comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
First half team was much stronger but first choice might be something like:

Wildsmith
Oduroh Chester Cashin Roberts
Bird Thompson
Hourihane
Mendez-Laing McGoldrick Barkhuizen

We still don’t know if Knight and Bielik will be here. I think Davies might be used less this season but we will see.

Early on Allsop wasn’t great, and some on here crucified him. He came good with regular games and I hope the same is true of Wildsmith. He was shaky yesterday.

If that was the team then on the bench we might see Davies, Forsyth, Sibley, Glover, etc. I really hope we sign Collins. Without Bielik and Knight we would need more midfield cover and right back cover. Not far off though.
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I'd have expected Davies as the first name on the team sheet. He'd have to be team captain followed up by Chester possibly due to experience.

Highly unlikely but I do hope that Bielik shows some form of loyalty and shows us what we've missed for the duration of a full season.

Also along with all the squad announcements we've been hoping for over the past two weeks is anyone else hoping for a return of Darren Wassall to continue his great work ( along with Justin Walker ) in the Academy?

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 1 hour, 13 minutes ago
First half team was much stronger but first choice might be something like:

Wildsmith
Oduroh Chester Cashin Roberts
Bird Thompson
Hourihane
Mendez-Laing McGoldrick Barkhuizen

We still don’t know if Knight and Bielik will be here. I think Davies might be used less this season but we will see.

Early on Allsop wasn’t great, and some on here crucified him. He came good with regular games and I hope the same is true of Wildsmith. He was shaky yesterday.

If that was the team then on the bench we might see Davies, Forsyth, Sibley, Glover, etc. I really hope we sign Collins. Without Bielik and Knight we would need more midfield cover and right back cover. Not far off though.
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I think liam will go with the experience of Chester and Davies and Cashin on the bench.
I also think Fozzy will start and if fit, Bielek.

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 4 hours, 7 minutes ago
First half team was much stronger but first choice might be something like:

Wildsmith
Oduroh Chester Cashin Roberts
Bird Thompson
Hourihane
Mendez-Laing McGoldrick Barkhuizen

We still don’t know if Knight and Bielik will be here. I think Davies might be used less this season but we will see.

Early on Allsop wasn’t great, and some on here crucified him. He came good with regular games and I hope the same is true of Wildsmith. He was shaky yesterday.

If that was the team then on the bench we might see Davies, Forsyth, Sibley, Glover, etc. I really hope we sign Collins. Without Bielik and Knight we would need more midfield cover and right back cover. Not far off though.
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I went yesterday, I enjoyed the game, lots of promise in what I saw.
As regards Wildsmith, its early yet, I'm sure LR will want him settled ASAP. I don't think he flapped too much, even when Curtis passed straight to their striker.

comment by Igòr; for life, not glory & FECK TH... (U22200)
posted 3 hours, 48 minutes ago
Sorry to be pedantic but it’s Liam, Leroy is his dad.
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Whoops, maybe his dad is articulate too…

Interesting range of opinions. I would say it would be very harsh on Cashin to be left out of the starting line-up. He has been outstanding and will only get better and better. His distribution is also terrific. If Curtis has another full season in him I would be delighted. The same if we kept hold of Bielik and Knight. We are now linked with Dale Stephens who is a very good player in my opinion. What with him and McDonald it does seem as though we are preparing to lose midfielders before the season starts. Stephens would be a far better acquisition than McDonald for me.

I was thinking on the lines of starting with Davies and Foggy, but due to age related, sub after 60 min or so with Cashin and Roberts.
After all last season must have taken it's toll,
on the older players and Cashin, he did play a lot of games.

Can't drop him now he's got his own special chant.

A few thoughts from yesterday:

It seems as though Liam will have us playing much the same way as last season with the emphasis on playing out from the back. This did, at this admittedly very early stage, cause some hairy moments yesterday and a better team would have punished the resultant sloppiness. Wildsmith did OK but it was noticeable that the younger second-half defence eventually coped better probably because Foulks (?) rarely involved himself with this type of play.

McDonald looked poor and I agree that Stephens should be a better option and with Liam looking at these midfielders it must surely be because he expects at least one from Bielik and Knight to go. The "sore knee" of Bielik sounds a bit lame and the "protection" may well be with a view to not prejudicing a transfer.

It was great to keep a clean sheet even with a more or less U23 team in the second half. The lanky Polish lad did get in some good hold-up play but I still do not think he is ready for first-team football. Roberts looks a bit short for a CH but then so does Cashin and look how good he is! If Fozzie signs (as I assume he will) then I imagine he and Roberts will be our LB choices. The lad from Man City could (early days yet) be a RB but we certainly need another; also another goalie and I'm still hoping for a proper goal-scoring CF (but then who isn't!?)

PS Desi, I believe Wassall still heads up the Academy.

Foulkes didn't come on until about 15 minutes from the end. He was the sub goalie. Rooney played alongside Stearman at centre half. I thought Robinson did OK at right back but I don't think that's a realistic option once the season starts.

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 11 minutes ago
Can't drop him now he's got his own special chant.
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Heard that, Vidal, sounded good, as did "got the got club back", slowly getting things sorted.
High hope's even as early as this,

Didn't like the Birmingham chants, we should be better than that. I know a section of their fans sang it to us but I expect they were just stupid kids not proper fans.

Good behaviour usually comes with age, there are of course many times it doesn't, but I do try to curb my bad behaviour, or apologise profusely

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 2 hours, 29 minutes ago
Can't drop him now he's got his own special chant.
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Agree about Cash, Vidal, he's the future of the club hopefully.
Any clues about the chant ?

I took it to be the "when Derby County die crap.

Not that one, UT, Cash's special chant.

I took that to be Davies's

Eiran Cashin!
Eiran Cashin!
He hates Notts Forest, he hates Mel Morris
And he has an unusually large appendage

I paraphrased the final line for our more sensitive readers.

(And his duck's chuffing massive, or something like that I think)

I'm too old for this

I wish I hadnt asked

I'm definitely too old for this!

Liam saying such hugely encouraging words about the young Man City trialist that I'm really hoping we can get him.

Speaking as your crofting and wildlife correspondent I am hugely impressed with the punditry and level of insight that you all bring to this hallowed site. Keep it up!

Talking of which Heb, when are we going to get the next crofting/wildlife report?

How kind! Will sort something for the opening game. When you are all distracted