Plenty of positives (From This Is Swindon Town FC)

Excellent Game!!

I really think its all starting to come to the boil nicely.

2 more additions and i think Paolo will feel complete.

Bostock would add that extra dimension to our game and would be able to change our set up........

I really think if we can get the season off to a good start, that winning mentality would see us go on a nice un beaten run seeting us out as clear fav's to going automatically....

COYR''sssss

Louis :-)))

We played very well and on another day would have scored 2 or 3 goals quite easily. Wes got a touch on the ball before Murray decided to dive over him so deinately wasn't a pen. Feeling positive even though we did lose! COME ON YOU REDS!!

stfcknowitall wrote:
We played very well and on another day would have scored 2 or 3 goals quite easily. Wes got a touch on the ball before Murray decided to dive over him so deinately wasn't a pen. Feeling positive even though we did lose! COME ON YOU REDS!!

At least the Palace goal wasn`t scored during open play. Our lads are still gelling and if they can play as well in league 1 Championship footie will soon be on the way to the County Ground !

A real buzz after watching the first half, Williams was electric. PDC hit the nail on then head, it was a game of two halves but saying that there was so many positives. I think we can all look forward to the season ahead. COME ON YOU REDS !!

Quite an enjoyable game, we kept the ball on the ground and Wes has been working on his distribrution, hardly any big punts to Ritchie like he was trying to do last season.

Caddis didn't look 100% fit to me, got caught several times out of position and without Ferry the triangle down the right with Ritchie, wasn't there. In fact I thought most of our good moves came down the left flank and Roberts in particular was very impressive.

Palace are a good side, especially there two goalies and their play-maker Zaha. Their penalty was very soft and I would have been disappointed to see that given in a competitive game. Thought we showed enough that we will be a team to be reckoned with in Div 1, but we need to tighten up a bit in defence and be a little more clinical in front of goal and not try that one pass too many when up against a tight defence. Still room for improvement, baring injury though think the starting 11 for Brighton will be very near to what we saw last night, with any 3 of the 6 subs used Rooney, Collins, De Vita, Ferry, Flint and Devera playing a prominent part.

4,412 not a bad turn out for a friendly, good to see a few from Palace made the journey, but have to say it was a bit quiet with the Town End closed.

old town robin wrote:
Quite an enjoyable game, we kept the ball on the ground and Wes has been working on his distribrution, hardly any big punts to Ritchie like he was trying to do last season.

Caddis didn't look 100% fit to me, got caught several times out of position and without Ferry the triangle down the right with Ritchie, wasn't there. In fact I thought most of our good moves came down the left flank and Roberts in particular was very impressive.

Palace are a good side, especially there two goalies and their play-maker Zaha. Their penalty was very soft and I would have been disappointed to see that given in a competitive game. Thought we showed enough that we will be a team to be reckoned with in Div 1, but we need to tighten up a bit in defence and be a little more clinical in front of goal and not try that one pass too many when up against a tight defence. Still room for improvement, baring injury though think the starting 11 for Brighton will be very near to what we saw last night, with any 3 of the 6 subs used Rooney, Collins, De Vita, Ferry, Flint and Devera playing a prominent part.

4,412 not a bad turn out for a friendly, good to see a few from Palace made the journey, but have to say it was a bit quiet with the Town End closed.

4412 ? I expect most of those were season ticket holders which I believe have now risen to approx.5500. I reckon this attendance was very encouraging for The Board. We all know times are hard but it proves that the interest in good footie is still there and all that Paolo and the lads have to do is deliver ! COME ON YOU REDS !

Palace had no shots on target first half (apart from penalty) only shot they had was 2 mins before half time when almost went out te ground. Archibald needs to be bit more clinical with his heading. Great performance first half tho

umpcah wrote:

old town robin wrote:
Quite an enjoyable game, we kept the ball on the ground and Wes has been working on his distribrution, hardly any big punts to Ritchie like he was trying to do last season.

Caddis didn't look 100% fit to me, got caught several times out of position and without Ferry the triangle down the right with Ritchie, wasn't there. In fact I thought most of our good moves came down the left flank and Roberts in particular was very impressive.

Palace are a good side, especially there two goalies and their play-maker Zaha. Their penalty was very soft and I would have been disappointed to see that given in a competitive game. Thought we showed enough that we will be a team to be reckoned with in Div 1, but we need to tighten up a bit in defence and be a little more clinical in front of goal and not try that one pass too many when up against a tight defence. Still room for improvement, baring injury though think the starting 11 for Brighton will be very near to what we saw last night, with any 3 of the 6 subs used Rooney, Collins, De Vita, Ferry, Flint and Devera playing a prominent part.

4,412 not a bad turn out for a friendly, good to see a few from Palace made the journey, but have to say it was a bit quiet with the Town End closed.

4412 ? I expect most of those were season ticket holders which I believe have now risen to approx.5500. I reckon this attendance was very encouraging for The Board. We all know times are hard but it proves that the interest in good footie is still there and all that Paolo and the lads have to do is deliver ! COME ON YOU REDS !

Why think that most of the crowd were ST holders? What does that comment mean? It was only a tenner entry and ST holders had to pay as well. Here we go again, new season, same old cr*p being spouted about prices etc.

Sorry I pxssed you off so early in the day ! It`s just that all the chaps that I knew who went were season ticket holders !

umpcah wrote:

old town robin wrote:
Quite an enjoyable game, we kept the ball on the ground and Wes has been working on his distribrution, hardly any big punts to Ritchie like he was trying to do last season.

Caddis didn't look 100% fit to me, got caught several times out of position and without Ferry the triangle down the right with Ritchie, wasn't there. In fact I thought most of our good moves came down the left flank and Roberts in particular was very impressive.

Palace are a good side, especially there two goalies and their play-maker Zaha. Their penalty was very soft and I would have been disappointed to see that given in a competitive game. Thought we showed enough that we will be a team to be reckoned with in Div 1, but we need to tighten up a bit in defence and be a little more clinical in front of goal and not try that one pass too many when up against a tight defence. Still room for improvement, baring injury though think the starting 11 for Brighton will be very near to what we saw last night, with any 3 of the 6 subs used Rooney, Collins, De Vita, Ferry, Flint and Devera playing a prominent part.

4,412 not a bad turn out for a friendly, good to see a few from Palace made the journey, but have to say it was a bit quiet with the Town End closed.

4412 ? I expect most of those were season ticket holders which I believe have now risen to approx.5500. I reckon this attendance was very encouraging for The Board. We all know times are hard but it proves that the interest in good footie is still there and all that Paolo and the lads have to do is deliver ! COME ON YOU REDS !

I think the ST holders are up about 400 on last season with quite a few new ones to add to the renewals.

I took my daughter and her son last night and they thoroughly enjoyed the game even though we lost and there were no real goals. Palace could have actually ended up with a man sent off if it hadn't been a "friendly", their No 15 with the beard tried to start a free for all , Dougie Freedman acted quickly to replace him and he was roundly booed as he departed the field..

On another note pitch looks immaculate, well done the ground staff.

I still don't understand what the comment about season ticket holders is all about. We ALL had to pay. (ST holder since 1976.)

Well impressed last night particularly first half.
Play like that with the ball moving so fast between the players we will see a few goals at the CG this coming season.
Good crowd.
Plenty of positives.

Sounds like there were plenty of positives! The most concerning aspect seems to be that the players don't quite turn up for the second half. Does anyone know what the attendance was?

VinnyPericard wrote:
Sounds like there were plenty of positives! The most concerning aspect seems to be that the players don't quite turn up for the second half. Does anyone know what the attendance was?

4412 was stated on this thread earler. I believe that most of them were season ticket holders but that`s just MY belief and will never be proved ! Hopefully I`m wrong and there were lots of " casuals " who will have enjoyed the game and will become "regulars " even if not season ticket holders.

I want to offer a bit of support to Umpcah here. I'm prepared to stand corrected on this, but I believe season ticket holders normally make up at least 60% of our League attendances, so it's fairly likely that there would be many more season ticket holders than casuals for a game like this. If you are picking and choosing games, wouldn't you be more likely to save your money for the competitive stuff?

No I can definately say that none of the crowd were season ticket holders.

Stickshaker wrote:
No I can definately say that none of the crowd were season ticket holders.

Haha! You can say that nobody used a season ticket to get in, but you can't say they weren't season ticket holders.

all new players were as good if not better than the ones they were bought to replace

Lets not worry if the crowd was made up of season ticket holders or not.
Pox had 1,800 against Cardiff Saturday with a large following from Cardiff. With 300 from Palace last night it was an excellent turn out from our fans.

Everything positive from my eyes and as a previous comment - pitch looked fantastic.
Only moan is why can't my back lawn look like that.

Looking forward to Brighton next week and my visit to Hartlepool. Love the North East.

Plenty of positives and plenty of room for improvement too.
I thought Roberts was excellent on the left ably supported by Jaymac, Troy Archie had a nervous first five minutes but settled nicely and gave a good display. Wiliams & Benno worked hard with plenty of movement but failed to deliver a goal.
O.K we can say that Williams hit the post twice but he does that every game, the object is to get it between the posts Aidie. Maybe we could paint the posts red :-)
Also thought that Macca made some good forceful / dangerous runs forward.
There wasn't too much play down our right side , most of it was down the left, maybe Paolo had his reasons for this.
We definately need a prolific striker but I think the defence is O.K and covered.
I'm not sure that there is space or a real need for Bostock, he's not a striker although Paolo sees him as a second striker. I'd rather see an out and out hitman brought in. No room for Bostock in midfield either , who would you leave out ?
Although this game was quick and there were many flashes of great play from Town IMHO there wasn't enough there to prove to me that we'll be promotion contenders YET.

I don't tend to be negative nor do I want to be, however I cannot see us beating Brighton next Tuesday. Paolo's video study of them won't reveal much as they've changed and improved their squad a lot since last season.
All that said I will be there on Tuesday and shouting for the boys in red. COYR's

Stilloyal wrote:
Plenty of positives and plenty of room for improvement too. I thought Roberts was excellent on the left ably supported by Jaymac, Troy Archie had a nervous first five minutes but settled nicely and gave a good display. Wiliams & Benno worked hard with plenty of movement but failed to deliver a goal. O.K we can say that Williams hit the post twice but he does that every game, the object is to get it between the posts Aidie. Maybe we could paint the posts red :-) Also thought that Macca made some good forceful / dangerous runs forward. There wasn't too much play down our right side , most of it was down the left, maybe Paolo had his reasons for this. We definately need a prolific striker but I think the defence is O.K and covered. I'm not sure that there is space or a real need for Bostock, he's not a striker although Paolo sees him as a second striker. I'd rather see an out and out hitman brought in. No room for Bostock in midfield either , who would you leave out ? Although this game was quick and there were many flashes of great play from Town IMHO there wasn't enough there to prove to me that we'll be promotion contenders YET. I don't tend to be negative nor do I want to be, however I cannot see us beating Brighton next Tuesday. Paolo's video study of them won't reveal much as they've changed and improved their squad a lot since last season. All that said I will be there on Tuesday and shouting for the boys in red. COYR's

Meant Andy Williams not Aidie , whoops.

Stilloyal wrote:

Stilloyal wrote: Plenty of positives and plenty of room for improvement too. I thought Roberts was excellent on the left ably supported by Jaymac, Troy Archie had a nervous first five minutes but settled nicely and gave a good display. Wiliams & Benno worked hard with plenty of movement but failed to deliver a goal. O.K we can say that Williams hit the post twice but he does that every game, the object is to get it between the posts Aidie. Maybe we could paint the posts red :-) Also thought that Macca made some good forceful / dangerous runs forward. There wasn't too much play down our right side , most of it was down the left, maybe Paolo had his reasons for this. We definately need a prolific striker but I think the defence is O.K and covered. I'm not sure that there is space or a real need for Bostock, he's not a striker although Paolo sees him as a second striker. I'd rather see an out and out hitman brought in. No room for Bostock in midfield either , who would you leave out ? Although this game was quick and there were many flashes of great play from Town IMHO there wasn't enough there to prove to me that we'll be promotion contenders YET. I don't tend to be negative nor do I want to be, however I cannot see us beating Brighton next Tuesday. Paolo's video study of them won't reveal much as they've changed and improved their squad a lot since last season. All that said I will be there on Tuesday and shouting for the boys in red. COYR's

Meant Andy Williams not Aidie , whoops.

Like to add also that the officials were quite poor and some of the Palace players would give Tom Daley a run for his money :-)

Stilloyal wrote:
Plenty of positives and plenty of room for improvement too. I thought Roberts was excellent on the left ably supported by Jaymac, Troy Archie had a nervous first five minutes but settled nicely and gave a good display. Wiliams & Benno worked hard with plenty of movement but failed to deliver a goal. O.K we can say that Williams hit the post twice but he does that every game, the object is to get it between the posts Aidie. Maybe we could paint the posts red :-) Also thought that Macca made some good forceful / dangerous runs forward. There wasn't too much play down our right side , most of it was down the left, maybe Paolo had his reasons for this. We definately need a prolific striker but I think the defence is O.K and covered. I'm not sure that there is space or a real need for Bostock, he's not a striker although Paolo sees him as a second striker. I'd rather see an out and out hitman brought in. No room for Bostock in midfield either , who would you leave out ? Although this game was quick and there were many flashes of great play from Town IMHO there wasn't enough there to prove to me that we'll be promotion contenders YET. I don't tend to be negative nor do I want to be, however I cannot see us beating Brighton next Tuesday. Paolo's video study of them won't reveal much as they've changed and improved their squad a lot since last season. All that said I will be there on Tuesday and shouting for the boys in red. COYR's

I reckon Brighton will be a tough game too - especially so early in the season when they're a bit of an unknown quantity. Their league form last term won't really count for a lot and they do have a strong side with some quality players. Here's hoping we can give it a good go though - we're pretty strong at home and could see it going to extra time, couldn't have seen anything other than a defeat if it was at their place.

Entertaining game,but we are lacking a striker of quality(Connell should have been given a chance,better than anything out there at the moment.A mystery to me why PDC let him go.)Williams looks the best of the new boys but will never score in a regular basis,IMO hope I am wrong !!!!But if we can play like we did in the first half last night all season the price of my season ticket will be worth it,whatever the results.
M

Swindon1984 wrote:

Stilloyal wrote:
Plenty of positives and plenty of room for improvement too. I thought Roberts was excellent on the left ably supported by Jaymac, Troy Archie had a nervous first five minutes but settled nicely and gave a good display. Wiliams & Benno worked hard with plenty of movement but failed to deliver a goal. O.K we can say that Williams hit the post twice but he does that every game, the object is to get it between the posts Aidie. Maybe we could paint the posts red :-) Also thought that Macca made some good forceful / dangerous runs forward. There wasn't too much play down our right side , most of it was down the left, maybe Paolo had his reasons for this. We definately need a prolific striker but I think the defence is O.K and covered. I'm not sure that there is space or a real need for Bostock, he's not a striker although Paolo sees him as a second striker. I'd rather see an out and out hitman brought in. No room for Bostock in midfield either , who would you leave out ? Although this game was quick and there were many flashes of great play from Town IMHO there wasn't enough there to prove to me that we'll be promotion contenders YET. I don't tend to be negative nor do I want to be, however I cannot see us beating Brighton next Tuesday. Paolo's video study of them won't reveal much as they've changed and improved their squad a lot since last season. All that said I will be there on Tuesday and shouting for the boys in red. COYR's

I reckon Brighton will be a tough game too - especially so early in the season when they're a bit of an unknown quantity. Their league form last term won't really count for a lot and they do have a strong side with some quality players. Here's hoping we can give it a good go though - we're pretty strong at home and could see it going to extra time, couldn't have seen anything other than a defeat if it was at their place.

Spot on 84!Brighton Fans tell me nothing short of the play-off's or better!will be good enough for Poyet and his team!they think they are a much better than Palace and expect a real go at promotion!so we shall see how good they are(if they put their best side out for the Cup game?)bring it on!lets see how good we are too when the chips are down!!!!!!!

Seeing as many league one teams only get around the 4000 mark for league matches I think we done prettty well with the attendance last night!

oldandwise wrote:
Entertaining game,but we are lacking a striker of quality(Connell should have been given a chance,better than anything out there at the moment.A mystery to me why PDC let him go.)Williams looks the best of the new boys but will never score in a regular basis,IMO hope I am wrong !!!!But if we can play like we did in the first half last night all season the price of my season ticket will be worth it,whatever the results.
M

clearly not oldandwise......... look at the stats Connell has never been prolific Williams and Collins will do the business this year no worries, Collins definitely on for the future, playing for Ireland u21's this week I think

Sorry Chaps, BUT, I've not seen the killer edge that we need to get us to the promised land, and after reading Paolo's comments above, I don't think he has either.
Ritchie wasteful with his free kick, and as goes the woodwork, well it may need a repaint most weeks if we continue hitting it at the rate we do. Game after game, woodwork !!, no killer edge. The fizz of last year certainly seems to have gone a bit flat, yes we are up against tougher sides, but we allegedly have brought in players to deal with that. I'm not trying to be negative, but realistic. I think a lot more has to be done in training and selection, and it seems one Simon Ferry is only going to be a bit part player unless he can force his way back in, which is why the magic triangle down the flank is not working and perhaps why Caddis looks so tired, he has no foil to work with, the understanding is not yet there.

We have a few mountains to climb yet and the Brighton game will show just how much we need to elevate our game, and Hartlepool will be an acid test for sure.

I want us to be as successful as last season, but I'm also mindful of how that started, I think this season it could be harder to get going. Two players needed, one definitely being a striker who finds the net, not the woodwork.

the wizard wrote:
Sorry Chaps, BUT, I've not seen the killer edge that we need to get us to the promised land, and after reading Paolo's comments above, I don't think he has either.
Ritchie wasteful with his free kick, and as goes the woodwork, well it may need a repaint most weeks if we continue hitting it at the rate we do. Game after game, woodwork !!, no killer edge. The fizz of last year certainly seems to have gone a bit flat, yes we are up against tougher sides, but we allegedly have brought in players to deal with that. I'm not trying to be negative, but realistic. I think a lot more has to be done in training and selection, and it seems one Simon Ferry is only going to be a bit part player unless he can force his way back in, which is why the magic triangle down the flank is not working and perhaps why Caddis looks so tired, he has no foil to work with, the understanding is not yet there.

We have a few mountains to climb yet and the Brighton game will show just how much we need to elevate our game, and Hartlepool will be an acid test for sure.

I want us to be as successful as last season, but I'm also mindful of how that started, I think this season it could be harder to get going. Two players needed, one definitely being a striker who finds the net, not the woodwork.

Don't despair Wiz. We haven't started yet.

Den,

We....ll not really desperation, but lets say caution. I don't want to get carried away like many did this time last year, then suddenly we are "pointy things up", and second from bottom.
Read his words, I have several times today, and I've not posted for weeks as I've been studying "The man", and the recurring theme is there. I don't think that PDC is happy as we are still missing what he wants at the front.
I also think that although we have bought good players, he sees it as "something is missing".

Last season there was a "buccaneer spirit", and some how that is not happening .....YET and I think he thought it would. A bit of caution yes, as we all know he will get it right, desperation Den ??? not yet a while buddy, not yet.

Let's not forget we were playing Championship last night, League 1 will be a different proposition I am sure.

Positives for me were

a) we now have 2 quality wingers

b) 2 new players in the middle who can spray out passes a la Ferry in the Cup Final

c) Navarro looks a decent holding midfielder, streets ahead of Risser!

d) Williams has genuine pace, something we lacked all last season

e) Troy may not be as good as Flint in the air but looked good enough, but he looked better with the ball at his feet.

The signs are surely very promising!!

mrclick wrote:

oldandwise wrote:
Entertaining game,but we are lacking a striker of quality(Connell should have been given a chance,better than anything out there at the moment.A mystery to me why PDC let him go.)Williams looks the best of the new boys but will never score in a regular basis,IMO hope I am wrong !!!!But if we can play like we did in the first half last night all season the price of my season ticket will be worth it,whatever the results.
M

clearly not oldandwise......... look at the stats Connell has never been prolific Williams and Collins will do the business this year no worries, Collins definitely on for the future, playing for Ireland u21's this week I think

You may be old but you def not wise !!!

Wilesy,

The top ten teams in L 1 will all be of a high quality compared to L2 and as such very difficult to beat. This will be a very hard season compared to last year and its not going to be as easy as some think. All I'm saying is its time for focus and measured expectation. This team is not yet the finished article, other wise PDC would not be looking to add further other than a GK. Palace were on a stroll last night and will be upset they did not score from open play, near misses don't win games, nor does hitting the cross bar. Points at the beginning of the season are all important, and 46 games to go and none of them guaranteed.

No problem with being cautious, but we looked better than last year on last years showing. We gave as good as we got 1st half, and the only difference for me was Zaha. We created, they created, and some of the passing at times was delightful. Second half all the subs affected the game it was stop start and no real flow.

Last season we were were talking about the super six, now we have added another seven of equivalent good quality, so it looks good in my eyes. Being greedy I would like a socks off striker to compliment Williams, but apart from that very happy with how the squad is looking.

Wilesy,

I think a striker and a GK and we are there, I remain un convinced by Williams but there is plenty of time yet to get things tweeked. Benson will continue to shine, but maybe we also need an impact sub (Bostock type player) as well, and Connell could have been that man.

the wizard wrote:
Wilesy,

I think a striker and a GK and we are there, I remain un convinced by Williams but there is plenty of time yet to get things tweeked. Benson will continue to shine, but maybe we also need an impact sub (Bostock type player) as well, and Connell could have been that man.

Due to holidays Wednesday evening was the first time I had seen the new look STFC and I agree there were many positives.

Williams pace and his link up play with Benson were good, as was the pairing of Navara and Miller in the middle. Both flanks look good and ultimately I think the goals will come.

For me this was only a 45 minutes game as the number of subs second half disrupted the whole flow which was unfortunate as I think thoise that came on were not able to show their best, Ferry for me being one.

I am undecided about Troy as for me I thought he looked less convincing than Devera or Flint did last year, but then the opposition were that much better.

Plalce showed they were fitter, bigger and stonger than us but in the competetive first half did not run away with things.

Now then, for all these positives, and yes we are better than last year I think expectations must be curbed somewhat as this will be a tough season, and the role for us fans is to stick with it when things get tough.

Agree with above from Lydiard, especially his last paragraph.

Troy does seem to suffer with nerves for the first part of the game, but I remain cautious of the fact that Ferry seems to be sliding slowly out of the picture, perhaps the mid field will be "rotated" according to who we are playing.

Dare I say it but the Creepies have also been recruiting heavily and their board seems to be of a similar mind set to ours. Pompey, well at this precise moment, the jury is still out to whether the club survives, I hope it does. The other clubs that have been promoted or relegated along with Sheff Utd will prove to be be strong challenges for this season, and we are still not a settled team. I think things will come good but it may take longer than last season, so caution for now and hopefully celebration later, if anyone thinks we are just going to turn up and run away with results through this season, then I think they need to review the situation as diCanio doesn't seem to be overflowing with confidence right now. Two more signings may settle things down quite a bit.

the wizard wrote:
Agree with above from Lydiard, especially his last paragraph. Troy does seem to suffer with nerves for the first part of the game, but I remain cautious of the fact that Ferry seems to be sliding slowly out of the picture, perhaps the mid field will be "rotated" according to who we are playing. Dare I say it but the Creepies have also been recruiting heavily and their board seems to be of a similar mind set to ours. Pompey, well at this precise moment, the jury is still out to whether the club survives, I hope it does. The other clubs that have been promoted or relegated along with Sheff Utd will prove to be be strong challenges for this season, and we are still not a settled team. I think things will come good but it may take longer than last season, so caution for now and hopefully celebration later, if anyone thinks we are just going to turn up and run away with results through this season, then I think they need to review the situation as diCanio doesn't seem to be overflowing with confidence right now. Two more signings may settle things down quite a bit.

Definitely shouldn't be expectations of automatic promotion, play offs would be a big ask - top half of the table would be respectable and if a side that achieves that can be kept together, with a bit of investment on top, we could well challenge for the season after. Just happy at present to be back at a slightly better level, if we can hold our own in League 1 and finish anywhere in the top ten first time back we'll be doing well.

Obviously that's the logical side of me talking - the irrational side still thinks we're going to get promoted, and it will probably take a fair few embarassing defeats to knock the optimism out of me :-)

1984, absolutely nothing wrong with optimism, as long as you don't get carried away with it.
Like everyone else I only want the best, but sometimes, you just have to get a balance between desire/optimism and what is really achievable.
I happen to think that PDC can get us promoted this season, but I think the start could be a bit bumpy. We still need the second goalie and we still need that elusive man up front. We had a good one in Austin but he was not correctly managed on or off the pitch, and he went, long term our loss as up till now he has not been replaced effectively.
Bostock was identified by many as he had that extra spark that made him different, time will tell.

Oh yeah, optimism is always a good thing, if the expectations aren't set too. Very optimistic at the moment, just want the season to start. All the elements can be in place but how the season will turn out is never a foregone conclusion, and I wouldn't want to make a serious prediction pre-Christmas. Things can go wrong for the best of sides, and some sides who aren't highly thought of can surprise everyone. Football's great like that. Let's get the ball rolling next week and just see how it goes :-)

the wizard wrote:
Den, We....ll not really desperation, but lets say caution. I don't want to get carried away like many did this time last year, then suddenly we are "pointy things up", and second from bottom. Read his words, I have several times today, and I've not posted for weeks as I've been studying "The man", and the recurring theme is there. I don't think that PDC is happy as we are still missing what he wants at the front. I also think that although we have bought good players, he sees it as "something is missing". Last season there was a "buccaneer spirit", and some how that is not happening .....YET and I think he thought it would. A bit of caution yes, as we all know he will get it right, desperation Den ??? not yet a while buddy, not yet.

Wiz, my post was just a playful comment - not meant to be taken too seriously. I know you're not really despairing. As you might guess from many of my previous posts, I share your caution. It's just that I believe friendly results - and even performances - are largely best ignored. I see them as just training sessions open to the public. I think all judgment should be reserved until next Tuesday and onwards. Mine will be, anyway! Also, my gut feeling is that PDC's post-match comments on Wednesday were intended more as a gee-up for the players than as a real dissatisfaction with them. It's his way.

Den,
I think we are both "old campaigners", we have seen a lot of this before. Just look at the managers that have come and go over the years, from Lou onwards.
For a while like many others I thought we had something going with Wise, a fantastic start to the season, then his father in law stepped in and it all went pointy things up eventually.

With Paolo I'm hoping its different, BUT, he speaks his mind and takes no prisoners, and to a point I rather like that. I still think we need another hit man up front or an impact sub.
I would emphasise that I think neither of us are being negative just a bit guarded and not over ambitious, and I don't think PDC is finished with this team just yet. We had to wait for Benson, maybe we will have to wait again for someone else, yet to be named. Not counting chickens just yet. Anyway, until the home season starts I'm away at random times, take it easy.

the wizard wrote:
Den,
I think we are both "old campaigners", we have seen a lot of this before. Just look at the managers that have come and go over the years, from Lou onwards.
For a while like many others I thought we had something going with Wise, a fantastic start to the season, then his father in law stepped in and it all went pointy things up eventually.

With Paolo I'm hoping its different, BUT, he speaks his mind and takes no prisoners, and to a point I rather like that. I still think we need another hit man up front or an impact sub.
I would emphasise that I think neither of us are being negative just a bit guarded and not over ambitious, and I don't think PDC is finished with this team just yet. We had to wait for Benson, maybe we will have to wait again for someone else, yet to be named. Not counting chickens just yet. Anyway, until the home season starts I'm away at random times, take it easy.

Idealist, realist or pessimist, we all only want the same thing. Obvious but gets forgotten some times I feel. Sorry, always get a bit philosophical after a couple of pints :-) Bring on next week, then I've got a reason to be down the pub (if one were needed!) :-)

the wizard wrote:
Den,
I think we are both "old campaigners", we have seen a lot of this before. Just look at the managers that have come and go over the years, from Lou onwards.
For a while like many others I thought we had something going with Wise, a fantastic start to the season, then his father in law stepped in and it all went pointy things up eventually.

With Paolo I'm hoping its different, BUT, he speaks his mind and takes no prisoners, and to a point I rather like that. I still think we need another hit man up front or an impact sub.
I would emphasise that I think neither of us are being negative just a bit guarded and not over ambitious, and I don't think PDC is finished with this team just yet. We had to wait for Benson, maybe we will have to wait again for someone else, yet to be named. Not counting chickens just yet. Anyway, until the home season starts I'm away at random times, take it easy.

Wiz, there's a lot to be admired about PDC. He still has to prove himself though. He was probably astute in his decision to want to manage the Town. He could see that we were a club punching well below our weight. What's more, he was given plenty of money to work with - and also given a second bite of the cherry after a shambolic start to last season.
.
My belief is that PDC will make it as a manager at the top, but I don't think he'll prove his worth until he's managed without the massive advantages over his competitors that he had in 11/12.