Cundy struggled so Duff made a strong decision to replace him st half time. Cole is not a number 9 and needs to play alongside a target man or not all. Kitching can defend but is not our creative midfield focal point. For Styles to think he is capable of playing at a higher level needs to show more than that. Cadden has not gelled with the rest of the team yet but will. Norwood will be a handful when fit. Aitchison should play behind the front 2 not be one of them. Benson is better than his performance today and needs to be quickly. Collins Williams Anderson Connell did OK Play Thomas wide not central. The team are not relegation bound. Plymouth are a strong league 1 team at hone.Tough away game on the first day of the season We need a couple more players. Kane can hopefully get fit and bring something to the team. Wolfe and Marsh will get stronger as the season goes on.
I thought Thomas did well when coming on. Id start him in the position against Cheltenham that he came on today
The not over reaction report and you finish with 'we will finish top 6'....... Just the same as people who think it's a season of struggle then.
If we finish top 6 then Plymouth will be champions. They have a very tricky left winger, a threatening forward, a good goalie who stood out. The rest were just better and better organised than us.
We were crap but it’s the first game of the season and hopefully within the next few weeks we employ a professional footballer as a centre forward rather then Cole who would be out of his depth in a paddling pool. So glass still half full
I’d say we are far nearer a bottom 8 team than a top 8 one but that could change depends how we recruit.
Obviously very early days but Benson got out run and Styles didn't track the run for the goal and the close season hasn't turned Kitchen into a ball playing centre half. Duff did right to hook Cundy he looked all over the place and we clearly lacked a focal point up front but to be fair the balls out from the back were terrible on the upside thought Williams had a decent game.
I liked Thomas a couple of seasons ago, I think he has lots to offer and should get a run in the side, he'll do well in L1.
Styles is a worry, too many more like that and no one will be interested, yet he appears to have decided he doesn't want to be here. I hope he doesn't keep his shirt because of performances from the season before last. Waste of a shirt.
One of the biggest loads of old tosh written on here is regarding the... young players will only or can only ever get better..mantra I'll give you Romal Palmer, Callum Brittian Callum Styles.. and Of course Victor. Who have ether regressed or at very best stood still in there Barnsley performances and that's just in the last two years.. If you go back over the years then there are countless young hopefuls who for one reason or another have played half a dozen first team games and then disappeared to be never seen again.. Now ether people sit facing the wrong way at games.. or think everyone else must.. Because it's clear to say that potential is by no way any indication of future performance or success. Truth is you never know and it is something that definitely cannot be counted on..
You never know if the young ones will progress but if they have spent a decent length of time coming through the academy and are now training with the first team and under a hopefully decent coach then there is a likelyhood that they will get better and make some impact at this level. Its not really tosh and look at Marsh goal in the champioonship last season and how Wolfe performed when he was thrown in to a poor championship team last season, then that does give room for a bit of hope.
I'm not going to pass comment until the transfer window has closed, then we'll know what we've got until the New Year. COYR
Not an over reaction report 2 Cheltenham Thomas, Benson probably their best performance in a reds shirt. In league 1 we do not get punished as often as there is a big difference between the quality of a champioship and league 1 strikers, this has been evident in both games up to now for us and our opponents. A good striker at this level wins football matches. Grest effort shown from Cole, Aitchison Marsh, Norwood, Kitching, Williams, Styles, Anderson, Connell and McCarthy. Collins is too good for league 1, i hope we can keep him. Styles did ok but still needs to show more quality to back up his move potential to a higher league. Slight concern over McCarthy, Kitching playing out skills, they make a few too many poor passes. Enjoyed the game, enjoyed watching the teams effort and difference in a coach who has a plan. 523 formation as yesterday needs to change to 532 against stronger opposotion, my view as i was worried at the start of a Benson Styles pairing they did really well though but maybe Cadden going off and Connell coming in to the middle and Styles moving to LWB may have helped keep a clean sheet.
I sit in the East Upper and from that position Thomas pushed a lot and was further upfield than a midfielder and the wing backs played deeper on the back line and broke forward when possible. I think it varies a lot throughout the game so we possibly both right.