Pre Season Friendlies

[Madrigal]

Chungy has flipped. Tried to throttle Liam Noble after being clattered for the third time. Can't blame hin

Liked the way Davies went in and flattened him a few minutes later good to know your mates got your back

[wanderers_on_tour]

Personally I always want the club to win, as do we all, and will always get that lump in the throat when we lose. Be it a cup game, a league match or a bloody testimonial I want to see our current crop to perform. However at this stage of the season I guess my personal preference is to see the team learning. No matter how last season ended, the campaign overall has to go down as a failure. As a fan I expect the manager to identify why and to at least TRY put some of the wrongs right, be it bringing in new players to plug certain gaps or trying to find such solutions from within the current squad. We have a full thread on the former already and I believe this thread replicates the pitfalls of trying to deal with the latter.

Not every combination will work as expected, just as every new signing may also struggle to have an impact from the off. But all I hope for right now is that the club continue to learn. I can't pretend not to be disappointed with our preseason form so far but overall as long as the manager and the club are learning, and as long as such experiments in formations and partnerships bares some sort of conclusion (either good bad), then I'm relatively comfortable with it all so far.

[boltonboris]

Last night was last chance saloon for a few players. Ream, Mears, Mills in particular. Fail to show anything and we abandon hope. None of them did by the sounds of it. The fact that Kellet had been promoted to the bench was a signal to Ream to show him there are other options, so shape up. I think we'll be looking to get rid sooner rather than later.

[boltonboris]

So in that sense, think these games are a little bit more than "fitness" and "learning". It's about putting down a marker for the new season

[BWFC_Insane]

If we'd have thumped them 5-0 with Eaves scoring every single goal, I doubt it would've been treated as an insignificant game.

I'm not saying this proves that we're shit, but it's not a promising sign.

It would. Because it would still have absolutely no influence to what happens at Burnley and beyond. We won this division last without winning a pre season game, it's totally irrelevant.

Everyone got dead excited in Sammy Lees pre season. Were those games significant? If so he should never have been binned off.

so - your player analysis (f'rinstance slating Knight's CB partner) from the previous pre-season friendly - that was insignificant and means nothing - right? or have I missed something?

As I said, before the friendlies started we knew we had problems at centre half. Had we won each one 5-0 that would still be the case. And yes it all means nowt. We will see how we do at the start of the season.

The issues we have are known and will be problems until we can bring in the players to fix them.

[bobo the clown]

Last night was last chance saloon for a few players. Ream, Mears, Mills in particular. Fail to show anything and we abandon hope. None of them did by the sounds of it. The fact that Kellet had been promoted to the bench was a signal to Ream to show him there are other options, so shape up. I think we'll be looking to get rid sooner rather than later.

Mears is a stock fulllback. Nowhere near as bad as the boo-boys make him out to be but not the stuff to build a promotion push on. Then again he's now our reserve full back.

Mills I can't fathom. He will end up at Leeds, I'm certain. With a manager who knows and respects him. I think there's talent there but it's a while since he showed it. To hus credit, according to Douglas he's working properly in training and being positive which, it's clear, are vital markers for the management here now.

Ream ... I despair of. Simply put, we bought a pup. Up there with Gerald Cid in the "did we actually scout this one ?" stakes. It seems he's a nice enough guy and, again, behaves and works hard but is bewildered by it all. In the FFP World we should be seriously considering a pay-off and clear the books. .... or dropping him off at Wiggin and telling Coyle to sort him out.

[boltonboris]

Bobo. I agree with all that you have just typed. And that's not usual, considering I usually disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.

[ratters]

This time last year after a series of bad results after some poor signings in pre season friendlies we said it didn't matter and it would all be OK when the season started. We had faith in Coyle.

This season again we have had bad results after a number of further poor signings. We say it is irrelevant. We have faith in Dougie.

Looks like another season of anxiety and under achievement.

[BWFC_Insane]

This time last year after a series of bad results after some poor signings in pre season friendlies we said it didn't matter and it would all be OK when the season started. We had faith in Coyle.

This season again we have had bad results after a number of further poor signings. We say it is irrelevant. We have faith in Dougie.

Looks like another season of anxiety and under achievement.

Yeah loads of it.....

And poor signings? On what are you basing that on?

[bwfcdan94]

This time last year after a series of bad results after some poor signings in pre season friendlies we said it didn't matter and it would all be OK when the season started. We had faith in Coyle.

This season again we have had bad results after a number of further poor signings. We say it is irrelevant. We have faith in Dougie.

Looks like another season of anxiety and under achievement.

Why don't you put an application in for the job then. Under Dougie we went under one of the best runs we have been on ever. He could not have possibly done a better job.

[ChrisC]

This time last year after a series of bad results after some poor signings in pre season friendlies we said it didn't matter and it would all be OK when the season started. We had faith in Coyle.

This season again we have had bad results after a number of further poor signings. We say it is irrelevant. We have faith in Dougie.

Looks like another season of anxiety and under achievement.

Speak for yourself. We had been sliding for over 12 months and the majority knew that Coyle was clueless and we was in for a bumpy ride.

We have every right to have faith in Dougie. He come in last season and turned the ship around.

The fact that you are already judging Dougies signing's before the season has even started makes you look a little silly.

[bobo the clown]

Bobo. I agree with all that you have just typed. And that's not usual, considering I usually disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.

i'M FLATTERED.

[BWFC_Insane]

Bobo. I agree with all that you have just typed. And that's not usual, considering I usually disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.

i'M FLATTERED.

I agree aswell. I'm still baffled as to how we managed to replace Cahill with Ream. It takes a special kind of feck up to do that.

[thebish]

I agree aswell. I'm still baffled as to how we managed to replace Cahill with Ream. It takes a special kind of feck up to do that.

hmmmm..... pretty much exactly this time last year (minus one day) you were certainly fooled by Ream... You described him as having the potential to be a top flight player year in - year out if only we had a decent manager.... Bruce was describing the squad as merely poor championship players - you were insisting they were pretty much all ace top-flighters...

Arrogance? No. I'm saying we SHOULD be able to get promoted with the players at our disposal, if our manager isn't entirely uselss.

Last season we finished higher than any other team in the championshipn we will face this season.

I'd say, LCY, Holden, Petrov, Ricketts, Eagles, Andrews are all capable of playing in the top flight.

Mark Davies, Sordell, Ream, Bogdan all have the potential to be top flight regulars year in year out.

#haveitbothways

[BWFC_Insane]

I agree aswell. I'm still baffled as to how we managed to replace Cahill with Ream. It takes a special kind of feck up to do that.

hmmmm..... pretty much exactly this time last year (minus one day) you were certainly fooled by Ream... You described him as having the potential to be a top flight player year in - year out if only we had a decent manager.... Bruce was describing the squad as merely poor championship players - you were insisting they were pretty much all ace top-flighters...

Arrogance? No. I'm saying we SHOULD be able to get promoted with the players at our disposal, if our manager isn't entirely uselss.

Last season we finished higher than any other team in the championshipn we will face this season.

I'd say, LCY, Holden, Petrov, Ricketts, Eagles, Andrews are all capable of playing in the top flight.

Mark Davies, Sordell, Ream, Bogdan all have the potential to be top flight regulars year in year out.

#haveitbothways

We've revisited this again? Really? I mean I've said I overestimated how good our players were several times. I don't think I'm alone in that. I was swept along in the hype at the time. Thankfully I was still suspicious of the abilities of the guy in charge, demonstrating that I hadn't completely lost my mind.

He was only on the potential list, and that was before the game at Hull, where the full realisation of how shite he was fully hit.

[borgetti_wanderers]

This time last year after a series of bad results after some poor signings in pre season friendlies we said it didn't matter and it would all be OK when the season started. We had faith in Coyle.

This season again we have had bad results after a number of further poor signings. We say it is irrelevant. We have faith in Dougie.

Looks like another season of anxiety and under achievement.

Baptiste, Tierney, Hall, Wilkinson, White, Beckford... which ones do you see as poor?

[thebish]

hmmm... what it looks MORE like is sheer opportunism - you will change your opinion on just about anything IF you can squeeze it into an anti-Coyle stance..

if believing Ream being a potential regular top-flight player year-in-year-out makes Coyle bad - then you believe it
if Ream being utter shoite makes Coyle bad - then you believe it.

you can't have it both ways - you can't call Coyle for buying a spectacularly shoite player (as you are now)
but also call Coyle for badly managing an ace player and ruining his fantastic potential... not when it is the same player....

[BWFC_Insane]

hmmm... what it looks MORE like is sheer opportunism - you will change your opinion on just about anything IF you can squeeze it into an anti-Coyle stance..

if believing Ream being a potential regular top-flight player year-in-year-out makes Coyle bad - then you believe it
if Ream being utter shoite makes Coyle bad - then you believe it.

you can't have it both ways - you can't call Coyle for buying a spectacularly shoite player (as you are now)
but also call Coyle for badly managing an ace player and ruining his fantastic potential... not when it is the same player....

This is boring. I don't think I ever called Coyle for badly managing Ream. But lets get your view....

Do you think Ream is a good player? Yes or no?

Do you think he was a good buy? Yes or no?

[thebish]

hmmm... what it looks MORE like is sheer opportunism - you will change your opinion on just about anything IF you can squeeze it into an anti-Coyle stance..

if believing Ream being a potential regular top-flight player year-in-year-out makes Coyle bad - then you believe it
if Ream being utter shoite makes Coyle bad - then you believe it.

you can't have it both ways - you can't call Coyle for buying a spectacularly shoite player (as you are now)
but also call Coyle for badly managing an ace player and ruining his fantastic potential... not when it is the same player....

This is boring. I don't think I ever called Coyle for badly managing Ream. But lets get your view....

Do you think Ream is a good player? Yes or no?

Do you think he was a good buy? Yes or no?

no. no.

and neither (crucially) did I ever declare him to be a week-in-week-out top-flight player...

there was no "hype" on here surrounding Ream for you to get swept along with - in fact - quite the opposite! you (rightly) called people who were writing him off before we'd even seen him....

[BWFC_Insane]

hmmm... what it looks MORE like is sheer opportunism - you will change your opinion on just about anything IF you can squeeze it into an anti-Coyle stance..

if believing Ream being a potential regular top-flight player year-in-year-out makes Coyle bad - then you believe it
if Ream being utter shoite makes Coyle bad - then you believe it.

you can't have it both ways - you can't call Coyle for buying a spectacularly shoite player (as you are now)
but also call Coyle for badly managing an ace player and ruining his fantastic potential... not when it is the same player....

This is boring. I don't think I ever called Coyle for badly managing Ream. But lets get your view....

Do you think Ream is a good player? Yes or no?

Do you think he was a good buy? Yes or no?

no. no.

and neither (crucially) did I ever declare him to be a week-in-week-out top-flight player...

there was no "hype" on here surrounding Ream for you to get swept along with - in fact - quite the opposite! you (rightly) called people who were writing him off before we'd even seen him....

I did put him in the "potential" category rather than the definite one.

I think in general I assessed how good several players were incorrectly. I think I wrongly hoped that at this lower level, several players would really develop, Sordell, Ream etc and become good enough for a step up. Clearly that hasn't happened. I'm (not happy in this case) to admit to being wrong.