Pre-Season Games - Portugal

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Im happy with the squad but in the back of my mind i still think theres something missing

For me it's having mostly the same defence who shipped too many goals last season and the same forward line that didn't score enough.

On the contrary, I think our weakness last season was in midfield, which struggled to create, and got overran too easy. It put the defence under a lot of pressure by doing little to break down attacks, and made our forwards struggle to get any chances.

[littlejohnnyoster]

Im happy with the squad but in the back of my mind i still think theres something missing

For me it's having mostly the same defence who shipped too many goals last season and the same forward line that didn't score enough.

On the contrary, I think our weakness last season was in midfield, which struggled to create, and got overran too easy. It put the defence under a lot of pressure by doing little to break down attacks, and made our forwards struggle to get any chances.

Sort of agree but weakness in midfield was down to Brian's master plan of playing creative midfielders as disruptive, annoying, anti-football, play-breaker-uppers, rather than footballers.

[sandman]

God forbid that a professional player would be expected to adapt his game and make it work in a different team.

[Ian Royal]

Just watched the highlights from the game. ALF was popping up all over the place. Obita, Drenthe, McCleary and McAnuff all causing problems. Guthrie bringing it forward from the back, all the midfielders playing good positive passes forward to create chances. We could have had a penalty, had one ruled out offside and had plenty of other chances.

Saying that though, some cautionary points and negatives. Their defence and keeping looked pretty terrible, so I'm not sure how much of our threat was down to that. Gorkss looked pretty ropey at the back and was weak for their goal + one of the chances they should have scored. Federici parried the ball for their goal right at one of the oppopsition players in the middle of the danger area, poor keeping (but made a couple of decent saves). Pogrebnyak seemed a bit of an empty shirt.

Only short highlights though. And clear positives to take.

[Ian Royal]

God forbid that a professional player would be expected to adapt his game and make it work in a different team.

Want a player for a certain job? Buy a player who's good at that job, not someone who's good at a different job and doesn't want to do it.

[West Stand Man]

God forbid that a professional player would be expected to adapt his game and make it work in a different team.

Your management style is interesting to say the very least.

"Adapt and survive! I don't care what your best game is, I want you to play like this. You are a pro, learn to live with it. "

Have you ever considered that it might just be a touch better to play to people's strengths rather than their weaknesses?

[West Stand Man]

Agree

But if he goes we will def need to replace him with a decent stricker


A top rate typo. A stricker, is that a German who does knitting?

[winchester_royal]

Some very nicely worked goals last night, will be interesting to see if we can keep that kind of shape and process to our play under competitive pressure.

Interestingly Gooding's pick of last night was Blackman, and seems to be adjusting quite nicely to the 'hole' position.

[Ian Royal]

Some very nicely worked goals last night, will be interesting to see if we can keep that kind of shape and process to our play under competitive pressure.

Interestingly Gooding's pick of last night was Blackman, and seems to be adjusting quite nicely to the 'hole' position.

Don't like him much, but in fairness he picked out a couple of quality passes from the highlights I think.

[sandman]

A great player will adapt automatically without even being told to. A good player should be willing to do the work to then try to put his mark on the game once he gets on the ball and an average player who thinks far too highly of himself, i.e. the player in question, will bitch, moan and refuse to play.

You sound like a bunch of Dads on a Sunday morning screaming abuse at your kids coach because your boy "dun't play like that".

[DaveBanana]

Watching the highlights now and they certainly don't cover Gorkss in glory, Team looks good on the whole though

[Judge Drenthe]

Good passing and moving, good through balls. All in all very happy with how much we've changed from under McBirdmott. Disappointing that Gorkss looked a liability, but hopefully Adkins can see that and shifts him to 4th place; and Pogrebnyak looks completely uninterested.

and lol

[SPARTA]

http://instagram.com/p/b_eR2hqDrP/

[sandman]

Wonder if Andres Iniesta moans at Del Bosque for playing him on the left wing for Spain as opposed to the more central position he plays in for his club.

And no, I'm not comparing the two players for the pedants among you. Just using a famous example of player asked to play in a different role by his manager.

[Ian Royal]

Well we certainly don't look like the demoralised team we were four or five months ago, despite being relegated.

[Hoop Blah]

Wonder if Andres Iniesta moans at Del Bosque for playing him on the left wing for Spain as opposed to the more central position he plays in for his club.

And no, I'm not comparing the two players for the pedants among you. Just using a famous example of player asked to play in a different role by his manager.

The skills required to play in those two positions, and the freedom he gets to play in both mean he's still playing to his strengths and in a role he can impact a game and flourish in.

Asking a player to do something that isn't part of their game isn't the way to get the best out of them. They may continue to play it but what's the point if they're only performing at a fraction of their ability through your deployment of them?

Scholes is another example of a great player who was played out of position, in a way that didn't suit his game, and he ended up quitting international football because of it.

[BonBoh]

A stricker, is that a German who does knitting?

As a fluent German-speaker, I may be one of the few who really appreciate this...

[Silver Fox]

McBirdmott.

[melonhead]

agreed

[yappy]

Anyone know if the Olhanense highlights are available anywhere apart from Reading FC player?