| Last night's 'strong team' 10:52 - Aug 25 with 3189 views | Antti_Heinola |
Was interesting getting back last night and looking at the match thread and the old chestnut 'strong team' used for what is by any measure a weakened team. Not sure where this terminology started, but I think it's a strange one. Only 4 players who started last night were what you might term automatic first team picks (Dickie, Odubajo, Willock ('not good enough' according to some, only 6 months ago), and Chair). By the end, we were down to just 2 'first picks'.
So it was especially pleasing I think that the team played so well - I think I'm right in saying only Odubajo and Archer are over 24 or 25, and yet the team played with a real maturity. Dozzell did extremely well considering he was really the only traditional central midfielder in the side, Dunne continued to impress bar a couple of slips, Kakay was a joy as usual, and Willock and Chair were a cut above. Kelman was not a revelation, but his touch was good and if Dickie wasn't such a selfish goalscorer (winky emoji) might have scored himself. Looking forward to more of him.
All in all, really pleasing result from a weakened, young team. |  |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:01 - Aug 25 with 2678 views | toboboly |
Thought Dunne was immense. Also impressed with McCallum, like what I have seen at Cambridge and last night.
Archer is worse than Green at kicking so I would like to see them not muck around at the back quite as much, but that is a minor quibble, was a fun match to watch, both teams looked like they could score with each attack especially in the first half. |  |
| Sexy Asian dwarves wanted. |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:21 - Aug 25 with 2590 views | rsonist |
Relative terms innit - only half second-string when circumstances had steeled us for "bring your boots get a game".
Nevertheless yes, broader point taken we shouldn't underestimate said half-strength side making light work of dangerous looking opposition. |  | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:27 - Aug 25 with 2549 views | gazza1 |
Willock 'was not good enough' this time last season, hence why he did not play for a few months.....you would not understand that being an armchair supporter who has never played the game!!!
Ha ha....ignoring me Antti because you cant answer me and understand football - pathetic!!! [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 11:30]
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:35 - Aug 25 with 2502 views | rsonist |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:27 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
Willock 'was not good enough' this time last season, hence why he did not play for a few months.....you would not understand that being an armchair supporter who has never played the game!!!
Ha ha....ignoring me Antti because you cant answer me and understand football - pathetic!!! [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 11:30]
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Seek therapy. | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:38 - Aug 25 with 2478 views | gazza1 |
Moving on further to what Antti has said above.....
'Dozzell did extremely well considering he was really the only traditional central midfielder in the side' - what actual difference does it make that Dozzell was the only traditional (what si traditional, natural would have been a better word!!) CM in the side???
'Kelman was not a revelation, but his touch was good' - Kelman was poor, basically, very average and his touch let him down frequently.
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:39 - Aug 25 with 2460 views | gazza1 |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:35 - Aug 25 by rsonist |
Seek therapy. |
What sort of therapy do you suggest?? | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 12:38 - Aug 25 with 2305 views | kensalriser |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:39 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
What sort of therapy do you suggest?? |
Stopping the insufferable ar$e act would be a good start. |  |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 12:47 - Aug 25 with 2246 views | nix |
I've really noticed the significance of Clive's 100 matches in the Championship, after seeing the development of Eze, Chair and now Willock (who's played 42 games for us and 14 for Huddersfield, added to his 64 games in the Portuguese second tier). Thomas has only played 17 games for us, starting even fewer. All his other matches were League 1 games. And even then he hasn't really played since the end of the 2019 season, as he was then on loan to Den Haag and hardly got a game. I thought last season when he started to have a few more games under his belt, he was looking more confident but then got an injury which halted things. I certainly wouldn't write him off after two appearances. His stats show he had a decent match, with four key passes and creating one big chance, as well as doing some defensive work.
Dozzell has only had a regular place in the Ipswich team since last season, and again in League 1. He's only just 22 and I'd like to see him play a lot more before making any assessment of him.
Our average age last night was 24.1 years, so lots to come still from those players.
Very impressed with Dunne. Like with Willock, I'm seeing something about him from the get-go.
Kakay, I've noticed has had an involvement in several of our goals recently: not an assist or key pass but keeping the movement going. Love to see him getting more game time. If he can cut out a few mistakes with positioning etc, he could be a really important player for us. And when we think that Barbet and Wallace both committed some howlers early on, we're right to give players time to develop.
What really excites me about the squad is the balance: between experience and youth; skill and energy; back up in each position. This hasn't happened by accident. It's night and day for Redknapp's three number tens and one left back. |  | | |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 13:28 - Aug 25 with 2094 views | eastside_r |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:01 - Aug 25 by toboboly |
Thought Dunne was immense. Also impressed with McCallum, like what I have seen at Cambridge and last night.
Archer is worse than Green at kicking so I would like to see them not muck around at the back quite as much, but that is a minor quibble, was a fun match to watch, both teams looked like they could score with each attack especially in the first half. |
Yeah. I thought we overdid the penalty area ticka-tacka last night.
Dieng may be good enough to do it, I am not sure that is so, for Archer. |  | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 13:34 - Aug 25 with 2064 views | CamberleyR |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:27 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
Willock 'was not good enough' this time last season, hence why he did not play for a few months.....you would not understand that being an armchair supporter who has never played the game!!!
Ha ha....ignoring me Antti because you cant answer me and understand football - pathetic!!! [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 11:30]
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The primary reason Willock didn't play very much or rather not start very much to be more precise, in his first few months here was because of lack of a pre-season, nothing more. If you look at his minutes on the pitch they were gradually building him up, usually 20-30 minute sub appearances mixed in with a couple of starts. Great and careful player management in my view.
From signing at the start of October until Boxing Day against Swansea he actually played 16 times so your misguided assertion that "he did not play for a few months" is wrong. Come the new year, he was ready to go and we all saw the results. [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 13:43]
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 13:46 - Aug 25 with 1997 views | R_from_afar |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 12:47 - Aug 25 by nix |
I've really noticed the significance of Clive's 100 matches in the Championship, after seeing the development of Eze, Chair and now Willock (who's played 42 games for us and 14 for Huddersfield, added to his 64 games in the Portuguese second tier). Thomas has only played 17 games for us, starting even fewer. All his other matches were League 1 games. And even then he hasn't really played since the end of the 2019 season, as he was then on loan to Den Haag and hardly got a game. I thought last season when he started to have a few more games under his belt, he was looking more confident but then got an injury which halted things. I certainly wouldn't write him off after two appearances. His stats show he had a decent match, with four key passes and creating one big chance, as well as doing some defensive work.
Dozzell has only had a regular place in the Ipswich team since last season, and again in League 1. He's only just 22 and I'd like to see him play a lot more before making any assessment of him.
Our average age last night was 24.1 years, so lots to come still from those players.
Very impressed with Dunne. Like with Willock, I'm seeing something about him from the get-go.
Kakay, I've noticed has had an involvement in several of our goals recently: not an assist or key pass but keeping the movement going. Love to see him getting more game time. If he can cut out a few mistakes with positioning etc, he could be a really important player for us. And when we think that Barbet and Wallace both committed some howlers early on, we're right to give players time to develop.
What really excites me about the squad is the balance: between experience and youth; skill and energy; back up in each position. This hasn't happened by accident. It's night and day for Redknapp's three number tens and one left back. |
"It's night and day for Redknapp's three number tens and one left back".
Not to mentioned two 'keepers on the bench  |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 13:48 - Aug 25 with 1980 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Good post, Antti, and some good answers.
I was one of those who immediately posted "strong team" on the Match Fred, but you're dead right - it was incredibly inexperienced.
I don't know why I posted that - must have been that I have faith in a lot of the fringe players and in the management to get them performing cohesively.
Either way - as you say - impressive performance, from a very young team. |  |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 15:18 - Aug 25 with 1733 views | JPC |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 13:48 - Aug 25 by BrianMcCarthy |
Good post, Antti, and some good answers.
I was one of those who immediately posted "strong team" on the Match Fred, but you're dead right - it was incredibly inexperienced.
I don't know why I posted that - must have been that I have faith in a lot of the fringe players and in the management to get them performing cohesively.
Either way - as you say - impressive performance, from a very young team. |
I also think that having a balanced team means that the 'b teamers' coming in get a chance to perform rather than just struggle. I think that was particularly noticeable with Thomas who looked creative with his passing but also his movement off the ball. Dozzell seemed to start nervously but grew into the game, and again his passing is very creative. One of the doubts I had was his physicality,but he put a real crunching tackle in during the second half which caused a lengthy stoppage with their player staying down | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 15:36 - Aug 25 with 1665 views | TW_R |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 11:27 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
Willock 'was not good enough' this time last season, hence why he did not play for a few months.....you would not understand that being an armchair supporter who has never played the game!!!
Ha ha....ignoring me Antti because you cant answer me and understand football - pathetic!!! [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 11:30]
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As usual, you are completely wrong. In his pre-Oxford interview MW was asked whether he was confident about the game with the players he had available - his exact words were "always confident, they wouldn't be in our squad otherwise, plain and simple"
Stop with this "armchair supporter, never played the game" crap. It makes you sound like a dickhead. I've never given birth, but I know it's f*cking painful. |  | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 15:41 - Aug 25 with 1636 views | daveB |
I think given the injury list and the B team getting called off I imagine a lot of people (me included) expected a much weaker side. I didn't think Dickie, Chair or Wilock would be involved and wasn't sure about Mcallums fitness either so the team was a lot stronger than I expected. |  | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 17:39 - Aug 25 with 1447 views | Welsh_Ranger |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 15:36 - Aug 25 by TW_R |
As usual, you are completely wrong. In his pre-Oxford interview MW was asked whether he was confident about the game with the players he had available - his exact words were "always confident, they wouldn't be in our squad otherwise, plain and simple"
Stop with this "armchair supporter, never played the game" crap. It makes you sound like a dickhead. I've never given birth, but I know it's f*cking painful. |
TW_R - well said! Don't worry though as hes not good on facts and once hes started an argument and is proven wrong he disappears and wont continue discussing it. Its happened with me on so many occasions!
Great pregnancy line! | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:09 - Aug 25 with 1279 views | gazza1 |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 15:36 - Aug 25 by TW_R |
As usual, you are completely wrong. In his pre-Oxford interview MW was asked whether he was confident about the game with the players he had available - his exact words were "always confident, they wouldn't be in our squad otherwise, plain and simple"
Stop with this "armchair supporter, never played the game" crap. It makes you sound like a dickhead. I've never given birth, but I know it's f*cking painful. |
What you on about TW?? Completely wrong - about what???.......more nonsense from you. I don't know why you bother.
Are you an armchair man as well?? [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 19:12]
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:17 - Aug 25 with 1250 views | Welsh_Ranger |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:09 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
What you on about TW?? Completely wrong - about what???.......more nonsense from you. I don't know why you bother.
Are you an armchair man as well?? [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 19:12]
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Can you read? | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:21 - Aug 25 with 1240 views | gazza1 |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:17 - Aug 25 by Welsh_Ranger |
Can you read? |
Yes.....please explain what he actually means if you are so brilliant Welshy. | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:41 - Aug 25 with 1200 views | Welsh_Ranger |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:21 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
Yes.....please explain what he actually means if you are so brilliant Welshy. |
Buddy, conversations or discussions genuinely flow in a certain way. For example:- i say something and then you respond......
If you refer back to your conversation with him it will explain everything:- in short though he as I have done in the past is disagreeing with your opinion on Willock last season.
Hope that clears it up and you are well. | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:42 - Aug 25 with 1200 views | TW_R |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:09 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
What you on about TW?? Completely wrong - about what???.......more nonsense from you. I don't know why you bother.
Are you an armchair man as well?? [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 19:12]
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All the players in the squad are good enough. Straight from the horse’s mouth. They wouldn’t be in the squad if they weren’t good enough. As said multiple times, Willock has always been good enough and went straight into the squad (and played in) our first game after his signing. It’s not difficult to understand, it’s been explained multiple times. You literally couldn’t be any more wrong. Does that clarify it for you?
I’m more of a sofa man myself. | | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:49 - Aug 25 with 1179 views | gazza1 |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:42 - Aug 25 by TW_R |
All the players in the squad are good enough. Straight from the horse’s mouth. They wouldn’t be in the squad if they weren’t good enough. As said multiple times, Willock has always been good enough and went straight into the squad (and played in) our first game after his signing. It’s not difficult to understand, it’s been explained multiple times. You literally couldn’t be any more wrong. Does that clarify it for you?
I’m more of a sofa man myself. |
Yes it does clarify things, thanks.
My view.....All the players are good enough to be in the Squad. Some are good enough to start every week and some are fringe players.
As for Willock, he was clearly not good enough to start every week otherwise MW would have started him every week. Several months later he has improved all round and is now good enough to start every week when fit and I am very pleased about that. I hope that clarifies 'my' stance on Willock. [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 19:51]
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:54 - Aug 25 with 1153 views | simmo |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:49 - Aug 25 by gazza1 |
Yes it does clarify things, thanks.
My view.....All the players are good enough to be in the Squad. Some are good enough to start every week and some are fringe players.
As for Willock, he was clearly not good enough to start every week otherwise MW would have started him every week. Several months later he has improved all round and is now good enough to start every week when fit and I am very pleased about that. I hope that clarifies 'my' stance on Willock. [Post edited 25 Aug 2021 19:51]
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Just out of interest... What happens if you have 12, 13 or even 14 players that are good enough to start every week but you can only pick 11? |  |
| ask Beavis I get nothing Butthead |
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| Last night's 'strong team' on 20:01 - Aug 25 with 1136 views | WatfordR |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:54 - Aug 25 by simmo |
Just out of interest... What happens if you have 12, 13 or even 14 players that are good enough to start every week but you can only pick 11? |
You ask gazza which 11 you should pick.
Obvs.  |  | | |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 20:06 - Aug 25 with 1114 views | gazza1 |
| Last night's 'strong team' on 19:54 - Aug 25 by simmo |
Just out of interest... What happens if you have 12, 13 or even 14 players that are good enough to start every week but you can only pick 11? |
That is down to the Manager - imho, our starting 11 is as good as 'given' apart from 2,3 or 4 players which will depend on form and several other things. | | | |
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