Pre-Season 2017'18

[Ya Bezzer!]

10 changes at half time. Better 2nd half, higher pace and some real tackles. Looked more effective with Thomas and Cadden on the flanks. Dembele was entertaining, potential cult player.

[Guest]

Thomas seemed to be quite involved going by the twitter account, was this the case?

No.

[wellman]

Good strike from Tuton for the 1st, but didn't do much else. Dembele looked far better than McManus.

no surprise about that

[pingu]

In short, it was very much a pretty season friendly with a team who hadn't played together.

 

The first half team were poor, and we should have been 2 down easily. There was a lot of midfield graft and movement of the ball with Campbell and McLean but no real penetration. Looked like we played a 433 with Campbell, McLean and Rose in the middle, Frear wide left and Tanner wide right.

 

Second half was the same formation with Cadden right, Thomas left, Clay, McHugh and Gordon in the middle with Bowman up top. The 2nd half team looked much more comfortable and played better stuff. McHugh was very good, as was Cadden.

 

In terms of the new guys...

 

Kipre - he was OK. Looked a little slow perhaps and caught out of position once

Dunne - awful. Wasteful on the ball, played everyone miles onside once, was very fortunate not to give a goal away with lack of tracking back, and generally looked lethargic and uninterested

Rose - never got into the game and looked cumbersome and lethargic also. Dispossessed a few times and did nothing of note.

Tanner - started out right and didn't see any of the ball. Drifted infield and looked OK, although seems to have no right foot. Looks like he has a decent delivery with crosses.

Tuton - didn't see much of the ball but when he did he looked good. Fantastic goal really clean strike of the ball from about 25 yards top corner with power.

Dembele - looks a bit ungainly but didn't put a single foot wrong, nearly scored from a header and even took it a wee dribble. Looks good.

[weeyin]

Miles off the pace, way too many long balls, one up front, defence a shambles, should have been 3-0 down before we scored.

 

On the upside it was a well take goal from Tuton.

 

So exactly what you'd expect with 5 weeks of preseason before we kick off our league campaign.

 

Certainly, exactly what I'd expect at this stage.

[superward]

Can't tell much from pre-season friendlies - especially the first one as not everyone will be at the same level of fitness and some will take longer than others to regain their touch after a break etc. However, good to get a win and 45 mins under the belt.

 

It will be at the very least a couple of competitive games until we really know what players are like - good or bad.

['Wellfan 2k7]

Any idea of the club are doing highlights for this game?

[mio]

I hate pre-season friendlies......I rarely go to them. I remember going to one at Stirling Albion before and witnessing John Hendry's first ever game for us..........he was utterly dire that game and look how he turned out???......utterly dire!!

 

Using this example maybe I should pay more weight to friendlies!!

[maxywell]

If someone is consistantly shite in every friendly then it would be a concern but this was the first game obviously some players will take a while to get up to their usual standard, that's the whole point of friendlies.

[Wallace_MFC]

I thought today was one of the better friendlies I've been too. Liked having all the subs at half time too.

[Del_Superwell]

Any idea of the club are doing highlights for this game?

I'd be surprisd if they didnt as we showed the highlights of all our pre season games last year.

[Brazilian]

Any idea of the club are doing highlights for this game?

 

[Lobey_Dosser]

That was a helluva strike from Tuton.

 

Good to see Bowman score too. Wouldn't write him off just yet.

[jim64]

Second half team far better than first half Dembele pick of the trialists

[Andy_P]

I wasn't aware beforehand that the intention was to give each "eleven" (ten+ Griffiths) forty-five minutes each but it gave the run out an interesting dimension.

 

I must admit to being a little more at ease at full-time than I was at half-time. I'm fully aware that results in pre-season games mean little or nothing but even this early you hope to see the emergence of some shape, ideally a style of play that's easy on the eye or some individual pieces of skill that hint at something from a player.

 

The superbly taken goal apart that most certainly wasn't in evidence in the first half where the concern at the number of aimless punts allied to the ease in which Stirling were able to carve out opportunities was quite apparent. There was no cohesion whatsoever and a single striker wasn't perhaps how many would have envisaged us starting with against a Third Division side.

 

Understandable to an extent and put in context when you consider that the first half time included new signings such as Dunne, Rose and Tanner, a trialist and guys like McManus, Tait and MacLean who were returning from long absences.

 

And of course perhaps Robinson's hand was forced a little in terms of formation, by having Moult, Fisher and Blyth all unavailable for one reason or another.

 

The second half eleven were hardly world beaters but it was a relief to see that a half that was much more based on playing football, keeping possession and building moves rather than the hopeful lofted diagonal.

 

Of the trialists Tuton and Dembele certainly seem worthy of closer inspection against a team at a higher level on Tuesday.

[Tweed]

Yes the defence was carved open with a worrying frequency in the first 25 minutes with Tait and McManus clearly yards off the pace. The trialist beside McManus was useless. Every time McManus got the ball it was an aimless punt forward and an immediate concession of possession.

 

Second half much better which should maybe be a concern since only Thomas and Dembele were not with us last season but Cadden offered more than any of the wing players in the first half, Gordon was much improved since I've seen him before and McHugh marshaled the midfield which nobody did before the break.

[capt_oats]

Yes the defence was carved open with a worrying frequency in the first 25 minutes with Tait and McManus clearly yards off the pace. The trialist beside McManus was useless. Every time McManus got the ball it was an aimless punt forward and an immediate concession of possession.

 

Second half much better which should maybe be a concern since only Thomas and Dembele were not with us last season but Cadden offered more than any of the wing players in the first half, Gordon was much improved since I've seen him before and McHugh marshaled the midfield which nobody did before the break.

 

Is it really that much of a surprise that an XI of whom 10 have played for our first team before might be a bit more fluid and together than a team comprising 2 trialists, 3 new signings, 2 players who haven't played in 6 months and 2 players who started last season with the u20s?

 

I'd have said it'd have been more of a concern if the team that played the 2nd half hadn't been much better tbh.

[stuwell]

I wasn't aware beforehand that the intention was to give each "eleven" (ten+ Griffiths) forty-five minutes each but it gave the run out an interesting dimension.

 

I must admit to being a little more at ease at full-time than I was at half-time. I'm fully aware that results in pre-season games mean little or nothing but even this early you hope to see the emergence of some shape, ideally a style of play that's easy on the eye or some individual pieces of skill that hint at something from a player.

 

The superbly taken goal apart that most certainly wasn't in evidence in the first half where the concern at the number of aimless punts allied to the ease in which Stirling were able to carve out opportunities was quite apparent. There was no cohesion whatsoever and a single striker wasn't perhaps how many would have envisaged us starting with against a Third Division side.

 

Understandable to an extent and put in context when you consider that the first half time included new signings such as Dunne, Rose and Tanner, a trialist and guys like McManus, Tait and MacLean who were returning from long absences.

 

And of course perhaps Robinson's hand was forced a little in terms of formation, by having Moult, Fisher and Blyth all unavailable for one reason or another.

 

The second half eleven were hardly world beaters but it was a relief to see that a half that was much more based on playing football, keeping possession and building moves rather than the hopeful lofted diagonal.

 

Of the trialists Tuton and Dembele certainly seem worthy of closer inspection against a team at a higher level on Tuesday.

Pretty much agree with this. 1st half we pretty much bypassed the midfield so it is hard to judge the midfield. Frier looked ok on the wing but I wasn't happy that both fullbacks played so far forward leaving up open at the back.

Second half was better we played through the midfield more and the fullbacks stayed more in a defensive roll.

Overall not a bad workout.

[dossertillidie]

On a plus side, looks like there were some shots from outside the box

 

Don't think iv seen a centre mid do that in about 5yr

[swami]

Anyone who worries about the scores or performances in pre-season games is daft. The one thing to take from those highlights is that our home strip is cracking.

[Ya Bezzer!]

 

Is it really that much of a surprise that an XI of whom 10 have played for our first team before might be a bit more fluid and together than a team comprising 2 trialists, 3 new signings, 2 players who haven't played in 6 months and 2 players who started last season with the u20s?

 

I'd have said it'd have been more of a concern if the team that played the 2nd half hadn't been much better tbh.

 

I don't think anyone should read too much into the game yesterday but it should be a concern if half your squad are comprehensively outplayed by a part time League 2 team who are just back their holidays.

[Kmcalpin]

 

I don't think anyone should read too much into the game yesterday but it should be a concern if half your squad are comprehensively outplayed by a part time League 2 team who are just back their holidays.

I'm pretty sure they'll have been a lot fitter than our guys. Thats perfectly normal for this stage of pre season. Nothing to worry about at the moment. Dunne's fiorst game for 6 months incidentally.

[Donaldo87]

I wonder what this place was like when we got pumped 4-0 off Ayr united a few years back.

[livivoice]

Echoing the views of the majority that there is little to be concerned about on what was the first match a cobbled together team has played.

 

Seeing the game from the home stand [ hospitality] I yes we were not easy on the eye in the first half and could have been behind----fortunately Darren Smith remains as unconvincing as he was when with us.

 

Aint going to get into a lather about individual performances. My only comment was that from where I was sitting I felt the new guys were trying to hard and as we know when that happens problems occur. But the longer the first half went the more settled they became.

 

2nd half was a stroll. Dembele, Mc Hugh and Gordon impressed.

 

Onwards to Thursday and a much harder game.

 

Will still reserve judgement on players until September at the earliest.

[Spiderpig]

 

I don't think anyone should read too much into the game yesterday but it should be a concern if half your squad are comprehensively outplayed by a part time League 2 team who are just back their holidays.

Being " comprehensive outplayed" as you put it in their 1st competitive match together and strolling to a 2-0 win, aye we should be concerned !! wet pants this early in the season is more of a concern, wring yours out and chill.