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The Great Mass Debater

Our approach to friendlies

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The pre-season programme has been criticised as not being against stiff enough opposition. But could it be that what we have done is exactly what the players needed? Trip abroad to restore feel-good factor and team bonding, and then whitewash a few poorer teams to get the team back to the idea of attacking and scoring goals, even get RvW on the end of a few.

 

Last season it felt like we''d forgotten how to attack and what it felt like to win. Could be that this approach was just what we needed after last season, to get the confidence back. Play us against stronger opposition and we might not be free of last seasons hangover.

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Didn''t Bryan Gunn win most of his pre season friendlies?

 

I view them as shaking the cobwebs off, team bonding, fitness and tactics, and so far its gone well.

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We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.

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[quote user="Buh"]We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.[/quote]Pretty much that.And although last nights opposition were beaten easily, they are no mugs.Friday will be a tougher test where we can really gauge how far we have come.

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I really believe that football is played in the mind and not on the pitch. Teams can get sucked into certain mentalities, as anyone who has worked in an environment where a culture develops (either positive or negative) will recognize. Think there was definitely a negative culture under Hughton which needed to be exorcised. A few draws and some defeats against stronger opposition and this might not have happened.


So Bastia aside we''ve not really been tested, but I think psychologically, this pre-season approach may be just what the lads needed and more beneficial than anything we''d have got from playing tougher opponents. Lets hope the buoyancy carries through and we build some momentum from the opening day, rather than getting a Fulham-style shock

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At least a little bit of it is played on the pitch.....But yes, the psychological aspect is always going to be important after a relegation.

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="Buh"]We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.[/quote]Pretty much that.And although last nights opposition were beaten easily, they are no mugs.Friday will be a tougher test where we can really gauge how far we have come.[/quote]There is no  reason to think that is the case. Celta Vigo, though they might be intrinsically better than Nice, have a game the day afterwards (against Wolves) and so presumably will be splitting their squad between the two fixtures. In any event they will then still be three weeks away from the start of ther season, so hardly at the peak of preparation.I get the argument about building confidence by beating some teams, but our final pre-season game should have been against much tougher opposition - a League One or League Two side, or a Scottish side about to start their season. Derby look to have got the mix right, finishing with Burton Albion and Rangers.

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[quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="morty"][quote user="Buh"]We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.[/quote]Pretty much that.And although last nights opposition were beaten easily, they are no mugs.Friday will be a tougher test where we can really gauge how far we have come.[/quote]There is no  reason to think that is the case. Celta Vigo, though they might be intrinsically better than Nice, have a game the day afterwards (against Wolves) and so presumably will be splitting their squad between the two fixtures. In any event they will then still be three weeks away from the start of ther season, so hardly at the peak of preparation.I get the argument about building confidence by beating some teams, but our final pre-season game should have been against much tougher opposition - a League One or League Two side, or a Scottish side about to start their season. Derby look to have got the mix right, finishing with Burton Albion and Rangers.[/quote]You could temper that using Bryan Gunn''s pre season as an example how it isn''t an exact science though.I trust Adams to have set things at the right level, and assume he is taking the attitude that our players are all more than good enough for this division, and that its all about fitness, formation, and confidence building.Who is to say that we won''t get the better Celta Vigo squad on the night either?

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="morty"][quote user="Buh"]We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.[/quote]Pretty much that.And although last nights opposition were beaten easily, they are no mugs.Friday will be a tougher test where we can really gauge how far we have come.[/quote]There is no  reason to think that is the case. Celta Vigo, though they might be intrinsically better than Nice, have a game the day afterwards (against Wolves) and so presumably will be splitting their squad between the two fixtures. In any event they will then still be three weeks away from the start of ther season, so hardly at the peak of preparation.I get the argument about building confidence by beating some teams, but our final pre-season game should have been against much tougher opposition - a League One or League Two side, or a Scottish side about to start their season. Derby look to have got the mix right, finishing with Burton Albion and Rangers.[/quote]You could temper that using Bryan Gunn''s pre season as an example how it isn''t an exact science though.I trust Adams to have set things at the right level, and assume he is taking the attitude that our players are all more than good enough for this division, and that its all about fitness, formation, and confidence building.Who is to say that we won''t get the better Celta Vigo squad on the night either?[/quote]It isn''t. And there is a balance to be struck. But I would have preferred an obviously tougher test for the final game.

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[quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="morty"][quote user="PurpleCanary"][quote user="morty"][quote user="Buh"]We needed to score some goals, and we have.

Players look motivated

Good times basically.[/quote]Pretty much that.And although last nights opposition were beaten easily, they are no mugs.Friday will be a tougher test where we can really gauge how far we have come.[/quote]There is no  reason to think that is the case. Celta Vigo, though they might be intrinsically better than Nice, have a game the day afterwards (against Wolves) and so presumably will be splitting their squad between the two fixtures. In any event they will then still be three weeks away from the start of ther season, so hardly at the peak of preparation.I get the argument about building confidence by beating some teams, but our final pre-season game should have been against much tougher opposition - a League One or League Two side, or a Scottish side about to start their season. Derby look to have got the mix right, finishing with Burton Albion and Rangers.[/quote]You could temper that using Bryan Gunn''s pre season as an example how it isn''t an exact science though.I trust Adams to have set things at the right level, and assume he is taking the attitude that our players are all more than good enough for this division, and that its all about fitness, formation, and confidence building.Who is to say that we won''t get the better Celta Vigo squad on the night either?[/quote]It isn''t. And there is a balance to be struck. But I would have preferred an obviously tougher test for the final game.[/quote]I wouldn''t.Most of our players are Premiership proven, its not like we were relegated massively adrift, and the players have to re-prove their quality, and we aren''t bedding in a lot of new players in, who are stepping up to the division.I prefer a reasonable test that hopefully gives us a confidence building win to take into the first game of the season.So I think the balance is swinging very much towards "confidence building and feel good factor" as opposed to "break em down and build em up"

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It looks to me that its all working out well, plenty of time on the ball to work on the way the new management want them to play, plenty of team time to bond which is crucial, what has appeared to be a lot of work on fitness and plenty of goals. Regardless of the teams we have played, there is nothing like real competitive games when tackles are flying in etc.

My only concern, we have picked up a lot of injuries, important players missing in the penultimate friendly is not great, but on the flip side shows the strength of the squad!

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It would seem that psychology and group mentality are very much at the forefront of Adams'' thinking.

 

He seems to have an almost Roeder-esque ruthlessness when it comes to excluding unwanted influences. Both Bassong and Becchio have been kept firmly away from the first team squad - Adams clearly doesnt want them and their likely disgruntledness destroying what he is trying to generate within the squad. Bunn is absent, but think thats probably a pragmatic thing rather than him being a ''bad egg''. He does seem to want to keep those who want out away from the squad, which means its a good thing Hoolahan and Pilks are involved

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This is kinda like a rule of pre season friendlies.Win them all and they are meaningless and clearly too easy.Lose them and we''re doomed!

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Pre-season really annoys me . Expectations are all over the place. Just want it to be over if I''m honest, sure the players feel the same.

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