One question

Central midfield was weak last season - we were lucky to scrape some of the wins - the offensive side is looking stronger, but needs a free scoring forward for this level!

Lots of moaners before we play a league game against equal opponents.

Mansfield should be more of a realistic measure of what the squad has to offer, still against higher level opposition.

The interplay from Doncaster last night was top drawer and the passing accuracy made our back four look like they had been mugged!!

Few teams in this league will play to that fashion or keen standard.

The question is - do the back four learn and adapt to accurate passing play, or just let opponents dictate play?

We will perhaps have to wait a while for them to settle into a steady unit, especially with the suspensions to get through, but then, they must act as a unit, whoever stays in place.

The midfield taking a higher line and pressing for second balls will help to relieve pressure in the first couple of games.

Judge after the first two league games !!

Our problem last season was the midfield,

We had a decent defence and the strikers did as best they could with the service,

This season we have got a better midfield, the defence should be stronger than last,

So LJL and Hannah should both score more goals than last season,

If we get another striker, then the job is a good un,

Back to the football league we go.

I feel that we'll have to judge the overall relative quality of the squad once Hurst has finished assembling it. But, at the moment, IMO:

The defence looks a bit susceptible, especially at full back. It doesn't look strong or mean enough to provoke thoughts of winning the league to me.

The midfield looks quite a bit better player for player. 3 good signings made there.

Our forwards weren't good enough to get us promoted last season and that situation looks worse than it did whilst we've only got 2 signed, and they were both here last season.

We don't have enough to challenge for the championship for me. Not on what we've got today. Why we are refusing to pay football peanuts for the striker we apparently want I'll never know.

For me, just as important as a player for player comparison is a look at other fundamentals that we got wrong last season and for us ask ourselves, do we think we are addressing these aspects?:

*Playing too deep
*Great gaps between defence and midfield, and midfield and forwards.
*Lack of pace
*Lack of physical strength
*Lack of energy and urgency
*Poor turnover of second balls
*Average to poor set-piece delivery
*Ball retention
*Willingness to pass as opposed to defaulting to invariably 'hitting the channel'/looking for LJL
*Shortage of movement
*Quality of crossing

I think we all want to see these aspects much improved in the first few games. Not sure where we are on that scale at the moment.

Quoted from chaos33

*Playing too deep
*Great gaps between defence and midfield, and midfield and forwards.
*Lack of pace
*Lack of physical strength
*Lack of energy and urgency
*Poor turnover of second balls
*Average to poor set-piece delivery
*Ball retention
*Willingness to pass as opposed to defaulting to invariably 'hitting the channel'/looking for LJL
*Shortage of movement
*Quality of crossing

I think we all want to see these aspects much improved in the first few games. Not sure where we are on that scale at the moment.

I think we'll probably play a 'compact' formation as in previous seasons as this appears to be Hurst's general preferred style at present. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you have enough attacking threat to get the goals as well as not conceding them. The full-backs struggled last night but, as I've mentioned elsewhere, they aren't likely to be facing such capable players very often this season so I'm hopeful they will do OK.

Sitting deep was an issue last season due to the almost complete lack of pace in midfield and up front. This is something which has been resolved to a good degree with the addition of Arnold and Mackreth and Brown seems to be a busy player as well, if not exactly rapid. If Pittman and/or another pacy striker joins us, that will help us up front. I'm hopeful that, even if we sit relatively deep, the extra pace should reduce the gaps between the defence and midfield and the midfield and strikers.

Arnold looks strong and aggressive as well as quick to me and I think he could be a real asset. Pittman looked powerful so ought to be a good addition (if we sign him). Brown looked comfortable in possession last night and put some nice passes through midfield so will hopefully help us avoid the 'punt towards LJL' Plan A we saw too often last season. His link up play with Neilson looked very good.

Best crosses put in last night came from Thomas (as usual) and Brown but to be fair to Mackreth, he was playing against a very competent higher-division defender so perhaps not too surprising he didn't really get the beating of him.

I didn't see any really good set pieces put into the box so I'm not sure what will happen there, but I think we need an improvement from last season in this respect.

All-in-all, I was relatively encouraged by aspects of last night's performance, despite the drubbing we received. I think the extra pace is something we've needed for years now and pace alone can cause defensive errors at this level especially.

I just hope that Hurst is able to sign a couple of useful strikers for us as we definitely need a couple more yet. I'd be happy enough with Pittman from what I saw last night. A stronger, pacier Ademeno, but hopefully without the same glass ankles.

We don't really need that many more goals. Just a few more in the right games last season would have seen us challenging near the top. We drew way too many games against mid and lower table opposition at home because our forward line didn't have the nous or pace to nick a winner and gain 2 extra points.

Our away form was great for gaining points, but our home form was too patchy as teams parked the bus and we didn't have the ability to break them down. We were too predictable and one dimensional. Cure that problem at home with a Hearn type goalgetter and someone who makes set pieces count more often and we will be fine.

Despite some of the poor footy on show last season, we were not that far off the pace. Hope PH has learned where we came up short and addressed that.

Exactly. We weren't very good last season but still made the playoffs.

I'm not convinced scott neilson does enough to start. Even if he does, he normally gets dragged off after an hour
Mackreth will definitely start but will probably only play an hour too
So this leaves plenty of game time for arnold to show what he can do

Quoted from brad_gtfc

No, because anybody who knows anything about the game knows LJL isn't a main striker, he's the target man, he needs someone alongside him to score the goals. Not many teams have 2 out and out goal scoring strikers in their side.

But Hurst has already suggested a 4-3-3 with LJL up top on his own? So where the hell do your goals come from?

Quoted from pontoonlew

But Hurst has already suggested a 4-3-3 with LJL up top on his own? So where the hell do your goals come from?

The other 2 of the front 3. Also runs from midfield, overlaps, set pieces, etc. The usual.

Doubt we will make the playoffs unless we sign a pacy goal scorer, obvious statement I know, you know,  Paul Hurst must know, lets do it quickly and get someone bedded in before Bristol

Last season when Luton came here, they had a team full of fast players that sat deep, absorbed everything we threw at them, & then caught us on the break with fast counter attacks.

I was surprised at how defensive they were, but they walked the league by making sure they didn't get caught at the back, & making the most of it when they got it.

A point that Paul Hurst would have noticed, hence he's gone for fast counter attacking players this season.