Just rubbish!

[steeevooo]

Agreed Lee - it makes me laugh that a lot of people seem to want to play some of our academy lads, when they have been playing for Ryman Div 1 sides (when not playing for our heralded Academy side... P27 W8 D1 L18 this season) - to throw them into a League 2 side would be disastrous! A complete overhaul is required in the Summer, and I really would not be disappointed if I never saw the vast majority of our squad playing for us.

[dagger4eva]

Fair play but remember we currently have 4 players on loan (and playing regularly) in our excuse of a “1st team” from the ACADEMIES of Nottm Forest, Charlton & Reading with another recently signed from the Bolton academy.

We may well go on to lose every game 5-0 but I’d sooner see 4 of our own than bleed youngsters (and not very good ones at that) from other clubs.

Agreed that a complete overhaul is required in the summer and from Stilly’s last interview, he’s well aware that is needed and the process is underway.

[steeevooo]

Completely understand your point in regard to us fielding loan players from other teams academies D4E, and it's a common source of frustration for many supporters - I'm equally bamboozled as to how, for example, Dom Hyam gets into our side ahead of one of our own players in Clevid Dikamona. The distinction to make is that the players from the other academies are (arguably) competent to play at around our level (i.e. lower League 2 / Conference standard), whereas our academy players are (arguably) only competent enough to play at around the level of lower Ryman Premier / Ryman Div 1. To suddenly propel these players into a League 2 battle would most likely be disastrous, not only results wise but also in terms of the development of the players due to the vast leap in quality.

That said, it would be interesting to know how many of our current academy squad do people anticipate ever making meaningful appearances (as opposed to the 2 minute cameo by Mason Bloomfield) for the Daggers first team in the future?

[ARNU]

Clevid can play with the ball at his feet,younger more impressionable players like Hyam will be easier to mould into some sort of hoofing machine by John Still.So this post may be a bit tongue in cheek but I think it also contains something nearer the truth.If you've played actual football for years then have to re-adapt to the direct gamer of course its a hard habit to get into.

[Mark]

Almost every team in this division has defenders who just launch it and with very good reason.

Accrington tried to play from the back a few times in the first half and ended up getting pressured into kicking it out. And they're a lot more effective than us.

[Mike the Dagger]

We spent the first half of the season trying to "play football" which involved a series of square passes followed by Andre Boucaud putting someone under pressure, often one of the centre halves, with a short pass when they were under pressure. Worked a treat especially when we won a free kick around the half way line and turned down an opportunity to get the ball forwrd and pressure the oppo.

[ARNU]

We spent the first half of the season trying to "play football" which involved a series of square passes followed by Andre Boucaud putting someone under pressure, often one of the centre halves, with a short pass when they were under pressure. Worked a treat especially when we won a free kick around the half way line and turned down an opportunity to get the ball forwrd and pressure the oppo.

Well that is an example of "football" being played badly. Forget players and personalities, are you saying you'd prefer direct football ?

[bloke down the pub]

Just rubbish! Apart from Labadie,O'Brian and Cash. Did anyone notice how all our strikers except McClure couldn't score more than once in the warm up ? To be fair Mcclure got nine out of his 10 shots . Why did still bring off the best player on the pitch replace him with Chambers and minutes later they score? Just awful !!

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[Mike the Dagger]

We spent the first half of the season trying to "play football" which involved a series of square passes followed by Andre Boucaud putting someone under pressure, often one of the centre halves, with a short pass when they were under pressure. Worked a treat especially when we won a free kick around the half way line and turned down an opportunity to get the ball forwrd and pressure the oppo.

Well that is an example of "football" being played badly. Forget players and personalities, are you saying you'd prefer direct football ?

I'd prefer to see chances and goals rather than 25 minutes of square passing and pointless possession. Leicester have shown that possession stats are totally irellevant in the face of pace and attacking flare.

I'd argue that the side that won the Conference were pretty direct as were the team that won promotion to League One, but they were good footballers too, just played that football in dangerous areas of the pitch.

[ARNU]

It's not a difficult choice Mike. Hoof ball played well or passy passy played well ? I'd say what we've had since Burnett left has been no improvement at all. When Burnett ran out of ideas he gave us shit hoofing too. I hate it.

[Mark]

If you hate long ball that much you are definitely watching the wrong standard of football. You might want to try La Liga.

[ARNU]

I think a combination of both styles would be a good compromise . Not many of the teams thAt have bashed us up this year have hoofed to victory. If any of you went to the Cambridge away fixture youd have seen cousins hoofed every ball into a 60 mph wind never got the ball out of our own half, Oh and we lost that game too. Still had well and truly arrived ,we've won once since then and that was Sunday football at its worst. We have only played well twice all season at home v Plymouth and the Northampton game . And we won neither. Anyway I've gone off at a tangent.

[Adrian]

How many games have we lost to good football sides?

I'd much rather watch direct football than tippy tap stuff. Football is about scoring goals and that tends to happen more when teams are direct.
Being direct doesnt mean playing long though.

Have a look at the goals we've scored in the last season - most will have come getting the ball forward quickly, not from playing it around nicely.

[stanton101]

I personally can't stand watching the likes of Barcelona, proper shit football. Tedious one touch passing and finishing makes me puke.

[mickeyblue]

i personally love watching arsenal for my nap on a sunday afternoon