Pre-Season Friendlies

[UK Redsox]

Gestede is ok in the Championship as proven at Blackburn where he was given the service by wingers who played to his strengths, as proven by his goal tally. We gave him no crosses of note today, as we had zero width. Great planning and tactics there....

there were a couple of decent crosses that Rudy got nowhere near

[Matt Collins]

It's a friendly and we shouldn't get too carried away. We could easily have been three up at half time if Hutton and ayew had made better choices, and that was with gestede impersonating a statue all game

Grealish and ayew are still a class above most players in this league, but they need guys around them to give us punch

The obvious problems were the same old ones though: mentality, losing goals in bursts, looking hopelessly vulnerable to a break, lack of invention and quality, and the midfield. Westwood has always struggled in a two and he and Gardner don't have a whole lot of energy between them

But we knew there was a hell of a lot to sort out. I never could see us hitting the ground running at the top of the table. There's just soooo much to sort out. But 2-3 really good signings and the right coaching will make the world of difference

Let's just give RDM some time and not get on his back if we're off to a slow start

[Matt C]

I agree 2-3 more signings in that side would make a big difference - we look desperately ponderous in the final third; more pace and power there would make all the difference.

[Matt Collins]

I thought Tshibola looked quite exciting but then my stream broke so I'm guessing he didn't for the final 20?

[oswald funkletrumpet]

It's a friendly and we shouldn't get too carried away. We could easily have been three up at half time if Hutton and ayew had made better choices, and that was with gestede impersonating a statue all game

Grealish and ayew are still a class above most players in this league, but they need guys around them to give us punch

The obvious problems were the same old ones though: mentality, losing goals in bursts, looking hopelessly vulnerable to a break, lack of invention and quality, and the midfield. Westwood has always struggled in a two and he and Gardner don't have a whole lot of energy between them

But we knew there was a hell of a lot to sort out. I never could see us hitting the ground running at the top of the table. There's just soooo much to sort out. But 2-3 really good signings and the right coaching will make the world of difference

Let's just give RDM some time and not get on his back if we're off to a slow start

i agree with the shitstorm that rdm has walked into and hopefully we will see at least a couple of new arrivals this week

august is a big month, two tough away games and two cup finals for rotherham and huddersfield

[oldhill_avfc]

Just walked through the door.  Still totally pissed off with them.  What was the single biggest reason for our abject humiliation last season ? It was defeatism. A losing mentality.  The opposition score and we throw in the towel.  We assemble in the centre circle, shoulders slumped, heads bowed, silent - just as though a coffin is being buried on the centre spot. No rolling up of sleeves, no encouraging each other, just spineless acceptance of inevitable defeat.  Today was the day I realised we should have got Nigel Pearson.  It costs nothing to roust a team.  Just bollock them until they start to play like men, not frigging eunuchs.

No - the biggest reason we were abject last season was the abysmal quality of players.

Yes, there's a role for motivation and leadership, but it can't make up for the lack of quality in this squad.

If we keep playing the same old players, in the same way, we'll get the same results - simple.

The midfield and creative players last year mustered up virtually nothing, and although the standard is obviously lower this year, it's not so low as to make them into world beaters. 

[Villafirst]

It was a friendly, let's not get so worked up until we play those first 3 games inc Luton next week and then we may have a better idea.

Did you not watch these same losers 'perform' last season? They're not good enough, plain and simple. 3 wins and 17 points from 38 matches??

[brian green]

Respect oldhill but the players last season played massively below their actual abilities.  Every man jack of them had played better for other sides or for better motivators.

[john e]

It was only a friendly, but it was only a friendly for Boro too, and they beat us at home 3 goals to 1
it doesn't bode well

I can't see us being anywhere near good enough to come up in the two automatic spots, best we can hope for in my opinion  is getting into the play offs and take our chances,
 but even if we manage that we will have to make big changes to stay up again in the prem

[adrenachrome]

Ghastly.

[Risso]

Respect oldhill but the players last season played massively below their actual abilities.  Every man jack of them had played better for other sides or for better motivators.

Not sure about that Brian.  Players like Westwood, Cissokho and Gestede have been dire since they arrived.

[Toronto Villa]

I know it's mostly pointless but I'm watching Bayern vs Inter in the International Cup. It's just gone 35 min and Bayern lead 4-0, the very good US player Julian Green with 3. The movement is simply magnificent and it is the most glaring thing for me about watching us in recent seasons. We are slow and get slower as we get closer to goal. The good and very good sides just pose so many problems by their running off the ball. We are really bad at that.

[KRS]

Football is a simple game, and the simple fact of the matter is that...we are shit because we have too many shit players. You can't polish a turd.

[Tony Erdington]

It's a friendly and we shouldn't get too carried away. We could easily have been three up at half time if Hutton and ayew had made better choices, and that was with gestede impersonating a statue all game

Grealish and ayew are still a class above most players in this league, but they need guys around them to give us punch

The obvious problems were the same old ones though: mentality, losing goals in bursts, looking hopelessly vulnerable to a break, lack of invention and quality, and the midfield. Westwood has always struggled in a two and he and Gardner don't have a whole lot of energy between them

But we knew there was a hell of a lot to sort out. I never could see us hitting the ground running at the top of the table. There's just soooo much to sort out. But 2-3 really good signings and the right coaching will make the world of difference

Let's just give RDM some time and not get on his back if we're off to a slow start

I agree with a lot of this,

we may have a load of midfielders, BUT leaders, "who??"

[brian green]

What I mean Riss is was Westwood as bad for Crewe as he is for us,  was Cissoko as bad for Liverpool, or Gestede for Blackburn, or Gueye for Lille, or Gestede for Blackburn, or Veretout for Nantes, or Ayew for L'Orient or Amavi for Nice or Hutton for Spurs?  They came to us and all their ability that attracted us to them failed to materialise.  It can't be coincidence that players play so much worse for us. The mess that we are is contagious. We take potentially good players and fail to develop them.