2015/16 pre-season

[Worthy4England]

OK, I dunno about anyone else but I'm now getting a little concerned. That is a line-up that potentially isn't too far removed from one that starts in the Championship when you account for player rotation, and we're struggling against a frankly underwhelming League 2 side from my sporadic viewings when I lived in Lancaster. Faith in Lennon and all that, but the signs so far aren't exactly promising

Plymouth said his tranfer thread was going to deliver us promotion. Nothing to see here. (gulp).

We looked awful against Paderborn. And I only saw the first half...

But we've got Trotter to come back yet.

[Bijou Bob]

Meh. Pre season friendly with players trying not to get injured, still one or two to come in and still a lot if fitness training to come. I'm not worried. Yet.....

[bobo the clown]

Meh. Pre season friendly with players trying not to get injured, still one or two to come in and still a lot if fitness training to come. I'm not worried. Yet.....

Owen ..... Owen ?? Dougie ?? Is that you ???

[Worthy4England]

The other team was in the same place, yet they won...

[Jugs]

It's okay, we'll s**t Derby.

[LeverEnd]

Reserves just won again 2-1 at Colwyn Bay. George Newell and callum Spooner scored.

[danardif1]

Meh. Pre season friendly with players trying not to get injured, still one or two to come in and still a lot if fitness training to come. I'm not worried. Yet.....

Me neither. When you look at who didn't play in the last couple of games... Clough, Vela, Ream, Wheater, Clayton etc that's basically half the expected starting XI

There definitely seems to be a lack of intensity in the games so far, which is odd considering what we've seen in the training camp videos was quick tempo football some of which was pretty good to watch. In the games there definitely seems to have more attention put on the match fitness which I suppose is okay but the results need to be there too.

I think we gave Sturm Graz a good game and they looked a decent enough side, Paderborn were much stronger than our second half lineup and one of their goals was an absolute worldie (also I think the technical quality of the 2. Bundesliga is higher than here), and the Morecambe result was a bit more disappointing but having watched them a few times as my parents live up there they aren't that bad a side... they're very inconsistent but Jim Bentley is doing a pretty good job with them, they're one of the better footballing sides in League Two and if the game was constructed as a fitness exercise on our end I can see why they'd be a good team to play.

I would expect the focus from Oldham onwards to be on getting the footballing side working properly though... hopefully more of our expected starting players will be back playing as well...

[bobo the clown]

^^ y'know that's all well argued .... until you say Morcambe are a decent side.

Read that again ... & be a bit worried.

[Worthy4England]

^^ y'know that's all well argued .... until you say Morcambe are a decent side.

Read that again ... & be a bit worried.

Aye. I have no problem with the notion that "it isn't important", in the sense it has no direct bearing on our league position. Where I do think that argument ceases to hold up, is that it's the same for opposition, generally, too.

Morcambe will doubtless have injuries, players going out, players coming in etc. It's "not important" to their league position either.

So - it's the same for both sides.

I've been horrified the last few seasons - I can see that players might pull out of a 50/50 - understandable, but the fact they can't hit a white shirt stood 5 yards away - criminal.

[Enoch]

Good that we're getting all the make weights match fit whilst the expected starting XI have a nice rest.

[TANGODANCER]

I've been horrified the last few seasons - I can see that players might pull out of a 50/50 - understandable, but the fact they can't hit a white shirt stood 5 yards away - criminal.

A bit bafling that I've watched all the training clips that seem to practise rapid, close passing to distraction, yet as soon a s a game starts they can't get shut quick enough and welly it into no-man's land or into touch. We still allow defenders to run forty yards at us while retreating and a lot of game time is spent in our half.

[Bruce Rioja]

Bruce and I are off to Boundary Park on Tues. Anyone else? Not been there for 20 years. I think SuperJohn scored but we lost 3-1 and Sean McCarthy got 2. Bit of a menace to our defence that lad.

Well, if one could see ones way to picking one up on the way through..............

Can pick you up on my way home from work, if that works, BP?

[Bruce Rioja]

Bruce and I are off to Boundary Park on Tues. Anyone else? Not been there for 20 years. I think SuperJohn scored but we lost 3-1 and Sean McCarthy got 2. Bit of a menace to our defence that lad.

Well, if one could see ones way to picking one up on the way through..............

Last time I went, we got beat 3-0 and Signed Tom Eaves...I'll pass.

Last time I went, we won 1-0 in the FA Cup. Vaz Te scored. It was his season to waste!

[Bruce Rioja]

Reserves just won again 2-1 at Colwyn Bay. George Newell and callum Spooner scored.

Do you mean Spallum Cooner?

[LeverEnd]

Reserves just won again 2-1 at Colwyn Bay. George Newell and callum Spooner scored.

Do you mean Spallum Cooner?

Yep that's the mon. my mistake!

[jetsetwilly]

That bet on us to go down is looking a great bit of business. Bloody awful. Those going to Oldham don't forget the Chaddy End is now the away end. Not been to a friendly since Crewe away about 18 years ago but going to this one. I fear the worst

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I really hope NL can turn things around, if not I can see him losing interest and moving exactly like BSA did in his last season.

Well, except for the "achievements" part.

Not that I'd blame Lennon for leaving if he was starved of funds and got a better offer.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Oh I don't disagree with that at all - he certainly got the 'ump that we didn't Ridsdale ourselves to the hilt.

Just saying that he'd taken us from 12th in the second tier (and selling our best players) to four successive top-eight Premier finishes. Whereas Lennon has taken us from 24th to 18th - so far, and in a short space of time, and very very welcome, but still... in terms of achievements they're still miles apart. Which is not to say Lennon can't impress, but at the moment he's more the Phil Neal to Freedman's McGovern.

[twilight]

Lennon has admitted himself he has a concern with the "final 3rd" of our play. I still have faith in Lennon that he will get it right, maybe not top half of the table, but mid-table. (Whether that's good enough for Lennon to want to stay and battle on is anybody's guess)

[boltonboris]

Lennon has admitted himself he has a concern with the "final 3rd" of our play. I still have faith in Lennon that he will get it right, maybe not top half of the table, but mid-table. (Whether that's good enough for Lennon to want to stay and battle on is anybody's guess)

Concerns there, yes.. But it' amazing that every week, pre-season or full season, we see/hear the following:

A cutback from the left/right finds <insert player> unmarked who slots the ball home

that highlights a whole host of issues