Two weeks out, where are we?

[Gillies Downs Leeds]

2 minutes ago, Better Red said:

Agree so a bit better in terms of ability but a lot better in terms of leadership.

Not a big improvement on the player front but maybe in the dressing room which is important.

Not just the dressing room, hopefully the player at the back to try and keep everybody "switched on". As too many times last season we were conceding through lapses of concentration.

[Davefevs]

35 minutes ago, Gillies Downs Leeds said:

Not just the dressing room, hopefully the player at the back to try and keep everybody "switched on". As too many times last season we were conceding through lapses of concentration.

I was at the HPC yesterday….it was so noticeable how noisy Naismith, James and Williams are (along with Bents).  They pass on tonnes of information to their teammates.  One of them wasn’t here last season, and the other two started just 6 times together in CM (w4 d1 l1).  Reasons to be hopeful.

In the second match it was noticeably quieter, Klose the big talker, and cajoler.  Very little from anyone else.

[spudski]

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I was at the HPC yesterday….it was so noticeable how noisy Naismith, James and Williams are (along with Bents).  They pass on tonnes of information to their teammates.  One of them wasn’t here last season, and the other two started just 6 times together in CM (w4 d1 l1).  Reasons to be hopeful.

In the second match it was noticeably quieter, Klose the big talker, and cajoler.  Very little from anyone else.

That's good to hear. I've thought we've had very little vocal influence in the past few years.

I love a vocal side. Directing, constantly making team mates aware etc.

It helps so much on the pitch.

 

 

[Silvio Dante]

11 minutes ago, spudski said:

That's good to hear. I've thought we've had very little vocal influence in the past few years.

I love a vocal side. Directing, constantly making team mates aware etc.

It helps so much on the pitch.

 

 

Yep, it’s huge. It’s become a standing joke with the boys I coach that every week I bang on to them about communication - it adds an extra 10% to teams from boys to professional football. 
 

Although having 10 year olds shout “go home” and “let it burn” doesn’t half confuse the opposition

[Davefevs]

27 minutes ago, spudski said:

That's good to hear. I've thought we've had very little vocal influence in the past few years.

I love a vocal side. Directing, constantly making team mates aware etc.

It helps so much on the pitch.

 

 

I was a talker…I can’t get my head around how you can get to this level and be quiet.

[samo II]

28 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Yep, it’s huge. It’s become a standing joke with the boys I coach that every week I bang on to them about communication - it adds an extra 10% to teams from boys to professional football. 
 

Although having 10 year olds shout “go home” and “let it burn” doesn’t half confuse the opposition

Couldn’t agree more.

From coaching in a different sport where communication is essentially forced on players, you can display very quickly the value of using it, and identifying those who can do it, and those who struggle.

It’s a skill that can be worked on - you don’t have to be a natural - but I think it is so often underrated and undertrained in football (in my personal experience).

[spudski]

19 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I was a talker…I can’t get my head around how you can get to this level and be quiet.

So was I...I once got booked for ranting at one of my own team mates  

In all seriousness though, as @Silvio Dante implied, it makes a huge difference.

Glad to hear it's being coached to the young ens. 

[brad blit]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I was at the HPC yesterday….it was so noticeable how noisy Naismith, James and Williams are (along with Bents).  They pass on tonnes of information to their teammates.  One of them wasn’t here last season, and the other two started just 6 times together in CM (w4 d1 l1).  Reasons to be hopeful.

In the second match it was noticeably quieter, Klose the big talker, and cajoler.  Very little from anyone else.

Making it big in the world now Dave, getting invites to the HPC - I always knew you were destined for the top 

[Merrick's Marvels]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

 One of them wasn’t here last season, and the other two started just 6 times together in CM (w4 d1 l1).  Reasons to be hopeful.

Trouble is, how confident can we be that it'll be much more than that this season?

Hoping and praying, crossing all our finges and toes, but if you're a betting man what odds are you being offered? Not great ones, I'dimagine.

More likely, Williams' hamstring goes ping or James gets a flare up of his plantar fascitis thing. 

[Davefevs]

10 minutes ago, brad blit said:

Making it big in the world now Dave, getting invites to the HPC - I always knew you were destined for the top 

Three of us from Harry’s scouting group “invited ourselves”

8 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Trouble is, how confident can we be that it'll be much more than that this season?

Hoping and praying, crossing all our finges and toes, but if you're a betting man what odds are you being offered? Not great ones, I'dimagine.

More likely, Williams' hamstring goes ping or James gets a flare up of his plantar fascitis thing. 

Totally, we can only hope.  Really hoping that Joe Williams actually doing a pre-season (his first one in 3) will have a big impact on his availability.  But also having Alex Scott as another true CM option is another reason to be hopeful.