Pre-season, 2024(/25)

[officer_dibble]

Ironic it’s stoke - feels a bit pulisy - the centre half on the wing bit.

[Mar]

Like the Italians on Friday, this Stoke lot look to be littered with players ready to foul us.
Can only be a good thing I suppose if having to up our aggression levels in the matches in this coming season.

That being said we don't seem rough and ready. Very much seems like last season.

Couple of feisty encounters so far.

Decent entertainment for a preseason friendly.

[BWFC_Insane]

If we start Iredale as a wing back in this system in any league game this season that should trigger an automatic dismissal of Evatt and his entire coaching staff. How many times do we need to show that he is no more a wingback than Santos is.

[Mar]

Johnston going down in a heap holding his knee in preseason, isn't a nice sight. Looks fine thankfully.

If we start Iredale as a wing back in this system in any league game this season that should trigger an automatic dismissal of Evatt and his entire coaching staff. How many times do we need to show that he is no more a wingback than Santos is.

Well theres the proof you needed for the criticism. Iredale pushing forward, and neither him nor Johnston picking up Million Manhoef (stupid name btw). Nice little chip over Southwood to make it 1-0. Burger with a decent break away but not enough meat on his pass.

It's all pre-season prep so not overly concerned about todays outing at the moment. It's evident before the match we're missing a LWB and todays not going to change my belief.

On a more positive note, Arfield's looking like a decent player, good football brain and decent passing, but clearly lacking pace as you'd expect.

[BWFC_Insane]

Should add - I like Iredale. Seems a good sort, decent player. But he’s a left back in a 4 or a left sided centre half in a three. He’s simply not a wing back option. Period.

[truewhite15]

I'm appalled to report that I agree with Insane. In a far less inflammatory, deliberately hyperbolic way.

Iredale struggles in this system. Not seen a great deal from any of the forward three - not sure that Dan's suited to the lone role. Lolos looks good in patches, but then fell over the ball leading to the goal. Toal keeps wandering miles up the pitch then losing it, putting us on the back foot.

But Southwood has seemed good at the back. Vocal, reassuring.

Off to wash my mouth out before the 2nd half...

[GhostoftheBok]

There's clearly no intention to have Iredale as a full option on that flank. Randell is out and we want a signing there.

[BWFC_Insane]

For three seasons it’s been blindingly obvious that if we want to play this system we need wing backs on both sides of far higher quality than we possess. Every time we say it everyone agrees. Yet every season we go in trying to borrow a kid or failing to seriously deal with the issue.

I’ve had enough. Change the system. It is pointless because we don’t have the players for a back three.

JDC is a perfectly good RB, Iredale a perfectly good LB - neither can play as wing back. Not if we want a hope of going up.

[BWFC_Insane]

There's clearly no intention to have Iredale as a full option on that flank. Randell is out and we want a signing there.

He cannot start a league game there. We’ve had three seasons of not addressing this glaring problem. I suspect it will cost many many millions to get the requisite quality. If we haven’t got it, change to a bloody back four.

[officer_dibble]

That’s the thing tho innit - if we can’t try out a back 4 in a friendly when the feck will he ever do it? May well be his undoing - let’s say we don’t get the LWB until end of August we might be 4 games without a win or whatever. Knives will be out.

[Mar]

There's clearly no intention to have Iredale as a full option on that flank. Randell is out and we want a signing there.

He cannot start a league game there. We’ve had three seasons of not addressing this glaring problem. I suspect it will cost many many millions to get the requisite quality. If we haven’t got it, change to a bloody back four.

The options aren't cheap and the manager's not changing his style. So we're left in the limbo of awaiting for decent talent at the right price.

I do wonder whether it would've been better to stick with what you know, but going off that final game vs Oxford it's hardly surprising we decided not to continue with Ogbeta and Ashworth. They're both better than Conway, so we're in a lesser position not having them, but we should be able to get better players than what we had, especially if we're willing to spend money on the likes of Klaidi Lolos.

I'm expecting academy players to start becoming available after the Prem teams have started to weigh up their quality and settle on their squads.

[Mar]

That’s the thing tho innit - if we can’t try out a back 4 in a friendly when the feck will he ever do it? May well be his undoing - let’s say we don’t get the LWB until end of August we might be 4 games without a win or whatever. Knives will be out.

What's A. Trailist doing these days? He might be worth a shout. Seems like quite a while since we've seen a trialist play for our first team in a friendly.


Maybe this Tollos guy that the commentator is banging on about.


No change here, Sheehan getting kicked across the park and getting booked for standing up for himself.

[BWFC_Insane]

There's clearly no intention to have Iredale as a full option on that flank. Randell is out and we want a signing there.

He cannot start a league game there. We’ve had three seasons of not addressing this glaring problem. I suspect it will cost many many millions to get the requisite quality. If we haven’t got it, change to a bloody back four.

The options aren't cheap and the manager's not changing his style. So we're left in the limbo of awaiting for decent talent at the right price.

I do wonder whether it would've been better to stick with what you know, but going off that final game vs Oxford it's hardly surprising we decided not to continue with Ogbeta and Ashworth. They're both better than Conway, so we're in a lesser position not having them, but we should be able to get better players than what we had, especially if we're willing to spend money on the likes of Klaidi Lolos.

I'm expecting academy players to start becoming available after the Prem teams have started to weigh up their quality and settle on their squads.

We don’t need academy players. It’s too hot and miss. We need proper established specialist wing backs who know the role inside out and have played it at this level or higher a lot.

Taking a kid they might be a Bradley. They might be a Beck. They might be an Ashworth…decent player but again not a wing back.

We need someone at the level of Mumba when Plymouth were down here. And well we need one of those for each side and a backup for each.

Or - what we obviously need to do and have needed to do for a long time is to play what suits the players we have which is a back bloody 4.

[Mar]

There's clearly no intention to have Iredale as a full option on that flank. Randell is out and we want a signing there.

He cannot start a league game there. We’ve had three seasons of not addressing this glaring problem. I suspect it will cost many many millions to get the requisite quality. If we haven’t got it, change to a bloody back four.

The options aren't cheap and the manager's not changing his style. So we're left in the limbo of awaiting for decent talent at the right price.

I do wonder whether it would've been better to stick with what you know, but going off that final game vs Oxford it's hardly surprising we decided not to continue with Ogbeta and Ashworth. They're both better than Conway, so we're in a lesser position not having them, but we should be able to get better players than what we had, especially if we're willing to spend money on the likes of Klaidi Lolos.

I'm expecting academy players to start becoming available after the Prem teams have started to weigh up their quality and settle on their squads.

We don’t need academy players. It’s too hot and miss. We need proper established specialist wing backs who know the role inside out and have played it at this level or higher a lot.

Taking a kid they might be a Bradley. They might be a Beck. They might be an Ashworth…decent player but again not a wing back.

We need someone at the level of Mumba when Plymouth were down here. And well we need one of those for each side and a backup for each.

Or - what we obviously need to do and have needed to do for a long time is to play what suits the players we have which is a back bloody 4.

Trouble is those sorts of players aren't representing decent value for money. We'd have to spend a lot to gain not a lot of resell value. I think we can all see its what we're crying out for, but unless we're going to see a decent return on investment I don't think the club will go for it.


We've not had an abundance of decent LB talent. Williams is good but misses too many games, as for the rest of them, it's only John that's really stood out and that was few and far between. That being said RB's we've been blessed for a few seasons now.

Maybe its time to start paying money for loans to the big club s for decent talent.



We've been a lot better with Charles and Adeboyejo on the pitch instead of N'lundulu and Lolos. Quite toothless with the front three of Lolos, Arfield and N'lundulu. These are a level above so it's not overly surprising.

[BWFC_Insane]

We haven’t been blessed with right wing backs, we don’t have any. JDC tries but isn’t one.

They either have to spend big big money or Evatt change to a back four.

Right now Conway is best fit left wing back we’ve got. By a mile. But he’s going out on loan…

Lolos worries me so far. Looks a bit rubbish.

[officer_dibble]

Well if Lolos is a bit rubbish we haven’t improved the team with any signings…

Saw a preview with us as second today. Scratching my head a bit to see it!

[Mar]

We haven’t been blessed with right wing backs, we don’t have any. JDC tries but isn’t one.

I meant over the last few seasons, Bradley, JDC, Kioso, Fossey. Decent acquisitions for our side.



Adeboyejo is looking good tonight, not that its much to write home about given the performance. Easily forgettable, opposition keeper wasn't tested and we struggled.

Southwood's made a good save and gifted them possession in equal measure. Arfield's looked decent enough, made and wasted some passes.

We don't look to have improved on that performance. It's a pre-season friendly, and we're clearly a couple of players short of where we want to be.


All in all, a bit shit.

[BWFC_Insane]

That was absolute abject shite. Zero improvement on last season. Nobody cares about friendlies but I hope we don’t perform like that in any single league game because it was absolutely woeful from start to finish.

[GhostoftheBok]

Not a great display, but plenty to be happy about.

Southwood, Arfield and Johnston getting proper minutes under their belts is great. All three looked like they have plenty to offer.

Charles came on and looked fit. Vic and Conway played really well.

You take what you can from preseason games.

[TANGODANCER]

Do pre-season friendlies yellow/red cards count into the league games ?