Pre-season 2024/25

[BankEnd Rover]

People need to remember Gueye hasn’t had many pre-season minutes, he will still be raw! 

[joey_big_nose]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

End of the day if he has all these attributes folk are describing and he banged a load in he wouldn’t be here. 

The last number 9 didn’t score many either, but never even got in the box to start with, so seeing a striker near the goal being a nuisance will be a novelty in itself.
 

Yeah... The question I always ask of a striker is "will this player worry defenders" and big Mak will every time the ball comes in. Long time since we've had that.

Other players will benefit too as he will draw so much attention from defenders.

[riverholmes]

2 hours ago, rigger said:

So who should we have been playing ?

Last couple of seasons we had, I believe, Celtic and Girona in pre-season. It makes sense, as far as I can tell, to have at least one showcase test against higher levels, even if not season defining by any means. Maybe, there’s been something behind closed-doors or just not practical this year, who knows.

Edited August 3 by riverholmes

[Exiled_Rover]

3 hours ago, davulsukur said:

Buckley and Markanday have consistently shown that they aren't up to it at this level. 

I think we'll end up keeping Buckley just for numbers sake, but if we land a few more attacking targets, we'll try and shift Markanday for sure. He'll end up in league one.

If Gestede shifts Markanday, signs a GK over Pears and brings in some pace I'll revise my opinion of him. 

[Herbie6590]

5 hours ago, Forever Blue said:

In that video above it’s a worry that they keep saying Big Mak missed some sitters. I think that was the criticism from the Belgian journo/analyst who the LT interviewed when he signed.

Shot centrally straight at the keeper from good positions, hit outside of the post from a very good position. I suspect at the end of the season we will be looking at what he does for others in terms of hold up, creating space etc…so Sam Gallagher with added mobility…😆

[Forever Blue]

Just now, Herbie6590 said:

Shot centrally straight at the keeper from good positions, hit outside of the post from a very good position. I suspect at the end of the season we will be looking at what he does for others in terms of hold up, creating space etc…so Sam Gallagher with added mobility…😆

If he can get 10 goals and create space and chances for others to score he’s an upgrade on Gally!

[Herbie6590]

3 hours ago, Ricky said:

Only just noticed that they had Dwight Gayle as a trialist, decent player previously but guess his age is catching up a bit as he was a pacey forward. 

I said last night that 10 days ago I’d have been happy to see him training with us things were looking that bad…😆

[rigger]

58 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

Last couple of seasons we had, I believe, Celtic and Girona in pre-season. It makes sense, as far as I can tell, to have at least one showcase test against higher levels, even if not season defining by any means. Maybe, there’s been something behind closed-doors or just not practical this year, who knows.

We can't afford to pay top teams to come and play us in friendlies, so we go away to lower league teams. It's a fact of life in our financial situation.

Edited August 3 by rigger

[Herbie6590]

https://thescarfmyfatherwore.substack.com/p/county-0-blackburn-1

County 0 Blackburn 1

Friday night feedback from a Hatter and a Rover

THE SCARF MY FATHER WORE

AUG 04, 2024

 

Sunday 4 August 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Blackburn supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Sunday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

Dave Philbin takes a look back at the friendly on Friday night for us today, along with Ian from BRFCS.

Des Junior

 

✍️ Friday’s match in one word

Dave: Injuries (more).

Ian: Pleasant.

🤔 Pre-match thoughts

Dave: He's here! He's finally here! Hang on, is that Dwight Gayle warming up over there? I wasn't going to bother going as I thought it'd be two reserve teams, but when Barry was confirmed we had to go, even though he wasn't going to play! 

Ian: How many of our new signings would play? Would any of them have a clue? To what extent will we get schooled? What will the third kit look like in the flesh?

🧐 Post-match thoughts

 

Dave: Gave a higher level team some problems again with a mix of youth, experience and "trialists". Trialists aside, I don't think a couple of our lot were in the plans for next Saturday so it was all about minutes again. Hoping all of the injuries were taken off as a precaution.

Ian: Our two new strikers look like they might add something to our otherwise blunt attack, although neither of them scored so it’s still probably going to be a long, hard season I fear.

🔵 Verdict on County

Dave: Thought we did well in parts. Conceded a few chances as expected but Addai made some great saves. Unlucky with the penalty but I thought it was a stonewaller. Hard to make a go of it when you constantly have to make changes, adapt, and play players out of position. Adamarola looked frightening down the left hand side when he let the shackles off. Hoping his knock isn't too serious. Number 5, trialist, supposedly Liam Moore, sign him up. Looked brilliant and has League One experience.

Ian: Gave us a decent workout but I always temper any views that arise from watching a pre-season friendly… I’ve been bitten before by judging too soon! Enjoy it for what it is – a fitness exercise.

🟣 Verdict on Blackburn

Dave: They looked really good on the ball and continue their unbeaten pre-season run at Edgeley Park after the last two. Solid at the back and didn't give away too many chances. 

Ian: Not as bad as I’d feared, not as good as will be needed for us to stay up.

🎩 Top Hatter

Dave: Corey Addai.

Ian: One of the Trialist brothers perhaps? “A proud day for the Trialist family…” etc and so on. “That’s Gayle isn’t it?” “Aye… and Oli Norwood.” “I’d have been happy to see them in our squad 10 days ago.” Your right winger gave Pickering a torrid first half. Sorry, no idea who it was though. Who remembers matchday programmes with actual line-ups?

🐶 Top Rover

Dave: Any of the back line.

Ian: Our new number 9 Gueye looked like he might create a stir this season but my MOTM was Sondre Tronstad.

👂 Atmosphere

Dave: I decided to sit in the Main Stand for a change last night and unbelievably, when Louie was paraded on the pitch at half-time, it erupted into song! Other than that, a sub 3,000 gate produced as much atmosphere as you'd expect.

Ian: Convivial. I had to laugh at the stewards allowing Rovers fans to sit anywhere they liked then being baffled when the late arrivals looking for designated seats seemingly outnumbered the remaining unoccupied seats somehow, resulting in the adjacent section being opened and everyone then able to spread out and be supremely comfortable. It was my first visit to Edgeley Park and I enjoyed it. 

🙏 Hopes for the new season

Dave: Hoping we can field a team of 11 for the first half of the season! After that, same as last week – be in with a shout of the play-offs with 10 to go and see what happens.

Ian: Not to go down!

😀 Best part of the day

Dave: LOUIE BARRY.

Ian: Stockport Produce Hall. I live in Sheffield and we have The Cutlery Works on a similar theme. This is right up there. Delicious Katsu Curry – would recommend.

😡 Worst part of the day

Dave: There wasn't one.

Ian: Slipping over the four-hour parking threshold at the station NCP. An expensive schoolboy error.

[arbitro]

Travis showing everyone what a 'hard man' he really is 🤔. This young lad is set to miss the start of the season.

 

[KentExile]

 

[BankEnd Rover]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

Travis showing everyone what a 'hard man' he really is 🤔. This young lad is set to miss the start of the season.

 

Shocking that from Trav.

No need what so ever and people who are laughing it off should think, imagine if that was on one of our new signings…Travis plays this hard man act and for me its quite cringy, doesn’t suit him.

[rigger]

10 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Shocking that from Trav.

No need what so ever and people who are laughing it off should think, imagine if that was on one of our new signings…Travis plays this hard man act and for me its quite cringy, doesn’t suit him.

Or just maybe some people think, it's about time we showed more of that.

[BankEnd Rover]

Just now, rigger said:

Or just maybe some people think, it's about time we showed more of that.

It’s a pre season game? Showed more of what? Making no attempt at getting the ball and then booting the player again for the craic? 

[rigger]

8 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

It’s a pre season game? Showed more of what? Making no attempt at getting the ball and then booting the player again for the craic? 

It doesn't matter what game it is, If he was making no attempt to win the ball, he simply would not have made any form of tackle.

Personally I think he should have taken the whole lot (player and ball ) with the first tackle. It is still a contact sport, but many of the players seem to want it, not to be. Show aggression and win your personal battles.

 

Edited August 5 by rigger

[arbitro]

2 hours ago, BankEnd Rover said:

It’s a pre season game? Showed more of what? Making no attempt at getting the ball and then booting the player again for the craic? 

When we really needed him to be tough in the white hot, hostile atmosphere at Millwallthe season before last he went awol and got the hook at half time when we were 3-1 down. JRC stepped into midfield, made a few tackles and we won 4-3.

[Exiled_Rover]

11 hours ago, arbitro said:

Travis showing everyone what a 'hard man' he really is 🤔. This young lad is set to miss the start of the season.

 

Absolutely nothing in that.

Foul. Not even a yellow card.

[arbitro]

7 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Absolutely nothing in that.

Foul. Not even a yellow card.

Perhaps a few years ago. In the modern game it's a clear yellow for the reckless first challenge. The second challenge was petulance. But my point was that, in a friendly there was no need to do it and put the Stockport player out for a few weeks.