Thetownend.com

Thoughts?

Smith

Caddis
Devera
Comazzi
Kennedy

McCormack
Smith
Risser
Ritchie

De Vita
Connell

Comazzi's suspended, so flint instead

no idea if McCormack will play left wing...Atiku and Ritchie look like they'd give us more balance

Smith

Caddis
Devera
Flint
Kennedy

Timlin
Smith
Risser
Ritchie

De Vita
Connell

Smith

Caddis
Flint
Devera
Kennedy

Smith
Ritchie
Risser
Timlin

De Vita
Connell

Subs
Lanzano (if fit)
McCormack
Ferry
Atiku
Amankwaah

Yep i'll go with them. Comazzi if not suspended, Flint if he is. Tims has started both the pre-season games i've been to on the left so would expect him to carry on...

The line up will be this for sure which was the starting 11 against Reading.  Esajas may just make the subs bench if he has recovered sufficiently enough to be risked

See i dont understand this. Its a totally different Football Association.

Didnt something happen with a Cardiff player, because hed been sent off, it went to the welsh fa and he was able to play in the cup final?

Darren Purse?

Lucien Sanchez will smash up his laptop when he reads your post tans...

i think if we were slightly bigger and could be arsed to fight it we'd get it turned over. it's only 1 game so fuck it

with flint for comazzi...

Yeah i meant to quote Tans team line up not DRS's as Comazzi won't play

I agree with tans.  Although if it I would play Esajas rather than Timlin as from what I have seen in the preseason friendlies he looks a lot better going forward.

Esajas isn't fit, I think he'll find his way onto the left wing once he is though, certainly at home.

Raaaaaaah!!!! That Darren Purse thing did annoy me a little (okay, a lot)... fucking Welsh.

This is my first post.....so don't be cunts about it! Watched them against Reading and was very impressed. Get Esajas fit and flying on the right/left wing and I reckon it's a decent team. I hope Flint gets a few games under his belt cause he looked top class on saturday aginst (£8million!!!) Shane Long. Can't wait for Saturday.

Phil Smith

Caddis Flint Devera Kennedy

Ritchie Risser(c) J Smith Timlin

Connell De Vita

Subs Bedwell, Amankwaah, McCormack, Atiku, Bodin

Possibly worst starting XI on paper in recent history....and we'll get docked 3 points for fielding a suspended player

Worst starting XI eh Reg? Wait and see innit.

Bundle of fucking joy is our Reg.

 What's the point of the ignore button went people quote them. Pah

It's just negative for the sake of being negative now, it is no where near the 'worst XI ever'

The fact is, we don't know if this is going to be one of the best XIs we've seen for a while, or the worst. Only time will tell.

Exactly.  Reg used to be quite rational (I think!) but now he is just a miserable bastard.

Shears asked for thoughts, I given mine. Let's debate it.....firstly, the proviso "on paper" implies that it may well not work out that way, in much the same way that last season "on paper" we were too good to finish 24th in L1.

I see a keeper who most agree hasn't been in form for quite a while and has been told he is numero duo....a right back who although having some promise most feel he might be better further forward....2 unknown quantities at centre half, although 1 at least has Div 4 experience with perennial strugglers Barnet. A left back who was subbed at half time in his last Div 4 game for terminal shitness.

3 holding midfield players, with Ritchie as a creative outlet, and 2 lightweight strikers none of whom has any sort of scoring record at Div 4 level.  Now to me that doesn't look a promising outfit....on paper....

Out of interest, would you like to post up a first day starting XI you feel is worse?

Who do you support again Reg? And to think as Shears said, you used to be so rational. He's right you were.

Kennedy is one who worries me a bit. Always have thought that he wasn't quite good enough. He has impressed the gaffer though, so i'm hoping he has upped his game and is now good enough for our promotion charging team. Timlin is another one who has been unconvincing but does have something there for sure.
 I aint seen any pre season games so have no view on the new arrivals yet.

I'm no different to what I've ever been....I try to call it as I see it.  I also don't particularly want to get into personal abuse with fellow Town fans, but resorting to insult, because you don't happen to agree with a debating point made is pretty pathetic.

I havent a fucking clue if this side is shit or not.  I also dont have a clue as to whether crewe, pox, rovers, etc etc are shit.  Im not going to comment on whether this is the best or shitest side on the evidence of one match against long ball merchants from the zamaretto league.  I am, however, not going to make comment on a team before a ball is kicked in the league.  Frankly Im excited about seeing whether they are shit or great, who knows?  Its STFC, its not going to be a smooth ride, but STFC never give us a smooth and easy ride do they?

I'd be a little unsure if I hadn't seen them in preseason. However I have, and they are looking good.

Wasn't intended to insult you Reg. Just annoys me when people post negative stuff (particularly when it seems to be just for the sake of it). New season is 3 days away and i'm optimistic. You have to be otherwise why bother.

I could post a postive spin on everyone of the players listed just as you have posted a negative spin. If thats the way you see things then fair enough but i don't think i'm the only one who thinks you should cheer up - just a bit.

Despite me also agreeing that Reg is a moany bastard, after reading his explanation, believe that the points he has made about the team on paper are perfectly valid.

Lets all hope that he is proved wrong by these players performing where it matters, on the pitch.

All very true...but part of the fun of being a fan is to speculate about players, compare and contrast present players with former players and try to gauge the outcomes of combinations of players.

I think that me playing any games like that will result in the opposite from you.  But then Im an realist with optimistic tendencies.  I think the squad looks strong enough to compete but needs more up front.  Well see in the coming weeks.  I don't think we are as weak as we were last time we were in division 4 and we got out of there.  Actually Im saying that without looking at what our team was then. 

Ill get back to you.

Last game in Div 4 we had the team was

Phil Smith
Jamie Vincent, Andy Nicholas, Jerel Ifil, Jack Smith
Zaboub, Pook, Peacock, Roberts
Corr, Sturrock

I do think our squad is better now.  Stronger in midfield and defence and forwards.

Personal opinion and all that.

Of that line up, I think Vincent and a fit Corr would walk into the current side, Peacock and a focussed Roberts would add some sort of lower league nous.  Jerel...had a good season, but....I do hold out some hopes for Flint.

On the management side though....Sturrock knows what it takes in the lower leagues....we'll find out soon enough if di canio does.

A worst starting XI....in my opinion this one hands down

Greminik
Davis Reeves Willis Robinson
Duke Hewlett O'Halloran Invincible
Grazioli Alexander

But hey as is the disclaimer with every negative post these days...it's my opinion.

Nobody can know how strong or weak this squad is yet. Until we are a few weeks in we can only guess.

But that is in hindsight. Alexander had scored goals in league football. So had Grazioli. That midfield was never going to be that strong (I think if you put Migs in for Hewlett, it looks a lot better - but back then we were having the same "why isn't he playing" chat as we now have about Ferry). Adam Willis actually had some decent games (and deserves special credit for having Danielle Lineker (as she is now) on the go at the time. That must have been distracting for him)... Reeves had played in the top flight and knew what it was all. Again, more proven than the current defence.  Griemink was appalling though and makes Smith look cool, calm and collected.

Hopefully a worse starting 11 will be the one Crewe puts out!

O'halloran was decent aswell, atleast before that bone cruncher.

Quite right, both views are different sides of the same coin.

To me that looks a fairly solid well balanced side...I always liked Sol Davis, KOH was shaping up very well until getting hisleg broken, and up front Alexander is still a workhorse who'll get a few goals in lower leagues 128 in 405 appearances.  Graz, the fox in the box type.

Daisy actually playing in his proper posion and Invincible capable of something a bit different. 

I'd reckon that side would piss on Div 4....it nearly found itself having the chance, but just about had enough to stay up.

So surely Alexander is no different to Connell now? Davis is Caddis? Hewlett is Smith? (though I can't see how he could be any worse) De Vita is Grazioli?

There are a lot of parallels!

I agree with this, but I really hope for a winning start, if for nothing else than to avoid a meltdown in the dugout.

True and I just hope that the crowd gives the whole team a bit of time to settle. At the moment it feels like the build up to the Brighton game last year with so much optimism about, which is fine, but I think some of the new guys will need a fair few games to get used to L2. Until they do, we all need to tell any moaning bastards in the CG to zip it.

A more rationale argument would conclude that our starting XI at the tail end of last season is likely to be worse. There was a reason we finished bottom of the pile.

However, this starting XI is by no means better as nobody actually knows what it will be like. On paper possibly not, but conversely we have some experienced players who have done a decent job at this level.

Promotion is the goal, I am expecting it but not due to the strength of the playing side but simply because I think the size and stature of our club is a league one team and that's where we should be.

For me Alexander was the punt on a young player from a higher level, who we paid a chunk for in the hope he might increase in value...it didn't quite work for him at the CG in a Parkin/Cox way, but he has shown himself to being a decent enough player in the lower leagues.

Connell has been around some years in the lower leagues and never done that much....I've seen him play against us 6 times and he's never impressed.  Connell has to work straight away, he's not one for the future.

Sol Davis was a good defender, but crap going forward...Caddis the opposite.

The key point in my assessment, is that Shears side looks weak on paper individually, it might click collectively, this is the alchemy that a good manager provides. We'll have a better idea on that at 5:00 pm Saturday.

Connell played in the leagues and was utilised on the left wing. Similar to Ball who was signed as a striker and played on the wing. Connell as a striker with Grimsby last season scored 30 goals. Lets hope he clicks in our team and carries on where he let off last season.

this

This kind of proves my point, I don't think Connell is strong enough to be a main striker, neither is De Vita....di Canio has acknowledged we need a strong man up front....we just haven't got one yet.  Which is part of the reason why the team especially up front looks weak.  A fit Esajas, would certainly make it look a lot stronger.

The most annoying part of reflecting on Gary Alexander is that King had scouted both Bobby Zamora and Alexander for Todd, advised him to go for Zamora and that cunt Todd spent more money on Alexander instead.

Smithy

Kennedy
Devera
Flint
Caddis

Ritchie
Risser
Smith (J)
Timlin

Connell
Rafa

The one surprise package I believe will be Esajas (just scraping a place on the bench) who'll probably come on for Tims around the hour mark, unless he's having a stormer or OR is blowing and Tims moves back inside.

One thing to add. Whilst it may be convenient to draw parrallels to previous sides but I'd be willing to bet a month's earnings that we're going to see more fight and desire from these guys than any other Town XI since Lou's time at the helm. The crucial difference is the change in reigime both in the dug out and the ambition (and prudent investment) remaining in the boardroom.

I have full belief that Paolo has - and will continue to - drive the boys harder and to better levels of personal and collective achievement than those we have become accustomed to watching over the past 15-odd years. At this level, that commitment will go a very, very long way.

Just as I was about to weigh in with my opinion, Reg S said what I wanted to say:  The emphasis from di Canio seems to have been on teamwork with a strong work ethic and fitness to see them through 90 mins.  If that has been achieved, I think it may cover for any lack of individual skill.  What seems to be important for the strikers is that they know how to score (!!) - the level of their experience is less important.  What matters for them is the quality of the delivery to them.  (Having said that, I was talking to a certain quite well-known Livingston player at the weekend, and he rates de Vita highly both for skill and for poaching.)

So where Reg sounds a bit of a pessimist, I, on virtually the same grounds, remain eternally and irritatingly optimistic...(and i was one of those who believed longer than most that we would stay up last season!!!)

Agree with Marks team. Would start Esajas before Timms though but don't think he will make next couple of games. Probably see a completely different starting 11 v City but still a strong side.

We look weak down the left flank and up front to me.

I don't see that Devera is an unknown quantity and Caddis is an U21 Captain and should shine at this level. Ritchie will be very good and I can't see us losing the battle in the middle with Risser and Smith (assuming Smith can stay on the field for 90 minutes).

Kennedy as 1st choice left back worries me as does the lack of a real physical presence up front.

Will Callum be 1st choice once Cibocchi is fit?

I've not seen any of the new guys so I can't decide whether they're good or not, but with Timlin on the left it makes the side look massively unbalanced - which worries me.

Hopefully we'll all have a better idea of how good they are come 1700 on Saturday. Crewe are a seasoned lower division outfit and certainly no mugs so it'll be a good test - and yardstick.

I'd completely forgotten about Cibocchi. Do we know how long he's likely to be out?

I've not seen Kennedy, but I'm really hoping he'll come good.  There are far too few players to have come through the youth system and really broken into the first team in recent years.  The only two of the last few years are Morrison and Jutkiewizc.  Before that, Pook. 

I'm arguing with myself now - we've had a few successes but it would be nice to see another.

I think Paolo's training regime has helped him this summer. I've voiced my doubts over him, but I've a feeling he could feature prominently this season.

Youth team GK Leigh Bedwell is on the bench tomorrow, and K Amank is not in the squad

Injured?

Sauce?

BBQ please  :D

Gary Alexander celebrated Steve Robinson's first goal in the last game at the Manor on his own in front of the London Road. He'll always be alright by me.

Makes sense if Lanzano and Scott are crocked. Only 5 subs now - Devera can cover RB and Evans in the middle?