Pre season observations to date including v PNE

[George Dawes]

didn't go last night.

but to be fair Oliver so far this pre season we've played against top sides(apart from Lancaster), he looks like he's the makings of a good target man at L2 level, I felt he's won most his arial battles so far, and was unlucky not to win a lot of free kicks against PNE but for poor refereeing, I just just felt our midfield has struggled to support him, but again, we've been playing superior opposition.

I think on Saturday against Rochdale we'll see more of Oliver, the way he struts about on the pitch reminded me of Rene Howe, and if he's anything like him and his ability he'll do for me!

[Christies Child]

As I've been reminded by my 'minder' it's only pre season and a lot can happen between now and the start in just over a week.

I didn't go last night but at least it wasn't the 7-0 thrashing of last close season v Halifax.

Wonder if Brian McLean has found the travelling from Scotland too much hence his non show again....
Great pity (in my opinion) if he's not joining us as he had the experience we need at the back alongside the other trialist who we all know the name of but shall remain anonymous for now....

[shrimper]

didn't go last night.

but to be fair Oliver so far this pre season we've played against top sides(apart from Lancaster), he looks like he's the makings of a good target man at L2 level, I felt he's won most his arial battles so far, and was unlucky not to win a lot of free kicks against PNE but for poor refereeing, I just just felt our midfield has struggled to support him, but again, we've been playing superior opposition.

I think on Saturday against Rochdale we'll see more of Oliver, the way he struts about on the pitch reminded me of Rene Howe, and if he's anything like him and his ability he'll do for me!

Yep. Hope he does well, he certainly has the attributes, as I say, and 'could' be very good.

[RapidShrimp]

As I've been reminded by my 'minder' it's only pre season and a lot can happen between now and the start in just over a week.

I didn't go last night but at least it wasn't the 7-0 thrashing of last close season v Halifax.

Wonder if Brian McLean has found the travelling from Scotland too much hence his non show again....
Great pity (in my opinion) if he's not joining us as he had the experience we need at the back alongside the other trialist who we all know the name of but shall remain anonymous for now....

Or he may have been scouted and be on trial at another, perhaps non-league, for a better wage?!

[John L]

As I've been reminded by my 'minder' it's only pre season and a lot can happen between now and the start in just over a week.

I didn't go last night but at least it wasn't the 7-0 thrashing of last close season v Halifax.

Wonder if Brian McLean has found the travelling from Scotland too much hence his non show again....
Great pity (in my opinion) if he's not joining us as he had the experience we need at the back alongside the other trialist who we all know the name of but shall remain anonymous for now....

Or he may have been scouted and be on trial at another, perhaps non-league, for a better wage?!

Hopefully not as a result of beans spilled on here...

[George Dawes]

We also definitely need another forward.

Oliver could be very good, he certainly has all the attributes, and may have been playing within himself in pre-season, especially having had a slight injury. But I wouldn’t like to think he was who we are relying on for goals – he may not come off at all.
Turner has looked a bit better, if anything, and may get a few this season – but he's a bit of a wild-card positionally and doesn’t strike me as a regular starter and scorer. Campbell is very neat and tidy and could create openings but, again, doesn’t look to have the natural scoring touch.
Kev will always chip in with a few and has looked the same as ever in pre-season. Deakin and Thommo may contribute but, again, I can’t see either of those starting and scoring regularly.
We have a lot of goals to replace, having lost Mullin, Barkhuizen, Stockton and Molyneux from our list of top scorers from last season – and there were only four teams who scored fewer than us.

Interesting last week-and-a-bit of pre-season ahead!

i dont know

feel Jim will play 1 upfront, he's 2 Target Men now to choose from with Oliver and Reece Deekin, both well over 6ft, for winning arial battles.

Turner and Campbell(both pacy) for me can play as wing forwards potentially in a 4 3 3 or out wide in a 4 2 3 1, like what Jim played a lot before.

plus we've Ellison isn't that bad in the air to do a job as a Target man plus we've Thompson, it's going to be interesting to see the starting 11 for the opening game.

oh and yeah re Center back's hope we can get at least one more before the transfer deadline.

[Lloydie]

I hope we don't play last night's 5-2-3 formation again, 5-3-2 might work if we can sign 2 good centre backs though. Hope the player's 1st touch improves before the real stuff starts, still look a little rusty/poor quality last night.

I also have a slight concern wether Oliver, Campbell, Ellison, Thompson and Turner combined will score enough goals for us but hope to be proved wrong.

[seasonsinthesun]

Agreed Lloydie.
We can't win games without scoring goals and until the centre backs issue is sorted and even afterwards we know how we can concede regularly at the back.
I need to be convinced but the season hasn't started yet, so it is important not to judge too soon.
In Jim we must trust.

[shrimper]

We need two more centre backs before the season starts (ie more than we've seen in pre-season so far).

We also definitely need another forward.

Interesting last week-and-a-bit of pre-season ahead!

One down... two to go..

[Christies Child]

Ideally someone who is looking to progress with his career and is regarded by many as a good prospect but hasn't had the best of luck in previous seasons.....

[parceldave]

We need two more centre backs before the season starts (ie more than we've seen in pre-season so far).

We also definitely need another forward.

Interesting last week-and-a-bit of pre-season ahead!

One down... two to go..

One to fill the No16 shirt and a goal grabber would do nicely pls.

[George Dawes]

wonder who's going to be taking free kicks? didn't really have a specialist last season.

it's just we've got a lot of players over 6ft now and need to be using that to our advantage at set pieces.

come to think of it not really had anyone susscefull since Craig Stanley back in the days of picking out Artell and Bentley?

[Christies Child]

wonder who's going to be taking free kicks? didn't really have a specialist last season.

it's just we've got a lot of players over 6ft now and need to be using that to our advantage at set pieces.

come to think of it not really had anyone susscefull since Craig Stanley back in the days of picking out Artell and Bentley?

I thought MIchael Rose wasn't too bad, but not the specialist that we once had with Stanners or a certain Stephen Done going way back before many of our current younger fans were even born...

[George Dawes]

Aye forgot about Rose and his left foot, plus Wildig who's a good passer and right footed could probably pick people out taking corners.