Now Askey is saying Whitehead is versatile and not just an attacking box to box midfielder but can also play the holding role....

So we now have Joyce/Oyeleke/Conlon/Whithead/Mills who can play holding central midfield so perhaps Askey has as ever got it covered.

Has anyone been down to watch training and any idea who the other keeper is on trial along with Dino Visser and is Harvey Bradbury in training.....anyone else new?

Went down this morning and looked like either Harvey Bradbury or Jake Hyde were training with the squad. Dino and Rhys Lovett were training with Scott Brown. The morning session which I saw was mainly with the attacking players a couple of midfielders like Manny and Conlon. The defenders and midfielders like Joyce Burgess and Whitehead were absent or doing something in the gym possibly. As I assume the rule still applies that only 30 players can train at one time.

I think Manny has to be played as an attacking midfielder, free from much defensive responsibility and focusing most of his energies on driving us up the pitch with his athleticism in the transition, and then using his excellent vision and technical ability in the final third.

He can glide past players and has an excellent through ball on him; was it Sunderland in the Cup he sliced open with a one touch pass?

We were crying out for him last season when teams would arrive at VP and sit deep; needed that little big of magic, of beating a man sitting deep and then stroking it through to the forwards.

I didn't know he excelled in the deeper role at Aldershot, and he may be able to feature there for us, but everytime I've seen him I think he'd be most effectively utilised as the most advanced of the middle three, with a focus on attacking and allowing Joyce + Duracell Bunny 1/2/3 to cover the ground behind him. 

Obviously in your tighter games you may want a middle 3 of Joyce, and then Conlon, Burgess, or Whitehead.

10 hours ago, WilliamBriscoe said:

Absolutely not! My posts on the whole have been positive, just stating reservations about Whitehead. You can’t shoot someone down for having an opinion about a player can you?

As I’ve already said on this thread I would be very happy to be proven wrong and wish the lad all the best for the season. We the fans all want the same things, promotion. If we don’t achieve that next season then I still won’t be too disappointed as we have a good manager, great coaching staff and fantastic owners who have a vision for PVFC.

I don't have a problem with anybody offering their opinion - but, whereas you say you were mostly positive, another poster said that, of the 8 you posted on this topic, most were negative...and, seemingly, based on the flimsiest of evidence to support your reasoning? If you have a gut feeling - that's fine...nobody can really argue with that until later, when hindsight kicks in. We do all want the same thing - I think...so UTV VTID!!!

1 hour ago, Burslem Academicals said:

....So we now have Joyce/Oyeleke/Conlon/Whithead/Mills who can play holding central midfield so perhaps Askey has as ever got it covered.

Maybe, with this in mind, we will get some on-pitch rotation, which might confuse the opposition?

On 03/08/2020 at 13:45, valeparklife said:

"Bradbury" rumoured to be training with us.

Could be Harvey Bradbury - 21 year old 6'3 centre forward released by Millwall this summer.

Confirmed by the Sentinel just now.

We need a good striker in, somebody who’s done it in this league and knows where the net is.

Not what we need up front to be top 3.

Never seen him play going of Wiki record😀

He's a 21yo, 6'3 target man style striker in the mould of a young Tom Pope!

If we were going to sign him as a development player I wouldn't be against this (low wage, loan him out into non-league, look to improve him to progress into the 1st team).

Maybe with the appointment of Frank Sinclair we might re-introduce the development squad idea?

Bradbury’s dad wasn’t a bad player. Harvey is less than prolific and would be a real gamble (or cheap). 

4 minutes ago, valeparklife said:

He's a 21yo, 6'3 target man style striker in the mould of a young Tom Pope!

If we were going to sign him as a development player I wouldn't be against this (low wage, loan him out into non-league, look to improve him to progress into the 1st team).

Maybe with the appointment of Frank Sinclair we might re-introduce the development squad idea?

Didn't the development squad give us Andoh and Hugill? £1.9m which should have gone into the club's coffers. One player made the entire exercise worthwhile, whilst providing depth for the first team.

With no scholars making the grade, and Brentford excelling with the use of a 'B Team' (similar to our development squad, young players picked up from elsewhere), I'd love to see it return.

You'd need to get a proper good scout in like George Foster (Europe Scout at Swansea I believe now), and a proper coach like Jimmy Bell. Maybe one for Danny Pugh to cut his teeth with? Believe he's been looking after/reporting on loaned players.

Edited August 4, 20205 yr by Joe B

Son of Lee Bradbury who is Assistant @ Crawley I think. Surprised he has not gone there.

Edited August 4, 20205 yr by ginginator

Sinclair now confirmed permanently as a coach. Head of Coaching Development. Tasked with bridging the gap between young players and first team.

2 hours ago, GingerValiant said:

Went down this morning and looked like either Harvey Bradbury or Jake Hyde were training with the squad. Dino and Rhys Lovett were training with Scott Brown. The morning session which I saw was mainly with the attacking players a couple of midfielders like Manny and Conlon. The defenders and midfielders like Joyce Burgess and Whitehead were absent or doing something in the gym possibly. As I assume the rule still applies that only 30 players can train at one time.

They’ve been split into 2 groups with the rest of them being in for an afternoon session.