hollandspies

27 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

The only hysteria I see is coming from those who get offended by others having an opinion and discussing football on a football forum, shall we just shut debate down then? I'm confused why anyone would get offended by anything written on here, surely it's what the platform is for?.

We have a squad of 20, 11 will start and 9 will miss out. We can’t change that.

All I see are discussions about the merits of who will start and who won’t, it’s as simple as that! 

4 hours ago, mcfluff1985 said:

He wasn't even great when he was last with us. Baffles me too

People are discussing the merits of Nuttall starting matches in competition with Reid, Fondop and Willoughby based on what they have seen during the pre-season games so far.

Isn’t that what this forum is for, a genuinely honest debate? 
 

So, a debate about the front four is simmering away nicely, what on earth has that has got to do in any direct way with Dan Gardner?

At long last, during close season, Dan has had the expert input from the Daddy of all physios, Mick Rathbone, who has clearly decided that he needs time to give him the opportunity to come back fully fit, rather than be that clearly unfit bit part player we all saw struggling (and criticised) through last season.
Signings have bought Dan that time, and whilst he’s under contract, he deserves the opportunity to prove himself again when hopefully he’s fully fit. 

9 minutes ago, mick26 said:

Signed Watters from Cardiff as well - wonder if that frees up rumoured target Norwood? (Still don't think another striker is a priority though).

Haven’t they taken Luamba off our hands or at least given him a trial? 

1 hour ago, mcfluff1985 said:

Nuttall getting hammered again. How many did Reid score today and how many did he miss?

My take on things so far having watched the first four friendlies….

Up top, any 2 of Fondop, Reid and Willoughby to start. 
Whoever misses out is on the bench, with 3 other outfield players covering the other positions. 
Nuttall to eventually provide cover for injuries and / or loss of form but for now, he doesn’t make the match day squad. 

We are more than adequately covered elsewhere, just a nagging doubt over whether we need a specialist right back who will also be effective going forward.

We currently have a competitive squad of 20/21 - so quality over quantity is the right way way to go. 

2 hours ago, Oldham_till_i_die said:

@Monty Burns

”Nuttall is our main man this season”.

All he’s proved to me is that we can score when he doesn’t play. Our other 3 strikers add so much more, as they proved tonight.

Very simply put, but to be fair, during this competitive pre-season so far , it’s actually perfectly true! 
 

With tonight’s superb attacking momentum we’ve shown going forward, along with our clinical finishing and the injection of confidence it gave the whole team, does Nuttall deserve some game time at Curzon Ashton on Saturday? 


 

2 hours ago, L1onheartNew said:

I think that he had one, maybe two good games last year.

 

Season long loan at Scunthorpe would do him, them and us the world of good

Completely agree.

Rhino’s close season business looks good but there’s a mistake hanging over him from last season. 
Start afresh please and learn the lesson from tonight. 
Mikey, Reid, King Kurt, Green and H between them offer more of a goal threat it seems than whenever Nuttall is involved. 
whether it’s a transfer fee issue or something else, I’d love to know the logic behind Rhinos preference to start him before others. 

2 hours ago, Monty Burns said:

its pre season

He was equally ineffective last season.

19 minutes ago, Bobledgersheart said:

I actually asked, and got, two stickers a couple of seasons ago for a "do-it-yourself" job.

Unfortunately my practical skills were evidenced by them lasting about half a season !!  

I made my own. 

We might find out more tonight? 

5 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

Yarney, Rooney, McGahey, Leutwiler, Luamba, Windass all definitely missing there may be others. Can't see any playing a part this season and they've probably been asked to stay away and find new clubs.

 

Fondop, Gardner, Hope and Tollitt all in which tells me they will be invoved and to be fair are good squad players on their day at this level.

Burgess also missing. 
Gardner couldn’t be spotted either but my eyesight isn’t what it used to be! 

So here’s my interpretation of who’s in, and who’s out….

1. Norman

2. Hudson

3. Sutton

4. Shelton

5. Hobson

6. Hogan

7. Kitching

8. Sheron

9. Couto

10. Gardner

11. Lundstram

12. Tollitt

13. Green

14. Ward

15. Hope

16. Fondop

17. Reid

18. Willoughby

19. Nuttall

20. McGahey ( Recovering from injury) 

Out:

Rotweiler

Rooney

Burgess 

Windass

Luamba

“Still 2 or 3 to be added plus loans.”

I wish I’d asked the question at the Fans Forum of the likelihood of Clarkey staying on with us in some capacity next season. 
 

Anyway, for me, It’s a no brainer.
A player, part-player, coach, mentor and 
his influencial presence around the club is worth the offer of a 12 month contract.
Show him this job description and let him decide. 
Respect your decision either way Peter, but at least we tried.

How many gears does a football team have? 
For me, Rhino has us playing for the most part, in second gear. We seem happy to concede pressure and absorb. 
Then win possession, lose it cheaply, rinse and repeat. 
Occasionally, we press, (or Sheron does) and / or we win a set piece and we then move up a gear and score. 
Level, or with our noses in front we drop back into second gear again. 
Even with a two goal lead recently, we found a way to drop down into first and somehow, we conceded two.

I’m convinced there’s a fourth and fifth gear in this squad but Unsworth is at a complete loss as to how to find them. 
That’s how I feel when I watch these insipid performances week after week. 
Having said that, despite the performances, results trump all, for now!! 

I remain concerned that we have so many peripheral players still picking up a wage that’s preventing us from strengthening in the key areas that we have already identified. 
To me, It’s fairly clear that Stobbs, Burgess, Angol, Porter, Gardner, McGahey and Maynard are all now ‘surplus to requirements’ and are unlikely to feature again anytime soon in a 16 man match day squad. 
Is this issue holding us back from signing the 2 or 3 key additions we really need to completely alleviate the worry of relegation whilst guaranteeing the optimism of a real challenge next season? 

2 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

Or even if Ebbrell had said as much in the post match presser which he didn't really answer properly. 

 

I always think that we pay too much attention to comments from the manager post game. I mean you cannot dress up a 3-1 home defeat to Gateshead and by the sounds of it an abject performance. But running off at the final whistle after a defeat is possibly one of the worst things you can do it doesn't look good. Even if he didn't speak to the media because he was locked in the dressing room with the players would have looked better atleast it meant he was trying to sort things out with them. But to effectively storm off and go Awol doesn't give off a good impression at all.

 

It's getting harder and harder to see a way back from here.

 

 

I wonder if he would be prepared to take a (crowdfunded) lie detector test?

I’m speechless after witnessing that today.
For much of the second half we had four attackers, strung across the front line from left to right, Tollitt, Nuttall, Fondop (Reid), and Abraham who between them and individually failed to:

0. Link up together in any way, shape or form.

1. Create a goal scoring chance.
2. Have the ball at their feet to make a probing forward run.
3. Link up effectively with an overlapping full-back. 
4. Drop a little bit deeper to help out a totally ineffective midfield.
5. Look interested as there was no determination to press their defence throughout the whole of the game. 

So, as a result of all that above, we had completely surrendered midfield.
It just became a matter of time before they scored again. 

It was a complete masterclass of sheer incompetence by our so called manager.

I sat close to Frank, Darren and Joe and their total lack of concern which was evident from their body language at the final whistle would suggest that we can’t expect anything to change, anytime soon.
It was if they had expected it. 

I know I’ve said a lot, but I’m still absolutely speechless.

Other than down to Wealdstone without Clarkey, where do go from here? 

16 hours ago, astottie said:

What's happened to the released list?

Ran out of paper?

L L L D D D D W L L L L D L L

P 15  W 1  D 5  L 9

win 6.66%

7 minutes ago, LaticMark said:

Mitchell Roberts (loan until January from Birmingham)

Charlie Wellens (loan until January from Man U)

David Okagbue (loan until January from Stoke)

James Carragher (loan until January from Wigan)

Oscar Threlkeld (loan until January, from Bradford)

Sydie Peck (loan until Dec 10^th from Sheffield Utd)

Conor Carty (loan until Nov 21st from Bolton)

Timmy Abraham (loan until Jan 1st from Walsall)  

Peter Clarke (loan until Jan 1st from Walsall)

Ellis Chapman (loan until Dec17th from Cheltenham)

 

Have I missed anyone?

That’s 10, must be the goalie you missed. 

31 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

Shambles 

York City sacking their manager? 

An opportunity perhaps,  for Frank to reward the ST holders, the cash paying Athleticos’,  the pay on the day fence-sitters, our lapsed supporters, or those with just an inquisitive nature tempted with an admission price that guarantees the place will be well attended and bouncing for a fixture where the prize money is decent, and accumulates further if we progress!? 

Having said that, I do wonder whether the away team actually have some say in this, despite it being so early in the competition? 

10 players injured, 2 on international duty, and DU, 4 days into his tenure, 

has to put out a team from whoever remains available.

This team then has to play on an unnatural surface against a team at full strength who should know how it plays as well as an OAFC team did in the past, and they did ok on it didn’t they? 

So it’s no surprise then that we lost, is it?

DU then said he’s going shopping this week didn’t he?

Bring it on, big time! 

The words hat, names and pick spring to mind! 

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

I don't normally go pre season and start every season with optimism but thought I'd go today, I was shocked how dysfunctional we looked, now that might be an overreaction but we literally offered nothing, Mansfield toyed with us really we had no shape or structure to our play, second goal in particular saw Hope covering at left back running through treacle, I left before the end and feel there needs to be a massive improvement in a couple of weeks for us to be competitive.

 

Basics sadly lacking, McGahey, Couto, Cooper, Tollit, Stobbs, Hope were all dreadful first half Luamba and Fondop huffed and puffed but did nothing, Burgess and Tollit looked lost second half, both lightweight and got no bollocks particularly in central positions.

 

I'm worried because I thought we'd be better prepared but I think the footballs going to be grim particularly when we play 6 at the back at times, Stobbs and Hope spent half their time playing as wing backs on the outside of a back four or tucking in alongside the centre halfs, we'll lose the midfield battle week in week out with a team like that, honestly Whelan would offer some balance and that sounds desperate but those trialists are way off what's required.

 

Is there a budget for players or are we just trying to stay up this season? I was hopeful but must admit it looks pretty grim after 6 hours of football we've scored one flukey goal, big week ahead both on and off the pitch. 

I thought V Wigan we competed well and pre season progress was going as well as could be expected.

However, today, sadly, a massive step back because we showed absolutely nothing in terms of a real attacking intent, not helped by a dysfunctional midfield and a back 5 that ended as a 4 with Stobbs playing right full back! 

Tuesday, we go to Radcliffe Borough which has already cost me a fiver, and if I was Shez, I’d send a team out to score 3 minimum, and make them all walk home If the don’t.