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Post by stevek192 on Aug 9, 2014 18:44:05 GMT
Well thats the first game behind us and I have to say that although it was not a brilliant match I did enjoy it.
Mildenhall 6 Good steady game and to be honest didn't have a lot to do which is testament to a pretty good defensive display.
Leadbitter 5.5 A very mixed game IMO seems to be pretty quick and willing to get forward. I would say he was better than the Michael Smith who started under Buckle in that Leadbitter looks a solid defender. Obviously not a patch on the Michael Smith of last season.
Lockyer 7 Tom looks a classy defender for his age and has great composure.Only down side is his passing which could be improved
Tom Parkes 8 For me the most improved player from last season.The loss of weight has helped him immensely and he looked very confident in his ability particularly first half.
Mark McCrystal 6.5 Reasonable game but is never going to be a good player in possession but is very reliable.
Lee Brown 6 Felt Lee was a bit lost in the pace of the game today and does not look comfortable in the wing back role.
Sinclair 6 Great workrate and competing for possession but for me lacks the creativity. I am sure he will improve steadily and you just can't fault the mans engine.
Mansell 6 Steady is the best way to describe his performance. Played simple football well but we really need a bit more creativity in the midfield area. Is a leader and drives others on.
Monkhouse 6 Was actually impressed by him today for some parts of the game in that he is always looking to play a forward pass and do something positive. Didn't always come off but I am sure he will get better
Taylor 7.5 Looks a good player and just wish we had created more for him and that he could create a partnership with somebody. A very lively player who I think will score some goals given the chances.
Brunt 5 Disappointed with his performance as for me won very little in the air and his first touch deserted him for long periods. Really could do with having some competition for his place and personally I would go with Taylor and White on Tuesday.
Gosling 6 Thought in the time he was on the pitch he did very well and looked lively. Made things happen and was unlucky not to score. Certainly brought a more creative aspect to the team
Clarke 5 Sorry but IMO not good enough. Maybe he will improve but loses possession far too easily.
White Can't really mark him because he was not on long enough and he is without doubt a goalscorer but didn't get a chance.
DC - 7 Can't really fault him as he selected the team i would have selected in the circumstances and he changed things trying to win the game.
Crowd -9 What a credit to both sides over 7000 for a Conference game that was on the TV. Well done to Grimsby for bringing so many so far.
I very much hope that we can now go to one of our hardest games Barnet away and get a result and the same next saturday which I hope will result in a similar crowd for the next home game as one thing that was evident today was that EVERY player put in 100%.
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Post by gassyboy on Aug 9, 2014 19:02:48 GMT
Fair reflection of what I saw. Brunty will improve with match time.
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ashperry83
Rickie Lambert
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 228 
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Post by ashperry83 on Aug 9, 2014 19:58:07 GMT
5 for Brunt? Are you serious? Worked his bollocks off and held up the ball brilliantly. Won back the ball and created the chance for Taylor, superbly controlled and held off defender from Monkhouse's cross in first half. Was at least a 7. Played well.
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Peter Parker
Global Moderator
Richard Walker
You have been sentenced to DELETION!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,920
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Post by Peter Parker on Aug 9, 2014 20:32:07 GMT
oi thought Brunt was quite good considering the obvious lack of fitness. Game time needed for sure but generallu put him self about
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Post by Gwengers on Aug 9, 2014 21:13:17 GMT
The constant use of Clarke and Lockyer vs two decent midfielders sent us down. I have zero doubt about that.
Lockyer is twice the player of Clarke, but not a midfielder, and did fine as part of the back line at CB and later RB.
Clarke was dire when he came on. He isn't good enough and should be released.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2014 21:19:11 GMT
i agree in general with the ratings,strangely maybe i want us to play taylor and white upfront and look to play to feet or in behind defences but i also want brunt to succeed,i just have a feeling white will score goals for us
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Post by The Man from Del Monte on Aug 9, 2014 21:40:43 GMT
6's all round for me. No one was outstanding but no one was below par. Will need much more time to asses individual players for sure. There were definitely a number of plus points but also a few things to ponder.
The big positive was that the team were incredibly hard working. That was brilliant to see. Chasing down all over the pitch and everyone put a shift in. More, more, more!
My little worry is the lack of creativity today. Hopefully this will come in time though. Anyway, nice to get a point on board and the first game out of the way.
Onto the next one.
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Royal Blue
Michael Smith
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 296
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Post by Royal Blue on Aug 9, 2014 21:48:36 GMT
Was very encouraged by what I saw today against a team widely tipped to be title challengers. With all the pressure on us and near enough a brand new team we did a lot right.
It was refreshing to see players work their nads off for the cause and although we didn't look quite as threatening as I would have liked, we still should have scored when Taylor ran through on goal. I'd like an injection of pace in the side from out wide but even without it we still created chances. Once the players settle into the team the through balls that were just over-hit or just under-hit will find their man and more goalscoring opportunities will come about.
It's pleasing to hear DC say he is very hopeful of adding the loanee striker and winger to his squad before the Barnet game as it'll give us an additional boost.
All in all I think there are plenty of positives to take from today - including the terrific support. There's a lot to work on as well but considering it's the first competitive game most our players have played with each other, and against an experienced, well-fancied Grimsby side, we did well. A point is a start and we can now look forward to taking on Barnet and Altrincham.
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Post by nickchippenhamgas on Aug 10, 2014 8:07:57 GMT
Ratings similar to a lot on here, Sinclair was my MOTM -8, he looks like a ian holloway type busy midfielder to me, Brunt did well getting in nearly 80 minutes, delighted for him that he's proving me wrong for saying he wouldn't play for us again!! He worked his socks off, in fact, the whole team put in a shift, if they play like that for the majority of the season we won't be far off, with the addition of someone who can cross a ball of course, sadly lacking yesterday, remember guys this is match 1, match 2 is on Tuesday, there is a long way to go, let's not get too suicidal on here if/when we lose eh?
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Post by phillistine on Aug 10, 2014 8:26:43 GMT
I agree that you have been harsh on Brunty as I felt that he played well considering that he was crowded out every time that the ball was played up to him. He had 2 if not 3 guys on him and he chested the ball off well. I did feel that someone need to play closer to him to pick up on the lay offs.
A decent winger is an absolute priority as the game plan does rely on decent wingplay and whilst Browny is a good defender I dont feel that the constant foraging on the left isnt the strongest part of his game
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rovers2
Bruce Bannister
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 326
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Post by rovers2 on Aug 10, 2014 8:32:29 GMT
The only caution I would have is the Grimsby were missing five regulars. Take five players out of our team and wonder how we would do...
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Post by Surrey Gas on Aug 10, 2014 8:42:36 GMT
I echo the comments about Brunt's decent performance yesterday. There were times that the ball seemed to stick to him despite being crowded out by Grimsby players. Several times he managed to lay the ball off to a Rovers player just when it seemed Grimby players would dispossess him. I hope his fitness woes are behind him because with a bit more support (crosses from a decent winger?) he can make a significant contribution this season.
Although we lacked a bit of quality at times yesterday the work rate from all the players was the best I've seen for years - that alone will get us a lot of points in tight games.
Its too early in the season to draw any conclusions and a point at home against a team missing 6 key players is maybe a little disappointing but I saw ennough yesterday to think that we can have a decent season.
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Post by stevek192 on Aug 10, 2014 8:43:22 GMT
When a team has five players out it is very difficult to judge what, if any difference they would have made remembering that Grimsby signed Connell on Friday who is a good player and probably wouldn't have started. Remember we started last season with something like 7 or 8 (at least out injured) but what difference would they really have made had they been available!! IMO Grimsby didn't appear to have many weak links in their eleven. Anyway on to the next game where we will come up against without doubt a very experienced and probably very well organised Martin Allen team. I think a point might be a good return from this game.
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abergas
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 16
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Post by abergas on Aug 10, 2014 8:52:17 GMT
Live on TV against one of the favourites to win the league with five players making their debut was always going to make it a highly pressurised game. The fact that we got through it as a well organised outfit is pleasing and gives us something to build on.
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Post by hollyhillgas on Aug 10, 2014 8:58:27 GMT
Generally agree with the ratings, Clarke seemed surprised whenever he got the ball, I hope Brown and Sinclair can build an understanding. Unless it's White I can't see anyone who will win a game against the run of play like Richards.
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dido
Predictions League
Peter Aitken
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,883
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Post by dido on Aug 10, 2014 9:13:14 GMT
"anyone who will win a game against the run of play like Richards"
When was that then?
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sharkey
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 71
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Post by sharkey on Aug 10, 2014 10:24:37 GMT
I think we are all being rather cautiously optimistic. Any more of this and we will removed from site! I do not think anyone had a bad game who started. Unfortunately the one that stood out like a sore thumb for having a stinker was Ollie Clarke when he over run the ball and lost control in good positions, but it was one quarter of a game and let's not be too hasty in condemning the boy.
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mpbrfc
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 59
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Post by mpbrfc on Aug 10, 2014 10:35:27 GMT
totally agree sharkey...I,m optimistic also......lets get to 8 to 10 games and see where were at before we start condemning players after just one game
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 12:55:16 GMT
Disagree with a few comments,Leadbitter looked off the pace,little overlapping,tackling tentative to say the least and for a big fellow very poor in the air.Lockyer as a defender wins his fair share of the ball,buts thats when it all goes wrong,he hasnt a clue what to do with it.Monkhouse was anonymous for long periods,and although he covered acres Sinclair did nothing to make me think he will create things,and to compare him to Ollie is a joke.Gosling looked tricky and can beat a player but whats the good of that if you cant get even 1 out of 5 attempted crosses to beat the first defender.As for Clarke the kindest thing to say about him is his 2nd touch is a tackle.Brunt will get better as he gets more game time under his belt
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Igitur
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 2,294
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Post by Igitur on Aug 10, 2014 13:19:47 GMT
We were 5 first team players down as well considering we need to strengthen 2 or 3 positions and 2 or 3 of the team were not match fit/in their familiar positions.
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