[steve_pilko]

5-0 Porter 3, Clegg and Preece.

Roll on Thursday........

[s4e]

I wouldn't mind getting hammered on Thursday just to bring us down to earth a bit. These pre-season games have been no preparation whatsoever for the Swansea game when we will be up against a side full of new signings and anxious to get off to a flier.

[steve_pilko]

Nonsense.

With the young squad Preece has had to work with the best thing for them is to keep winning. I can't believe all the whinging that has gone on about the friendlies. The worst thing that could have happened was for the youngsters to have played higher division opposition and got beat heavily. Their confidence would have been shot.

Swansea have lost to Aberdeen, beat Irish part-timers Coleraine and are playing in a tournament in Holland against some Dutch non-league teams. I'd take our preparation any day.

[DJAsh]

I bet the Swansea players are all trawling round the Dam, off their trees.

[s4e]

Nonsense.

With the young squad Preece has had to work with the best thing for them is to keep winning. I can't believe all the whinging that has gone on about the friendlies. The worst thing that could have happened was for the youngsters to have played higher division opposition and got beat heavily. Their confidence would have been shot.

Swansea have lost to Aberdeen, beat Irish part-timers Coleraine and are playing in a tournament in Holland against some Dutch non-league teams. I'd take our preparation any day.

I think the starting XI against Swansea will be largely made up of players with a fair amount of first team experience. Porter, Whaley and Kennedy may be in the 16 but it will not be filled with youngsters as you seem to suggest. The pre-season schedule should have contained at least one game against full strength football league opposition. If we lose at Swansea will anyone give a toss about beating Oldham's kids 5-0? No is the answer.

[steve_pilko]

I think the starting XI against Swansea will be largely made up of players with a fair amount of first team experience. Porter, Whaley and Kennedy may be in the 16 but it will not be filled with youngsters as you seem to suggest. The pre-season schedule should have contained at least one game against full strength football league opposition. If we lose at Swansea will anyone give a toss about beating Oldham's kids 5-0? No is the answer.

I never made any claims about the starting 11 for Swansea. Hopefully the team will be built around experience. But there is no doubt that the youngsters will have to be used at some point in the season. Therefore they have to be looked at in pre-season without having their confidence destroyed in a meaningless defeat against a Bolton or Man City first team. Gettin beat off Man City last year did us loads of good at the start of the season didn't it? NOT.

And if we beat Swansea no-one will care that we didn't play a friendly against football league opposition. No is the answer.

[Leyland Titan]

I think I agree - in general, winning lots of football matches and not conceding goals is a good thing. We'll find a level. Roll on Thursday, and a stern test in Eastwood

[s4e]

[quote=shakers4eva] I think the starting XI against Swansea will be largely made up of players with a fair amount of first team experience. Porter, Whaley and Kennedy may be in the 16 but it will not be filled with youngsters as you seem to suggest. The pre-season schedule should have contained at least one game against full strength football league opposition. If we lose at Swansea will anyone give a toss about beating Oldham's kids 5-0? No is the answer.

I never made any claims about the starting 11 for Swansea. Hopefully the team will be built around experience. But there is no doubt that the youngsters will have to be used at some point in the season. Therefore they have to be looked at in pre-season without having their confidence destroyed in a meaningless defeat against a Bolton or Man City first team. Gettin beat off Man City last year did us loads of good at the start of the season didn't it? NOT.

Why would we have suffered a meaningless defeat if we had played a stronger Man City side? Mansfield and Lincoln didn't. And I'm sure when the Oldham game was arranged we didn't know they would play a fund-raising friendly 24 hours before and send a team of kids and triallists to play us. AP would have learned more about his players in a tightly fought game against Oldham's first team than he did last night. We'll see come 9th August.

[craig]

Is it good to win 5 games on the spin, conceding no goals along the way? Of course.

Is it good to win those games against teams made up of reserves and kids? Well, a win's a win. You can only beat what's put in front of you.

Having said that, it would have been nice to see the team measured against sterner opposition, to gauge exactly how well things are going. Towards the end of last night's game, the Oldham defence was shambolic. They literally fell apart. Would that have happened against quality opponents? Probably not.

All in all, we played very well as a unit last night. Lots of positives to take from the game, Tom Kennedy, Chris Porter, Ian Joy. The passing game was good, the cohesion of the team was excellent.

Judgment, however, must be reserved until Swansea. Pre-season friendlies never give a true indication of the league campaign ahead, but the fact that we are unbeaten will give the lads bags of confidence, if nothing else.

[Alan B]

Will Preece have the bottle to put Kennedy at full back for the Swansea game?This lad looks like a good prospect and if he is half as good as his dad he will be fine.A centre half is required as we know.Wouldn't start with Woodthorpe in a back 4-his lack of mobility will be exposed.Nice to see the ball passed around last night-the pitch allows it at this time of year Preece will claim.

[Stevo]

I hope he does play Kennedy. He's been played in all the pre-season games and to then leave him out for the league games would be a real blow to his confidence.

From what I've seen of him, he'll do fine.

Agree that we still do need a centre half though.

What will probably happen is that we'll get a centre half and then Woodthorpe will get moved to left back!

I'd like the starting line-up to be:

Garner

Barrass Swailes Unsworth Kennedy

Whaley Duxbury Connell Clegg

Porter Seddon

Subs: Woodthorpe, Nugent, O'Neill, O'Shaughnessy, Gunby


With Unsworth to drop to the bench at the expense of Woodthorpe if we manage to secure a suitable centre half.

[steve_pilko]

I hope he does play Kennedy. He's been played in all the pre-season games and to then leave him out for the league games would be a real blow to his confidence.

Garner

Barrass Swailes Unsworth Kennedy

Whaley Duxbury Connell Clegg

Porter Seddon

Subs: Woodthorpe, Nugent, O'Neill, O'Shaughnessy, Gunby


With Unsworth to drop to the bench at the expense of Woodthorpe if we manage to secure a suitable centre half.

I agree about Kennedy but it would be a big mistake to put Swailes in instead of Woody. Even if you forget about his relative inexperience his reading of the game is appalling and he gets himself constantly out of position. He might have slightly (and only slightly) more mobility than Woody but at least Woody starts off from the right position. Keep the defence as it is for now.

[s4e]

[quote=Stevo]

I agree about Kennedy but it would be a big mistake to put Swailes in instead of Woody. Even if you forget about his relative inexperience his reading of the game is appalling and he gets himself constantly out of position. He might have slightly (and only slightly) more mobility than Woody but at least Woody starts off from the right position. Keep the defence as it is for now.

Swailes is far from perfect but he's the only player we've got who can head a ball. He should play for that reason alone although really I think we need two central defenders to replace Nelson and Redmond.

Interesting post match comments from AP regarding standard of opposition we've played so far and how we need to step up three or four levels before the Swansea game.

[blackpudding]

Swailes is far from perfect but he's the only player we've got who can head a ball. He should play for that reason alone although really I think we need two central defenders to replace Nelson and Redmond.

we've lost nelson, fair enough, but can't we get redmond back for the season? he hasn't retired or signed for somebody else yet has he? (or have i missed something?)

[Ulstershaker]

Redders has signed for Burscough FC

[blackpudding]

ah well, good on him. hope he enjoys it. i see he'll be teaming up with ian bishop. maybe redders will play like he's 21 again! ( did he hit the balls higher into the air then? :D )