The Hotel End

No, pace, no natural goalscorer,, after the game yesterday my pre season optimism was shot to pieces, some good summer signings no doubt but what is hi game plan, hoof again, no width at all yesterday, without the supply line from Adams, I don't see much in the way of goals, again. Why bring a right back on trial when we have that area covered, and if Robbie Simpson is the standard of player we are trialling , something is clearly wrong, when you have Morias and waters playing in a kids match. Going by what we currently have as a squad, and Curles poor/non existent 20 years'success' as a manager, another season of mid table obscurity is soon to kick off. Defeat to Walsall and the knives will be sharpened early this coming season

My thoughts exactly mate, Curle will be gone by Xmas.

I don't think pre-season friendlies tell us much about what lies ahead for us in L2 this season.  What I do think is clear is that KC is working within a modest budget and needs to sell before he can bring in anyone else. If we don't get off to a good start pressure will grow for sure but the finger should not be pointed only in the direction of the manager.  We are where we are for a reason.

Predictable post by an anti KC ‘fan’ with approval from Boyo! Only Vintage brings some common sense opinion!

I thought we done ok yesterday against top quality opposition. Considering we were playing with a bit of a mix and match team. I think you will see something close to a starting 11 when we play mk on Friday.  Another good centre half in before we start and I think we will be good.

Some valid points raised but the player we have been missing for the last 3 years is Alan McCormack. If he (and Adams) can stay fit and reproduce his form of the last few seasons we will be pushing at the top end absolutely no problem.

Its obviously all speculation but I would guess we have a very much top half budget, it’s KC’s decision to alienate the likes of Morais who is probably on good money and had by far the best goals to minutes ratio last season.

Wasn't he supposed to be gone by Easter?

My main concern is getting all of our key players fit and on the pitch at the same time - if we can do this and add a centre back, left sided attacker and forward then we should be ok.

How can it be predictable if no one predicted it, dick.  ;D

I do think he's under big pressure from the off. We've not brought in Adams, McCormack, Goode, Smith etc in on peanuts.

I think we will start well though. Truly do think the fact that so many were signed early in the pre season will put us in good stead.

See you are back to abusive comments. Again your comments are entirely predictable given your track record and 'liked' by known anti KC faction. You give KC no lateral thinking and clearly there are players to bring in; further more your opinion is at odds with some fans who were there.

Early days........

The budget has been cut, there's no doubt about that (£2.2m to £1.6m?), so if KC is waiting to offload Waters and Morais before he can bring anyone else in i'm not playing them in a kids game at Kettering is going to give them much exposure.

Interesting that Curle thought Yebil was "excellent" but just not quite what was needed at this time......so he's not signing squad fillers for the sake of it.

It will be the same as it is every season......a good start and everyone is happy, a bad start and the knives will be out, especially on the back of Curle "bringing in his players" There's been a fair turnover in the summer so this is HIS squad now and ultimately he will be judged on his results.

From living about halfway between neither here nor there I think the criticism is uncalled for.

I have known teams to go unbeaten through pre season and beat clubs from 2 leagues above.

Then as soon as the season starts they go 6 games without a win.

On the flip side I've known teams to have a bad pre season, struggle against lower league teams and look terrible.

Then start the season and go 6 games unbeaten,  which is when people sometimes realise that on the training pitch is where the hard work goes and the friendlies were just being used to try out ideas, tactics and how a player handles playing in a different position etc.

Sometimes a hot summer idles about as fast as corn grows, let's try and be patient, teams need at least 10 competitive games to gel.

COYC

Probably correct opinion.

I think he'll be gone before Xmas..
We'll draw our first 2 Walsall and Vale
Beat Maccs
Then lose our next 5 or 6..

A sensible post

Wouldn't be a pre season without some tampon having a panic.

It's pre season. Still.

I would say “concerned” is the right word to use .
It’s not a panic because some good players have been signed but ....
Some of those players are ageing and we will subsequently have more injuries than normal this season.
We still need two quality centre halves , especially if we are playing 3 at the back . Bunney is not an answer and Hughes is unknown . We are running out of time on this .
Considering playing Adams on the left is a waste . That’s where Bunney should be.
We have one proven goalscorer in the squad with two goal scorers in the stiffs . Williams has to play as a result.
As things stand , I see us no better than a mid table side which is not acceptable. Things could change but it needs to happen soon .

Not one pre season has counted for anything.

To be fair the comments are based on the shape of the squad not pre season friendlies .
MK will be a proper gauge

The comments are based off seeing them in pre season. Before any friendlies everyone was happy with the signings.

IT IS PRE SEASON.

Oh do be quiet

Lets all be happy clappers then , no wonder no one comes on this forum anymore , you can all suck up to Curle  and co, ill have my own opinion

 A reasoned answer, cheers

I disagree Grove, if that is even your real name.

Curle needs to prove himself. However the time to judge is after 5 to 10 games. Not now.

Alexandra.

We still need to bring in a replacement for Pierre and a LW/LM also. I expect these transfers and possibly more.

I'm bemused at hearing that KC has been playing Bunney at LCB. I can't envisage him being any good there at all and think he should be used as LM/LWB only.

My biggest disappointment recently though is the banishment of Morias as I really think he can be a regular scorer at this level while offering us something different to our other 3 senior strikers. If Morias does leave I'd be disappointed if another attacking player wasn't bought in to replace him.

I still think we're shaping up to challenge for a top 7 place but I'm under no illusions that this will be difficult, as I feel that the division is going to be stronger than last season.

Great post couldn’t agree more.

Good squad coming together, we'll be in the play offs comfortably, tough past two games, blades game up against an not far off England defender a £5million pound player and a few others worth millions, certainly not as down beat as some are painting it. Shame about yebli but that's life.

You never know by the mid/end of the season we might actually fill the ground enough to begin thinking that something needs to be done about the East stand work.

Fair play to KT and the board for still pumping money into the squad despite the fact we are no doubt still losing money, a couple of decent preseason friendly attendances have hopefully put a few more £ in the kitty and so please we are not at the SOS bucket stage yet with owners that have other commitments.

Hopefully the club can get the ground work/sale done that is required to fund the East stand and get the extra financial interest in the club that is badly needed.

I kind of agree with the original post - I've been pleased with pretty much all the signings individually, but there's just something nagging a little in the back of my mind about the effectiveness/completeness of a team made up of them. I don't read anything into friendlies, especially as I don't think we've seen our first choice 11 in any of them yet, so it really is just a vague worry at the moment but something "feels" wrong.

Hopefully I'm wrong and it will all click into place but I do think we're exposed if we get one or two injuries, particularly around centre back. I also don't understand the way Morais has been shunted out. He offers something different and always looks decent whenever he plays.

Disagree with this. Whilst pre-season results are largely irrelevant, a pre-season campaign taken as a whole often illuminates general trends which manifest themselves in the season proper.

Last year, as I've argued on another thread, the lack of competitive opposition in Austen's choice of friendlies foreshadowed a lack of competitive spirit as the proper season began, which led to us blowing multiple leads.

This year, the pre-season campaign appears to indicate two things IMO:

1. Curle doesn't yet have the personnel in place to play his preferred 3-5-2 formation, but doesn't appear to have any sort of plan b
2. We lack pace and variety up front

Signing a commanding centre back would go a long way to solving problem 1, but Jay Williams must be wondering what he has to do to get in over Bunney in the meantime. As many have said, Bunney might be an option as a LWB, but any other position for him will leave us dangerously exposed. If you're going to play 3 centre backs then you need several decent back ups who can step in and do the job.

Up front, the partnership of Williams and Smith looks disconcertingly similar to Rico and Revell for my liking and defenders at this level often resort to primitive hoofball (whether instructed to or not) if there is a lack of genuine movement in front of them. If Morais and Waters are on their way then we need to sign a pacey option who will offer something different to Williams, Smith and Oliver.

Overall, I'd say we're two or three additional signings away from being a decent side. Much too will depend on the fitness of McCormack and Adams. Not doom and gloom by any means, but there is a fine line between mediocrity and success in L2 and at the moment I'm not sure we're on the right side of it.










 

I think he must be waiting to see who he can get rid of before committing to further signings .
I am not sure this current squad is that much better than last season’s as it stands , if you take out Morias and Waters .

Some fans think pre season is irrelevant
Some fans think the losses spell doom for the coming season
Some fans think that good performances against higher league opposition mean that we'll be in the playoffs comfortably

We are not going to walk the league off the back of a 7-0 win at Sileby...we are not going to get relegated off the back of a 0-4 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday!

Lets see what August 3rd brings!

So French Cobbler is your real name? ::)

Im a tad concerned about the alarming lack of pace and width, the failure so far to replace Pierre, and some of the trialists we are looking at.

I suspect that the circa 200k in wages tied up with Morias and Waters is currently stopping things. It seems like a risky strategy, binning them off with the kids whilst hoping for a suitor to come forward and take them off of our hands.

Still. There's 2 weeks to go. Plus of course a further month after, when we can sign players. But as things stand, I don't believe we are ready for a promotion push. Personal opinion and all that!

Maybe Bunney is being used on the left hand side of the three centre backs as an attacking option for home games. We'll set up as a 3 at the back, but when we have the ball Bunney will advance into a wide left role and Turnbull would move over to the left.

I haven't seen any of the pre-season games so I'm only making assumptions.

Surely KC wouldn't play Bunney in a three away from home?

I'm another that would like to see Morias given a chance (he was always injured or suspended last season). Maybe he'll stay and prove KC wrong.

I'm sure KC will bring in a defender and a player with pace before the deadline.

How about Ben Turner? He was at Mansfield last season but turned down a contract offer from them in June. He's 31, 6ft 4 and was part of Cardiff's title winning team in the Championship. Assuming some League One teams would offer him a deal though.

To me the biggest concerns are the lack of creativity going forward and the lack of goals. I think we are asking a lot of Warburton and Adams to provide. Im a big fan of stats and I think they provide an idea of the areas we lack in.

Midfield wise I think we have players now that can pick a pass in the likes of Watson, McCormack and Watson, but they dont provide many direct assists. Lines provided 2 last year (with limited game minutes tbf) and Watson provided 4.

They are more so the guys that build up the play, not directly provide goals or assists meaning Warburton and Adams are going to be relied on hugely as our strikers do not seem the kind to be able to produce on their own very much.

Also on average over the past 4 seasons the top scorer from a team automatically promoted team scored 19. Are any of our current crop good enough to reach that amount or near it?

I think we have a lot of solidity, but we need that pace and creativity still. Which is why Bunney needs to be utilised as a LWB to help with that. Its also why outside of the CB's we clearly need we have to get a rapid wideman and a pacy forward (or just keep Morias).

Whilst I believe that McCormack and Adams should give us enough if fit, I have to say after 1700 posts Bungle is yet to come up with a post I wholeheartedly disagree with. Beds take note.

Good post mate .
I agree with it all except I don’t think we look solid yet. This will hopefully change as we recruit centre backs and McCormack plays in front of the defence.
If it looked like we were keeping Morias or playing Bunney in an advanced position things would look brighter it has to be said

A fair point, i actually agree! I meant to highlight, I believe we will be solid. I think McCormack will make an unbelievable difference, I would argue when he plays he will be our best player based on his pedigree and watching detailed clips of him from last season.

I just hope that we dont revert too, there is a massive guy up top lets lump it up there, because by doing so we completely negate the strengths of our midfield which is their passing ability.

Its worth pointing out as well that Bunney in the past has shown he can score / assist. In 15/16 for Rochdale he scored 9 league goals in only 1781 minutes playing in a whole range of positions.

He then played pretty much the whole of 16/17 as a lb/lwb and got 7 assists.

In a team that would appear to lack creativity he is clearly someone that can help there. Not to mention it would provide balance playing him at LWB and shifting Adams back to RBW where he was so successful last season.

It should also help that when McCormack plays he is naturally a holding midfielder, whereas when Bunney last played LB/ LWB we had Matt Grimes there. Grimes has a ton of ability, but being an isolated holding midfielder didnt suit him at all. McCormack can provide a lot more cover if the wing backs go forward than we have had previously.

Martin will be playing left wing back. We have not brought him in to sit on the bench. I still believe that Bunney has only been playing due to defensive injuries and lack of centre back options, may not be here when season starts as we do not appear to have taken him off the transfer list.

I am going to put my money where my mouth is and put £20 on the Cobblers to get promoted this season.

I agree completely. I just think its a mistake to abandon Bunney though, as he has shown in the past that he can be an attacking force. Martin has a good season in terms of output in 17/18 but outside of that he hasnt contributed much offensively in the last few seasons.

I still don't think pre-season means anything..

I remember watching Cobblers teams ripping apart teams 21-0 and then getting nowhere.

Stop being such a Jessie.. There's plenty who are agreeing with you. Personally I think you're talking bollox.....  ;D That must mean that me and everyone else on here only agree with Curle.  :P :P

I desperately want this to be true, but you're crediting Curle with a degree of tactical astuteness and flexibility which he has yet to even remotely demonstrate. I'm also quite sceptical about the capacity of players at this level to buy into complex tactical systems. I think this is partly where JFH went wrong.

On the other hand, Wilder got rave reviews for his innovative use of 'overlapping centre backs' in the Championship last season, and it's very illuminating to compare his tactical flexibility with us (he played 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 at various points in his reign) with the rigidity of his successors.

I'll tell what's being over complicated. Football supporters.

When I say pre-season means nothing, I take very little time bothering with anything too technical to come to that conclusion. If we have a reasonable start to the season not one person will attribute it to a good pre-season, had we had one. The only time it will be an issue, is if things are shyte. Then anything could get the blame.

You know damn well I only deal in bollox. I do however think that Curle is the illegitimate son of Everbrite

KC plays players out of position - same as his predecessors have.

a lot of the time its to prove a point.

a lot of the time its because he needlessly thinks he overthinks things, or has a high opinion of his tactical nous.

its why he hasnt had success as a manager.

it will continue this year, as he has bought in "flexible" players to cover a number of positions - as thats where he will play them

Hope Bungle reads this ::)

Wrong again Jessie - great nick name too.

Ok, I'll bite (out of boredom if nothing else).

Are you really arguing that last year's pre-season where we played 0 league teams and had nothing resembling a competitive fixture had no impact on our poor start under Austen?

As I've said before, pre-season results are irrelevant, but teams who fail to prepare correctly in terms of either fitness or establishing a coherent tactical shape will be at a significant disadvantage.

If pre-season fixtures are so irrelevant then why has Curle himself put a great emphasis on us playing challenging teams from higher up in the pyramid and why has Wilder talked about getting 'different types of test'?

If you don't want to discuss tactics, then don't; but don't try to pretend that they are irrelevant.

I reckon Everbrite has a few of them mate...  ;D

“Stop being such a Jessie” What does that mean?

allow me to apply some clarity Clarity
jessie in British. (ˈdʒɛsɪ ) derogatory, slang. an effeminate, weak, or cowardly boy or man.
A Scottish and northern English term of ridicule which has become widespread since the mid-1970s, partly due to the influence of comics such as the Scot, Billy Connolly. It is synonymous with nellie and big girl’s blouse.
There are two proposed derivations for the word; the first is simply a borrowing of the female name as a term of endearment, the second is a Biblical reference to ‘a rod out of the stem of Jesse’, giving rise to jokes on the subject of m@sturbation, etc.

So apparently a w@nker as well, according to the author(s) of the bible? (In certain parts of the South East Midlands an alternative of “Ash Taylor” can also be used, ex- “You’re a right Ash Taylor you are”).

Thanks for the clarification. I thought he was just being derogatory about women

Where do you get your Cobblers fix?  I have looked at FB groups and they seem a bit dour, only other forum I can find hasn't been posted in this decade.

No.. It was meant as a joke.

But I am totally appreciative of the wusses we have on this planet.. There's another one to look up in case somebody is is looking for something else to be offended about  ;D ;D

While you're looking ---- It's All Cobblers To Me podcast (http://podfollow.com/cobblerstome)  ;D

Back in the day when this forum began (2003), I believe I was 3rd to sign up behind badger and dragonlady, then came marvo molly fenners et al, a time when you didn't get shot down in flames for having a negative comment or you said anything against the manager or chairman, we agreed to disagree, and moved on. We even had a few hotelend away days, Boston, Darlington Yeovil, we all got on well that went. But now there are certain detractors on this board that bring little or nothing to the discussion, Everbrite being one of the worst, very rarely post comments on matches but jumps on any negative comments, and I believe the likes of him and a few others have aided in the downfall of this once great messageboard. there probably is room for another Forum, where you can speak openly about your team without someone jumping strait on your post and being negative about your thoughts

I remember those days.....the away days and didn't we (this messageboard) also sponsor a player? I got to go to one of the games and do the lounge bit after the game with Ralap and others.

What you say about the messageboard now is right, there are a few protagonists who are quick to jump on anything they disagree with, and sure this has probably had an effect on the number of posters on here now. We had this one going alongside Sixfields Boys messageboard, as well as the old Rivals site and Cobblers Comments site.

All that is left now is this, and the Facebook NTFC Unoffical and NTFC Hotelenders groups.

When I look at some other club messageboards you can see posts by the hundred post match, and it seems there is a lot more discussion in general. Some of these clubs are far smaller than ours so I don't know why there is a level of apathy towards social media and messageboards amongst Cobblers fans.

Perhaps we are all sick and tired of the redev thing, or perhaps everyone has been scared off by the keyboard warriors.

Well said Grove. Every thread just ends up being a slanging match between certain individuals who seem to think that everyone else is interested in their petty squabbles, the redev thread being a prime example. As I am retired I have more time than most to read this message board but due to all the sniping I rarely ever comment. I have no problem with someone disagreeing with my point of view, after all that is the point of a discussion board, but it should end there.

Sometimes I wonder if we all support the same club.

Your idea of a debate is to issue abuse and threats. I actually regularly post POV on games! This forum has a floating membership who come and go. Some like Marvin, Hallam , Gibbo , Banana and quite a few others are sorely missed - get used to it! With regards to negativity I suspect you miss the point - I dislike the truly awful abusive comments made against NTFC staff and some players! Critical comment I appreciate it’s just your narrow minded interpretation of certain comments which are not to your personal taste. In my opinion your debating skills lack any form of lateral consideration; perhaps a course in English Lit might help? While I am at your message above is a thinly disguised personal message; what is the point of it? Spitefulness for the sake of it! Learn to live and let live!

Oh the irony...Have a feeling it's posts like this he was talking about ::)

Spot on Grove, I joined also in 2003 since then the number of posters has dropped off with some people having multiple log ins posting absolute nonsense, shame.

Hmmm.   The number of posters has dropped off since you joined.

I think that says it all.        ;D ;D ;D ;D

Your profile says you registered in 2010...

Unfortunately general decorum on the internet has fallen so far in the ensuing 16 years that it's rather hard to engage with much on social media / forums these days.

I had to go dark for a little while because Cardozo threatened me with legal action.

2003 ask some of the old timers.

Thanks for proving my point.

honesty

Full of admiration for your honesty buddie. ;)

I don't see the point in the petty squabbles, people have different opinions and that creates great debates. Resorting to personal insults because someone has a different opinion is tiresome.

Was worried about you?

Take note of this Tony .

Find one threat or apologise

This is the 2nd manifestation of the Hotelend , I believe Karl changed host or something

Absolutely , hes schooled me on English Lit yet had to edit his post

If someone had really threatened someone on here I'm certain they would have been banned, only a Millwall forum would allow folk to get away with that

No thanks - a bit ironic coming from a guy who verbally abused Beds with foul mouthed comments. Still that’s life. No doubt the irony of his comments is lost on him!

So you wish me to acquiesce to your demand? I am not prepared to perjure myself on your behalf. I can distinctly remember your comments even though they occurred several months ago.

Grove, I am concerned.

Alex.

Not many goals in this side, are there? And before any of the more trusting elements on here remind me that it's only pre season and not to read anything into it, yeah thanks for that. I am aware. Was it under Rob Page where we only scored a couple in pre-season? Or was that JE? Either way, what followed was a sh1t start of term. I'd rather my side went into the season with a good few results behind them and with the strikers knowing where the net is

Those are my thoughts too. I think the words, lack of creativity will be used regularly this season. Will happily be wrong though.

Right fcuk it. I’m going to cast aside all the logic and science that suggest pre-season offers not a jot of evidence about what is to follow, and join the panic.....  ;D

It's better to have a crap pre season to try and shake things up in time for kick off, than realise after league 5 defeats we're a bag of 5hite.
Play-offs,  just.

No way are we anywhere near play-offs.

I really don't get all the negativity, I think kc has made some good signings. Coupled with some good young players from the youth team , pollock ECT and the players he retained. I am really optimistic for the season ahead!!!!

We don’t have a goal scorer (or should I say KC doesn’t play him), top half just for me.

The ability to get into the playoffs is as much to do with tactical cohesion and organisation at this level, where there is not a massive gulf in player quality anyway, so we shall see. 10th is my guess, playoffs or higher not out if the realms of possibility.

There you go; same old SOG!

If we play 4-2-3-1 with Smith in front of Adams, Warburton & Hoskins, I think people might be surprised with how many goals Harry will score.

Any successful team has to have an ingredient over and above normal. Generally this division and the one above swill around with the same group of players flitting back and forth. Obviously if a large pot of money arrived then a particular club can skim off the cream. If not they will rely on a spirit or a philosophy or a regime to give them edge which is often provided by a manager or at least the staff. Every season most fans look at new incoming players with excitement and sometimes it is well-founded but more often than not only a spirit will lift the ordinary to another level. I cannot see anything that currently puts us in that position, maybe a run of results will elevate or energise the squad but when that squad includes reluctant members it becomes highly unlikely.

Doomed ,  Doomed - we're all doomed.     ::)

Made me chuckle   :D

in

I weather now  ;D

Posting in Riddles?

All the keys on my word processor fell off whilst I was clearing scum from the gaps. I put them back in the wrong locations but it is all resolved now as my wife has taken a hold of my resolve.

Well done to your Mrs. Word processor wow really at the races.

and still, concerned of Kingsthorpe, where are our goals going to come from

That is the big question - I’m sure Curle would argue that rather than having someone who will score 20+ we will spread them around but I’m struggling to see it. Smith is a handful but won’t be prolific, Warburton will hopefully settle into league football but I can’t see double figures and Hoskins is Hoskins. It leaves a lot of pressure on Adams (who has never been prolific) and Williams (if he actually becomes a starter). Either that or we do some amazing business before the window closes but that is all dependent on Waters/Bunney/Morais going.

Sam Hoskins.

Anyone know if the top man was there today?

Beds saw him through his telescope from the hill.

Sadly not wrong at all. The windows open until the 2nd September isn't it? Essential that some pace/ flare is brought in before it's too late.

Why on earth is Hoskins still playing every match, what is his goals to minutes ratio Mr Curle?

He's had all summer to address these issues so what makes you think he will suddenly sign creative pacy flare players within the next week or so?

I stand by this.

Right wasn't I , you found those posts where I threatened other posters yet ?

Posters ? That’s a not too subtle change.

FFS Evers - there are, of course the occasional spat/disagreement on here (and I am not going to plead not guilty) but your involvement in them must be a multiple of all the others put together - it’s not funny or entertaining so please stop making an argument pivotal to such a high percentage of your post!

Well said - agreed!

Well the new forum didnt stay open for long so I dont think arguing or not arguing makes a difference.

I think us and a few other clubs fans just go to the football and read forums these days, there is no feel good factor at the club which makes a fan want to come on and post. Possibly due to the fact every time we progress both on and off the pitch it doesnt take long for us to fall back down again and that drains energy.

So I don't think petty squabbles scares other fans from coming on here.