Pre-Season 2024/25

Wasn’t there a trialist in the starting XI yesterday? Does anyone know who it was?

 

Keeper I believe not sure who it was

 

Agree with you.

There still seems to be too much "swapping x for y as y had lots of minutes last match". Never really heard those kinds of statements before. I just don't feel that the first eleven team have had enough time together in a match to be able to know each other's games. I can see lots of passes going astray and lack of link up play on Saturday unfortunately but I hope I'm wrong.

 

The starting 11 on Saturday was made up of 9 players that were here at the end of last season and only Baldwin and Byrne that weren't. If those 9 players haven't had enough time playing together then we really are screwed.

 

Very true. But fluidity these days does come from the back and they are still strangers, Baldwin came to training late and injured, Byrne has been in and out with minutes. But also scratching under the surface a bit, even the 9 that were still here were disjointed last season.

Walker and Pattison were the CM paring, they've been on the same field for 395 minutes in their career and none of those were as a CM pair. Same with Pattison trying to get the ball moving and having Pointon as the link between midfield and attack, Pattison and Pointon had played 35 minutes together previously. Cook and Smith took the field 35 times together last season and linked up for 4 goals, 2 of those against Liverpools U21s. Taking out the BSM trophy, they had 2 link ups in 33 appearances against Mens sides. It's a partnership that doesn't work at all but we keep trying it.

 

Good insight there.

Last season we ended up with a +2 goal difference, in last 5 seasons of the 15 automatically promoted teams only Bolton (with +9) had a goal difference below +20. For us to challenge for the top 3, we are going to need to improve on last season by around +20. So we do need to concede fewer goals and score more, it would make our lives a lot easier if we could concede significantly fewer than the 59 we did last year. I believe Sam Walker helps in that respect.

Getting that defence to be solid, getting rid of the feeling that we are a soft touch at set-pieces has to be the starting point this season and then building from there. It might not lead to the most exciting, expansive football, but getting a strong base with partnerships that understand each other is vital.

 

I agree with you and said similar a week ago but folk didn't agree and couldn't see it.

But that starting eleven isn't likely to be the starting eleven on saturday. GA has continually said to read nothing into the starting eleven during pre-season.

 

Or plenty of Guinness.

 

Agree NM. Bring back Jamie Lawrence.