Two more days before we all become pundits again

With my usual eloquence, lets try and put some kind of perspective on a new season.

Biggest downer was undoubtedly the loss of Darbs. In fairness unless Maria comes up with a fund riser to pay a like for like replacement, with our budget restrictions, he is probably irreplaceable both in what he gave to the team in football terms and in the experience he gave to those around him. Amazingly his departure probably leaves Ricky, who only stays one assumes because of his loyalty to Biley, as our most experienced player which frankly is absurd

After seeing a fair few of the friendlies what is so glaringly apparent is that we are almost devoid of the required experience

Mark has brought in some exciting, certainly more mobile set of players but as cruel as it sounds, if that possibly means the end of the line for two or three crowd favourites, certainly when it comes down to a starting spot, then so be it. Most would call that natural evolution!

Much has been muted about the talents of young Price, but genuinely, I couldn't put him in the team as it it currently shaping up, and in truth though I hope I am wrong I cant see the Bedford boss starting him that often either. What, perhaps that should be whom, I would start, certainly look to attract and what we are still most certainly missing are some old and very wise heads.

I have to say I do fear a couple of real old fashioned 4,5,6 goal tonkings, especially if we we don't get this experience in. Remember the Slough away game last season? We were totally mugged, when Ben limped off, Rik taken off it was men against boys and as it stands I fear that may happen again, and unless some real experience arrives to compliment what looks like an exciting ensemble of players, I do fear it coulde happen a bit too frequently

We are so desperate for a wisened, smash the shite out of anything that breathes (or gets past him) centre half, someone like Arlesys Derek Brown perhaps, and even though, courtesy of his first pre season on three seasons, Rik looks sharp enough, we are all also in desperate need of a centre forward, maybe two, and most certainly for the first month anyway

Rik misses the first three games, and it is not beyond possibilities that with Slough,Daventry and the odds on favourites to win the league St Neots, who will have a budget between three and five times that at Marks disposal being our first three matches thatvwhen he does come back we could ctually be on zero points, so a forward whether he is begged borrowed or stolen I feel is a must

So is it all negative? Actually I dont think it is, get a centre half and aa forward in and I genuinely think, like for like that we will start this season with a better team than we finished last,honestly I do

We have a better goalkeeper, trust me on that one, better right back, with Ben and Meady two quality defenders, a much better balance and most certainly better movement and energy in midfield, both on the flanks and most certainly in the middle where Keiron seems to have found all the confidence that for whatever reason drained out of him in the last two months of the 2010/11 campaign.
I Could be biased here but name me a forward either in this league or even in the one above who you swap Rik for?

Best of all, we actually look like we are capable of playing a decenty style of footy as well. Though I would stress again the caveat that demands we sign an experienced centre half and centre forward, there is no doom no gloom just a realisitc possibility that a top half finish could be the minimum aspiration, anyway we shall shortly find out thats for sure.

Ten points from the first eight games is realistic, then get those players in and push on...it's easy!

I disagree with you about Ricky, how can you say he is our most experienced player when he still can't grasp the off side rule. He is still a very young player who still has a lot to learn. Our most experienced players are Meady, Mealor, Ben and the Keeper Liam, they have all played higher and are all over 25 and have a lot of respect from the younger players who look up to them and listen to them . I agree that we could do with some more experience but the younger ones are the future. I think we could do with another striker and also a strong centre back to partner Ben , although it looks like young Jamal is shaping up to be a good partner, but he is still learning and may get knocked about a bit in this league. All in all we should be backing our team this season and not knocking them before they have started.

groundhog wrote:I disagree with you about Ricky, how can you say he is our most experienced player when he still can't grasp the off side rule. He is still a very young player who still has a lot to learn. Our most experienced players are Meady, Mealor, Ben and the Keeper Liam, they have all played higher and are all over 25 and have a lot of respect from the younger players who look up to them and listen to them . I agree that we could do with some more experience but the younger ones are the future. I think we could do with another striker and also a strong centre back to partner Ben , although it looks like young Jamal is shaping up to be a good partner, but he is still learning and may get knocked about a bit in this league. All in all we should be backing our team this season and not knocking them before they have started.

How the hell could any of my comments be seen as knocking the team, please explain, especially as with your view on a centre half and centre forward you then bar one point go on to totally agree with the points I make!

Arsenal are full of youngsters, and that is the claim always levelled against them. "You cant win anything with kids" so they say

As for your comments on experience, in my opinion that can only come with not how many games one plays, for example my mate has played 17 seasons in the Hackney and Leighton Sunday morning football league but that doesn't mean he is an experienced player, but what would and what is far more important is where one plays their games and against whom.

If for example we get a player who has played 50 times for I dont know say Plymouth Argyle, and all his travels in between wouldn't it automatically suggest he would become our most experienced player?

I take your comments on board and straight away let me apologise on my ignorance of the players you mention above like Meady and Ben, I had no idea, like Miller they had played higher up the Pyramid in the Southern or Northern (or both)Premier leagues or conference and am only too happy to apologise for my gaffe and do so quickly

As for Miller getting caught offside being a barometer to judge any level of experience that surely is as flawed a defence as was our teams at the latter part of last season?.

Whilst I get your point and totally agree that all youngsters have things to learn (all players in fact I guess do) and more agree again that he does get caught offside too easily at times and perhaps as you say too often but let me counter the point you make by asking another question, how much is that carelesness or laziness on his part, and this is only a suggestion by the way, so please ponder before answering, and how much is it because unlike others he makes so many offensive runs (which forwards need to do especially the higher one plays) but is then rarely supplied with the ball early enough to get the maximum benefit from those runs?
Did we even have the players last year who were capable of even seeing such runs regardless of who made them, never mind then having the required quality or speed of thought to then feed the appropriate ball through?

This art form, and just like goalkeeping is all about the art of positioning, making those runs certainly for any forward who plays on the shoulder of the last man it is indeed an art form and unless you disagree which you most certainly can feel free to do so, so many times we are looking at border line decisions it needs two things to happen for it to stop. The forwards simply stop making such runs knowing the ball wont come or the midfield in particular start spotting them...you decide. One cant have one without the other I am afraid

As for youngsters generally groundhog, totally agree they are the future but again as you agreed as a team the youngsters are desperately in need of directorship on the pitch and that only comes from players more wisened andd 'experienced' so pleaze dont view it as a negative, merely being pragmatic

Last season we were almost in the same position & that didn't turn out too bad, Matty H gave up the CB place & we brought in Gross & Henners(54 goals) was crocked so we got 18 year old Felix,the old experienced bloke couldn't cut it but Felix was a legend!

totally agree with MH, we lack experience and strength. Looking back at 1st game of last season we had a strong, confident, proven, sucessful squad, where and why have they all gone? We need a good start like last season so as not to be on back foot, the good start kept us in the top half of the league tables, I am uncertain how we will perform this season, last year we had no such doubts. We have The Leader, greg, who will have to be on his toes to help guide the youngsters. Hope kieran can keep playing this year, his constant absences last year were deeply felt. Ricky needs to PASS the ball, otherwise a great player and we will be very dependant on him. Come on the Town

aylfcsup@gmail.com wrote: totally agree with MH, we lack experience and strength. Looking back at 1st game of last season we had a strong, confident, proven, sucessful squad, where and why have they all gone? We need a good start like last season so as not to be on back foot, the good start kept us in the top half of the league tables, I am uncertain how we will perform this season, last year we had no such doubts. We have The Leader, greg, who will have to be on his toes to help guide the youngsters. Hope kieran can keep playing this year, his constant absences last year were deeply felt. Ricky needs to PASS the ball, otherwise a great player and we will be very dependant on him. Come on the Town

To be fair it was only when Darbs arrived that I thought the defence looked really solid especially when he and Ben then played together, in fact the season went pear shaped when the latter got injured at Slough which shows the importance of a good reliable centre back pairing, and the reason Darbs left? He finished University and I believe has moved back to Cambridge way and with the money we can offer it was simply not viable for the lad

Kieran, hmmm, he was a strange one wasn't he? He started off so brightly and then for the last what, 8 maybe ten matches he played in he simply didn't look the same player
In the pre season thus far, I think he has been the brightest spot and is seem to be playing with the kind of confidence he showed when he first got into the team and lets hope that lasts throughout the season as I feel he could be a very big player for us this season

I agree again that young Miller does get caught in posessions far too often. certainly more than a manager would want, but again the question I simply pose as an alternative view for you to consider is with the midfiled inariably 30, 40 yards away as they were so many times last year what was he or any forward suposed to do especially as his strike partner was still normally nowhere to be seen?

The choices are simple... He can

A)Knock it back normally some 20, 30 yards to the midfield in the hope that they would then do something constructive which simply didn't happen last year

B) Attack the defender(s)that come to challenge him which would result in one of three things.
He will either get fouled, and most would agree that he surely is the most fouled player in the team...and by miles?
I think we would all agree thats a good option.
He might get get dispossesed because he perhaps took on one too many!
Thats obviously a bad option....unless of course you feel with the midfieled so far away and his strike partner so isolated he might have little option but to do so in which case it would become an understandable thing to do, especially as when doing so last season he also led the way in assists,and was the instigator behind what, 12, 13 penalty decisions?

C) He might score!

There is of course a fourth option where in truth even I lean towards at times which suggests, bolloxe to all that hes just a greeddy little shite!

I have really enjoyed pre season and our form in general I think has been good and we have played some nice football. Exeperience maybe an issue but I guess we will all have a better idea at 4.45pm on Saturday evening, see you there chaps!!!

Hi all, I hope we have our full squad available after we recieved the battering on Tuesday nights so called friendly, why did the ref allow all that constant fouling especially from behind. Mind you maybe its taught us what to expect from Sluff, some revenge is required on that subject, led by our captain, c.u. there Bas.

Thanks MH , I think I got a bit carried away, you obviously know the game pretty well and have a lot of valid points. I just hope that we can find that experience early in the season rather than later on. How was the game today ? Unfortunately I could not make it, hope we got a bit of retribution for last season.