Holmes_and_Watson

We're better than the real world. Look at how egalitarian we are. Everyone gets a slagging off thread. We're desperate for everyone to be brilliant, that we need a release for when obviously can't be. Are we the baddies? No! We are... 🙂

I put McCarthy's place in the pecking order purely down to the club having spent years trying to push him out the door. Only when they've absolutely had to, has he reappeared. Punted down the order, until a replacement is needed, and then straight back in. The end of last season was horrid. So were a lot of bits before it. Can only hope McCarthy continues to show his professionalism and despite the circumstances, gives us some cracking performances. If nothing else, it's a shop window for him. Alternate scenario: Lumley was actually not that well either, and we got an emergency allowance to change it. Lumley to start all the remaining games. 🙂

Saints often have to suffer for their beliefs, so I'll not be getting my hopes up. That said, we've dropped points when absolutely dominating games, and easily look to be the most controlled team in the league. All the others will be having their meltdowns as their form rises and dips. Leeds and Leicester will be wishing they weren't up against us, to reach their own promotions. If not straight up, then we'll be one of the strongest going into a play off.

If you're not able/willing or allowed to do sufficient due diligence, you're going to get taken to the cleaners. Plenty on the video and statement, to give supporters some sense of security and progress. Even from your position, there will be bumps along the way, as they seem to have to refine all of their ideas when reality hits. But, hopefully we'll all get to where we want to be, with strong foundations put in place. Definitely a massive plus in the multi club model, is to have this sort of tournament. Getting the squads and back room staff mix and learn will be good all round.

Wishing Baz the quickest and fullest of recoveries.

Sun

Madness. It's Diana in witness protection and Cruyff ressurected to lead a New World Order XI on the moon. Everyone knows that.

Neat and tidy tonight. Short simple passes, with Preston giving plenty of time for him to take up positions to receive passes. A nice confidence builder.

All done in the first half. Downes going off meant we lost a lot of drive in the midfield. Charles preferred lots of short, safe passes. The tiring Aribo went off with Stu, taking our physical and creative parts too. Smallbone bright and available to link up, without any move really coming together. Rothwell didn't make a massive impact. Shame that Adams didn't get the hattrick, as he carved out a couple of good chances. AA continued to work hard, but had to slow down sometime, and we didn't create anything for him centrally. Both Edozie and Sule did what the usually do. Bright, but without anything of note coming from it. Apart from an odd McCarthy moment Preston didn't offer much this half either. We had all the possession, all the control. Our impact with it faded markedly to trying to craft out select chances, rather than have the tempo of the first. Martin might look at the subs not really making a massive impact, thinking of games when we'll need them to. Perhaps not scoring against a side purely on the defensive. But the job was already done, with any number of good all round performances.

Excellent team effort there. Adams was a stand out. It's good to see all the work he puts in off the ball, and his movement get a reward. Before our first he'd held up the ball, passed it and gone on a really good run only to not get picked up. But we unlocked our attacking more and more as the half went on. Downes was full of drive and energy, while AA terrorised the Preston back line. Stu linked everything up with help from Brooks. KWP and Manning got to do a lot in their attacking roles, with Preston not offering much. Manning has a defensive mistake in him. Aribo combines lots of good things with his tendency of needless passbacks, rather than be a full part of an attack. Yet, seconds later he's ther looking for the ball. Hopefully Baz recovers quickly. But McCarthy has been fine. A few longer ones early on, with a poor one in there, but comfortable picking up passes across the defence. Shots low to his left have a chance of being saved too. Get Che's hattrick, and then some game management to freshen things up ahead of the run in please.

Something else for Stephens to try his hand at.

I put on my special "You Can be Liz Truss'" glasses, but struggled a bit.

Seven

Our key players...

Perhaps they were lactose intolerant 🙂

Rustle

Sometimes, a club needs a certain sprinkle of star quality. A single personality bringing charisma, talent and yes, in today's social media world, a sprinkle of Hollywood. All things Les Reed has in abundance, as he is takes Wrexham from strength to strength.

Lowest wages per player and possession percentage. The real placings any modern club aims for. 🙂

We had one recently when we got a free kick from a corner. We play a short pass within a second. Our opponents have barely got out of our box, and were all present to close it down. Yes, play things quickly to create a tempo. But not by rote, when it's daft to do so.

I'm not missing the endless PL links and transfer gossip things either this season.

Villa 2 up

It's tough to watch other teams, once you've watched the clinical control of RussBall. 🙂

Villa take the lead.

Time

For various reasons both Forster and McCarthy were given big contracts. That the club then spent every season trying to get them out the door, so they could get out of those deals. It wasn't because of the obvious talent of the first choice keeper, that they weren't getting games (although there were injuries and drops in form in there at times). Even last season, Baz could have been removed from the firing line a lot sooner than he was. I don't think McCarthy's stats were great either then, but the season had long since sunk, beyond anyone coming out of it well.