I saw John Sutton play his last game - a pre season vs Wimbledon I believe. He was excellent (unrecognisable), off to the SPL later that week where he was top scorer in the league playing for a bang average mid table side. Weird!
As i see it;
pre-season is the time to experiment with line ups and formations, but we’ve got just over two weeks till the season starts, and a difficult opening run of fixtures.
No one is bothered that we lost last night but it’s concerning that the issues which shipwrecked last season don’t seem to have been solved.
Mike Dodds seems to be a good guy, able to identify talent and a valuable member of a coaching staff. Most of us want him to succeed but there’s little evidence so far he has what it takes to be a successful L1 manager.
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Did the referee change half-way through the game last night?
Just looking at that, Kone looks shattered mid-way through the 2nd half highlights. Also, the George slap on the ball at the 2:56 mark did make me smile!
Out of interest . In what way has it been poor ? I mean the results count for nothing . Dan Harvie was pretty poor for the first 2-3 games under Bloomfield and then became one of our most potent threats . We had a whole host of new players /fringe players / youth players yesterday and against Brighton. What were you actually expecting ? losing pre season matches hardly ever has any significance on the performances once the season starts and visa versa . How has it been a poor start exactly ?
To be honest, looking through the highlights, its clear that Dodds is trying to install a new way of getting the players playing and it seemed like a lot of the players were unsure on their tasks / roles on the pitch. This led to the indecisiveness of the movement and passing. Sutton looked crisper because their way of playing has been self-established as their manager has been in place for over 18 months.
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That none of the issues that Dodds created/inherited (delete as appropriate) regarding our inability to create chances has been solved and we’re allowing plenty of good chances against us that a Premier League team obviously took, while a non-league one mostly missed.
James in the 32/33 season:
“To be fair, Burpington Rovers over-80s won the south counties senior walking football fair play award last season. How can you say an 8-0 loss reflects on Dodds? And my cous…er…Dan Rice is the still best thing that ever happened to us.”
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Do we have an idea as to the formation and/or style yet? We appear to have bought players for a back 3 (5 most likely) yet we’ve been playing as a back 4 in friendlies. And our defence has looked a chronic mess in both games.
Not sure at all that I agree with his approach of changing the entire 11 at half time. I’d prefer that he gave the team - and especially the defence - a chance to get to know each other’s games and form relationships than giving every player in our giant squad 45 mins and then to haul them off.
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There are pro’s & con’s for this method. It does give players equal game time which is important for an inflated squad. As soon as members of the squad start leaving, then I think he can start expanding the amount of playing time they have during friendlies. We currently don’t know how many behind closed door friendlies that the club has arranged until the day it happens so there might be more opportunity to get minutes into their legs?
However, I do see your point. On the 2nd Aug, (at least) 6 of the starting XI will need to play and perform in whatever tactic and formation that Dodds needs for 90 minutes and they need to get that level of stamina under their belts in order to be ready.
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Surely Dan and Eduard don’t require you to get in such a tiz every single time someone strays off message?
Save it for the really fierce criticism. There’s a long season ahead.
Just caught up on the highlights. Grim viewing. Very disjointed. A bit disturbing to be unlocked like that on a poor pitch against National League opposition, carrying very little to no threat. Probably deserved to lose by two or three. Let’s see how the next few go… Worrying signs. Still think we lack so much proven L1 quality.
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Couldn’t agree more, and whoever had the numbers 33 and 46 were they had absolute shockers
Quite a few out there who could do with being Wycombeized.
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Sutton once scored 22 in the Scottish Prem, but that was in 2013-14, 6 years after leaving.
A surprising golden year as he’d not scored more than 12 in the league in the Prem before that.
Getting absolutely walloped v Brighton, letting Welbeck, a guy who has only scored 10 league goals in a season once in 20 years, bang 4?
Loads of mistakes, striker through on goal and doesn’t even get a shot away.
Losing to a lowly non league outfit without scoring.
Those strike me as a poor start.
Yes it’s friendlies, yes it’s a mishmash of players.
But it’s not exactly brilliant is it.
The slightest worry for some of us hackneyed old bastads, is that last season Doddsy took over a very talented squad, with 3 supreme giant central defenders.
They kept us in games when we lost all ability to score, or seemingly even be interested in scoring.
It’s to be proven otherwise, but the centre backs we have now don’t seem equal to last year, let alone an upgrade, so the all out defensive strategy looks less workable so far.
However, it is friendlies, etc etc, and it’ll get better.
Or your money back Dan. Sorry, James.
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From what ive read on here and twitter, we pushed up first half, offered a lot of support to the striker. I even read someone say Grimmer was like a right winger.
Though second half, and changes was different.
These from people at the game.
This has turned into 5 at the back and not looking at correcting last seasons issues, when in reality it looks like we are trying.
Seemingly people at the game are seekng it different to those not at the game.
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The results count for nothing if people get a semblance of excitement or see patterns of play that might inspire a good season. So far I don’t think anyone is feeling that. All I am seeing is Doddsy with a sun tan and a load (more) signings to add to a bloated squad. The upside is we have a fancy upcycled cowshed with some Habitat pot plants and Ikea tables.
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The biggest difference is that the Sutton players all look like they know what they’re supposed to do, whereas ours don’t. Some shambolic moments at the back, but Lowry and Tilley were both unlucky not to score.
It’s a fair point that those that were there have a better idea than from the highlights/stats.
BUT… Our attacking highlights being long range nothing shots, 50/50 possession and them getting 2.5 times as many shots and shots on target doesn’t scream fantastic attacking display.
But, fingers crossed it’s all good come the season’s start!
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Fans over-reacting to pre-season friendlies is one of Wycombe’s finest traditions.
The bedwetters’ bedwetters, if you will
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