MATCHWATCH : Stevenage (h)

[Snowflake Royal]

One small tactical thing - I think fitness permitting, LR will either go Yiadom/Jacob or Dorsett/Abrefa as full back pairs.

We basically played 3 at the back with Jacob lw on Saturday. Yiadom as CB.

Abrefa a decent crosser where Dorsett is definitely a more defensive FB so that combo would work in a similar way

That's interesting insight. Thanks

[URZZZZ]

We've got a good first XI that should be capable of getting up the table. But there's a big drop in quality in some key places beyond that. Noticeable CB, and striker. And the AM and wings aren't firing to start with.

Pereira vs Stevens
Williams & O'Connor vs Stickland and Burns.
Marriott vs KelvinE and MOM
Etc etc.

Pereira
Abrefa/Yiadom, Williams, O'Connor, Dorsett/Jacob
Wing, Savage/Fraser
Ritchie, Doyle, Lane
Marriott .

Out of interest, don’t you think that forward line is way to lightweight to succeed at this (or any) level? Get eaten alive by most defences, no outball. There are u13 sides more physical than that front 4

I agree. The ball rarely sticks and that includes with Kelvin playing too. As a result, we struggle to build up patterns of play and we’re over reliant on individual moments of quality/opposition mistakes. We don’t seem to score just a simple “goal” enough - like the Northampton one!

It’s not about having a giant up there, Smith wasn’t but could hold his own

[Snowflake Royal]

We've got a good first XI that should be capable of getting up the table. But there's a big drop in quality in some key places beyond that. Noticeable CB, and striker. And the AM and wings aren't firing to start with.

Pereira vs Stevens
Williams & O'Connor vs Stickland and Burns.
Marriott vs KelvinE and MOM
Etc etc.

Pereira
Abrefa/Yiadom, Williams, O'Connor, Dorsett/Jacob
Wing, Savage/Fraser
Ritchie, Doyle, Lane
Marriott .

Out of interest, don’t you think that forward line is way to lightweight to succeed at this (or any) level? Get eaten alive by most defences, no outball. There are u13 sides more physical than that front 4

I agree. The ball rarely sticks and that includes with Kelvin playing too. As a result, we struggle to build up patterns of play and we’re over reliant on individual moments of quality/opposition mistakes. We don’t seem to score just a simple “goal” enough - like the Northampton one!

It’s not about having a giant up there, Smith wasn’t but could hold his own

I actually think Marriott has better hold up play than Smith. Less likely to win balls up to his head and chest, yeah, but better touch, better able to shield the ball, better able to lay it off to one of our players.

I'm not concerned by the size and strength. Yes, it's going to fail if we keep pumping balls up to the head and chest of Marriott, Kelvin, Kyerewaa, Ritchie, Lane et al. But firstly, we don't do that to the wide players anyway. And secondly, it shouldn't be our approach to feeding Kelvin or Marriott either.

The height of the wide players is only relevant to them getting on crosses at the far post. Not beating their man or getting in behind, not crossing or pulling the ball back.

Kyerewaa's issue isn’t anything to do with his size. It's his first touch and sometimes clumsiness in control and passing. Imo he's actually one of the better players for trying to take people on, turn his defender, or create space for himself with his first touch. He's just never quite as in control as he needs to be, which is why things tend to fizzle out for him.

[Hound]

Reality is though you need an out ball. We can’t always pass the ball in nicely to the feet of the front 3. Someone who can scrap and win a few balls, stop the defender dominating in the air etc. Goal kicks an obvious example

That long high ball out wide can be really effective - someone like Meite was great at bullying a full back and winning a throw, corner, flick on etc

I’d also argue that winger coming in to the back post area to meet a cross is very impt

Also physicality does help beat a player when taking them on. The issue isn’t so much none are 6ft+ (though that might help) it’s that they are not quick or strong either

Kelvin for his faults, and he isn’t a great target man, at least has some of the attributes - good turn of pace and that height - but he just doesn’t use it well enough yet

[Crowbar6753]

With our medical department getting busier by the week along with this insipid performance today i really don't fancy the gaffer on this one. Normally you would like to drop a few after such a performance, however, he really might not have much of a choice to choose from, so should be interesting.

Opportunity for a few of the U21 lads to stake a claim for the first team squad on a regular basis - thinking Spencer; Sackey; and Borgnis mostly.

Perhaps Osho could come back in to contention too now he’s able to start at that level again.

Howdy Clyde, indeed maybe we went a bit heavy on loanee's this Summer and sometimes you have to question their loyalty to the club and are they giving 100% every game? I do feel by having so many we have closed the pathway to some extent of our youngsters getting a chance for first team gametime which is sad as the academy is probably the main reason we are still alive as a club.

I like your call on Osho i really liked what i saw when he played and would benefit from a spell in the first team.

[Hound]

Certainly liked what I saw from Osho in preseason (obvs the caveat it was preseason). Pretty quick and pressed aggressively

Would like to see some more of him but we’re running out of cup opportunities now

[Crowbar6753]

Certainly liked what I saw from Osho in preseason (obvs the caveat it was preseason). Pretty quick and pressed aggressively

Would like to see some more of him but we’re running out of cup opportunities now

Howdy Hound, regarding Osho, from what i remember he wasn't shy to try and take on his defender which is something we are lacking whether it through ability or not having that confidence!! I think he would be a good squad player to come of the bench if things are not going our way or in need of a spark.

[Snowflake Royal]

Reality is though you need an out ball. We can’t always pass the ball in nicely to the feet of the front 3. Someone who can scrap and win a few balls, stop the defender dominating in the air etc. Goal kicks an obvious example

That long high ball out wide can be really effective - someone like Meite was great at bullying a full back and winning a throw, corner, flick on etc

I’d also argue that winger coming in to the back post area to meet a cross is very impt

Also physicality does help beat a player when taking them on. The issue isn’t so much none are 6ft+ (though that might help) it’s that they are not quick or strong either

Kelvin for his faults, and he isn’t a great target man, at least has some of the attributes - good turn of pace and that height - but he just doesn’t use it well enough yet

Not when all the crosses are overhit to the point they'd go over their head anyway even if they were 8 feet tall.

Maybe I'm being tricked by Kyerewaa's little legs going so quickly, but I do think he’s quite quick. Perhaps not over shorter distances.

I don’t think Lane is particularly slow or weak. I don’t think Ritchie is weak. Garcia isn’t slow.

[Clyde1998]

With our medical department getting busier by the week along with this insipid performance today i really don't fancy the gaffer on this one. Normally you would like to drop a few after such a performance, however, he really might not have much of a choice to choose from, so should be interesting.

Opportunity for a few of the U21 lads to stake a claim for the first team squad on a regular basis - thinking Spencer; Sackey; and Borgnis mostly.

Perhaps Osho could come back in to contention too now he’s able to start at that level again.

Howdy Clyde, indeed maybe we went a bit heavy on loanee's this Summer and sometimes you have to question their loyalty to the club and are they giving 100% every game? I do feel by having so many we have closed the pathway to some extent of our youngsters getting a chance for first team gametime which is sad as the academy is probably the main reason we are still alive as a club.

I like your call on Osho i really liked what i saw when he played and would benefit from a spell in the first team.

I think the biggest issue is none of the loanees have really added anything to the squad that a permanent signing or a youth product would've done.

I won't question their effort, as they all appear to be putting in effort on the pitch and I've got no idea what they're like in day-to-day training. They're certainly not going to run through a brick wall for the club though, in the same way a youth graduate might - the same could be said of players signed permanently by the club unless you manage to find that very rare character who'll do that anywhere.

Had we brought in four top level loanees, it would be less of an issue as to how many we've brought in. The problem at this level is you're only going to really get players who are just coming out of a Category One academy (O'Mahony; Doyle; Burns) or players deemed not good enough for Championship clubs (Jacob).

We've obviously got our own Category One academy, and although ours has been among the weakest in the league over the past few years, so I'd rather prioritise bringing our own players through. Perhaps there's been a determination the batch of young players we've got simply aren't going to make the grade, as we've sold a number and already brought through a lot of the better players in the past few seasons. We've seen with Garcia though, players can develop a lot simply by getting senior experience.

Another issue is of our signings, the loanees have been the youngest. That's the pool of players available, but it does mean the permanent signings we've made aren't going to be improving themselves (aside from perhaps Kyerewaa or Lane) as they're already at the age where they've likely peaked - Ritchie; Marriott; Williams are probably now going to be in decline (at least physically). We're not going to get the longer-term benefit of the development of these loanees.

Essentially with loan players, you need them to be good enough now - not have the potential to be good enough in one or two seasons. If O'Mahony; Doyle; and Burns were our young players coming through, they'd certainly be worth having in the squad as they'll improve with first team exposure. As they're not, it doesn't make sense to have them other than very temporarily plug some holes in the squad - like Doyle replacing Knibbs in the squad after a sale; Burns perhaps allowing Kanu to go out on loan himself; etc.

Jacob seems like someone we should be looking at replacing via a permanent signing in January or through promoting someone from the academy.

Osho has been injured, but he's certainly someone who looks like he has a positive future ahead of him - assuming he gets opportunities and has the right mentality. As you say, signing so many players may have closed off some of those need opportunities for these young players.

In some regards, I do wonder in what ways our restricted transfer situation has benefitted or hindered us - forcing us to bring through some young players we already had is one obvious benefit.

[Hound]

Certainly liked what I saw from Osho in preseason (obvs the caveat it was preseason). Pretty quick and pressed aggressively

Would like to see some more of him but we’re running out of cup opportunities now

Howdy Hound, regarding Osho, from what i remember he wasn't shy to try and take on his defender which is something we are lacking whether it through ability or not having that confidence!! I think he would be a good squad player to come of the bench if things are not going our way or in need of a spark.

Yeah I remember him and Ahmed were very impressive vs Spurs against good opposition. I was banging the drum for Osho start of the season but sadly he got that injury. I’m sure he’d have been involved in the cup games and maybe still a chance in the EFL trophy thing

Still he’s got the chance to impress Richardson now so maybe he’ll find a way in through all the other wingers we seem to have acquired this season