Analysing The Friendly’s

[ThePromisedLand]

Well we know AK will react quickly if things aren’t right ( Preston )!

[Jacksbadhobbits]

What about Matty Cash for centre midfield

[Widdow]

Well we know AK will react quickly if things aren’t right ( Preston )!

This is his team now. Has to work with them

[GaribaldiRED]

Posted this one under the Oldham thread but should have been here.
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Still early days guys. I thought we played very well against Betis and Malaga. Those two games were against possession oriented opponents where we as a team could practice our defensive shape and pressing which we in my opinion, did very well. I believe it's always easier to defend against this type of possession play than being the team that must take control of the game and dictate the tempo.

Oldham was always going to be a completely different task (as Karanka also pointed out before the game) and it was disappointing to see and hear that we were not able to take control of the match until the last 10-15 minutes (and maybe the first 5-10). I was only watching the match through a smart phone stream but I thought we were lacking the tempo required to outplay these kinds of robust and defensive minded opponents. If we are to control matches we need to have much higher tempo and with that passing, ball control and vision needs to be spot on. It seems that the required tempo and urgency were only introduced with our Portuguese trio so at least we know that we have players at the club that have the required skills. I expect that the next game will address these points and we will have a much better outcome :-) If that is not the case I will start to worry.

Regarding our two #6s. I agree that Watson has been disappointing but i think that Bridcutt has been ok as have both Geddy and Yates. I would still have loved for us to sign a Vukcevic kind of player. I guess that Geddy is the closest to that kind of deep laying playmaker we have at present but I'm not sure that he's capable of regaining his form from earlier years. Yates has definitely impressed me but I expect that he will be loaned out. As it stands now, I believe all our DMCs will work fine when we don't have the ball but will contribute less when we are attacking. Again, from what I have seen from Vukcevic, he would have been great both when attacking and defending but I have accepted that he will not come :-(

Now, on to Scunthorpe and a much better performance. I believe!

[ThePromisedLand]

Well we know AK will react quickly if things aren’t right ( Preston )!

This is his team now. Has to work with them

Still time to add a player if he feels things aren’t quite right...

[BadDog]

Honestly I think the lack of a quick pass from our deep lying midfielders is going to be a problem. Vuckevic would of been perfect.

[Maltared]

I think by the looks of things honestly Watson is on the way out his legs are going and like Silenzi said I didn't think he was all that last season.

Currently for me Colback & Gueddy or Yates would be better options.

We need another DM with legs otherwise good sides will dominate our midfield, Ozzie isn't the answer in that position.

So in short...by the end of the season Watson will be surplus and deadwood draining the clubs coffers...good..hiw many more we will have in a similar scenario...especially if we get promoted...policy should be...over 30s one year contracts with options for the following years...or we will keep ending up with Wards Murphuys etc.etc

[Jasper Scarrott]

Is this all a bit premature lads?

Lets see what happens when the real business starts in a couple of weeks.

Last season people were saying Gueddy's legs had gone, now Watson's legs have gone.

[BadDog]

Is this all a bit premature lads?

Lets see what happens when the real business starts in a couple of weeks.

Last season people were saying Gueddy's legs had gone, now Watson's legs have gone.

Can only judge on what we see, and our midfield was totally over run by Oldham.

Friendly or not that is worrying, hopefully Colback in there will make a big difference.

[Dog and Bear]

Is this all a bit premature lads?

Lets see what happens when the real business starts in a couple of weeks.

Last season people were saying Gueddy's legs had gone, now Watson's legs have gone.

Can only judge on what we see, and our midfield was totally over run by Oldham.

Friendly or not that is worrying, hopefully Colback in there will make a big difference.

Yeah, that's fair enough BD.

I still think we'll see a different Watson though when the real business starts.

[Strawberry Avenger]

I didn't like the fact that Forest's midfield was overrun by Oldham... (brought back nightmare memories of Calderwood's central midfield in Division 1 being over run by...well, nearly every team in that division, or was it just Chesterfield and Walsall...? Or Perch in CM vs Norwich in the Championship and he was about a yard or so off their midfield that night...painful to watch...)

I think Colback did and will make a big difference and compensate for the rough edges of Watson's game. He's that bit younger than Watson and they make a decent partnership. (Or did last season. Forest's midfield was far more robust with the two of them in there. (Sometimes, football is about that partnership. To have a younger player alongside an older, experienced head. Eg. Worrall/Fig' wit Dawson.)

Could be that against really robust teams Forest stick an extra CM in there in a more advanced position ahead of Watson and Colback e.g. Geddy or Bridcutt in the ACM role. So there are options to make it stronger.

But...

SA.

---

Is this all a bit premature lads?

Lets see what happens when the real business starts in a couple of weeks.

Last season people were saying Gueddy's legs had gone, now Watson's legs have gone.

Can only judge on what we see, and our midfield was totally over run by Oldham.

Friendly or not that is worrying, hopefully Colback in there will make a big difference.

Yeah, that's fair enough BD.

I still think we'll see a different Watson though when the real business starts.

In fairness, the team is a new 11 pretty much.  Not completely match fit yet.  Another couple of weeks work on organisation, finding the fitness and that starting 11, integrating Colback and the new RB (surely should drop this week?) I think Watson will step up and will look better alongside Colback who will have his back.

SA.

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What about Matty Cash for centre midfield

His first games for Forest were in CM.  I recall he did very well.  He'd certainly provide drive and energy in there.

Matty Cash and Yates in CM...hmm... ;) (Here's an idea, imagine Colback as the DCM fulcrum behind Cash and Yates in CM...two Portuguese Wingers and Grabban up front...)

Karanka on Colback,

"“Jack is the kind of player who maybe does not score goals or prevent goals on his own line, but he is always in the right position, he is always giving balance to the team.  He is experienced, he is powerful and he has character. He is a really important player for us.”

...and that is something I noticed checking some of the Spanish games.  Forest didn't seem balanced in CM at times.  Hopefully Colback can play a part against Scunthorpe and learn more.

...and against Oldham over run.  You'd think a combo of Watson and Bridcutt would own the CM.  But some partnerships work.  Some don't.

If there's one thing I don't like.  It's being over run in CM.  I think that's where the game is won and lost.

SA.

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Honestly I think the lack of a quick pass from our deep lying midfielders is going to be a problem. Vuckevic would of been perfect.

From your observations v Oldham.  Did Geddy/Yates provide quicker support to the Portuguese lads than Watson/Bridcutt did to the front men in the 1st half?

Which looked the more potent or balanced combination?

Vukcevic. If only.

But I'm glad we got Colback. He'll hopefully make a difference. Both he and Watson really toughened Forest up in the CM last season. Teams, in my view, weren't waltzing through the CM as easily as they were under Warburton?

SA.

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Posted this one under the Oldham thread but should have been here.
----------------------
Still early days guys. I thought we played very well against Betis and Malaga. Those two games were against possession oriented opponents where we as a team could practice our defensive shape and pressing which we in my opinion, did very well. I believe it's always easier to defend against this type of possession play than being the team that must take control of the game and dictate the tempo.

Oldham was always going to be a completely different task (as Karanka also pointed out before the game) and it was disappointing to see and hear that we were not able to take control of the match until the last 10-15 minutes (and maybe the first 5-10). I was only watching the match through a smart phone stream but I thought we were lacking the tempo required to outplay these kinds of robust and defensive minded opponents. If we are to control matches we need to have much higher tempo and with that passing, ball control and vision needs to be spot on. It seems that the required tempo and urgency were only introduced with our Portuguese trio so at least we know that we have players at the club that have the required skills. I expect that the next game will address these points and we will have a much better outcome :-) If that is not the case I will start to worry.

Regarding our two #6s. I agree that Watson has been disappointing but i think that Bridcutt has been ok as have both Geddy and Yates. I would still have loved for us to sign a Vukcevic kind of player. I guess that Geddy is the closest to that kind of deep laying playmaker we have at present but I'm not sure that he's capable of regaining his form from earlier years. Yates has definitely impressed me but I expect that he will be loaned out. As it stands now, I believe all our DMCs will work fine when we don't have the ball but will contribute less when we are attacking. Again, from what I have seen from Vukcevic, he would have been great both when attacking and defending but I have accepted that he will not come :-(

Now, on to Scunthorpe and a much better performance. I believe!

:cool:

SA.

[BadDog]

SA - Gueddy & Yates did better.

Yates was more of as presence and Gueddy brought ball forward and beat a man, he did more than Watson, interested to see how he does on Wednesday.