Re: PSF: Torquay United vs Bristol City
Posted: 16 Jul 2011, 17:54
A few brief thoughts...As always in a pre-season friendly, the result is of little relevance. But the performance, first half especially (as you'd expect with the line-up) was positive. Not sure how storng that City side was, but if i was a fan of theirs i'd be concerned with the ease with which we were creating chances.
To talk specifically about the new boys...Atieno impressed me. I have no idea how people can suggest he's quicker than Macklin, i didn't see any signs of that, but he lead the line very well. Showed for the ball, held it up well and brought others into play by playing the simple ball. I fully expect he'll be signing a deal before the next game. Would prefer another look at him myself, but in that 45 minutes he looked useful. Mcphee did an effective job on the right wing. I'm not sure it's his favoured position, but he worked hard and put in a couple of dangerous crosses. Olejnik had virtually nothing to do, but he took a couple of crosses with little problem, and the one save he had to make he held onto well.
In the scond half, there were more 'fringe' players on the pitch, but of the new boys that played Saah looked composed and commanding. I'm very comfortable already knowing that he'll be present in our defence this season. Leadbitter looks an athlete, but shows clear inexperience. He's got time to develop, but i'm pretty convinced Oastler will be starting the season on the right of defence. Ricey made one decent save, but it was one of those 'for the camera' efforts. They've all got to be made, but any keeper worth his salt would have made it. On a couple of other occasions we almost suffered from some poor decsions from him, but i think nervousness would naturally have played a part in his performance. No dramas. And then there's Howe. He's a big old unit! Clearly has some ability in his boots. A good touch, quick feet and a definite 'brightness' about him. He showed some good skill to make the space for his goal, but the finish was bourne of brute force! It went through David James through sheer power. There is a definite player there, but his fitness will need to be worked on.
As for the rest, it was a strong all-round performance. Nobody stood out, but by the same token nobody played too poorly. We do clearly lack real quality in the wide positions. Stevens worked hard and showed some nice touches to be fair to him. Macklin displayed his outstanding pace, but little end product.
All in all, it bodes well. You can only see so much from a friendly against opposition that may or may not 'want it', but it's restored a little faith. The gameplan looks simple but effective, a proper left-winger and maybe another striker, and it looks like a competetive set-up.
To talk specifically about the new boys...Atieno impressed me. I have no idea how people can suggest he's quicker than Macklin, i didn't see any signs of that, but he lead the line very well. Showed for the ball, held it up well and brought others into play by playing the simple ball. I fully expect he'll be signing a deal before the next game. Would prefer another look at him myself, but in that 45 minutes he looked useful. Mcphee did an effective job on the right wing. I'm not sure it's his favoured position, but he worked hard and put in a couple of dangerous crosses. Olejnik had virtually nothing to do, but he took a couple of crosses with little problem, and the one save he had to make he held onto well.
In the scond half, there were more 'fringe' players on the pitch, but of the new boys that played Saah looked composed and commanding. I'm very comfortable already knowing that he'll be present in our defence this season. Leadbitter looks an athlete, but shows clear inexperience. He's got time to develop, but i'm pretty convinced Oastler will be starting the season on the right of defence. Ricey made one decent save, but it was one of those 'for the camera' efforts. They've all got to be made, but any keeper worth his salt would have made it. On a couple of other occasions we almost suffered from some poor decsions from him, but i think nervousness would naturally have played a part in his performance. No dramas. And then there's Howe. He's a big old unit! Clearly has some ability in his boots. A good touch, quick feet and a definite 'brightness' about him. He showed some good skill to make the space for his goal, but the finish was bourne of brute force! It went through David James through sheer power. There is a definite player there, but his fitness will need to be worked on.
As for the rest, it was a strong all-round performance. Nobody stood out, but by the same token nobody played too poorly. We do clearly lack real quality in the wide positions. Stevens worked hard and showed some nice touches to be fair to him. Macklin displayed his outstanding pace, but little end product.
All in all, it bodes well. You can only see so much from a friendly against opposition that may or may not 'want it', but it's restored a little faith. The gameplan looks simple but effective, a proper left-winger and maybe another striker, and it looks like a competetive set-up.
Ricey played well enough and looks a lot more confident than before. He will do fine for us.
)
