MATCHWATCH : Preston North End (h) sponsored by opening game optimism

[Nameless]

Were you upset about it being the 3rd or that it was just 5 months in ?
And are you able to accept eyewitness testimony that we look in better shape after 1 game under Jaap then we did after half a season under Brian ?
I loved Brian but as things stand it does look like Jaap has the makings of being a good appointment.

[Ian Royal]

Were you upset about it being the 3rd or that it was just 5 months in ?
And are you able to accept eyewitness testimony that we look in better shape after 1 game under Jaap then we did after half a season under Brian ?
I loved Brian but as things stand it does look like Jaap has the makings of being a good appointment.

The combination of both.

One game is insufficiently large a sample size, and it depends on the eyewitness. I can think of posters on here I'd want independent verification if they said the sky was blue. You're pretty reliable as things go though, I reckon.

Agreed, doesn't mean he will be though, or that he'll be given time to turn out to be one.

Would you say that we failed to make the game safe by not taking enough of our chances in the first half, not creating anywhere near as much in the second and having several sticky moments where Preston could have equalised if they'd been better - despite us dominating and looking in better shape?

[Nameless]

In terms of the 3 managers would you not agree that Atkins had had his chance, was not their man and was not making much progress. Clarke got himself sacked, I'm not sure there was any option and he was possibly treated a bit leniently. Brian was unlucky but we don't know the full story. Tiger has specifically said they see Jaap as a long term project.

I'd say you can pick any game apart and find apparent reasons for results. We created more than they did, we scored more than they did. They might have scored but didn't, we might have scored quite a few more but didn't. For a first game of the season with new combinations everywhere, a late disruptive exit and a new manager we did pretty well.
I think we'll improve as players settle but we will find teams who punish our defensive errors. As long as we keep creating chances we'll score. If Kermogant had had the Rakells chance he'd have scored....

[Nuremberg Royal]

It's a great feeling at the weekend after what sounds like a good win and not without a little panache.
Hopefully we ( including the board) will all keep our feet on the ground and adhere to the Jaap Stam philosophy of steady progression.
We will surely see some reversals with a tough looking fixture list ahead in the short term and I think it will be how we react to see that will be the manager and this group of players.
Having lived in the Netherlands for over 15 years I can tell you that JS and his philosophy is well respected.

[Nuremberg Royal]

Forgive my terrible English but I did mean to say that " it will be how the manager and his group of players react to the inevitable reversals over the next few weeks and months that will be the test"

[Muskrat]

Not sure quite how to frame this response but here goes.

Likes:

Energy and commitment levels especially in that heat.
Swift can dribble and shoot well but needs to improve his first touch.
Harriott and especially Beerens looked like good aquisitions.
Van den Berg was a monster at CB!


Dislikes :

Constantly playing back and forth across the back four, waiting for an "opening" to present itself. Looks good on the possession stats but it's boring to watch and puts fans on edge. It wasn't even effective as Evans had to drop deep and pick up the ball all the time.

Mcshane standing on the right edge of the penalty area whilst we're playing that game. Left a mashoosive hole for the opposition to exploit. Stop it now.

If we're going to play this "patient " football then the movement off the ball needs to improve ten fold. Nobody seemed to know how to actually play the ball out of defence in any meaningful way. Once PNE changed formation and pressed us high up the pitch, the tactic turned to ratsh1t. Future opponents will have scouted us will know this from the start.

Always good to start with a win but it could easily have been a draw or defeat so not getting too excited although I think the Stam style may be better suited away from home and it wouldn't surprise me if we beat the Dingles next week.

[tmesis]

You just don't 'get' being a football fan do you Ian.......

You sound like you'd be much more comfortable following Barcelona or Real Madrid

God no. I'll get over it. I'd have been positive as you'd like if the owner's hadn't sacked their third manager in two years, five months into his tenure only a couple of months ago.

There's absolutely no way we'd be playing football like we did today under McDermott. Sacking him may have seemed harsh, but the club appears to have direction again for the first time in years.

Another positive was the enthusiasm of the players, really keen to make tackles etc, rather than not seeming to be bothered by drifting to another defeat. It did feel like they want to play for Stam, but they didn't want to play for McDermott.

[Nameless]

To be fair Brian couldn't get Steve Clarke's players to play for him, whereas Jaap has got players he signed to put the effort in.
Maybe if Brian had signed 8 players of his choice over the summer then he'd have got them playing.

But he's not here, and Jaap is so anyone brooding about how unfair life is really needs to put it behind them and accept it's a new season......

[72 bus]

Ian royals epitaph "It sounded like"

[WestRoyal]

We hold on... just. Sounds like thanks to Preston's utter mediocrity rather than our own skill. Should really have won that comfortably and had it put to bed in the first half.

oh bore off

Seconded

Third that