Neal

Can't say I've noticed many doing it to that standard immediately after a game. They were hanging off advertising boards. My mate with me tonight is an internationally competitive runner, he can do 10k in sub 33 minutes... He was watching saying "this conditioning coach is fair flogging them here".

Here's my review of the game from the home stand. Really enjoyed that ground, sat next to terrace houses, a proper stadium in the community with good fans. What football is all about. Not another breeze block bowl with no soul. They also don't like Burnley and seemingly hate Wrexham. I hope they do well. I was sat near the dugout and could hear a lot of what was said. John Eustace is an absolute savage on the quiet, he bollocked one of the back room staff for not getting water to players quick enough and for sitting watching the game, he also gave some of the players very stern instructions. He comes across quite mild mannered in interviews but it seems he's a very serious and demanding person. I've always viewed him as potentially a bit of a Waggot yes man but tonight I certainly seen a side of him which I like, he does not fuck about, he sets standards, he has expectations and he wants them met. After the game he kept Trav, JRC, Gueye, Dolan, Hyam and Vale on the pitch and they did timed runs with the conditioning coach, presumably to make up the distance. Vale was absolutely fucked. There seems to be some seriously high fitness standards set by the manager. On the game, I think its harsh to assess it in a serious manner as they had so many kids playing, it did seem more like a pre season friendly. I was chatting to the county fans behind me and felt sympathy for some of their players because they were run ragged and just couldn't get the ball. It was worlds apart to be honest. Brittain looked extremely sharp, very quick, passing immaculate. Batth, bloody hell I didn't realise how big he is, he's absolutely massive. Bucky ran it but he had the time to control the game, easy for him really but a good confidence booster for him. Was a good game for Ohashi. He wasn't given time on the ball by county players and got found out a few times with his awareness, you can tell he's used to having more time to make decisions in the J league. His first touch can be a bit sloppy but he's definitely got ability and a lot of graft. He will score goals purely from chasing and pressing players, was unlucky with a thunderous effort of the woodwork. Will be an asset to us the season, will run his balls off. Gueye is going to be a real problem for a lot of defenders, quick, strong, wirey but demanding of the midfielders to give him the distribution he wants. Unlucky with a shot across goal and a good save from the their keeper, good finish from the corner, I think he will be a real gem. I can see why Eustace brought Weimann in, he will be player that can come in and do a solid job in a number of positions. Sort of an experienced player that's a managers dream. Will be useful throughout the season. Small mention to Duru, very quick, looked promising but wasn't tested that much. Another that might benefit from a loan but could be useful as cover. Nothing much else to report but a very enjoyable night. A good confidence booster and perfect for competitive match fitness. Good luck to County. Top club.

"20 goals this season Makhtar" "Yes bro, Inshallah"

Dad's first away game since recovering from Leukaemia... In the home end 🫣

And whilst it definitely gives you a better chance it certainly doesn't guarantee you anything in the championship. Buying sensibly is absolute essential and to be fair, I think Rak Sakyi would have been a fairly sensible signing for them after raking in millions for Grey.

Mad that Preston gave Lowe a whole pre season and let him go after 1 game. Must be serious issues there. In other news, Leeds were close to signing Rak Sakyi for 12m but Palace have pulled out and look likely to loan him to Sheffield Utd... So that's one everyone who mentioned him here can move on from.

Ha Seems to be a good pro with a good attitude, always been impressed every time I see him. If he keeps scoring goals like the weekend you'll do well to hang on to him no doubt.

Some player this lad. Prob not a bad low pressure loan for him to begin but at 17 he's massive and quick. Definitely one for the future that I see playing for us week in week out. Next Hayden Carter if not better.

Mates just moved to Manchester so blagged a ticket with him in the home end. Mentioned Louie Barry on here before, think he looks a decent player that a few clubs in the championship might be interested in soon, scored a cracker first game of the season.

Pretty sure they have a foreign spot left... Think what he means is that the issue is that we only have 1 left and don't know how to fill it. Ryo Germain looks a potential bargain, I'd be looking to get that one done before other clubs step in.

Ryo Germain scored 2 the other day... 3 shots, 2 goals. He's certainly the sort of player we would likely be looking at at the moment. Goals here... https://www.google.com/amp/story/s/stories.jleague.co/games/421296-20240807-Albirex-Niigata-vs-Jubilo-Iwata.html

YES!!!!!! FUCK OFF LEEDS!!!

Manager has told him to go.

2-0 Oxford. Norwich look very poor. Their centre halves Duffy and Hanley are absolute dog shit. Fine margins in this league. We could do ok if we can keep our main players fit.

O'Riordan must be close, he didn't make the squad yesterday so... Peterborough, Cambridge and Blackpool all want him. Charlton were linked not so long back aswell, not short of options in league 1, a loan is probably for the best. Likely Peterborough though.

On Gueye, I think folk need to temper their expectations a bit. He wouldn't be coming here if he was absolutely lethal in front of goal, otherwise he'd already be in the prem. If he manages to get 10 goals and a few assists then that would be a good return for him, makes him roughly a 1 in 4 striker. He looks a real asset to us and I'm pretty confident will be an upgrade on Gallagher. The sort of player Waggot will be looking to sell in a years time for 5-6 million probably.

What an absolute dream start. 4 different goal scorers, 2 debut scorers, new boys look the business, first home win for Eustace, start the season on a high and lifts everyone's spirits. Really chuffed for everyone. Really impressed with Ohashi and Gueye. Big man is going to be a problem for a lot of teams, probably won't be the most prolific but hard work to play against. Ohashi is a very clever player and to my surprise looks like he can deal with the rough and tumble of this league. Imagine finishing a goal like that, you come from across the world, ball falls to you in front of home fans for your first chance, keeper closing you down and just dinks it over him... Unreal composure and shows his quality coming as top scorer in the J league. Only negative is the back 4 and keeper, as I've said, I don't think we've solved those issues yet and tonight proved it. Probably a good thing they showed themselves up a bit as they will hopefully see the need to invest quickly. COYB!

Absolutely massive game even if it is the first of the season. Eustace needs his first home win and we need 3 points off a team we could be battling with to stay up. Starting poorly or positively could set the tone for the rest of the season. What I hope is that they can get their act together this season to defend and attack as a team and show their championship experience. A boring hard to beat 1-0 win would do nicely but I expect a cagey 0-0 draw.

Connor O'Riordan going on loan.

Well I see it this way... At 29 should be in the peak of his career. His goals this season in the J league would suggest that's the case. Sammie will be leaving which is pretty much all of our goal threat gone and we need to find goals from elsewhere. On top of that his contract is almost up so we get him for next to nothing. Low risk, high reward.

We might not be a million miles away from avoiding the awful season we're expecting. The thing that concerns me is that I still don't believe they have sorted the defence out to be harder to beat. A lot rests on Hyam finding form or Batth stepping up and I'm not convinced by either. Pace out wide and goal keeper they really need to get right, those positions aren't just about getting bodies in the door, they need to be effective upgrades to not suffer around the bottom 3rd of the table for all of the season. If we can sort those positions with quality and get a couple of clean sheets early doors then it could settle everything down and bring some optimism. Get it wrong and it could set us up for a long hard season. Next few weeks are absolutely massive for everyone at the club, players, manager and recruitment staff.

No disrespect but he scored 2 goals for Motherwell last season and is 23 now... Where has he proven he's championship level? Gambling on players as bad as him to score goals will certainly get us relegated. Letting academy players like Gent go but keeping Vale is a disgrace. At least Gent excelled in the SPL, Vale certainly didn't. He's shite.

Henning Berg and Craig Short were knocking on but absolutely class.

Not having a go, just genuinely interested... How do you come to this conclusion?