BFTG Swansea

[tlcs]

We were poor in defence & shot shy up front - nothing has changed other than the midfield
looks slightly better.
Yes, Swansea are a good team, but we drew 0-0 & 2-2 last season with them & we are
supposed to be improving under Adkins.
If we don't sign at least one quality striker, we are looking at bottom six not top six IMHO.
The Reading Way seems to be back after all.
It must be nearly 10 hours since Kebe scored against Sunderland.

Change your name to GET REAL !!!!! its only a friendly

[One8Seven1]

The acid test is Ipswich. Can people just calm themselves down for 5 minutes?

[blueroyals]

Guthrie class
Akpan class
Drenthe ok but decision making poor
ALF isolated

What the f*ck happened at our throw in before their second I don't know?

[sandman]

As it's our last 1st team friendly I would've hoped for a bit better display than that tbh. It's alright going on and on and dismissing it as "only a friendly" but it's about to get very real and we were lacking.

[NattMiles]

I know Jake Taylor was only on the pitch 7 minutes but based on his enthusiasm for the ball alone I would have liked to have seen him player longer

[winchester_royal]

As it's our last 1st team friendly I would've hoped for a bit better display than that tbh. It's alright going on and on and dismissing it as "only a friendly" but it's about to get very real and we were lacking.

It was disappointing in parts, but for a fair amount of the game we were going punch-for-punch with an excellent Swansea side that have invested wisely and significantly this summer.

It will have been exactly the kind of test Adkins will have wanted when arranging the game...next week will show how well thought out the pre-season arrangements actually were.

[blueroyals]

Also, to the absolute c*nt who ejected a man and his young son from a seat in-front of me because his ticket happened said "row XX seat XYZ" please learn what unreserved seating is then kindly f*ck off and die

[West Stand Man]

The acid test is Ipswich. Can people just calm themselves down for 5 minutes?

While I agree in principle, the real acid test is a 46 game season, not just Ipswich. We lost to Plymouth, at home, on the first day of the record season. It is,as they say, a marathon not a sprint.

[Sweet FA]

TBF there were a few moments today when I thought "If they can do that against *Insert C'ship team* then we'll kill them", and that has got me a little excited. Agree that it could have been much better, and at times it was a little disjointed, but this was a game against the current League Cup holders who have strengthened again over summer - we were never going to have long periods on the ball or cut through them with ease.

The main thing has to be that it was 90minutes, together, for pretty much all of what I imagine to start next Sat. Roll on the Tractor Boys!

[One Beer is never enough.]

Also, to the absolute c*nt who ejected a man and his young son from a seat in-front of me because his ticket happened said "row XX seat XYZ" please learn what unreserved seating is then kindly f*ck off and die

If that was near the centre line at the front of the East Stand, I actually decided to move because I couldnt be arsed to have daggers shot at me for the duration of the game. If it wasnt, then there were clearly a few f*ckwits who didnt understand what unreserved seating means.

Anyhoo, to the game. Thought Jem and Guthrie broke the play up well. Alf may well be wondering why he came onto the pitch for the service he got. Think Kelly may well be this seasons target for the Boo-Boys, he didnt seem to be able to look or play the ball forward. Swansea. look good, snappy, quick, and everything else I'd want us to be...

[TBM]

Whats with not making any subs (ok 2 but one was with only 5 mins left cos Karacan took a knock)

[Agent Balti]

At the time the loss seemed quite disappointing as we never really got going, service was poor to ALF and we didn't make use of space very well (unlike Swansea who were streets ahead.) But you learn more from a loss than a win, and we probably needed a kicking like this to ram home that we're in for a tough season if we play like that too often.

Don't get me wrong, there were plus points and we're not going be passed off park like Swansea did to us, but there's plenty to learn from that.

Still, Drenthe's got bags of quality, obviously. Kelly will have to get used to him going AWOL on occasion. Strangely, I noticed him doing a lot of the warm up by himself. Like none of the others really wanted him to join in. I could have been completely wrong on that, but that was my take on it.

Bridge was solid, can't say I noticed him do too much wrong.

Karacan was *sigh* Karacan. The midfielder UNLEASHED...uh...no. (Maybe that was more down to the oppo, mind you.)

Pearce...meh. Struggled with his tank-like turning circle against quick passing forwards.

ALF, anonymous, but equally had zero service.

Akpan looked nice and tidy. Seemed to adjust better to the Attacking Midfielder role than HRK did.

Guthrie looked very up for it, seems to be a changed man. Kudos.

Overall, some nice passing in parts but mostly in our own half. Lots to improve on...

(In other news, spotted Gorkss buying £187 worth of stuff from the Megastore...seemed a bit 'odd' that.)

[spinder]

Note for mr atkins - get the team practising throw ins and corners as well as passing!

[Agent Balti]

Note for mr atkins - get the team practising throw ins and corners as well as passing!

You say that like we've been good at them before...

[TBM]

Strangely, I noticed him doing a lot of the warm up by himself. Like none of the others really wanted him to join in. I could have been completely wrong on that, but that was my take on it.

Not really - they warmed up as a team and then he went and did shooting practice against the keepers with ALF, Guthrie, Jem and McAnuff

[Agent Balti]

Strangely, I noticed him doing a lot of the warm up by himself. Like none of the others really wanted him to join in. I could have been completely wrong on that, but that was my take on it.

Not really - they warmed up as a team and then he went and did shooting practice against the keepers with ALF, Guthrie, Jem and McAnuff

Before that...

[One8Seven1]

Whats with not making any subs (ok 2 but one was with only 5 mins left cos Karacan took a knock)

I assumed Adkins wanted to get 90 mins under as many players belts as possible. That was, in the main, the first team we will see against Ipswich I would have thought. (Maps, Gunter, McCleary to come in?)

[One8Seven1]

Strangely, I noticed him doing a lot of the warm up by himself. Like none of the others really wanted him to join in. I could have been completely wrong on that, but that was my take on it.

Not really - they warmed up as a team and then he went and did shooting practice against the keepers with ALF, Guthrie, Jem and McAnuff

Before that...

Yep. Was seen stood there looking over at Swansea, then doing some ball juggling on his own. The others subs warmed up as a unit.

[loyalroyal4life]

why do we have 2 centre backs on the bench, is that not a bit of a waste....

[sandman]

Whats with not making any subs (ok 2 but one was with only 5 mins left cos Karacan took a knock)

Presumably he has decided that is going to be his starting line up next week and wanted to give them as much time on the pitch together as possible.