Pre-season 25-26

[Lycan]

Not both, no.

Ever since West Ham at home. Every restart.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

Ever since West Ham at home. Every restart.

So twice a game and after every goal.

 

[Lycan]

So twice a game and after every goal.

Oh yeah I forgot that's the only time the ball goes out of play in a football game

 

[prawnking]

Lack of energy - Probably fair. I mean it was a boring pre season friendly played at half pace.

Fitness levels - I mean this is how we improve fitness levels right, during pre season? Everyone does double training sessions, everyone gets minutes on the pitch so that they can cope with the intensity of the season. Isn't them being tired at this stage the whole point?

No style of play - When people say this I genuinely don't have any idea what they mean. The 'style' is exactly the same as it was last season under Pereira. All our issues are personnel based, not tactical.

So partly fair, partly just people who don't know what they're talking about.

Personally while I didn't exactly enjoy the game yesterday I'm certainly not seeing the alarm bells other people are, especially considering Celta are a Europa League team. There's no indication from anyone connected with the club that we're not going to make the signings we need, it's just a matter of when those players come in and whether they're of the quality required to make a difference. I've been impressed with the signings we have made, if everyone else we sign is just as good then I'll be happy and confident that we can have a good season.

The only thing that changed in my mind yesterday was that I've been saying since Wolfe came in that we need 3 or 4 signings. I now definitely think we need 4. Toti has 100+ Premier League games under his belt now and I'm happy with him as an option this season but he's far too inconsistent to be the only naturally left footed centre half at the club. We need genuine competition (hopefully improvement) there.

Still some mixed reviews but I was just getting concerned that, on top of our recruitment issues, VP and his team were not having the best of pre-seasons either

 

[Banjo]

This isn’t a “I told you so” post, but it’s sort of what a few of us have been saying for months. Others chose to give them the benefit of the doubt (or stick their head in the sand out of blind faith) and that’s their prerogative - but here we are, a week away from Man City and our squad is fucking laughable.

How could it be an "I told you so" post when 95% of us agree with you (just don't particularly enjoy reading the same complaints multiple times per day).

I'm not sure who has had the head buried in the sand. Could you give examples? It genuinely feels like you're arguing with people who aren't actually there. The only person who doesn't agree with your general assessment is Squeak, and I'm pretty sure he's on a wind up anyway.

 

[sycophantia]

Couldn't watch the game yesterday as I was out at a kid's festival standing in line for a meet and greet with Mr fucking Blobby, but seen quite a few comments online regarding lack of energy, no real style of play and even criticism of fitness levels...is any of that fair?

Lycan has it pretty much.
We did look slow out the traps first half, Celta were much more 'on it', had a lot more energy.
Tbf start of the second half we were on top and were looking much better, a lot more intensity till the brain fart when we conceded a really sloppy goal, followed by both teams making multiple changes which doesn't tell us anything.
For what it's worth I think the back 3 will be OK and cut out 5 the couple of sloppy bits when it matters.
Gomes and Andre will be fine.
It's up front that's got me spooked, we looked toothless for a lot of the game.
There's a lot of hope on Arias.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I think Lopez looked good for 20 mins in the 2nd half before being subbed, in a normal game he'd have drawn more bookings. He's tricky without being quick and makes good decisions.

Bueno was rinsed more than a couple of times, but did put in some good crosses, he is so poor defensively though!

Agba is the concern for me, hopefully it's just concentration as it's friendlies, but he's had a poor pre season in my view.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I'd play Rodrigo over Hoever against City, 100%.

 

[Loki]

I'd play Rodrigo over Hoever against City, 100%.

I think I would considering Hoever's contribution yesterday. I think Mosquera did well when he came on.

 

[sycophantia]

I think Lopez looked good for 20 mins in the 2nd half before being subbed, in a normal game he'd have drawn more bookings. He's tricky without being quick and makes good decisions.

Bueno was rinsed more than a couple of times, but did put in some good crosses, he is so poor defensively though!

Agba is the concern for me, hopefully it's just concentration as it's friendlies, but he's had a poor pre season in my view.

Yeah I'd agree with most of that, I'm confident Agba will be OK, he got him self into trouble a couple of times but also got himself out of it too, Boly like....sort of.
Yeah Bueno actually looked OK initially going forward, after that his defending was scarey.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

We've seen 4 different captains over pre-season now with Sa, Doc, Toti and Gomes.

I wonder if VP is allowing them to "audition" for the part and will make a decision before the season, or if this rotation will continue into the season.

 

[Jinky]

How could it be an "I told you so" post when 95% of us agree with you (just don't particularly enjoy reading the same complaints multiple times per day).

I'm not sure who has had the head buried in the sand. Could you give examples? It genuinely feels like you're arguing with people who aren't actually there. The only person who doesn't agree with your general assessment is Squeak, and I'm pretty sure he's on a wind up anyway.

Plenty of people have said to wait until the window closes before being critical.

 

[Kenny]

Plenty of people have said to wait until the window closes before being critical.

Not so much wait to be critical but the end of the window is the true time to analyse it all.

We appear to be targeting players that are attracting much bigger clubs than we are. That's great if you get some over the line but the odds are against you from the off.

In a perfect world, Pubill is at RWB yesterday but the bastard wanted Atletico.

Having Hoever there is, will be kind and say, uninspiring and stinks of dreadful future planning. We were told Lima was the next in line but it's clear he is a year or so away at least.

In the now, fine to moan that we will play City with Hoever there and be concerned of what lies ahead but if at the end of the window we have got a properly good RWB* then it can make the delay worth it.
If at the end of window we are throwing shit bids at shit players, then we will all fill our boots and pile in on Jeff/Fosun/Tete etc


*RWB, midfielder, forward and LCB. Just used Hoever as the biggest example.

 

[HanDoJin]

I’d be angrier if the same thing wasn’t also happening at everyone else who finished in the bottom half. The market this summer is clearly very different than usual

 

[Banjo]

Plenty of people have said to wait until the window closes before being critical.

I can only speak for me, but that seems less like burying their head in the sand and more just deciding to park the rage until it's worth the energy.

Edit: I would add that accusing people of being apologists for the club or of burying their heads in the sand just because they don't post their rage on a daily (or more frequent) basis is pretty offensive. Given our transfer policy has been like it is for a number of years now, I just don't see the point of getting so worked up about it.

 

[Celtiña]

Y repeat many times about Fer Lopez.

He is great, made many damage, he have options to score, move good the ball, no loses, pass nice, and he assisted arias.

But he need play around other good players and Arias look similiar player of Fer Lopez (down many to midfield, and next he try find spaces on the rival defense.

Arias and Fer Lopez, need time to work on the movements (who down, who up), but that two need joao Gomes play more free to up, and that two RWB and LWB take good decisions because they are the most important part of the system.

Wolfe for me looks nice, im sure he made a great seasson.

But Hoever failed many in the moment to take decisions of pass/drible in last metters. Need that RWB to improve the team.

Too need one DMF AND CBR, and for me that two need good with the ball and specialized on long passes.

Wolves abuses all time of the short pases, and that only help defense return and cover easy, and if the rival are closed back, its hard score.

And next sign one player to play in full positions of atack (left, center, right)

But dont worry, Celta started the pre-season too soon, Celta are many time working this summer because play the Euro League.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

That photo that Celtina put up a couple of pages ago (sorry, I'm not on here all of the time) is a cracker! Haven't seen it before.
We have all 11 back in our third of the pitch, its about 3 or 4 seconds before that pass comes in and all of a sudden Doherty is wrong footed and the forward leans back and hooks the ball in from the position he's in now.
That pass put all 9 of our guys out of the game, and made Sa look silly and Doherty useless. The story of the game right there.
Worse as it was all played at 33rpms.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

That pass put all 9 of our guys out of the game, and made Sa look silly and Doherty useless. The story of the game right there.

Exactly what you expect from them at least a couple of times most games.

 

[Celtiña]

That photo that Celtina put up a couple of pages ago (sorry, I'm not on here all of the time) is a cracker! Haven't seen it before.
We have all 11 back in our third of the pitch, its about 3 or 4 seconds before that pass comes in and all of a sudden Doherty is wrong footed and the forward leans back and hooks the ball in from the position he's in now.
That pass put all 9 of our guys out of the game, and made Sa look silly and Doherty useless. The story of the game right there.
Worse as it was all played at 33rpms.

The problem of that, if you view the wolves player, all are on the wings, the two CM down and move to the wings zone.

And if you view the center zone, have two player of celta full free, and a big hole area to move ball alone.

 

[Sniffer]

Avoid the Rest is Football prediction episode. Lineker mentioned two signings that we haven’t even been linked with let alone made and Richards proved that what we all know that he just wings it 95% of the time. No Micah, JSL didn’t replace Cunha when he was suspended last season, he was playing every week when fit.