No need to panic - keep the faith
Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:13 am
No need to panic whatsoever following last nights performance. Besides the obvious reasons such as it only being pre-season and Celtic being at least a fortnight ahead of us in terms of fitness & cohesion, I would also highlight:
- Celtic played their first 11 (we didn't)
- Celtic would've arguably approached the game with a higher of vigour & passion as their season starts proper on the weekend
- It wasn't by any means our strongest first 11
- We were missing Mcphail, Earnie & Quinny from the squad
- I'm pretty confident by Bournemouth away we'll have three extra quality players: Goodwillie, Kiss, and Miller, and I can't see the recruitment drive stopping there tbh
- The team have only got two games under their belt whilst trying to adjust to Malky's methods etc...this will obviously take a couple more matches to be totally familiar with & confident to execute the game plan
- Gunnarsson & Whitts looked effective in the middle. We all know what Whitts can do, but Gunnarsson looks like a player we've been wanting and needing for years. He's a battler, wears his heart on his sleeve, however last night showed a classy positional awareness and technical ability. I like the look of him and I think he'll be a hit this season, its no wonder Malky offered him the armband in the second half against Charlton.
- Joe Mason showed glimpes of real potential, and I think he's working under the right manager to nurture that ability and get the best out of him. What was most encouraging was his confidence was to a level already where hes comfortable shooting from range etc. This is obviously a reflection of the player, but it also highlghts the confidence & freedom Malky is trying to instill in his players (especially the younger element)
- There were run outs for Farah, Evans & Jarvis. And whilst they didnt set the world alight, theyre getting invaluable first team experience and if nothing else provides deeper options within the squad and gies the players currently in the academy a real yardstick to aspire to knowing that if they perform Malky will give them a chance
- The managers conduct: Malky was extremely animated and was relentless in his instructions and motivation for the players all game. This is obviously stark contrast to the previous manager, however what it will ensure is that our players will not be allowed to comfortably sit back and will be told to push until the very last minute whilst also being constantly aware of the gameplan consistently throughout the match. There was no better example of this than when Whitts went through a crunching slide tackle with only a couple of mins of normal time remaining. Bit uncharateristic and imo is a stamp of Malky's influence on the team already
One additional pointer of note also was how we were set up from kick off. Mason was very deep and our formation was effectively 4-5-1. However by the time we reached the half hour mark it was 4-4-2 with Gunnarsson sometimes dropping just above the back four.
Not sure if this is an early indication of how Malky will be getting us to play i.e start relatively cautiously then build the adventure as the game continues, however its certainly refreshing to have a manager whos strategys are flexible and will approach the game as he sees it with the team capable of adopting numerous approaches.
We started really well last night and with a full strength team (especially strikeforce) we wouldve won imo. Definite signs of encouragement and when Malky has fully integrated his philosophies into the team, when its full strength, we're going to be a right handful for anyone this season...BLUE ARMY!!!
- Celtic played their first 11 (we didn't)
- Celtic would've arguably approached the game with a higher of vigour & passion as their season starts proper on the weekend
- It wasn't by any means our strongest first 11
- We were missing Mcphail, Earnie & Quinny from the squad
- I'm pretty confident by Bournemouth away we'll have three extra quality players: Goodwillie, Kiss, and Miller, and I can't see the recruitment drive stopping there tbh
- The team have only got two games under their belt whilst trying to adjust to Malky's methods etc...this will obviously take a couple more matches to be totally familiar with & confident to execute the game plan
- Gunnarsson & Whitts looked effective in the middle. We all know what Whitts can do, but Gunnarsson looks like a player we've been wanting and needing for years. He's a battler, wears his heart on his sleeve, however last night showed a classy positional awareness and technical ability. I like the look of him and I think he'll be a hit this season, its no wonder Malky offered him the armband in the second half against Charlton.
- Joe Mason showed glimpes of real potential, and I think he's working under the right manager to nurture that ability and get the best out of him. What was most encouraging was his confidence was to a level already where hes comfortable shooting from range etc. This is obviously a reflection of the player, but it also highlghts the confidence & freedom Malky is trying to instill in his players (especially the younger element)
- There were run outs for Farah, Evans & Jarvis. And whilst they didnt set the world alight, theyre getting invaluable first team experience and if nothing else provides deeper options within the squad and gies the players currently in the academy a real yardstick to aspire to knowing that if they perform Malky will give them a chance
- The managers conduct: Malky was extremely animated and was relentless in his instructions and motivation for the players all game. This is obviously stark contrast to the previous manager, however what it will ensure is that our players will not be allowed to comfortably sit back and will be told to push until the very last minute whilst also being constantly aware of the gameplan consistently throughout the match. There was no better example of this than when Whitts went through a crunching slide tackle with only a couple of mins of normal time remaining. Bit uncharateristic and imo is a stamp of Malky's influence on the team already
One additional pointer of note also was how we were set up from kick off. Mason was very deep and our formation was effectively 4-5-1. However by the time we reached the half hour mark it was 4-4-2 with Gunnarsson sometimes dropping just above the back four.
Not sure if this is an early indication of how Malky will be getting us to play i.e start relatively cautiously then build the adventure as the game continues, however its certainly refreshing to have a manager whos strategys are flexible and will approach the game as he sees it with the team capable of adopting numerous approaches.
We started really well last night and with a full strength team (especially strikeforce) we wouldve won imo. Definite signs of encouragement and when Malky has fully integrated his philosophies into the team, when its full strength, we're going to be a right handful for anyone this season...BLUE ARMY!!!
Re: No need to panic - keep the faith
Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:17 am
Couple of things I failed t mention above - Conway was also missing and the defence looked pretty solid also
Re: No need to panic - keep the faith
Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:17 am
Excellent post, sums up the situation perfectly. Onwards and upwards.
Re: No need to panic - keep the faith
Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:23 am
GarethBrad wrote:Excellent post, sums up the situation perfectly. Onwards and upwards.
Looking forward to how we deal with Parma next then the big one at Uptin Park