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Match Day - Wigan Athletic v PNE - 30/07/21 - KO: 19:30 - Friendly

What do the board see that us the fans donā€™t see regarding the players. To us fans we can all see the obvious that, we are desperately need of more strikers & have mediocre players in the entire squad. How many players in our squad would other teams pay for our players, not a lot.
 
The main lessons from that were of what not to do - the second half just confirmed what I said at half-time. Harrop is a midfielder who wants to look for passes not a winger. Sinclair needs either to be running at the defence in central positions or be in the penalty area to get on the end of crosses or knockdowns - used that way he can be dangerous but he is utterly wasted way out wide and just runs himself silly to little effect, it is no coincidence that we scored when Sinclair drove at their defence in the penalty area and not out near the touchline. Maguire has lost all his pace and playing any sort of pass to him that requires him to engage in a race with a defender is an exercise in utter futility - he still has his tenacity and spirit but that is just not enough, he needs to be moved on to somewhere where life is much slower as a matter of urgency. In other words our attack was misconceived in every possible way - not a single one of the players was used in a way that made any proper use of their attributes.

None of this will matter once the first league game starts but none of those things must ever be repeated.

On a positive note Thomas looked sharp and inventive until he tired, Browne looks more like his proper self, Bayliss looked good at times and the lad Rodwell-Grant looks like he could be something good. I wonder if our squad for the first league game will include two players who have not featured at all in pre-season - Iversen and Johnson.
Johnson will be in, he's match fit already. Probably sharper than most.
 
What do the board see that us the fans donā€™t see regarding the players. To us fans we can all see the obvious that, we are desperately need of more strikers & have mediocre players in the entire squad. How many players in our squad would other teams pay for our players, not a lot.
Many many teams.
Forest Green
Torquay
Barrow
Celtic
To name but a few.
 
Positives:

Thomas looks good, obviously needs time to be match fit at our level. But I'd sign him definitely on a 12 month.
Harrop looks like he wants to fight to stay and earn a place, he has quality, time to show it.
Leigh and Rodwell-Grant look like promising young lads, the former is a unit at 18 and showed composure.
Bauer looks fine, will look better in a proper championship set up defence.
Browne looks fit and sharp.

Negatives:

VDB definitely isn't an option at LCB, he's far too right sided, not his fault but don't try that again.
Maguire isn't good enough now sadly to play up front, struggling to see where he fits.
Bayliss, good pass for the last goal but he just doesn't look that interested.
Rafferty isn't good enough, can't fault his effort.
Without either Iversen or a fully fit back to pre injury form Rudd we'll go down.
Earl still looks way off, its Cunningham or nobody at left back and we know what's going to happen.
I wouldn't disagree with that summary. It's looking like Bauer has recovered well from his injury and Thomas will be a good addition once fully fit as long as the flair isn't coached out of him. Browne was more like his old self too. Sinclair improved as the game went on and was still covering back with only a few minutes to go.
Barring our usual eve of season serious injury in training, none of that team will be in the starting 11 on Saturday with the possible exception of Browne if he's had sufficient minutes getting back to fitness. The best any of tonights team can expect is to be on the bench and come on in the last 20 minutes to positively affect the game.
Neither Ripley nor Hudson are ready for the Championship.
 
What do the board see that us the fans donā€™t see regarding the players.
They probably see the same as us, how could they not? But the one holding the purse strings doesnā€™t appear to be willing to open the purse strings.
 
I think Bayliss was more productive than Harrop to be honest. Yes he gave the free kick away, but Bayliss was actively looking for the ball, dropping deep to collect off defenders and was trying to thread balls through. He's barely played any football for the last two years don't forget. I don't know if you could see on the stream but at the DW you could see Gally constantly giving him instruction and motivation. Definitely thought Sepp had a worse game, looked very shaky in that LCB role.

Harrop was definitely putting more effort in than usual but ran ininto trouble, no killer passes, tripped himself up numerous times. He's just had no effect whenever he has played. And he's been in and around the first team/out on loan.

Put it this way, I would rather have Bayliss than Maguire. I'm completely off him now. He needs to go.

Very pleased with Rodwell-Grant and Leigh. Leigh won about 4 key tackles and was very confident the few times he was on the ball.
 
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Upsides: Browne, Brig lad, Sinclair

Downsides: a lot

All well and good saying that it is only our backup team, but if we need someone off the bench to change a game. Or god forbid someone gets injured, really tough to choose any of that lot to come in.

Why Maguire and Harrop are still here Iā€™m really not sure
 
Don't panic.....
It's only a friendly......
These are largely fringe players AND SHIT WE HAVE TO GET RID OFF!!!!!
Watching at Wigan tonight it endorses what you say although I would not be quite so offensive as to use the 'S'word.. I would say however that Harrop,Bayliss,Rafferty and Hudson will never make it at championship level.The jury is still out on Earl [a left back he definitily isn't] and poor old Mcguire has sadly seen better days. One chink of light seemed to be the link up play between Thomas and Sinclair. Maybe if Thomas is signed long term it may at last bring the best out of Sinclair. Also Rodwell-Grant took his chance well
 
Iā€™d agree with Euxtonboy. Harrop and Bayliss are lightweight and weā€™re outmuscled. Harrop in particular kept running back towards Earl instead of going forward. Thomas looked off the pace but actually put through the best two passes of the night. Browne was good and a class above. Sepp vB was head and shoulders above Bauer as center back and looks assured on the ball. Sinclair had the left back on toast and went past him time and again but just couldnā€™t find that crucial pass. Rodwell-Grant is a big unit and caused their center backs more trouble in the last 15 minutes than Maguire did in 90, although to be fair theyā€™d subbed the starting defenders and one of the latter ones was a trialist. Nothing to get upset about as this was our second string and a workout at the end of the day.
 
I think Bayliss was more productive than Harrop to be honest. Yes he gave the free kick away, but Bayliss was actively looking for the ball, dropping deep to collect off defenders and was trying to thread balls through. He's barely played any football for the last two years don't forget. I don't know if you could see on the stream but at the DW you could see Gally constantly giving him instruction and motivation. Definitely thought Sepp had a worse game, looked very shaky in that LCB role.

Harrop was definitely putting more effort in than usual but ran ininto trouble, no killer passes, tripped himself up numerous times. He's just had no effect whenever he has played. And he's been in and around the first team/out on loan.

Put it this way, I would rather have Bayliss than Maguire. I'm completely off him now. He needs to go.

Very pleased with Rodwell-Grant and Leigh. Leigh won about 4 key tackles and was very confident the few times he was on the ball.
How far us Leigh from first team? Defensive mid, premier clubs looking at him - Billy Gilmour?
 
How far us Leigh from first team? Defensive mid, premier clubs looking at him - Billy Gilmour?
I was genuinely thinking he was like Gilmour when he was playing. Not going to lie, if Ledson gets injured or suspended, he'd be my first thought for that defensive mid role.

Being given the #17 shows how highly thought of he is
 
Main positive for me was the youth lads. JRG getting his goal and Leigh playing well. With them two , Mawene , Seary and Walker coming through we seem to be producing some decent players at the minute.
 
Do you still feel confident we are better than Wigan ?
Seriously, we are looking very poor, personally I think we are in the mire up to our necks

I do mate, yeah. That was basically our reserve team and a couple of kids.

With Evans, Riis, Cunningham, Potts, Hughes, Whiteman, DJ, Ledson, Lindsay, Iverson/Rudd and Storey etc. .. We would have dismantled that Wigan side.

I get that we definitely still do need attacking additions and a bit of work here and there but let's not pretend that starting XI will be the same one we field against championship opposition.

I do share some of your concerns though.
 
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Itā€™s made pre season a bit of a dogs breakfast because I donā€™t think Frankie was too impressed with the Scotland tour.
Only silver lining is that all the plastic reds from Preston are in bitsā€¦including my wifeā€™s hairdresser šŸ˜¬
Ah really - not sure what youā€™ve heard, but it would make sense. Iā€™ve heard Frankie say two or three times about the St. Johnstone game being much more physical than they had anticipated.
 
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