🗓️Pre-Season Friendlies 2024/25

[matt_magpie]

Why the need for a new striker?
How many players do you want to vie for that one position? Four? With another who can be recalled from loan? How will you keep them happy?
Why all the talk for a Macca replacement? Who would that be?
Has anyone who's touting Dajaune Brown actually seen him play?
If Jatta stays fit all season, would you be confident that he can do the business?
Which rival club has the best firepower? How does it compare?

I agree I think we need a 10 that can play up top if required. Scott’s not that effective as a 10 so I’d say at the moment he’s back up to Jatta, if both injured Mcgoldrick can play there.
I can’t see Brown coming as he won’t be guaranteed any game time, we bought Jatta for 150k with the belief he was going to be a big player for us and up to now he’s certainly showed he’s more than capable of scoring goals.

[SinceSept1959]

Why the need for a new striker?
How many players do you want to vie for that one position? Four? With another who can be recalled from loan? How will you keep them happy?
Why all the talk for a Macca replacement? Who would that be?
Has anyone who's touting Dajaune Brown actually seen him play?
If Jatta stays fit all season, would you be confident that he can do the business?
Which rival club has the best firepower? How does it compare?

Yes I have actually seen him play , strong, very quick , athletic , technically good and can finish.
Whether he can hit the ground running in Lge 2 would need to be proven.
But did well at Gateshead and Michael Mellon ( now with Stockport ) for example did very well for Morecambe having been in Burnley U21's .

[nw6pie]

Why the need for a new striker?
How many players do you want to vie for that one position? Four? With another who can be recalled from loan? How will you keep them happy?
Why all the talk for a Macca replacement? Who would that be?
Has anyone who's touting Dajaune Brown actually seen him play?
If Jatta stays fit all season, would you be confident that he can do the business?
Which rival club has the best firepower? How does it compare?

If last season taught us anything, it’s that you need strength in depth to succeed. How many times did we bring on a sub who gave the opposition a different problem or could turn the game for us? I’m struggling to think of any examples.

Three strikers for one place sounds fine, but if Jatta gets injured on Sept. 1 after the transfer window closes, we’ll be in big trouble. Didzy is 37 in February and Scott is both completely unproven at this level and still regaining his sharpness after a serious injury.

If we can get Tsaroulla fit, we could play Jodi Jones as a 10, but we still need another option up front - as SM himself has admitted. Same goes for midfield, where I’d love to see a competitive box-to-box player come in.

[MagpieNate]

I’m still of the belief we need 3 more in (if Stone is staying on as back up).

CB - big question marks over Cundy’s fitness. If he breaks down with the same recurring injury again, we are down to 2 right sided players in Macari and Platt. Platt was touted as being the one in the middle of the 3 when he arrived.

CM - same as above for Palmer. Austin unfortunately I don’t think is up to the standard. That leaves Edwards, Robertson, Crowley and Hinchy for those 3 spots.

ST - a lot of people seem to think we’re ok if we go with the 1 up top but seem to forget that if that’s the case, McGoldrick, Scott and likely Crowley are likely to be played as the no10s so no, we don’t have any squad depth there. This is the one position I’m adamant we need another body in and confident it will happen. Morias going out on loan has surely guaranteed that’s the case. Maybe we did have someone lined up when we agreed the loan but it fell through.

I personally don’t see us going back to the Williams’ 2 no10s set up. At Tranmere I expect to Crowley playing along side Robertson with Edwards deeper keeping Palmers seat warm, with McGoldrick playing up top with Jatta. Wouldn’t be against JJ moving further forward but with Tsaroulla seemingly missing all pre season, I’d be very underwhelmed to see Chicksen on the left wing.

Anyway not long to wait. Tough first game so let’s not go into melt down if we lose at Tranmere. I see us currently probably top half, top 10. Hopefully the budget can be stretched for another attacking option, some cover at the back and (wishful thinking) a ‘statement’ signing in midfield.

[Shropshire_Pie]

Tranmere away is a tough start but the first two home games are against teams likely to be middle of the table at best so we need to win those if we are going to avoid a relegation scrap imo.

Fairly sure we'll know what sort of season we're in for by the end of August.

[upthemaggies]

Tranmere away is a tough start but the first two home games are against teams likely to be middle of the table at best so we need to win those if we are going to avoid a relegation scrap imo.

Fairly sure we'll know what sort of season we're in for by the end of August.

We will have played 4 games by the end of August, which doesn't sound a lot but of the 9 worst four game starts we've ever had - 6 of those saw us ultimately relegated. Promotion wise, we've never gone up after starting with less than a win and a draw from the first four played (and all promotion seasons apart from 1989/90 began better than that).

Every season is unique, but an extreme set of bad results after 4 games would strongly indicate a relegation battle, and if we have any ambition to go up, you'd want be averaging a point a game at the absolute minimum to still feel confident that you can shift into gear before it's too late.

Sunderland famously lost their opening four of 2006/07 and ended the season as Champions, but you're looking at a freak season and one that involved a swift change of manager (Roy Keane sat in the stand and ready to take over in game 5).

[1955pie]

We will have played 4 games by the end of August, which doesn't sound a lot but of the 9 worst four game starts we've ever had - 6 of those saw us ultimately relegated. Promotion wise, we've never gone up after starting with less than a win and a draw from the first four played (and all promotion seasons apart from 1989/90 began better than that).

Every season is unique, but an extreme set of bad results after 4 games would strongly indicate a relegation battle, and if we have any ambition to go up, you'd want be averaging a point a game at the absolute minimum to still feel confident that you can shift into gear before it's too late.

Sunderland famously lost their opening four of 2006/07 and ended the season as Champions, but you're looking at a freak season and one that involved a swift change of manager (Roy Keane sat in the stand and ready to take over in game 5).

UTM What were those 9 worst 4 game starts please?
It would give us somthing to compare.
And what is our best 4 game start and how did it finish up?
Thanks.

[upthemaggies]

UTM What were those 9 worst 4 game starts please?
It would give us somthing to compare.
And what is our best 4 game start and how did it finish up?
Thanks.

Notts nine worst four game starts....

1 draw, 3 losses
117. 2018/19 relegated
118. 1957/58 relegated
119. 1912/13 relegated
120. 1927/28 (finished 15th)
121. 1964/65 (finished 13th)
122. 1888/89 (had to apply for re-election)
four straight defeats....
123. 1984/85 relegated
124. 1963/64 relegated
125. 2003/04 relegated



The nine best four game starts
four straight wins
1. 1928/29 (finished 3rd, only 2 up)
2. 1896/97 Promoted
3. 1893/94 (finished 3rd, only 2 up)
three wins and 1 draw
4. 1930/31 Promoted
5. 1894/95 (finished 2nd and lost play off)
6. 1970/71 Promoted
7. 1937/38 (finished 11th having been top at New year)
8. 1951/52 (finished 15th, Lawton left in March)
9. 1979/80 (finished 17th after not winning at home after mid-November)

[51Magpie]

But importantly the players respect him

We're in for some messy trouble if they don't. How do we know they all respect him?

[OldBanksy]

Dajaune Brown's very raw.
As for Crowley, he's often been playing in and around our own box in PS. He goes down in a heap at York and we nearly concede. What's the thinking there?