v Kettering

[Reading Rebel]

And to be honest RR i was surprised at that as well, but i would assume the managers expected better performances from the players on the pitch than they got. Id say that was Simon Dunns worst game in a Slough shirt, Sean Fraser was watching the game for most of the first half, Warren Harris and Matt Lench did nothing at all on the wings and Chris Flood looked totally lost and less said about Nathan Smart the better. Chuck all of those good players into the poor or worse performance and it wouldnt have mattered what formation we played today.

 

 

Couldn't have put it better myself SF 

[3spirit]

Yes SloughFlyer but in pre season games players get time and space and it is easy to showboat their skills.

League matches are so much harder for players to star especially when teamwork is so lacking and when players efforts are not to their usual standard.

 

While today things didn't go to plan, it's no big deal. We know all the players we have, are better than what we got out of them today.

Even Kettering were distinctly average but come the end of the season I'm expecting both sides to be challenging for honours.

 

Ending on a plus note, Brad Wadkins got through 90 minutes in the 3-1 win for Met Police against Worthing.

[Reading Rebel]

A poor performance and 2-1 flattered us. Seemed a strange formation and choice of team.

 

Was nice to see a number of new you youngsters behind the goal, hopefully not put off by the mindless abuse the keeper received by some "fans" after he dared to drink from his water bottle after they scored the 2nd. How dare he!!!?!? He wandered into the back of his net to get his bottle and drink, I think the abuse and racism directed at him was completely deserved. I mean HOW DARE HE, have a drink, why was he not sent off and banned for life? In fact why not shoot him. Our team made us look bad, our fans made us look embarrassing. I even said to mr radford how at least when we were losing 6-0 every game our fans were a credit to us. Wimbledon relegation party?!?

 

Also the ref had a pretty decent game, maybe a bit shy with the yellow cards. The outfielders lost us this game. Not the ref, not their keeper. Get a grip!

 

 

The ref and their keeper didn't lose us the game but cannot agree that the ref had a decent game. One example was when he gave the supposed free kick that lead to their first goal.

 

The ref was quite a long way from the incident and the lino,who was a couple of yards away gave nothing. With the late whistle it certainly seemed like he was swayed by the Kettering supporters yelling for a foul.

 

Not only that incident but I think his general control of the game was quite poor i.e. not speaking to players when they either wasted time or kept giving away petty fouls. I've certainly seen worse refs but he was IMO certainly not a decent one.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Reading Rebel

[3spirit]

As far as taking Smart and Lenchy off at half time I personally think it could have been any of a number of players as very few were at the races in the first half.

 

As for George Wells he's played at this level for the whole of last season and before that. 

 

I thought it seemed as if George Wells was trying too hard to do something special,to lift our team. Laudable in my opinion but just didn't come off.

From my angle, Simon Dunn and Matt Lench were among the worst today but that doesn't mean they're bad players, just both had games to forget. 

 

On Nathan Smart, I didn't notice that he was that bad. I just thought that Sean Fraser offers more going forward and is generally faster around the pitch, so that's why I agreed with the managers substition of him.

[CheshFan]

Brad Wadkins out on loan already ! .? He really doesn't like 3G you know

Edited August 12, 2017 by CheshFan

[Stan]

Well last season we rolled over a lot of teams with our standard 4-4-2 but too many Sussed us out and we looked a bit one dimensional. Looks like the managers know this have got the players they think we can mix it up with and tried that today. Unfortunately any system requires the players to play to their potential . Today too many were way below par and we never really troubled Kettering.

hindsights a wonderful thing but at home, first game I would have started with Dobbo and Harris bombing the lines in our predictable but reliable 442 then changed it if not working. But we were second best all over.

[Irishadrian]

Kettering are obviously very pleased their match report says they had to send a weakened team against us with Aaron O'Connor suspended 3 Others injured and 1 on holiday .

[Reading Rebel]

Kettering are obviously very pleased their match report says they had to send a weakened team against us with Aaron O'Connor suspended 3 Others injured and 1 on holiday .

 

 

Did they forget to mention that they've got Matthew Steven on loan from Perterborough to cove for Aaron O'Connor?

[HEAVY TRUCKER]

i think that maybe the wrong tactics were employed today, you just cannot sit off of teams in this league and again the use of the long ball just don't work for us. once we started to pass the ball around a bit more we were having a little more success, their larger players are just not that agile and in the second half we were passing it a lot more and taking a more aggressive line and causing  kettering more problems, just hope we bounce back with a victory at gosport on saturday.

[Irishadrian]

RR I mentioned Matthew Steven on this forum several days ago

[Reading Rebel]

Disappointing but our losses last season were well into double figures and we still made the play-offs Neil and Jon are really between a rock and a hard place when the team doesnt perform Their starting XI would have been based on performances prior to this game and frankly a number were well below their normal form Kettering were efficient and workmanlike but unlikely imo to be challenging at the end. Gosport were poor today and Hereford struggled

 

 

I haven't read anywhere that Gosport were poor today?

 

A 2-0 loss at what looks like strong KL side with KL reporting that Gosport looked quite strong at the back and never gave up.

[Mark44]

So disappointed to have started so poorly given how good we have looked in pre season. So many players just not up to the standard they should be.

 

On the team selection I must say it wasn't the choice I would have gone with but saying that when I did see it i didn't immediately panic. It was more like "oh, I would have played x and y but these guys are still good enough to start" so didn't see our first half coming at all.

[Mark44]

I think we will see a reaction on Tuesday and I also expect a much different looking starting 11

[redwine rebel]

Good god on holiday during the season thats not acceptable! !

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

Agree with above. Fraser at full back. Harris and dobbo on the wings.

[RebelDelaney]

On the other thread there are guesses on the number of away supporters I have to say 50 60 or 100 they were making more noise than 650 + Slough supporters.

For the first game of the season from minute one the home support were so quiet there was no atmosphere .

When the team are having a bad day they need the to hear us more than ever.

Our same supporters make more noise away from home why is this so.

Did Steve,s statement on Friday have something to do with it.

[Sir Rebel1965]

Knee jerk or what!

 

We lost one game - we will lose others this season - that's reality.

 

We will however over the course of the next 45 games (the season is 46 games and not just the one on the 12th August) win more games than we lose.

[Reading Rebel]

Knee jerk or what!

 

We lost one game - we will lose others this season - that's reality.

 

We will however over the course of the next 45 games (the season is 46 games and not just the one on the 12th August) win more games than we lose.

 

 

Clive you maybe right but unless I'm missing something, win, lose or draw letting off steam or praising the team are what football forums and being a supporter are all about.

 

BTW I'm missing the real Clive so can we please have him back    

[Christof]

Thought we looked unbalanced in the first half but when the shape changed back to offer us width and guile, we looked far more threatening.

 

Talking of threatening, if you get that wound up by an opposition goalkeeper celebrating his team scoring that you feel the need to shout abuse at him above the silent majority around you, then maybe non-league football isn't for you.

[redwine rebel]

RD don't think it's anything to with Steve's statement.

 

It might be me and I'm not knocking anyone buy we just can't see to get the 12th man going at home. Also a lot of our main mouths have got married and had families which obviously means they can't make as many games.

 

Obviously I don't want to go back there but I wish we could create the atmosphere and fun we had when we were losing 6 0 every week xx