pgtips (lurid)
Youth team substitute
Scattered thoughts, but thoughts nonetheless
Posts: 694
Favourite CUFC player: Dion Dublin
Favourite CUFC match: 2-0 Vs Pish 22/23
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Post by pgtips (lurid) on Jul 29, 2023 22:51:03 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0g0wy7pAndrew and KaiKai seem to be ready to shine this season. Brophy and Lennett also making our wide players some of the best in the division. Saiko Janneh our only cover on the wings? Dunk might be drawn into covering all over his range of positions. The Oxford match will be an interesting test of the new team. Feeling quite positive about the season. Cousins and Thomas are "good options". Thomas expected to play more of an AM role. Lancaster and May being their counterparts once Adam returns in September. Mix and match as you will. CM not a worry. Rhino and Morro seem to be needing a little more support on set pieces (corners). Their understudies Okedina and Rossi very capable and plenty of room for growth too. Digby solid as DM. We have some cover, but not especially from a DM. Cousins, Thomas and May could probably manage. Two decent 'keepers. Not sure about Okenabirhie and Ahadme just yet. I'd like us to have two other choices just in case. Janneh and KaiKai are forwards in theory. That just shifts the shortage onto the wings. If we could get a couple of established strikers this would look like a playoff capable squad. Touch wood eh? Tottenham have any spare strikers that might have tried playing for our team behind closed doors?
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Post by jamesm6688 on Jul 30, 2023 5:13:00 GMT
Personally I always quite like a loss for our last pre-season game. Gives the manager extra emphasis to work the team harder in the week aheads training, gives the players a reality check so that they don’t think beating the Barnets of the world in a pre-season means they can stroll through the first game against Oxford, and encourages the owners that they should push the boat out and find a few extra $’s from behind the sofa for new signings. 🥳
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Sandypants
Reserve team star
Posts: 4,059
Favourite CUFC player: Harrison Dunk
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Post by Sandypants on Jul 30, 2023 11:20:19 GMT
Personally I always quite like a loss for our last pre-season game. Gives the manager extra emphasis to work the team harder in the week aheads training, gives the players a reality check so that they don’t think beating the Barnets of the world in a pre-season means they can stroll through the first game against Oxford, and encourages the owners that they should push the boat out and find a few extra $’s from behind the sofa for new signings. 🥳 100%. I get the kittens if pre-season goes too swimmingly.
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Denton
Reserve team substitute
Posts: 2,898
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Post by Denton on Jul 30, 2023 13:06:18 GMT
Personally I always quite like a loss for our last pre-season game. Gives the manager extra emphasis to work the team harder in the week aheads training, gives the players a reality check so that they don’t think beating the Barnets of the world in a pre-season means they can stroll through the first game against Oxford, and encourages the owners that they should push the boat out and find a few extra $’s from behind the sofa for new signings. 🥳 The theory we had in the car on the way home was that we knew Oxford would have scouts there, so we put in a performance so bad that they'd have no idea what to report back giving us the advantage.
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Post by El Goodo on Jul 30, 2023 13:08:38 GMT
It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off.
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btb
Youth team substitute
Posts: 587
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Post by btb on Apr 29, 2024 6:47:25 GMT
So. Cardiff or Scotland this year or something more appealing?
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Post by svh on Apr 29, 2024 7:46:56 GMT
Portugal, apparently.
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btb
Youth team substitute
Posts: 587
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Post by btb on May 10, 2024 11:13:05 GMT
I would expect an announcement of the pre-season schedule soon, although any decent fixtures will probably be behind closed doors as usual.
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rewsan
Reserve team substitute
Posts: 2,194
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Post by rewsan on May 10, 2024 11:22:06 GMT
I would expect an announcement of the pre-season schedule soon, although any decent fixtures will probably be behind closed doors as usual. It'll be interesting to see if we take a different tack to our pre-season this year. Bonner seemed to be of the opinion that they weren't for the fans and were just training exercises, I'm sure if he could have they would all have been played behind closed doors.
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Bendigeidfran
First team star
Posts: 9,258
Favourite CUFC player: Steve Claridge
Favourite CUFC match: CUFC v Gateshead 18/05/14
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Post by Bendigeidfran on May 10, 2024 11:36:41 GMT
I would expect an announcement of the pre-season schedule soon, although any decent fixtures will probably be behind closed doors as usual. It'll be interesting to see if we take a different tack to our pre-season this year. Bonner seemed to be of the opinion that they weren't for the fans and were just training exercises, I'm sure if he could have they would all have been played behind closed doors. I sort of get that, but also think in the latter stages, it's good to have the added dynamic of crowd reactions to what's happening on the pitch.
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Andrewlang
Cult hero
Posts: 17,176
Member is Online
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Post by Andrewlang on May 10, 2024 11:38:09 GMT
A few words from Monk on pre-seasons (while at other clubs)
"Ahead of pre-season I sat down with the coaches and put a plan together to make us fitter and stronger.
To understand the football side of it, you have to be fit because you perform better the fitter you are.
But I really concentrated on unity within the squad. I wanted to make sure everything we did throughout pre-season was done together. I wanted to create the right spirit as well working on the football and physical side of it - that started in America.
All the work we did in pre-season paid off immediately. But for all that hard work you must have success with it. The players must feel that it works at the highest level"
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"I'm delighted we've been able to get our new signings in early - the sooner the better - because it gives them time to settle in, learn our culture and see the way we work,"
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“Preparation is key, making sure pre-season is looked after and organised and everyone knows where they’re at and what they’re doing.
Every day counts. Every day we’re covering certain elements that players will need to use, whether that’s physically, tactically or generally in a sense of football.
It’s important that every day they’re in the place, they’re getting the right information to go forward.”
Monday’s first session was heavily focused on fitness, with the players put through their paces by Head of Physical Performance Sean Rush before ending with some light football-based drills which will become more prominent as the week progresses.
Monk also underlined the importance of starting tactical work early as the United players adapt to the ways of the new coaching set-up.
“We start from day one,” he said. “We were in over the weekend – that was more the medical side of it and testing, making sure the players are okay and there are no hidden bits that we need to be aware of.
“They’ve all come back in good condition - they’re all fine and today we started the first work towards where we need to be.
Of course, a big element of it today was the physical side of it, in terms of the fitness levels of the players and what they needed to do.
But there’s also the need – football-wise – to work tactically and get up to speed with our ideas. It’s not about overloading them but we want to make it very clear this is how we want to approach the season.
The players have been great with their attitude. Pre-season is hard, there’s no getting away from it – it’s meant to be that way to get you in the best shape possible and also to get your football knowledge, your way of working and the plan that I have as clear as possible.
There isn’t a day wasted – we make sure that we don’t just time-fill anything for the sake of it. Every single session that we have is designed to make sure the players get better in every aspect.
It’s about gearing up for that first game – we’ve been talking about defensive concepts, attacking concepts, how we work in an environment and the identity that we want to create.
All of those things are being put in place as we speak. It takes time – it’s not just an overnight job straightaway – it’s a process, but we get these six weeks of pre-season and I feel happy to have that, especially because you can get a lot of your work done and get the players up to the level.
It will take time, though, even throughout the season we’ll be working on numerous things. But it’s about trying to use the time effectively and that’s what I’m doing now.”
Andrew
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Post by milesfenton on May 10, 2024 11:43:23 GMT
Started every season well under Bonner, so more of the same would be good.
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Post by Jerry1971 on May 10, 2024 13:16:12 GMT
Started every season well under Bonner, so more of the same would be good. I do wonder if I am the only one who is (oddly) hoping we don’t get off to a particularly good start next season? Sure we’ll all take the points, but the false dawns of the last two seasons have been followed largely with dross. I just want to see us accumulate points regularly, not necessarily every game, but to be much more on a smooth trajectory throughout rather than boom followed by bust.
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btb
Youth team substitute
Posts: 587
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Post by btb on May 10, 2024 13:20:05 GMT
I quite liked the trek to local non-league clubs where our players start to build up their fitness. City away was always a good curtain raiser, St Neots not so much. Far more interesting than a 3 period home match with Ipswich or Norwich.
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cufcwill
On trial
Posts: 271
Favourite CUFC player: Wes Hoolahan
Favourite CUFC match: Newcastle (a)
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Post by cufcwill on May 10, 2024 13:35:10 GMT
Started every season well under Bonner, so more of the same would be good. I do wonder if I am the only one who is (oddly) hoping we don’t get off to a particularly good start next season? Sure we’ll all take the points, but the false dawns of the last two seasons have been followed largely with dross. I just want to see us accumulate points regularly, not necessarily every game, but to be much more on a smooth trajectory throughout rather than boom followed by bust. I have a feeling that may be how the season goes anyway. If we're changing tactically from this season and have quite a few new players in then I think it'll take slightly longer to gel and for Monk to work out exactly what he wants his side to look like and that would probably take a bit longer than in recent seasons where Bonner seemed pretty set how/who would be playing
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