Now we are 10 games in

[michael]

Valid ponts Wenger, and i think we sort of agree with each other.

The nub of the discussion here is that you can't have too many of the 'younger'/less inexperienced players in the team at the same time.(well you can but you may not enjoy much success for a couple of seasons)

 

Equally agree that age is a bit irrelevant provided that these players have the right mental and physical attributes needed to make the step from Kent league to Ryman Premier-that is a big big step .

Equally ,certainly not writing them off-the opposite in fact- as i think again the consistent theme is gradual introduction and most will make good.You can shatter someones confidence by introducing a player to a situation they are not fuly equipped to handle

 

I think the potential signing is 22-but as you correctly say-largely irrelevant- .

However but difference may be that although not played for 1st team, he was i believe a member of first team squad,so persumably trained with some tough pro's/quality players-hopefully learnt a bit-, and indeed i think the standard of a premiership reserve team may well be a bit higher than kent League div 2.

[Chris1]

A good topic (well done Alex), and good points made above.

 

I agree with those who say you shouldn't blood too many youngsters too early. There has to be a balance.

 

I also think Trotty is doing the right thing by promoting the best of the reserves to the bench. Even if they don't get on, the experience will be good for them, and also it sends out the right signals to other youth/reserve players that they will get noticed if they are good enough.

 

Has it gone wrong? Well we had a run of good results against teams which we now see in the bottom half of the table, plus Chelmsford when it all came together. Sides were scared of us and standing off us in midfield. We have been found out now and the momentum has gone. However our defeats have come against the current 2nd and 7th in the league, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Our draws against AFC and Bromley were good hard-fought defensive efforts, showing that we can defend when we put our minds to it.

 

So how can we get back on track? There will probably be as many suggestions as there are contributors to this message board, however here’s my two pennyworth:

 

I would ask the gaffer are we correct to play two tall slow central defenders all the time? On bad pitches and against the long ball, yes. Against ball playing sides and young teams who run at you I would argue we need someone with speed and the skill to dispossess the striker. RT attempted to address this with the intended signing of Sappleton. We are part way there with Saunders, although he can’t be everywhere at once and is going to be in the wrong place if we are being hit on the break.

 

We are not dominating the midfield, which is causing Pinnock in particular to play deep to try to see a bit of the ball. That’s not the answer; we have to keep the ball further up the pitch. The midfield is so important. We have Saunders who is a terrific asset, but I think there are other guys in midfield who are letting us down. It’s not a place for 18-year olds, although I have been impressed with Wisker so far (how old- 20?). No, we need tough experienced quick-thinking players.

 

Look at Saunders and Protheroe. How come they seem to have so much time to play the ball, when the likes of McKimm and Abbott are getting hassled into mistakes? It is vision, movement off the ball away from markers, and most of all speed of control. If it takes you two or three touches to control it, the oppo are going to be in your face by the time you have succeeded. When Protheroe and Saunders took central midfield at the end of the last game we looked a different class (to this amateur observer at least!). I know all about player power and the fact that Proths prefers the right back position, but hey the guv’nor’s job is to get players to want to play in the best position for the team.

 

Up front Hockton is indispensable. Pinns has run his heart out game after game with not a lot of reward. I think he lacks enough belief in his own ability. He is receiving the ball and taking it backwards to get away from the defender. He has speed; he can skin those guys.

 

I would like to see us winning the midfield and getting the forwards better service. I believe Pinns is just as capable as Danny of knocking them in, and when he has a few under his belt our opponents are going to have to try to cope with two top class strikers. Having said that it looks like the possible new signing being talked about might cause him to lose his place. Shame, because I don’t think the problem is up front.

 

We seem to have all the requirements on the left side in Skinner/Jackson but both now injured? Jacko just needs to get the ball into the area more.

 

On the right I am not so sure. We have tried a number of options. I rate Smith at fullback higher than some of you, and I take on board that he back-pedals a bit too much, but at least he forces the player wide while he is doing it (usually). I don’t think Robinson has the discipline yet on the wing. We haven’t given Greg a full game there yet. He used to terrify conf defences when he joined us, and that was at wingback, so surely he can cut the mustard on the wing? I know he lost a bit of confidence when he played nearly a whole season injured (what a hero by the way: we only had 12 fit players at one point), but I would like to see that option tried.

 

Right, last bit of my rant: we aren’t moving it forwards quick enough. When we start getting it into the box more we are going to cause defensive errors. This is only Ryman for god’s sake. If we mix it up with crosses from the wings and diagonal runs, and do it quick, we are going to make our own luck.

 

New players? I confess to not having seen the reserves or youth teams, but have been impressed by what others have said, and would love to see us developing our own future stars. However we also need cover for injuries and a quick defender in my opinion, which probably means getting someone in fairly sharpish.

 

I don’t know what resources are available to our manager, so it is pointless to speculate on what class of player we should be looking at. However I have noticed we have at least two players on our books who could realise some cash in the sales. If Remy can go to a bottom-half Ryman outfit and start banging in hat-tricks then think what Laurence could do. Also what about our other young star who attracted Premiership interest not long ago? He obviously doesn’t fit the current thinking, so shouldn’t we be looking to trade him in? Or am I being naïve and forgetting that it’s the agents who run football these days?

 

We also don’t want to fall into the trap of making up the first team just out of the manager’s mates, because that will make us too susceptible to falling into a losing rut. You need a mix of ages and backgrounds if possible, and a gaffer who makes them all feel an important part of the team.

 

Essay over. Well done to anyone who read it all; sorry to those who disagree.

[Boney Crisp]

We have a new Cookie.

 

I think they were very good points and i entirely agree with you, we need to get the ball into the box earlier and get behind there defenders to start creating chances again. I think at times we are very predictable and we have to stop that we have to keep changing our style of play throughout and confuse defenders, because with our strike force we can score plenty of goals by doing that.

[upthegate]

Whats all this talk about strikers and midfield.

Surely its plain for us all to see, it's the defence that needs strengthening. Too slow and too many mistakes i'm afraid.

[abdullah]

......only 32 to go!

 

 

Abdullah the Gate!