Thoughts on the Palace game

[Jim Smith 2,610]

Went to the game tonight and have to say an extremely encouraging performance. The only dark cloud was the injury to Nelson so fingers crossed he''s ok as he and the Doc were looking like a decent partnership before the injury. I have to hold my hands up I was very sceptical about Nelson post the game on Saturday but he looked strong tonight and whilst he''s a touch on the slow side he could well do a good job for us alongside the Doc.

The overwhelming impression the team left on me tonight is that we looked like a strong, well organised unit where everyone knew their role and who, in the end, won the game relatively comfortably. The effort and commitment was first class and there appear to be some promising signs of some team spirit. Dependent on Nelson''s injury and possibly with the exception of Martin I suspect that is the team that will start the season and we look in decent shape. Palace were not great but that was pretty much their strongest side and we were more than their equals. Not going to get carried away but we look like a side equipped to cope with the type of games we will face in league 1 and who should be capable of grinding out results.

Comments on the players:

Theoklitos - didn''t have that much to do but generally looked competent in what he did and made the one save he had to make well. Also very vocal throughout the game.

Spillane - a very good performance. Solid defensively, a couple of excellent blocks and also got forward well throughout the match. Also did fine when switched to CB after Nelson went off.

Doherty - very good, rock like presence from the Doc tonight. Lee won a few headers but he generally coped well.

Nelson - looked to be forming a decent partnership against the Doc before going off injured. Passing not great but thats not what he''s in the team for.

Drury - decent again. Did all he had to. We looked noticeably more vulnerable after he went off for Lappin.

Hoolahan - quiet first 25 but then came into the game and ws excellent. Tricky on the ball, floating about and generally proving a real handful.

Tudor Jones - he''s not amazing on the ball but a real presence in the midfield and complimented Gill well tonight. Looked liked a well balanced partnership.

Gill - he was quiet and didn''t impress me on saturday but tonight he did well. He goes about his job with a quiet authority and I can''t recall him giving the ball away once. As I have said above i think some thought has gone into the balance of this partnership and tonight it worked well.

Whaley - first 30 minutes he was not great to be honest. Definitely not one to get his foot in. However after that he grew into the game and made some reasonable runs. Took his goal well and was noticeably uplifted by it. I think he is a real confidence player and the goal tonight will have done him plenty of good.

Martin - did ok. He''s a bit leaner, quicker and stronger than last season and worked quite well alongside Holt. Personally, however, i think we need a bit more pace up there.

Holt - Excellent. In the interests of balance I should point out he made a real hash of his best goalscoring chance half way through the second half. However, his all round game, effort and commitment were superb. He was just like the Shrewsbury fans have described him. Did not give their defenders a moments peace whilst he was on the pitch (he singlehandedly created the goal by hunting down and disposessing their CB near the cornerflag) and his general hold up play and lay offs were superb. Looks a very good acquisition on tonights evidence and will be a favourite with the fans if he keeps it up.

Subs;

Lappin - did some reasonable stuff going forward but a weak link at left back and got caught out a few times. Hopefully Wiggins will mean he does not have to coverfor Drury.

Otsemabor - came on and played like a man possessed to be fair to him. Some very good attacking runs.

Bright - nearly scored and made a decent run for that chance but won no headers and did not do a lot. Can''t see us giving him a contract.

Adayemi  - not much time to make an impact, looked a little leggy after saturday''s efforts

Mcveigh - no time to make an impact

 

 

[Canary_on_the Trent 0]

Thanks Jim, all reports from tonights game seem encouraging, Gunny seems to be building a well balanced side, unlike recent seasons it''s got some physicality all over the park and in the likes of Whaley and Hoolahan we have the flair players to create.

It however is only a friendly, the proof in the pudding will come in the competitive games

[When Saturday Comes 0]

Cheers Jim, all sounds very positive, good summary. I''m finding it really difficult not to get optimistic! Should know better.

I reckon that was near enough our first 11, maybe without Spillane, Martin and possibly Hughes in the middle.

[Nice and Peaceful 0]

A detailed and easy to read report Jim, thanks. Perhaps the darkest hour has passed us?

 

MORNING SMUDGER

[city till i die 0]

Where was patty tonight, is he injured

[Yellow Rages 0]

Thanks Jim, good to hear back from Selhurst.

Sounds like we played well and living near Croydon myself right now, I''ll take this win to work with some bragging points even though it''s a friendly.

Sounds like you are giving a nicely balanced view here as well so it makes me more confident in your opinions. Only problem is, because this is a useful and balanced post, it won''t stay on the board for long. Not what the average pinkun poster wants you see. But thanks for your efforts, I appreciate them.

 

[Necton Canary 1]

I really enjoyed the game tonight, the team were up for it from the start and did not play like a friendly, we were far more competitive and some off our passing and moves were a joy to watch.

Nobody should come in for any flack following that performance though if I had to single out anyone for praise it would be Gary Doherty who was superb at the back and Wes Hoolahan who was a threat all night long.

Weel done to everyone it is a long time since I fet so confident going into a new season.

On a sad note, we were very sorry to see Michael Nelson carried off like he was, we hope and pray that his injuries are not too serious and that he is quickly back playing again as his partnership with Gary is looking impressive

[Bryan Gunn 0]

Like Jim I was also very impressed. We defienetly looked like a team in whch everyone knew what they had to do a were more than competent of doing it . There were a few disorganised moments at the back which better teams would have taken advatage of, but in general the back four were solid. I was particularly inpressed with Spillane having not seen him play before and to be fair Ostemabor didn''t look to bad in his cameo appearance.Only point of Jims I would disagree with was Holt. I think he had a good game and did well to set up the goal but I think ''Excellent'' is an exageration. No criticisms just think we should expect more from our front man and I have every confidence we will. Been a while since I''ve ben able to text mates and tell them the assist was from G.Holt!Whaley was quality in the second half. It was great to see him and the other forwards cutting in with confidence from wide and causing the Palace defence all sorts of trouble. Something we have not done effectively since the Huckerby and WLY were in their prime! Hope tonight was a sign of things to come.I always get over optimistic during Pre-season (expect last year) but after a solid away win against a full strength Championship team I don''t think we''re in bad shape to start the season.

[Hackney Canary 0]

Thanks, Jim. Sounds encouraging. I followed the pink ''un feed and that sounded good, too - while it was up. Apparently there were 10,000 following online - that''s a ridiculous figure for a text commentary on a pre-season friendly involving a league one club. All the hard work remains ahead of us, of course, but I find that I can''t wait for the opening game of the season.

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

[quote user="city till i die"]Where was patty tonight, is he injured[/quote]

 

Hopefully completing a medical elsewhere ...

[bloodwagon 0]

"''Ackney Canary" wrote......

Thanks, Jim. Sounds encouraging. I followed the pink ''un feed and that sounded good, too - while it was up. Apparently there were 10,000 following online - that''s a ridiculous figure for a text commentary on a pre-season friendly involving a league one club. All the hard work remains ahead of us, of course, but I find that I can''t wait for the opening game of the season.

OK where did that number come from ???

Just cant believe there was 10,000 online followers

[LQ 0]

Well 10,000 was what Pete said on the feed as ''unique online followers'' so I guess that''s where it came from?Unless someone wants to start a conspiracy theory about log-ins?[:P]

[bread1 0]

Hey great report jim has got me on a high now ready for the start of the season.Here hoping it continues for at least first few weeks of the new season

[Daniel Taylor 0]

I was at the game last night and just wanted to share a few quick thoughts too.

Theoklitos - seemed rather more vocal than Marshall ever was and that is encouraging. Also came out well to collect corners. Not tested in the game but he seems a solid prospect.

Nelson - I thought he was an excellent foil for Doherty. He looked very solid, no real pace but he won everything in the air and played the simple ball well. Will be hoping very much that his injury isn''t serious as he looked as though he was unconscious.

Spillane - I''ve always been a bit worried about Spillane but I thought he was genuinely brilliant last night. Stronger and more athletic, I''d pick him ahead of Otsemobor although he is loathe to cross it when he gets down the wing. Also he does rather lunge into challenges at times.

Doherty - looked so much more solid with Nelson next to him and looked a composed presence at the back.

Drury - Doesn''t really offer anything going forward, solid enough at the back. He''ll do a job this season, I''d rather not have him as frst choice though.

Whaley - Needs to work on his crossing but he really gets forward and certainly works very hard to get back and cover and put his foot in. I was quite pleased with what I saw.

Tudor-Jones - Decent on the ball and good in the air, he adds real physical presence to midfield though his passing is perhaps not his greatest asset.

Gill - I think he was a little lost today really. He tracks but doesn''t get stuck in too much. Only seen him once so far so we''ll see how he develops but possibly a position Hughes could come in to.

Hoolahan - Excellent in that freer role. He covers every blade, his link up play was excellent and he really up the tempo of our play. He''s got to be a first name on the team sheet.

Martin - Quite physical up the top but I wouldn''t like to rely on him to score. I hope he has a good season and I think he played a decent game last night, certainly works hard enough.

Holt - Excellent. Strong, wins the headers and is good with the ball to feet. Harried the defence off the ball to set up for Whaley. Very happy to have him in the side.

 

Another thought. Palace have to worry this season; they were very uninventive and generally poor and based on last night I''d say we are blessed to have Holt rather than Lee who never won anything against our defence. I was in with the Palace fans and they really don''t like him one bit.

[Nuff Said 5,973]

[quote user="Danielt88"]

Whaley - Needs to work on his crossing but he really gets forward and certainly works very hard to get back and cover and put his foot in. I was quite pleased with what I saw.

[/quote]Sounds a lot like Croft Mk II?

[Nuff Said 5,973]

[quote user="Danielt88"]

Whaley - Needs to work on his crossing but he really gets forward and certainly works very hard to get back and cover and put his foot in. I was quite pleased with what I saw.

[/quote]Sounds a lot like Croft Mk II?

[Daniel Taylor 0]

It did occur to me too. I think Whaley is a bit more mobile though and drives forward more.

[Lineo 0]

SUPER GRANT HOLT(we can call him that now, he''s ours >:D)

[Jim Smith 2,610]

[quote user="Danielt88"]It did occur to me too. I think Whaley is a bit more mobile though and drives forward more.[/quote]

 

I have to say whilst our views on most things seem pretty consistent I think you are a bit harsh of Gill and our view on Whaley clearly differed. i think he has potential but he certainly doesn''t look like a player who will put his foot in where it hurts.

Guess thats the beauty of football - we all see things differently.

[Daniel Taylor 0]

It certainly is. Yeah I though Gill looked alright and I''m not dismissing him, just that on the night I didn''t see too much from him, I hope to though!

[Mook 0]

[quote user="Jim Smith"]

[quote user="Danielt88"]It did occur to me too. I think Whaley is a bit more mobile though and drives forward more.[/quote]

 

I have to say whilst our views on most things seem pretty consistent I think you are a bit harsh of Gill and our view on Whaley clearly differed. i think he has potential but he certainly doesn''t look like a player who will put his foot in where it hurts.

Guess thats the beauty of football - we all see things differently.

[/quote]Gotta be honest, I''m not at all bothered about a winger who won''t "put their foot in where it hurts". Many great wingers have come and gone, and not many of them have ever made a tackle. Getting past players, worrying the fullback, making up the numbers defensively so we''re harder to break down, creating goals and scoring 5-10 per season will do me!

[Hackney Canary 0]

[quote user="LQ"]Well 10,000 was what Pete said on the feed as ''unique online followers'' so I guess that''s where it came from?Unless someone wants to start a conspiracy theory about log-ins?[:P]

[/quote]Yup. That''s where it came from, LQ.

[Bury Yellow 2]

Thanks Jim once again for another fine report. I now look forward to your reports rather than the Archant ones.

That''s done it - you,ll be banned now!

Glad to hear Doc had a good game (honest Mook). He is obviously Gunns first choice so hopefully the captaincy will lift him.

I saw the Dartford and Man U games and I must say I have been impressed that they are trying to play passing football when the situation allows. The team looks balanced and there is cover for most positions.

They are only friendlies but with a couple of more additions including another quality striker (loan if necessary) and dare I think the impossible?!

[Yelloow Since 72 56]

Found this on the 606 website drawn from Mike Bailey''s running commentary on the match for the pink''un:

"Outrageous touch from Holt. He''s clearly not all muscle. Stopped the ball with one foot, took it past the defender with his other. Not the first time he''s shown quick feet either."

"Tudur Jones breaking up play well as City press. Personally, I think the City midfield looks in good shape this season. TJ and Gill doing well."

"Nelson header from Gill''s corner just floats over the bar. Good stuff so far from City, at both ends of the pitch."

"Whaley tracks back and wins City a goal kick off Moses. Quick lad, Simon...Whaley in space and drives one inches wide from the right, thought it might creep in. Wes had made a superb run in behind him too...superb link-up play from Wes and Whaley."

"Martin sends Wes clear with a superb ball, but the attack breaks down. City definitely winning the midfield battle."

"Hasn''t had a save to make yet, Theo. But he certainly inspires confidence from the way he carries himself."

"Very impressed with Spillane, the kind of player who can play anywhere, and he looks good at RB too. Got forward well, just made the wrong decisiion a couple of times."

"Based on the first half, Premier League in three seasons. Possibly."

"We''re certainly getting the ball forward quickly, but we''re also breaking quickly along the floor. A bit of a mix - they''l still play the ball around, don''t worry about that."

"Lee and Spillane go up for the ball, the right back wins and clears."

"Goal disallowed for City. Gill''s corner going straight in, but a foul called on Speroni."

"Holt sets up Whaley who steams in and scores a goal Croft could only dream of. Fully deserved on the balance to play too."

"Bright shot, blocked, over the bar. City corner."

"Nelson''s injury from a 50/50 - looked like whiplash."

"Lee''s gone off, accompanied by stick from the home fans."

"I thought that was a superb performance from City, thoroughly deserved."

"Holt surprised me with his quality on the ball, he snatched at his only chance. The goal was excellently taken by Whaley, not bad for 110 minutes of preseason football."

"City''s last win over Palace at Selhurst Park came in a 1-0 victory on the last day of the 1995-96 season."

"(On Gill & OTJ) Very good, the pair of them. Hughes will have to impress, Adeyemi came on and looked settled again. For me, the midfield is strong."

A good performance that inspires confidence, it would seem.

[Romantic 0]

Right on in the main Jim. A cracking summary.My fourpenneth: Theo. Vocal and solid.Doc. V good. Defenders give away free kicks some times and he did once, but Palace''s attack really couldn''t convert a soft top last night so no danger there.Nelson. Get well soon. I think we all feared a neck injury but it sounds like concussion so fingers crossed.Spill. Really good I thought. Loved the way that he got forward and received cover from Whaley who DID get back and DID put feet in when reqiuired. I agree with Mook - in so much as we don''t need wingers to be lumbering defensive types all the time.Drury. Was tidy enough. Hope Wiggins is solid cover or competition. I can''t see Adam not breaking something at some point in the near future.Gill. Did a job very professionally - none of the moans and groans we usually associate with ball loss or positional clumsiness. Good defensive headers out and decent at set pieces. I really liked him.TJ. Spot on - he gelled well.Hools. Man of the match. Excelled.Holt. Someone said he wasn''t excellent. I thought he was. He scared the pants of that defence last night and commitment was amazing. Had he stayed on it would have been 2 nil. What I really appreciated was his time on the ball. When it goes forward it stays there until something useful can be made of it. It''s so vital to not see it pumped back into our half again. Could be a real star here if he plugs away. I''m already looking forward to aplauding his efforts again. Before everyone gets this out of context, he''s a good looking player at this level not Rooney.Martin. Shout for it Chris! You''re selected to do a job. Get in there!Subs.Adayemi. Couldn''t really tell in all honesty, it was busy end of game mid park stuff so....Bridge. Keen.Lappin. Was left back where I''d rather see Drury so.....Semmy. Bright, determined, defensive, creative and sharp. Yes Semmy. Yes I know! Less than half a half though so energy to spare.McSmall. I thought that the team pulled interesting shapes around him in expectancy of useful targetted passes, which they duly received. Only on the pitch for 10 mins or so but it was the response of those around him which I noticed. I think he may surprise us. (now that is in all honesty optimism but it''s based on the two pre seasons I''ve seen so far).

[Daniel Taylor 0]

Bridge was keen? lol he wasn''t there. Think you meant Kris Bright.

[Romantic 0]

[quote user="Danielt88"]Bridge was keen? lol he wasn''t there. Think you meant Kris Bright.[/quote]Arf - yeah! Bridge was probably keen but was somewhere else.

[ROBFLECK 134]

Thanks for that Jim. I read it this morning and I really appreciated your report. Looks a strong side and we''ve got back up. But like a few posters have pointed out, the competitive games are a completely different thing.

But it makes me feel confident...

[Lambo 0]

Like i said before Gill and Tudur-Jones were signed to complement eachother and from the reports here it sounds like they are.

If we put in a good display against Wigan i''l be happy to keep up confidence for the Colchester game i''l be happy.

[Simon Lappin, King Of Spain 0]

Here''s my run down for what it''s worth.

Theo: Looked good under the high balls and saved the only shot that hit the target marshalled thedefence well very vocal, unlike Mr Marshall who ironically enough wasn''t ver ygood at that! so much for nomnitive determinism.

Spillane: Genuinely impressive display, very physical, quick, good distribution and mad a number of excellent tackles. Not quite as inclined to go forward as Semmi but at the same time we never looked like we were going to get caught out on that wing. Also deputised very competently for Nelson in central defence. Will be a real asset next season.

Docherty: Won almost everything in the air, showed some great positional work and totally dominated Freddy Sears who I thought would run rings around him. Also tracked back and dispossed Scannell and Sears on one or two occasions and made a great sliding tackle to block a shot from Victor Moses. Very assured performance, will hopefully make an excellent captain this season.

Nelson: As with Doc, but distribution was a bit dodgy on occasions, needs to keep it short and simple or he will just hoof and hope.

Drury: Solid defensively although was outpaced once or twice by their right back Clyde. One or two good overlaps but mainly stayed defensive. Maybe need to see if Whiggins is a better bet in the attacking line but can''t see him letting much past him on the standard of tonights performance.

Whaley: Quiet first half although got himself into good positions on occasions the final ball was sometimes poor. Second half much better, linked up well with Holt for the goal which was top quality. Looked better when he came inside rather than down the byline as his crossing is not always that great. Definitely more of an attacking midfielder than winger but looked to have plenty of talent on the basis of tonight''s display.

Tudur-Jones: Strong combative central midfielder gets on with his job wins most things in the air and provided good cover to the defence. Unspectacular skillswise but passing was fine, looked to have a good understanding with Gill.

Gill: Good game all round won a lot of tackles and linked well with Hoolahan and Holt, some simple passes went astray but if he can iron out that crease he should be a very good league one player. Might look a little exposed in the championship, although saying that Palace played pretty much their first choice team so maybe i''m wrong.

Hoolahan: Quiet start but mainly because Palace dominated the early excchanges due to Victor Moses. Once the defence and the two defensive midfielders began to assert themselves he shone through as an utterly brilliant player. His speed and technique in tight situations are breathtaking I lost count of the times he was able to jink away from two or three players surrounding him and spread the ball to the strikers or wide men. Man of the match by a long way. Also for such a small skillful player his commitment and desire to get stuck into the dirty work were as high as anyone on the pitch. If he stays fit then he will run rings around any team in league one. That''s the rub though, I can see him getting kicked all over the park by a lot of teams, Shaun Derry almost took his head off with an elbow/body check late in the second half (straight red in my opinion), a sign of just how frustrated he was with his trickery, I can see a lot of defenders doing the same thing. To Hoolahan''s credit he bounced straight back up, he''s surprisingly durable it would seem. Undoubtedly he will be a marked man from his time at Blackpool so we need to wrap him in cotton wool if he''s going to survive the season. If he does I honestly beleive he could take us up by himself.

Martin: Good touch and technique made some decent runs and passes but didn''t really assert himself in the same way as Holt. He''s impressed me with his general ability but doesn''t look like a 20+ goals a season kind of guy. Also lacks a little in the pace department. Still would certainly play him ahead of Curo.

Holt: First half of the first half looked a little ineffective and spent a lot of time on the left wing bizarrely enough, possible to cover the gap vacated by Hoolahan who was roaming far and wide. When he came more central and higher up the pitch he looked very dangerous, won a lot of the aerial balls and held it up well to distribute to the attacking players. He is surprisingly mobile for a big guy which was evidenced by him running down a lost cause to set up the goal, where he then nutmegged one, went passed another and then cut back to Whaley. Also showed some genuinely skillful touches to almost rival Hoolahan, one in the centre circle where he did some kind of dummy/cruyff turn or something to beat a player and start an attack was brilliant. Didn''t get many sights of goal as Palace were quite organised at the back but should be able to get hatful particularly if he gets decent service from Hoolahan, which he undoubtedly will.

Subs:

Otsemobor: Very impressive tonight, best 20 minutes i''ve seen him play, linked well with Whaley was eager to get forward and very solid in defence. Made one fantastic tackle to disposes Sears when he broke into the area (not due to a mistake just good play from palace). If he keeps to that standard then it would be very difficult to choose between him and Spillane for first choice.

Lappin: Poor worst player on our side, he hugged the left touchline when he came on but doesn''t have the pace to do anything outside so cuts back where his lack of skill and poor delivery cause mean he often slows down or messes up promising moves. He has showed admirable commitment to the club but doesn''t look like he can cut it at all. I went to the Dartford and Manure IX games and have formed the same opinion of him each time. Also defensively suspect.

Bright: Looked ok and was unlucky not to score but doesn''t look as strong as Holt or as quick as Martin (which isn''t saying much).

Adeyemi: Not much time on the pitch and nowhere near as impressive as saturday. Looked very nervy and gave the ball away frequently. However the potential is there, can''t see him starting too often next season but will be a valuable squad player and could develop into something special.

Overall I was very impressed with our performance, we never looked uncomfortable with the pace which Palace played the game other than the first 10-20 minutes when Moses ran the show. One thing I noticed was that our whole team was very organised and vocal. There was a lot of calling for the ball and all players taking note of their team mates postions and getting them to adjust if needed. We look like we have a team full of player ready to get stuck in and take responsibility for playing football. The team generally looked much more solid than last season both physically and tactically. I would put this down to the influence of Butterworth who did not leave the touchline once and shouted himself hoarse, he actually drowned Warnock out which is quite an acheivement. Our fitness levels looked superb as well with all players looking quick, lean and hungry to play which is a big contrast to last season. 

If Palace represent a top level League 1 side then we should do very well next season. They were organised at the back but looked utterly toothless when Moses was taken off at half time. I think unless they get involved in the transfer market very soon then they will really struggle next season. This is why I don''t want to get too optimistic, although we were eventually able to keep him quiet he always looked dangerous and I think the scoreline would have been very different if he had stayed on the pitch (although arguably the same could be said for Holt). What is certain was that we certainly never looked out of our depth at any point.

I look foward to hearing how we do against premiership opposition and even more to the first day of the season. However the potential problem I see is that if we are looking this good now then there is no reason that the other sides in our division won''t be just as competitive. Leyton Orient beat Newcastle 6-1 so if we are going by preseason result as indicators then they have got to up there among the leagues top sides. This is why I don''t want to get over optimistic, it will be a competitive league but I do belive that we will be among the title challengers. I think what sets us apart is the ability of Hoolahan, I can''t pass judgement on too many of the others yet but I can certainly see him being one of the players who will give us that little bit extra threat in attack and will undoubtedly be the match winner on numerous occasions.

All in all the signs are encouraging and hopefully we can get through another game on saturday without being defeated and most importantly avoiding any injuries. My first game will hopefully be Brentford away and I cannot bloody wait!!!!!

OTBC