AS I SAID THE OTHER DAY

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

I,m not so concerned at this stage as it's all about getting match fit but with a big turnover of personnel I think it will take about 10 games into the championship that we will really see where our true merit is .

let's hope he gets the combination right in midfield at the start tho

When you say strength in depth are you referring to the squad as a whole or just midfield ?

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

well mm did say he wanted another 6 so lets see what happens.

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

annis , was there any improvement in parkins performance since the celtic & bournmouth game??

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

annis , was there any improvement in parkins performance since the celtic & bournmouth game??

No he was very poor, didn't win a header!!

I,m not so concerned at this stage as it's all about getting match fit but with a big turnover of personnel I think it will take about 10 games into the championship that we will really see where our true merit is .

let's hope he gets the combination right in midfield at the start tho

True, Mozzer after the first 10 league games, you should be able to have a more clear picture of how our season will be.

When you say strength in depth are you referring to the squad as a whole or just midfield ?

Both, but the Midfield to me was one of our weakest areas.

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

annis , was there any improvement in parkins performance since the celtic & bournmouth game??

I was not at those games,but Parkin I thought looked a total waste of time, but who knows he might get better

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

annis , was there any improvement in parkins performance since the celtic & bournmouth game??

I was not at those games,but Parkin I thought looked a total waste of time, but who knows he might get better

he has played in 4 pre season games now and has been pretty shocking in all of them...

totally messed up a 1 on 1 against celtic. didnt win a header against bournmouth etc.. his touch is awful, his distribution is shocking. maybe his 1 norwich thunder welly goal was a fluke...

if he cannot show something that makes him worthy of a place against league 1 teams then what chance does he have at winning ball and creating chances against say brum or west ham etc...

he has played in 4 pre season games now and has been pretty shocking in all of them...

totally messed up a 1 on 1 against celtic. didnt win a header against bournmouth etc.. his touch is awful, his distribution is shocking. maybe his 1 norwich thunder welly goal was a fluke...

if he cannot show something that makes him worthy of a place against league 1 teams then what chance does he have at winning ball and creating chances against say brum or west ham etc...[/quote]


Spot on about League 1 team, Yeovil are a lower league 1 team as well in my opinion.

im sorry but losing/draw to less than average teams is not good enough. ive always said he need about 5 more players. end of the day it is pre season. but its also pre season for the teams that are out playing us. not good enough as we should be beating them

When you say strength in depth are you referring to the squad as a whole or just midfield ?

Both, but the Midfield to me was one of our weakest areas.

did filip kiss and gunnarson play well

i think we need a lb for backup for taylor and i think we need a mid for cover for whitts we still got conway to come back so lets se against parma when malky will put a full strength side out then we can see where the problems are

This is my worry as well Annis. If we are going to challenge this season there are a few areas i think we still urgently need to address.

1. We need a quick centre back! Gerrard and Hudson were awful together two years ago because both are slow. Hudson proved last season he was a good player, as did Gerrard at Hull, however during the pre season games, when they have played together, they have again shown they are not a good partnership. Gypes hasnt been on his game for a long time whilst kienan not only suffered a huge drop in form at the end of the season but he has also been poor in the warm up games so far. Malky's interest in James Chambers suggests that this is an area he is already looking at!

2. I havent seen Kiss yet so he might help in this department but I still think we are missing some height in the middle of the park. Oli wasnt the best but he did give us a prescence and in the championship there are a lot of aerial battles that need to be won in midfield.

3. Admittedly I am yet to see Conway but having seen his back ups, I am worried that we have a severe lack of pace and invention on the flanks.

4. Our forward line is now beginning to take shape and im pleased with the additions of Earnie and Miller, i think they should be able to muster 25-30 goals between them this season. However, our back up strikers are a mixed bag. Im yet to see Gestede play so im hoping Malky has pulled one out of the bag there but the rest are very average. I really cant see Parkin making any impact this season, hes meant to be a target man but hes awful in the air, he's not very mobile and his touch is dreadful. As for Mason and Jarvis they are both raw, young players, who I think need a spell on loan before they are ready to make an impact at this level.

All in all I currently dont think our first 11 is good enough for a top 6 spot and our strength in depth is very poor. Malky has himself said that he thinks he needs 5 more players and I think thats right. We have to remember that we have been missing McPhail, Quinn and Blake over pre season so they will come into his thinking when fit. This could be a slow start to the season as i still feel we will be short by the time we kick off and the team is still in the process of gelling together. In the long run I have high hopes for Malky, and like how he is going about his business, but he will definitely need time to rebuild this squad!

I feel the negative posts in regards to Parkin are unjustified in my opinion, the way ppl are acting, its as if its the end of the world. These are pre-season games, the main goal is to get match fitness, try different formations, etc......dont know why people are expecting mircales.

Prior to signing him, he was Prestons top scorer, and scored on his debut for us. After the Norwich game, he rarely started, had no run of games, which didnt do his fitness any justice. Give him some time......he just needs to gain a little confidence, 6 months of no proper football doesnt do any player justice, with barely any game time.

Good thing about this season is the potential reserves team and an under 21's team, which will give players more game time experience, rather than players coming on for the first team having no games under their belt.

The one thing I'm worried about is the fans getting on Parkins back, same as what minority of fans did with Naylor last season and Hudson season before last. All these players need is little confidence and guidance, Hudson probably had best season with us recently, and we are seeing signs of Naylor doing well as well.

Lets support our players this season, they need us 100% behind them, its a new start and it will take time. I spoke to Tom Heaton on Sunday, and he did talk about few things, but the main thing being they're enjoy working with Malky and its a great buzz within the camp.

the thing is with parkin is that he really isnt good enough.. nice guy yes... good striker no way...

even if your are not match sharp your touch should still be good, you should also still be able to hold the ball up and win headers..

he still cannot do any of these consistently ... id love nothing more than for him to be a decent player, but the fact is he is just not good enough..

we can give him all the support we can but that wont improve what he clearly cannot do.. yes he scored against norwich but it was nothing more than a thunder welly that he caught well.. he had a similar chance last night that went high and wide up into the stand..

i feel the best thing we can do is to loan him out to a league 1 side and see if he can gain some confidence and form there, but at our level every point counts and i feel he just isnt cut out for this league..

im sorry but losing/draw to less than average teams is not good enough. ive always said he need about 5 more players. end of the day it is pre season. but its also pre season for the teams that are out playing us. not good enough as we should be beating them

dont worry brum lost to league 2 side oxford

When you say strength in depth are you referring to the squad as a whole or just midfield ?

Both, but the Midfield to me was one of our weakest areas.

did filip kiss and gunnarson play well

Fair in my opinion, they never stood out.

This is my worry as well Annis. If we are going to challenge this season there are a few areas i think we still urgently need to address.

1. We need a quick centre back! Gerrard and Hudson were awful together two years ago because both are slow. Hudson proved last season he was a good player, as did Gerrard at Hull, however during the pre season games, when they have played together, they have again shown they are not a good partnership. Gypes hasnt been on his game for a long time whilst kienan not only suffered a huge drop in form at the end of the season but he has also been poor in the warm up games so far. Malky's interest in James Chambers suggests that this is an area he is already looking at!

2. I havent seen Kiss yet so he might help in this department but I still think we are missing some height in the middle of the park. Oli wasnt the best but he did give us a prescence and in the championship there are a lot of aerial battles that need to be won in midfield.

3. Admittedly I am yet to see Conway but having seen his back ups, I am worried that we have a severe lack of pace and invention on the flanks.

4. Our forward line is now beginning to take shape and im pleased with the additions of Earnie and Miller, i think they should be able to muster 25-30 goals between them this season. However, our back up strikers are a mixed bag. Im yet to see Gestede play so im hoping Malky has pulled one out of the bag there but the rest are very average. I really cant see Parkin making any impact this season, hes meant to be a target man but hes awful in the air, he's not very mobile and his touch is dreadful. As for Mason and Jarvis they are both raw, young players, who I think need a spell on loan before they are ready to make an impact at this level.

All in all I currently dont think our first 11 is good enough for a top 6 spot and our strength in depth is very poor. Malky has himself said that he thinks he needs 5 more players and I think thats right. We have to remember that we have been missing McPhail, Quinn and Blake over pre season so they will come into his thinking when fit. This could be a slow start to the season as i still feel we will be short by the time we kick off and the team is still in the process of gelling together. In the long run I have high hopes for Malky, and like how he is going about his business, but he will definitely need time to rebuild this squad!

I have to agree with you Jimbo.

I thought Parkin was still way off the pace last night. He barely won a header, he had a couple of shots but that was all. (one of them he hit from 30 yards just over the bar and it was still going up when it left the stadium!)
Whitts' was a class above again and his goal was a touch of magic, worth the entrance fee alone. Fagan and Kiss both looked promising, and Miller, well he did the Ayatollah when he came on. Super Kev was just that. Naylor and Taiwo seem to be getting a lot of opportunity to show their potential. (or is it shop window?)
We looked very slow in the centre of defence and always looked at risk from set plays. Lots of changes at the end confused things so not a lot can be taken from the second half.

Malkay definitely intends to move the ball at pace and some of the football was top quality. I liked Yeovil's little ground too.
The highlight of the night though was definitely my red Adidas Munchens which are fkin ace!

I thought Parkin was still way off the pace last night. He barely won a header, he had a couple of shots but that was all. (one of them he hit from 30 yards just over the bar and it was still going up when it left the stadium!)
Whitts' was a class above again and his goal was a touch of magic, worth the entrance fee alone. Fagan and Kiss both looked promising, and Miller, well he did the Ayatollah when he came on. Super Kev was just that. Naylor and Taiwo seem to be getting a lot of opportunity to show their potential. (or is it shop window?)
We looked very slow in the centre of defence and always looked at risk from set plays. Lots of changes at the end confused things so not a lot can be taken from the second half.

Malkay definitely intends to move the ball at pace and some of the football was top quality. I liked Yeovil's little ground too.
The highlight of the night though was definitely my red Adidas Munchens which are fkin ace!

they stand out in this little selection.....
http://www.shoeclassics.com/id12.html

Friendlies are Warm ups/getting fit/letting our manager see what he has and what he might need.

The results don't really matter, just got back from Yeovil with Carl and we both agreed we are still light weight in Midfield and there is def No strength in Depth, Another 6 QUALITY Players needed, just an Opinion.

well mm did say he wanted another 6 so lets see what happens.

Yeah but since he said that we've signed Kiss, Miller and Gestede.....leaving three more. I presume Annis means 6 new ones from now. That would mean something like 15 new players in total!!