Newall is getting better every match, he is a right player. Give Kangaroo a break. He is building a relationship with the back 4, kept a clean sheet, and the long range shot he saved in the second half shouldn't have happened if the defence was cohesive. Jch was ok but after that initial impact to lift the team he was knackered. Which leads me to think he won't start Saturday but could cause problems as an impact sub, we need a striker and quick. Not a youngster from the premier league.
And I am glad we have no more home Tuesday nights for a bit. Motorway roadworks made my journey home of under 2 hrs to a 2hr 35min detour of Birmingham. So glad we didn't loose.
Bring on Qpr Saturday,
UTM
Respect to Exeter for the 0:0 prediction. I fear I am nowadays a glass-half-empty man. Dire stuff and only got a point because PNE set their stall out to be over cautious. A long hard season ahead and I expect gates to fall because there's really not much to enjoy. What Evans' plan is to progress this club escapes me entirely. He's a lower leagues manager full stop.
Respect to Exeter for the 0:0 prediction. I fear I am nowadays a glass-half-empty man. Dire stuff and only got a point because PNE set their stall out to be over cautious. A long hard season ahead and I expect gates to fall because there's really not much to enjoy. What Evans' plan is to progress this club escapes me entirely. He's a lower leagues manager full stop.
9000 on a tuesday night after a bad start ain't bad.
Respect to Exeter for the 0:0 prediction. I fear I am nowadays a glass-half-empty man. Dire stuff and only got a point because PNE set their stall out to be over cautious. A long hard season ahead and I expect gates to fall because there's really not much to enjoy. What Evans' plan is to progress this club escapes me entirely. He's a lower leagues manager full stop.
9000 on a tuesday night after a bad start ain't bad.
My first game last night, so hard to draw firm conclusions. However, playing that, we'll be relegated. Nothing there: no guile, pace, clear attacking plan and no real defensive stability if we have less than 10 behind the ball.
Positives? Both fullbacks look good, if still short of match sharpness. Newell looks a clever player, if a little too easily lost in the midfield congestion we saw last night. White has some dash. JCH has *something*. Halford dominated against not much opposition.
Worries? Collins drops off miles if anyone runs at him and Halford, if turned or run out looks panicked. Most teams will expose that, unless Smallwood can block the through balls. Maguire was a big disappointment: no real pace or trickery and not even the spite and graft I thought he offered. No clear route to goal, no craft to move the ball upfield, no pace to stretch the opposition, so long punts abounded. Again, most teams will be able to keep their shape against what we offered last night without trouble.
Big fear? No drive, no inner get up and go. It was well drilled, soulless, a phoned in sort of display. I couldn't see how that side would get something from a tight game by sheer force of will, which we've seen so often. It looked to me like we'd do our thing and if it works we'd be pleased but if it doesn't, there'd be shrug, not a snarl. I don't see us scoring too often after an opposition gets in front.
We're behind in terms of being a cohesive unit where we've been in the last few seasons, despite similar personnel changes. Pre-season hasn't worked as well this year as others. We need to improve hugely and quick, because this isn't the sort of team that looks like it will cope well with a scrap under the pressure of a low points total and league position.
DavidR Completely agree. Entertainment rating was nil, so very devoid of any cutting edge and struggling in midfield against what was a pretty average Preston side that will finish well below mid table.
That goalkeeper worries everytime he's called into action. Yes, he made the odd good save but his distribution and his inability to read the game coupled with his alarming indecision is destined to cost us more goals in future games. Back four looked pretty sound though for the most part but Collins is slow and against better more mobile forwards he will definitely struggle with his lack of pace.
Smallwood appears to be suffering from a lack of form/confidence, can't put my finger on it but is a shadow of the player he was last season. Frecklington is just struggling and lacks the impact he had alongside his mate Pringle.
Big plus is Newell, surely our best signing of the summer, he's improving too and should become a crowd favourite.
Can't help thinking that we've already played two of the teams that we might need to finish above if we are to stay up. Worryingly we've taken just a single point.
I think the big problem we have is the cohesive unit you talk about, it obviously aint there and I cant see that it ever will be there with the merry-go-round set up and the annual cull of players we've come to expect, all that in addition to the seemingly reluctance to place players into their most effective positions, where they themselves want to be and would flourish. It can only be destructive for morale which will obviously have a negative effect on the game. SE said he wanted 7 players we're almost double that, and while on paper some of the signings could do us a job, its my suspicion they may be now relieved they only signed for 1 term
I think Evans' approach is to get what he considers the best players available and then sift them into a team. Some won't be able to bear his style and they leave. Some won't fit and leave. Some don't turn out to fit and leave. It means you end up with too many players in some areas and not enough in the others (Wood for example is an incredible waste of a wage, yet we don't have anyone to replace Derbyshire if he egy
