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Post by applesnstones on Mar 9, 2024 22:41:42 GMT
I’d add that as soon as Sam Bone, Hoyte and Kyprianou return this team is instantly a level above what we saw today.
I’m really intrigued to see what happens when we get Sol Wanjau-Smith back too. George will either have a genuine squad selection headache, or will have to find a way of getting Faal and Rush in a front three with him.
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Post by pwoodstone on Mar 9, 2024 22:46:20 GMT
I’d add that as soon as Sam Bone, Hoyte and Kyprianou return this team is instantly a level above what we saw today. I’m really intrigued to see what happens when we get Sol Wanjau-Smith back too. George will either have a genuine squad selection headache, or will have to find a way of getting Faal and Rush in a front three with him. I suspect it’ll involve a similar starting formation as today where we had Tanga floating in behind the strikers.
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Post by jdl on Mar 10, 2024 0:57:10 GMT
I’d add that as soon as Sam Bone, Hoyte and Kyprianou return this team is instantly a level above what we saw today. I’m really intrigued to see what happens when we get Sol Wanjau-Smith back too. George will either have a genuine squad selection headache, or will have to find a way of getting Faal and Rush in a front three with him. Don't hold your breath, with SWS's injury record. And if he's not back by April, I doubt if we will ever see him again.
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Post by royalstone on Mar 10, 2024 1:40:30 GMT
I must have been watching another game to everyone else.
I thought that we were the better team and created more chances than St Albans despite playing about an hour with 10 men. We pressed well and caused them to lose possession in there own half repeatedly.
My only criticism today was our final product. Example, if Greenidge had scored from a free header in the 1st/2 nd minute it probably would have been a different outcome.
Sending off looked questionable but I was to far away in the Genco to be sure.
I think we're a good enough team for play offs and if we're not St Albans definitely aren't either. IMHO.
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Post by Raymondo316 on Mar 10, 2024 2:05:37 GMT
I’d add that as soon as Sam Bone, Hoyte and Kyprianou return this team is instantly a level above what we saw today. I’m really intrigued to see what happens when we get Sol Wanjau-Smith back too. George will either have a genuine squad selection headache, or will have to find a way of getting Faal and Rush in a front three with him. Don't hold your breath, with SWS's injury record. And if he's not back by April, I doubt if we will ever see him again. That's the thing, Sol has pretty much been injured non-stop since we signed him, we really cant rely on him at all. I'd let him go in the summer.
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Post by 1018 on Mar 10, 2024 9:35:00 GMT
Disappointing. At the moment we look like a mid-table side at best & certainly miss Bone, Hoyte & Kyprianou. Without Covolan, Greenidge & Corne then the result could have been embarrassing. It's been obvious for some time that Ezennolim & Reynolds are not up to NLS standard so why not pay off their contracts & give some of the younger players a chance.
On Tuesday night Bath played some good fotball & had wide players who could get the ball into the box. StAlbans also played some good football. Stones only tactic seems to be hoof & hope; fine when you're chasing the game but unless we can find another Jay May then it just seems so pointless. I forecast yesterday's score correctly on the other thread & for the Chelmsford game I can see it being 0-3.
The Club need to spend some money & ground improvements in order to increase the average attendance & prepare for another season in the NLS.
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Post by sdg on Mar 10, 2024 10:20:55 GMT
Our system suggests the best passers in the team are the defenders as they are the only ones playing long channel balls all game. What's happened to the midfield? Corne rarely passes forward anymore. Add to that the fact wingers no longer put quality balls into the box and it becomes very painful to watch.
St Albans moved the balls through midfield with accuracy and speed all game. Our players would suit this style but we don't do it for reasons beyond me.
We have 2 very good strikers that live off scraps. Every corner and free kick we always hit the back post for some reason and rely on the second ball to create a chance. It's not that it doesn't work but why on earth don't we mix it up every now and then.
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Post by jdl on Mar 10, 2024 11:04:36 GMT
Don't hold your breath, with SWS's injury record. And if he's not back by April, I doubt if we will ever see him again. That's the thing, Sol has pretty much been injured non-stop since we signed him, we really cant rely on him at all. I'd let him go in the summer. I suspect George can't wait, he's been saddled with Hak's stupid two year deal using up a chunk of his budget all season. WS looked good in last year's pre-seasons, and (if ever uninjured) he'd make a decent Isthmian Premier striker, but he just doesn't cut it at NS/NL level.
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Post by Nick on Mar 10, 2024 11:16:03 GMT
Not sure I can agree with you about him not having the ability to perform in the nls, but sadly some players are just so injury prone that they can never fulfil their potential. It is disappointing but clearly Sol fits the description.
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Post by pigbag on Mar 10, 2024 14:40:57 GMT
Our goal came from Tanga crossing from the wing similar to our gol atDover. We will score more goals if we had wingers of the class that St Albans had.
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Post by patm on Mar 10, 2024 16:23:07 GMT
Disclaimer alert: I am no expert. Football in many ways is a bit of a mystery to me, so my questions below are questions, not comments - and I’d genuinely like to know what you guys think the answers are! 1. Our crossing today seemed quite often to come from players who should have been in the box, receiving crosses. Is that right? 2. When we had men in the box, they seemed to me to be facing the ball. If they were facing the goal, would that be one less turn they’d have to make after the cross? 3. At Coventry, the home players seemed to know what they were going to do with the ball long before it got to them. Our players seem to start thinking about what to do with the ball on receipt, which seems to result in “tippy tappy” sideways passing. At Ipswich, the home side made 38 shots at our goal - admittedly unsuccessfully. Is there a good reason to not shoot whenever you can? I’m sure my questions are attempts at oversimplification but as I said, I am no expert. I just want to know if I’m on the right track towards understanding this bloody game. 2 is a result of not being able to do 3. Passing back to George of Lucas (as Daveu stated) is what we used to do when we played under Wheeler. Worried and their mid-field. Ironic, seeing as he's deputy dawg now at St.Allbrans. They were getting busy and we should have switched.
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Post by Bernie on Mar 10, 2024 17:34:41 GMT
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Post by Bernie on Mar 10, 2024 17:57:25 GMT
Interesting to see how the starting line up has changed since the first game of the season.
Versus Slough: 1. Lucas Covolan, 2. Gavin Hoyte, 4. Reiss Greenidge, 5. George Fowler, 6. Raphe Brown, 16. Liam Sole (3. Chi Ezennolim 70), 8. Sam Corne, 20. Conor Kelly, 10. Lamar Reynolds, 14. Ogo Obi (7. Razzaq Coleman De-Graft 78), 9. Sol Wanju-Smith (17. Levi Amantchi 64). Subs not used: 12. Harley Earle, 11. Devonte Aransibia.
Versus St Albans: 1. Lucas Covolan, 10. Lamar Reynolds, 4. Reece Greenidge, 19. Paul Appiah, 5. George Fowler, 3. Chi Ezennolim (6. Raphe Brown 64), 7. Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong (18. Bivesh Gurung 81), 8. Sam Corne, 17. Jephte Tanga, 11. Mo Faal (16. Liam Sole 64), 20. Matt Rush. Subs not used: 12. Harley Earle, 19. Riley Court.
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Post by jdl on Mar 10, 2024 18:53:52 GMT
I'm not sure they could have made the gantry look more oppressive if they'd tried! It badly needs a bit of yellow paint, or ads or sponsorship - or something! Anyone know why it wasn't in use yesterday? As for the game, if you weren't there, St Albans first goal just about sums up the game - they were better than us in just about every way - talent, organisation, organisation, organisation, awareness, passing... Fowler's card didn't look red then, and it still doesn't - St A clearly made a big deal of it to get him sent off. Mind you, it didn't help that there was a loud crack as they made contact - I think that probably influenced the ref more than what he saw. Oddly, the sending off didn't seem to make much difference initially, we actually looked more like scoring for a while either side of half-time. But, ultimately, it did tell and effectively gave them their second. I could say a lot more about the game, but I'm depressed enough as it is, the only Stones player who came out of it with any positives was out one-man midfield, Corne. If by some chance we make it to NL this season, he's probably the only player George should retain - and possibly Covolan, but I am no longer even convinced by him.
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Post by jdl on Mar 10, 2024 18:59:16 GMT
Interesting to see how the starting line up has changed since the first game of the season. Apologies, Bernie, but my aged brain wasn't up to doing an on-the-fly conversion, so I've added some colour... Versus Slough: 1. Lucas Covolan, 2. Gavin Hoyte, 4. Reiss Greenidge, 5. George Fowler, 6. Raphe Brown, 16. Liam Sole (3. Chi Ezennolim 70), 8. Sam Corne, 20. Conor Kelly, 10. Lamar Reynolds, 14. Ogo Obi (7. Razzaq Coleman De-Graft 78), 9. Sol Wanju-Smith (17. Levi Amantchi 64). Subs not used: 12. Harley Earle, 11. Devonte Aransibia. Versus St Albans: 1. Lucas Covolan, 10. Lamar Reynolds, 4. Reece Greenidge, 19. Paul Appiah, 5. George Fowler, 3. Chi Ezennolim (6. Raphe Brown 64), 7. Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong (18. Bivesh Gurung 81), 8. Sam Corne, 17. Jephte Tanga, 11. Mo Faal (16. Liam Sole 64), 20. Matt Rush. Subs not used: 12. Harley Earle, 19. Riley Court.
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