[Devongone]

Any residue of hope I had that this manager knows what he is doing drained away when I saw this result and took a look at the bizarre collection of players we sent out.

Good news was Tommy Lee was fit enough to take the field. Subbed for a bloke on trial I can't imagine we'd need unless Tommy was never going to make it back. And that was him on the field, even if it was a Tommy getting his hand to the ball and not stopping it. (That happens if you've been out for a long time.) And Parkin, in need of the experience, gets to warm the bench whist Dorel gets on the pitch. What?

Latour played. Smith. Hand. This was Stoke U-23, not U-19. What was the purpose?

CO'G hasn't played in a winning team yet.

I'm all for us working towards the 18 for the first game, but this looks like write all the names on bits of paper and pick 'em out of a hat ......... What's goin' on? Lou Reed must be spending his Sunday Morning Waiting For his Man.

Any clues where this strange man is trying to take us?

[Dancingwilldoit]

Didn't go but it seems we were overrun in midfield. Now why am I not surprised. The next 2 games really will give an idea of where we are going. I hope to god he has decided on his starting 11 and actually bloody well plays them.

[bluepooch]

I didnt get too carried away when we thrashed Matlock and Buxton and narrowly lost to Sheff U and Im not getting carried away by losing in a training game to Stoke u23s who incidentally had a striker who cost 5 million and a full back who has 2/300 premier league games under his belt.Having said that Im pretty sure Caldwell wouldnt have been happy with the scoreline and Im hoping he uses this defeat to understand where the weaknesses are before we finally get the season under way.We do seem to have an abundance of midfielders now but still not that old head who can spoil things when needed.
Im hearing a rumour of a swap deal involving Donohue and David Perkins at Wigan ,if thats true Id be happy to sacrifice Dion to get this valuable role filled.Perkins didnt pull any trees up for us first time round but has a wealth of experience at a higher level and is well liked by Wiggun fans.Of course this would mean possibly signing another left side wide player until BW is fit.
Robbie Weir is also on trial so could he be the answer to the CM problem ? Time will tell and Im still keeping faith in GC to deliver.

[Devongone]

You didn't rate Perkins first time round Blue? Are you sure? I'd snatch Cookie's hand off despite the age gap.

The only credence I can give to rumours of Tommy going is the continued presence of Dorel (who I would remind everyone managed 1 GAME at Plymouth behind a pretty ordinary, quite short, jailbird first choice ....)

GC must have known Stoke could turn out a decent U-23 side. He still picked a side to play Nantwich Town.

I'm worried CO'G and Gozie as a combination might not have goals in them, but we aren't finding out whilst we are being persistently overrun in midfield. And they aren't going to gain confidence in each other or an understanding are they?

I'm also worried about our capacity to cope with pace at the back. Stoke had it and ripped us to shreds, but GC must have known they were likely to have it and didn't seem to compensate at all.

Lou Reed has a great name and is probably a player but does he look like he can run the centre of a midfield to you? Does McCourt? Does Sinnott? All our midfield players look peripheral.

Months ago now I mentioned Kane Richards as a physically stronger midfielder who'd be available. He's gone to Dover to kickstart their renewed battle at the top of the Vanarama. He scored for them on Saturday, as did Tobi Sho-Silva (2), another player I mentioned as coming to himself in non-league last season - Dover have brought him in to get the goals for them having sold Ricky Miller to Peterborough ..... Oh dear!

I've started buying the Non-League Paper to start getting ready for 2018.

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By the way I'm not so bothered about knowing a starting eleven .... I want to see a squad of 18 that looks as though it is following a plan it understands and believes in to win the game.