of Armstrong was simply diabolical though.

[Puddings and Monkeys]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

He didn't really get anything on that pen, needed to be in the corner. Wasn't anything really.

It was a decent save, but also a pretty tame effort. 

Can't read too much into pre-season games as a rule, but you can't avoid the elephant in the room that the same issues as last season continue to plague us (no one who can score goals)

Yes, but I don’t think it’s an elephant in the room - RH has already said it’s a priority. 

[stevegrant]

Decent save it may have been (and not hit right in the corner as it needed to be), but I assume there's been some sort of directive to the officials to not give a shit about keepers staying on their line this season - that save was made about halfway between the goal line and the edge of the six yard box

[The Kraken]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

Can't read too much into pre-season games as a rule, but you can't avoid the elephant in the room that the same issues as last season continue to plague us (no one who can score goals)

Yeah, this it. Like you say, too early to tell but I can’t see immediately that the transfers in are better than the current incumbents (except Bazunu). We’ve also lost Broja and Long and not replaced them yet. So that will be a massively important factor, just getting someone of Broja’s quality won’t be easy.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, The Kraken said:

Yeah, this it. Like you say, too early to tell but I can’t see immediately that the transfers in are better than the current incumbents (except Bazunu). We’ve also lost Broja and Long and not replaced them yet. So that will be a massively important factor, just getting someone of Broja’s quality won’t be easy.

I like Lavia, I can see the difference he's made in CM in this second half. 

The attack is a huge concern though, but luckily the club do agree with that. Probably our most important additions of the summer to come, season make or breakers.

[OttawaSaint]

The lad doesn't have an ounce of confidence eh?

[warwicksaint]

Lavia looks really good, aribo has grown into the game, elyonoussi looks dreadful 

[Suhari]

Certainly better this half, but not enough movement or creativity upfront.

[wooley7]

Just now, OttawaSaint said:

The lad doesn't have an ounce of confidence eh?

I was thinking, good, a pen for AA to get a bit of confidence!

[Saint Fan CaM]

I like Lavia and Aribo like looks like he has something about him - better decision making than Djenepo. But yes, our movement and passing around the oppo area is poor.

[Saint Matty 76]

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

With him and Aribo looks like we've got some real power in the midfield now. Needs a striker of similar ilk

[The Kraken]

Just now, Saint Matty 76 said:

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

Starting to wonder if Ralph’s idea for his first team is a 3-5-2 with Romeu, Lavia and JWP as a middle 3.

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

It's refreshing to see some legs and power in CM, that's been a big problem for a few years. As combative as JWP and Romeu are, they don't exactly give you much in the way of forward penetration or pace to break the lines.

Now we just need to sort out the players Lavia will feed the ball to...

[Matthew Le God]

2 minutes ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

Perhaps not at all. He is making a good early case to start vs Spurs.

[Saint Matty 76]

2 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

Starting to wonder if Ralph’s idea for his first team is a 3-5-2 with Romeu, Lavia and JWP as a middle 3.

I don't think I disagree with you there. I do worry about our ability to score goals with this system though.

[The Kraken]

Talking of which….aside from the penalty save, has either keeper had a save to make?

[Turkish]

3 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

Starting to wonder if Ralph’s idea for his first team is a 3-5-2 with Romeu, Lavia and JWP as a middle 3.

i was thinking Romeu or Lavia, Plus JWP and Aribo

[Suhari]

5 minutes ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Lavia won't be sitting on the bench for long.

I too am confident he won't be given a place on the bench instead of Long.

😎

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Saint Matty 76 said:

I don't think I disagree with you there. I do worry about our ability to score goals with this system though.

tbf I think we'd struggle to score goals in whatever formation we play given the options we have at the mo.

[CWD]

Gonna log on to Twitter to find out how this is McCarthy's fault

[Saint Matty 76]

Just now, S-Clarke said:

tbf I think we'd struggle to score goals in whatever formation we play given the options we have at the mo.

Not wrong there! Just thinking that if we do play that 5-3-2, there isn't really room for another player? It'd be Aribo & Che as the forwards with Perraud/KWP wing-backs and the midfield 3 mentioned. 

I can't see us not having an additional attacker involved, to be honest. 

[S-Clarke]

It always falls down at the same players. Moussa, Elyounoussi, Adam Armstrong.

Stu, Lavia, Aribo have done some good work breaking the lines, but as soon as it gets to one of those 3 above it just dies. And that is all too big a dejavu.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Just now, S-Clarke said:

It always falls down at the same players. Moussa, Elyounoussi, Adam Armstrong.

Stu, Lavia, Aribo have done some good work breaking the lines, but as soon as it gets to one of those 3 above it just dies. And that is all too big a dejavu.

Would Redmond make any difference out there?

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Would Redmond make any difference out there?

If it's running into players and blind corners you're after!

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

It always falls down at the same players. Moussa, Elyounoussi, Adam Armstrong.

Stu, Lavia, Aribo have done some good work breaking the lines, but as soon as it gets to one of those 3 above it just dies. And that is all too big a dejavu.

Yep, those 3 give it away every time it goes near them. All 3 been poor.

[AlexLaw76]

Lets be straight here.

Salisu looked better, Smallbone decent, S.Armstrong lively, KwP was KwP and Lavia looks mustered, Djenepo is terrible, we are wide open at the back, toothless up top and worrying we are building up to the season with this awful formation

Edited 18 July, 2022 by AlexLaw76

[The Kraken]

Just now, Turkish said:

i was thinking Romeu or Lavia, Plus JWP and Aribo

I’m not sold on Aribo yet, but he looks like the type of player who might be better in a quicker, tighter, more intense game. These two games have certainly not been that so it’s tough to tell. 

[Saint Matty 76]

Salisu, KWP and Lavia the good players in the second half.

Smallbone at a push in the first.

Not really anything else to mention individual wise, definitely a few who remain not good enough.

[Toussaint]

2 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Would Redmond make any difference out there?

Yes, they’d be even crapper 

[gammon cheeks]

Lavia really is a class act! Aribo and Walker Peters look good ..seem to have a good understanding .....really need another no10 a striker and full back cover ...If Bednerak goes then another centre back .

[Toussaint]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Lets be straight here.

Salisu looked better, Smallbone decent, S.Armstrong lively, KwP was KwP and Lavia looks mustered, Djenepo is terrible, we are wide open at the back, toothless up top and worrying we are building up to the season with this awful formation

Yeah, but apart from those little things we are looking pretty good, ja?

[Saints foreva]

I know we'll sign a striker (and we have to get that signing spot on or we're fucked) but we desperately need another attacking midfielder through the door as well, Moi isn't good enough for the Premier League. 

[JRM]

Does anyone know when the dvd of the game will be available in the club megastore? 

[warwicksaint]

Positives:

- Lavia looks like he’s going to be some player 

- Smallbone looked decent, picked the right passes and hit the post 

- A Armstrong was making the right runs but couldn’t time them, shame about the pen but won’t hold him to it. Still think there’s a player to be had in there

- KWP being his usual self

- Aribo grew into the game and looks like he could form a good chemistry with KWP

 

Negatives:

- Thought elyonoussi was dreadful, giving the ball away a lot, blazing a shot over the bar, not involved at all

- Small defensively all over the place, a loan at a well drilled team would do him some good 

 

I’m going to put my neck on the line here and say i actually thought we looked quite decent second half, just couldn’t score. I think the formation can work with a proper left back, a top striker, Colwill in CB and JWP back in. We created more chances when our stronger XI was on, just needs some fine tuning 

Oh and we also need an attacking left 10 as we badly lack creativity down that side

Edited 18 July, 2022 by warwicksaint

[The Kraken]

Well, it’s all about the match sharpness and getting game time.

The particular stand out, which all are saying and will surprise nobody, is that we are toothless going forwards. Signings incoming but the two friendlies kind of signify that we are very short up top so that needs to happen very soon. 

Second half team was much stronger than the first half team.

Not particularly inspiring so far. But the next 3 games are a decent challenge and you’d think Ralph will be getting closer to starting his first team in them. So we’ll see where he goes.

[qwertyell]

Better second half - overall standard pretty dire, though.

Aarmstrong should've won the game. The limp penalty is one thing, somehow contriving to mess up a tap in from six yards by trying to take another touch was truly rubbish.

What ever did we see in Djenepo?

Lavia quite tidy.

[MarkSFC]

9 minutes ago, CWD said:

Gonna log on to Twitter to find out how this is McCarthy's fault

He was on the pitch, what more do you need..

[S-Clarke]

So, two pre-season games and sadly we still face similar troubles as we did in the real games.

To put it bluntly, we lack quality and any sort of top flight ability in the attack. Moussa and Adam Armstrong might run around a bit, but they are simply dire footballers and it's not like they've been given 2 weeks to settle. Moussa in particular is the most pointless attacking player I think I've ever seen.

I like the back with Bella-Kotchap and Salisu in there, I think that immediately adds a little more pace and recovery to our game. Lavia changed the game when he came on, a huge uplift in quality in that '6' position. He's confident enough in his own ability to use it to burst through the lines, that is a big difference I've noticed. Our midfield is often too one paced, so this adds another dimension.

Aribo looked better than the first game, he has good physicality and is able to play across the front positions - very similar to Stu Armstrong and I have a feeling those two could potentially work quite well together. 

But it's all too obvious where the missing pieces are. We need to get our attacking signings spot on, these will make or break our season. There's no doubt that we're relegated without the right additions in those areas.

I'd be keen to see Tella, Smallbone and Small get some regular football on loan as all 3 are crying out for that, otherwise they'll never progress.

[Charlie Wayman]

4 minutes ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Salisu, KWP and Lavia the good players in the second half.

Smallbone at a push in the first.

Not really anything else to mention individual wise, definitely a few who remain not good enough.

Lyanco & Diallo played well in the first half along with Smallbone in the first quarter. Small was poor and Adams looked shot.

[verlaine1979]

Why are we, a club with only one demonstrably good CB, currently preparing for the season by playing a back five?

[danjosaint]

At least we stuck with Ralph 

[redandwhitey]

For all those complaining about the formation, isn’t it the same as Lawrie Mac used with two wingbacks, we made it work then !

some of the best football I have seen

[Dusic]

7 minutes ago, Saints foreva said:

I know we'll sign a striker (and we have to get that signing spot on or we're fucked) but we desperately need another attacking midfielder through the door as well, Moi isn't good enough for the Premier League. 

Exactly this. No way we should be offering Elyounoussi a new contract.

Aribo looks like a good technical player but not dyanmic in the final third.

We need a clinical striker and a player who is a threat to the opposition when he gets the ball in the final third. Signings that come in and are first choice straight away.

If we get those additions wrong we will struggle massively.

Personally I hate the 3 CBs because we don't have the quality in attack to make it work and there is too much distance between the attackers all the time and none are individually good enough to hurt anyone.

Aside from the obvious point of why play 3 CBs instead of 2 when it means picking at least one who isn't good enough.

Edited 18 July, 2022 by Dusic

[spyinthesky]

As mentioned by other posters we look OK at the back but toothless up front.

Bella Kotcher looked good and Lavia really decent.

Not sure whether if Stu Armstrong is suited to to the left side of midfield.

Aribo yet to make much of an impression on me.

Unfortunately Elyonoussi, Djenepo and Adam Armstrong plus Diallo and Valery are very much average players in my mind and Che Evans too much reliant on his right foot.

Not much to get me excited about the coming season.

 

 

 

Edited 18 July, 2022 by spyinthesky

[Saint Fan CaM]

We need to strengthen the left side attack…with options open to us being Djenepo and Redmond that side is weak in attack and to a lesser extent defence. As has been said often, we need at least one new striker who will be able to claim a start, as our current options will relegate us through lack of goals. I’m also concerned to see the same lack of intensity in attacking moves - the coaching has not improved in that regard yet.

[Lighthouse]

3 minutes ago, verlaine1979 said:

Why are we, a club with only one demonstrably good CB, currently preparing for the season by playing a back five?

Because it’s a preseason friendly and we want to examine how our new team performs in a variety of different formations, and which ones best suit individual players.

[Turkish]

12 minutes ago, The Kraken said:

I’m not sold on Aribo yet, but he looks like the type of player who might be better in a quicker, tighter, more intense game. These two games have certainly not been that so it’s tough to tell. 

Thought he linked up well with Walker Peters and looked to have something about him. Early days, but him and Stuar Armstrong as the two attacking midfielders look decent. Or one of them if we go with a 3 man midfield. 

Lavia looks potentially real quality and I liked he look of Kotchop although he didn’t really have much to do, got a bit of power in the side now which we’ve been lacking would like the see a striker like Broja come in as well

[MarkSFC]

It's far too early to be forensically critical of the performance and system but what these two games have clearly shown is that we have 2 groups of players. Those good enough, and those not good enough. 

Aribo looked better today and having seen a little of him at Rangers I think he's a good addition. Lavia certainly has plenty about him and looks very confident; he will be a regular. Bella-Kotchap hasn't really shown anything but nor has he had a real chance to.

As we've known for ages, we are short of some real attacking quality, so until we get 2 or hopefully 3 of those we can't really tell how things will be. And these signings need to happen soon!!

[Saint Garrett]

Sounds like we probably need to buy 3 attacking players…that’s not going to happen…concerning.