TheBigDog

Agree with that team if no Wheater. One concern though is the lack of height in that back four.

That's how I read the question. I believed (rightly or wrongly) that the question was asking which of the two parties was running the better campaign.* (*) in a similar way to which group ran the better Brexit campaign (Remain or Leave) - in my opinion the' Leave' campaign was far superior to the 'Remain' campaign. But it doesn't mean that I voted 'Leave'

I picked Team Lemsagam in response to the original question. Which doesn't mean that I actually believe one side or t'other; just which side I believe is winning the battle of PR and letters. The FLG has a golden opportunity here but I don't think that it is taking it.

TICKET UPDATE So far, 666 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s game against @officialbantams. There are only 247 tickets remaining from our allocation. Supporters buying Adult tickets are advised to buy in advance as there is a £5 increase on the day. #oafc £5 increase o the day? That’s a bit rich...

Given that it is the very first post by @oafcmb I was going to overlook the error... but nah...

Good to see so many positive comments. Yes, there is a long way to go and yes we conceded two in added time but Banide demanded a reaction and he got it. We competed for 92 minutes but then seemed to lose our shape and discipline. Something to build on or more of the same this Saturday? Intrigued to see who starts at Bradford. We can but hope that Wheater is back. As for the rest of the defence will Stott and Hamer return to the starting line up and will Nepomuceno retain his place? Did Fage do enough to convince Banide of his worth? *disclaimer - This post concentrates solely on any positives to be gleaned from Team performance - the rest of the shenanigans going on at the club have been (and will continue to be) dealt with elsewhere.

And back to tonight’s game... Banide in his pre match interview: “We need to have a result for our confidence but if we win 1-0 and they hit the post ten times and have 20 shots you don’t have insurance. “You need to have insurance when you play on your position, when you have the ball and when you don’t have the ball. "You take insurance when you play to your potential, that is important.” I am making an assumption that he means assurance not insurance.. Either way it shows that he is not happy with the quality and the effort so far.

Apart from Manchester United that is. Season 2018/2019 Man Utd were paid £142.5 million in tv revenues. They had a wage bill of £170 million for the first team squad alone. Then there are the salaries for the academy/ U21 players plus managerial and coaching staff not forgetting the administrative side of the club. And they pull in an average £2 million a home game from ‘bums on seats’... money they need to pay the inflated salaries of their underperforming superstars. Don’t you just love ‘em...

Interested enough to post that you’re not interested though...

Blackburn Away on Tuesday. if David and Zak are fit then I’d like to see this team start Laurent: Woods, Hamer, Wheater, Stott, Iacovitti, Mills, Sylla, Missilou, Maouche, Fage, Azankpo

Tend to agree that Banide has quickly recognised that we are short in quality players. But I also think that he he wants more application from the players he currently has at his disposal. “But we need to have more personality, more character, more spirit.” "When you lose a duel, when you lose a 1v1 it's difficult. It's important to have more capacity to win the 1v1 and for passing and dribbling and for creating something. And for the moment we don't have that." Yes we may bring in one or two loanees but he will also need to demand more from the players he has in his squad.

Also, a notable absence from the line-up was the recent addition of David Wheater. An update was given by Banide on the defender. "David for the moment is injured, so we don't take a risk. He's very important in the team for the character, for the spirit but we cannot take risks with a player like that.

Given everything else going on with the club, putting up an analysis of individual and team performance does seem somewhat superfluous. However... my thoughts the morning after: Woods - decent game, kept the score down and deservedly MotM Hamer - hardest working player on the pitch. Made one or two last ditch tackles that kept the score down too. Needs to keep working on his positional play but a definite prospect. Stott - had an okay game but both he and Sefil were beaten in the air far too often. Sefil - doesn’t punch his weight. He should be dominating forwards given his size. Smith-Brown - disappointing display given his encouraging one on Wednesday. Branger - cannot see what he brings to the team at the moment Missilou - ran Hamer close for the effort he put in yesterday. A walking yellow card though... Maouche - His style of play means that he often looks like he strolls through the game. He did get his foot in and made one great saving run and block when Crewe were through on goal. His ball to Azankpo at the end was an all too rare glimpse of what he can do. Not really the captain the team needs. Mills - I like this guy and can only assume that he picked up an injury at half time. Wilson - runs around a lot but to little effect. Needs the service from midfield and the wings to show whether he ill cut it for us Vera - had a really good first ten minutes and then reverted to his pub player persona Nepomuceno - didn’t build on the promising display on Wednesday- looks way off his best. Azankpo - willing runner who plays with a swagger. Will score (and miss) plenty with the right service. Thought he had snatched a draw for us at the end but missed from a tight angle. Eagles - didn’t get into the game. Overall it was a very poor display yesterday. Too many way below the standard needed. No urgency on the pitch with poor passing in all areas of the pitch. Crewe cut through our midfield and defence with embarrassing ease. i look forward to hearing Banide’s views on that one!

@Lukers1?

Everyone has the right to an opinion and the right to put that opinion over forcefully. Also, I know that this board is a place where language can sometimes get vitriolic. However, I find both the above posts crude and offensive. You do yourself no favours at all. We all agree that today was a shambles both on and off the pitch. And we certainly have enough cause to be angry but have a bit of class when you do.

Anyone know how the Academy team got on last Saturday against Salford? There was an article previewing the game but then ...nothing. There is no report on the Salford site either. Did the game actually take place?

Quite a few on here have given the team some credit for last night’s performance. Others have not. It’s all about opinions at the end of the day. For me, we are still a work in progress. But we have seen some progress - and that’s encouraging.

So...if we accept that we were up against an under 21 side that looked well coached and had one or two technically strong players whose game plan was ball retention and look to break fast.... i think that tonight was an opportunity for Banide to see the rest of the squad (bar Hamer, Sylla and Iacovitti) start a game - then what did we learn? Zabret - good shot stopper and was vocal when needed. One punch early on when he could easily have caught. Had no chance with the first goal which was a screamer and maybe his defenders should have cleared from his initial save for the second. Hamer - definitely the MotM. Never stopped. Still needs to improve his positional play though. Stott and Iacovitti - a fair game at the back for both I thought. And they both scored... Smith-Brown - tidy performance but would have liked to see him get forward more. Eagles - obvious quality. Also obvious that he is some way off being match fit. Sylla - another good game and ran Hamer close for MotM. He need to stop putting his hands on players when closing down though as this leads to too many free kicks. Fage - I like the look of this lad. Quick and energetic. Faded somewhat second half. Azankpo - took his goal well. Should have scored with a header first half but led the line well. Nepomuceno- reasonable game. A couple of good crosses, one good shot and of course the corner that led to the goal for Stott. Not yet back to his best. Vera - one flick on and a couple of deft touches. Too slow when through on goal. Overall an ineffective game. Gonzales - played the second half. Looked slow and disinterested. Adams and Dolan - chased down well but ultimately too little time to judge. Useful workout - bring on Crewe Alexandra.

3-2 victory- Wemberlee Wemberlee etc.

Fage looks decent. Vera wins header

And if the pitch is true to form after the winter then ‘We shall fight on the beaches...’ comes to mind.

Banide on our new LB and the team in general ahead of tomorrow’s match: “He’s been training well and I have a good feeling with him. He’s a good guy and he’s happy to be here. We need to help him to strengthen the team and feel good. “It’s our job and for the moment it’s important to work well with everybody and try to prepare for the game with serenity and concentration.” ‘Serenity and concentration’ ... not quite ‘Keep the Faith’ but it could catch on...

Slightly jumped the gun there @oafc1955

New thread not needed. This has been and is being discussed constantly on this and other forums.