https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/south-lower-open-20500-sold-wrexham

12 minutes ago, boogs said:

I fear I gave you too much credit by assuming you were pissed after a long away day last week. 

Turns out you must be what folk like to call a bed wetter. 

because I disagreed with the clique? Oh right

1 hour ago, ianofcleveleys said:

Front three, at least that front three today, didn't work. They are all too similar in their make up, weren't close enough to each other, none of them can hold the ball up, none of them can head it or get themselves into the six yard box and score a poachers goal. Every decent front line has a focal point, we effectively played with three false nines. 

Nothing much about that game, against a bang average outfit of a similar level to a Lincoln or Northampton, that said to me we'll have any different ways to win a football match than we had last season. 

If one of our 63 forwards is to go out the door for game time he needs replacing with a robust physical presence the others can play off. Fletcher is an old codger now but jogged on for quarter of an hour and made the game look easy. 

Schon looked decent, lad he was against was a handful but he largely did ok and was pretty handy going forward. 

Toal and Johnston both solid at back, Santos was ok stood up against the big lump of a no9 but the yard of pace he's lost was a concern when he had to cover some ground

Work in progress, still gelling things together, blah blah, and to be fair, should probably wait till 10 games to really pass judgement, but a bit of an uninspiring 90 minutes

Agree with all of that, good comments, just the bit on Schon I'm not sure about yet.  I so want him to be good!  Great attitude, love his positive body language, willingness to battle against bigger opponents.  But I'm reading he's played well in the 2 games, but struggling to see much evidence going forward.  No crosses of note unless I've missed them, not getting to the byline, no shots, maybe beat his man once?  A lot of passing back to Johnston, and unfortunately just not really being strong enough to look like a left back when we're defending.  I really want him to be the answer but so far is he much of an upgrade? 

Just now, VividDreamer said:

because I disagreed with the clique? Oh right

Ask around luv, been around a while but not a big poster on here. Far from in "the clique". 

I just know a poorly informed, panick stricken fookin whopper when I see one. 👍

7 minutes ago, VividDreamer said:

I’d say it was both rational and constructive. 

Your comments were just being a cunt. That’s ok but don’t pretend it wasn’t a cunty comment 

Just now, boogs said:

Ask around luv, been around a while but not a big poster on here. Far from in "the clique". 

I just know a poorly informed, panick stricken fookin whopper when I see one. 👍

This thread is about todays game, take your sweary words and hard man act elsewhere.

 

Moving on.. we are still going up 

 

2 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Did you join in?

Wrexham till I die 😁

2 minutes ago, Big E said:

Your comments were just being a cunt. That’s ok but don’t pretend it wasn’t a cunty comment 

You’re right, I apologise to all the sensible members on here.

3 hours ago, gonzo said:

Thought it was just a good game of footy me.

No way we could last with the intensity of the first half. They couldn't live us for that first half hour. Grab a goal there and we win 4-0.

They were always going to come back in to it and in all honestly we dealt with everything superbly. Santos was collosus. Johnstone brilliant but clearly ran out of steam.

Dion needs to score that one on one, we should've had 2 penalties and we had one cleared off the line.

There's a lot of good to take from today.

 

I'm not seeing the same game as you clearly.

I thought our intensity lasted 8 mins at the start and then we reverted to negative passing it around at the back, allowing Wrexham to get a foothold and suffocate the game. 

Second half we started badly, nearly conceding straight away, but had a 10 mins spell early on where we created 2 great chances for Charles without playing particularly well. After that all the half chances were for Wrexham (apart from Toal's open goal header miss) and we played terribly. Wrexham had a few opportunities to win it, but they're a poor team and couldn't really turn those opportunities into chances.

That's 2 points dropped against a poor side who will end up around 11th for me

Just now, VividDreamer said:

This thread is about todays game, take your sweary words and hard man act elsewhere.

 

Moving on.. we are still going up 

 

I'm also far from a hard man. Don't have a fight in me mate. 

Ask me to see you at the club shop at 2pm on a Saturday and I'm more likely to buy you a shirt 👍

5 minutes ago, boogs said:

I'm also far from a hard man. Don't have a fight in me mate. 

Ask me to see you at the club shop at 2pm on a Saturday and I'm more likely to buy you a shirt 👍

See you at 2 at the club shop.XL please 

3 hours ago, kent_white said:

Damp squib opening game for me. 

New personnel but nothing much looks to have changed since last season which is a worry. Slight tweak to the formation but the remainder looked identical. 

Wrexham were alright. Expected a bit more from them to be honest after all the hype. But I think they'll pick up points. Just because of Parky ball. 

Can't see either team bothering the automatic promotion spots based on that showing. 

Was impressed with Johnstone after a year out. Especially first half. 

A friend of mine who is relatively well connected at the club reckons Evatt has been given 10 games. And that both parties were ambivalent about what to do after Wembley. They've ended up agreeing to back Evatt but it's very much being viewed as shit or bust (which doesn't sound very Sharon like if I'm honest). Don't shoot the messenger - completely aware this could and probably is all bollocks. Just passing on what I was told. 

I have to agree with this. The formation tweak looks miniscule, and the general tactics look the same so it does look like we're just trying the same again.

I'm a bit frustrated tbh. I would have hoped Evatt had learned from last season that you have to mix it up in game, but he just isn't capable. He actually subbed 2 midfielders into the wide attacking roles in the exact same 343 when it was crying out for some midfield control and invention. Why is he unable to change tactics during a game when other managers can?

2 hours ago, ianofcleveleys said:

Front three, at least that front three today, didn't work. They are all too similar in their make up, weren't close enough to each other, none of them can hold the ball up, none of them can head it or get themselves into the six yard box and score a poachers goal. Every decent front line has a focal point, we effectively played with three false nines. 

Nothing much about that game, against a bang average outfit of a similar level to a Lincoln or Northampton, that said to me we'll have any different ways to win a football match than we had last season. 

If one of our 63 forwards is to go out the door for game time he needs replacing with a robust physical presence the others can play off. Fletcher is an old codger now but jogged on for quarter of an hour and made the game look easy. 

Schon looked decent, lad he was against was a handful but he largely did ok and was pretty handy going forward. 

Toal and Johnston both solid at back, Santos was ok stood up against the big lump of a no9 but the yard of pace he's lost was a concern when he had to cover some ground

Work in progress, still gelling things together, blah blah, and to be fair, should probably wait till 10 games to really pass judgement, but a bit of an uninspiring 90 minutes

That’s the rational thing to do. But I’m just very low on faith that Evatt will get us over the line. Not helped by it being a very difficult league.

Just not seen anything to make me think things will be any different this year. However , the lads need time to gel together & the new players will step up. See where we’re at after 10 games. 
 

I predict 6th. 

Did I mishear, or should there have been a minutes' silence?

2 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

That’s the rational thing to do. But I’m just very low on faith that Evatt will get us over the line. Not helped by it being a very difficult league.

Just not seen anything to make me think things will be any different this year. However , the lads need time to gel together & the new players will step up. See where we’re at after 10 games. 
 

I predict 6th. 

We're 2 games in ffs.

Just now, Cheese said:

Did I mishear, or should there have been a minutes' silence?

 

Yeah was meant to be silence but for some reason folk started clapping as the guy was reading out their appearances and stuff.

The horse had bolted and it just carried on.

4 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Yeah was meant to be silence but for some reason folk started clapping as the guy was reading out their appearances and stuff.

The horse had bolted and it just carried on.

Even the ref was clapping. And James McLean 😁

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

We had them on the rack bit style. Go a goal up and they'd have no choice but to commit. That would've opened the game up instead of good old fashioned Parky-Ball.

I'd love that to be the case, that if we go 1 up against a decent team, we turn it into a rout.  And yes we did beat Oxford 5-0 so that would support your theory, but that was a very strange game where they were shocking and we were outstanding and everything we hit went in.  My usual experience of these games is that if we're winning, we retreat and allow the opposition to dictate the play (Barnsley 2nd leg play off, Orient last week).  I'd love to have the problem, 1-0 H-T would have been great and hopefully we'd have kept the lead, but that was never a 4-0 game if we'd scored early (which we deserved to).

10 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

That’s the rational thing to do. But I’m just very low on faith that Evatt will get us over the line. Not helped by it being a very difficult league.

Just not seen anything to make me think things will be any different this year. However , the lads need time to gel together & the new players will step up. See where we’re at after 10 games. 
 

I predict 6th. 

Can’t argue with any of that apart from your prediction. Heart says second, head says third. Hope we are both wrong.👍

 

I watched the game from the LoV Suite for the first time, decent day out and I'd recommend it for a one off if anyone fancies making more of a day of it at the ground.

The football though, I thought, was turgid and dreadfully boring. Atmosphere for the first 20 was electric and then we absolutely sapped the energy out of the game with the same old plodding and  disjointed build up play. We have arguably the best attacking 3 in the league, but utilised them disappointingly little. 

I actually thought Sheehan was doing some very good work in the middle and trying to get things going, Johnston was excellent and Schon did a job against what looked a good RWB, but why we persisted down that side when McClean was looking like he was running in treacle on the other side I'll never know.

I must say though unfortunately I really do not see it with Thomason, I don't know what the official stats were but I know he gave the ball away at least 12 times that first half. He always looks busy but the amount he slows us down or ends promising attacks is worrying. Matete has to start for him if we're persisting with the 2 in midfield, because Thomason isn't good enough on the ball to run a game with Sheehan.

George Johnston comfortably man of the match for me, the step up between him and the next option is chasmic, he needs to play as often as he's able.

Blimey.  I thought Thommo was twice the player Sheehan was today.  Agree on George Johnston though. Great to see him back.

Edited August 18, 20241 yr by Duck Egg

18 minutes ago, Cheese said:

Did I mishear, or should there have been a minutes' silence?

We're 2 games in ffs.

Yep. They got it wrong with the introduction. Should have started with an announcement of the minutes silence instead of half way through when people had already started applauding. Difficult for them though as we aren’t now used to the minutes silence. 

1 minute ago, Duck Egg said:

Blimey.  I thought Thommo was twice the player Sheehan was today.  Agree on George Johnston though. Great to see him back.

Second that. Thought Thomason won everything he went for today and was always looking to play it forward and get at them. 

2 minutes ago, boogs said:

Second that. Thought Thomason won everything he went for today and was always looking to play it forward and get at them. 

I'm baffled. He wins it back well, but when asked to play more than a 4 yard pass it all goes wrong.

Industrious is about as much as I can ever credit him with, he's just not a very good footballer.

It's very early and just 2 games in so we'll know more clearly about the formation and how effective it is.

I was high in the west upper and could see the game from a good vantage point. 

I personally feel that there wasn't much wrong in the formation at all. We did control the game and our play led to countless opportunities to move the ball in good positions.

It was quite infuriating as I lost count on the amount of occasions where we were just a good touch or pass away from a near certain goal opportunity.

Our final pass killed us today, which is as frustrating as that is, I feel that if we tune ourselves up a bit, it could all come good.

Only time will tell...

23 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

That’s the rational thing to do. But I’m just very low on faith that Evatt will get us over the line. Not helped by it being a very difficult league.

Just not seen anything to make me think things will be any different this year. However , the lads need time to gel together & the new players will step up. See where we’re at after 10 games. 
 

I predict 6th. 

Then see where we are after 15 games? 😀 We'll only know after 40 odd games, plus the play offs maybe, unless we're outside the top 10 towards Christmas or whatever.  Last year Derby were 5 points below us in 8th place after 13 games, Oxford were 2nd then and only just scraped into the play offs.  Its a very long season, we'll have to take the ups and downs because there'll be plenty of both.

For me when I saw the team I was like ok and excited. But worried about the width. It was quite simple we spent 90 minutes trying to play through a packed midfield. We have nothing going forward to worry teams out wide.