Yes, it’s the annual shindig of meeting the guy who will get abused something chronic when we lose 3-0 to Oxford.
A big crowd turned up at KM this evening, although it was swelled a little bit by the youngsters next door signing their Academy forms. Which included their dads.
We got an early taster of things to come when AA and Bulman did a 20 minute Q&A session. To be honest, I didn’t really listen much to it, although Bulman is quiet and supports Chelski (or used to, when the good natured jeering started).
AA seems to love the attention though, and is somebody who has his bonce screwed on. Didn’t see any Beast Mode On merchandise on sale, but I’m sure he’ll tell you where to get them if you ask nicely…
Oh, and he claimed his fee was a Nandos and a Coke. Somehow, he may not have been 100% joking.
Anyway, the main attraction came on stage, alongside NC and Bassey. Interesting that in previous years it’s been NA by himself, or NA and NC, though it can be difficult to do such a thing for two hours by yourself.
NA praised AA’s intelligence, and it turned out that we tried twice before to get Bulman. Who, apparently, has the physique of a 25 year old and the energy of an 18 year old in training.
The questions kicked off. Is promotion the aim this season? Nothing was explicitly stated, although whatever we try we’ll give it a damn good go. Nobody said anything, but one suspected that we didn’t do ourselves justice last season.
While there has been a lot of transfers in, there was one more we’re looking at, probably in defence. Mention here was made of Will Nightingale, who although he needed to work more on his tactical and technical ability, has a good chance of making the step from the u21s to the first team this season.
Who did NA think would be promotion candidates? Luton was the only name mentioned, although he was quick to point out that the division itself was stronger, and picking a definite candidate or two was pretty difficult.
Some of the wages of targets were, to quote, “staggering”, which makes you wonder what we’re actually paying AA and Tubbs…
Bassey interjected and felt that Bury and Shrewsbury were two more names in the hat. The impression was that while we’ve done well to rebuild (on paper), we’ve needed to.
When asked about what the mental preparation was/is for the squad, and why the season ended as badly as it did, we tried playing a certain way then had to change it, but we didn’t do so effectively enough.
What we did do was push them hard. Very hard. And in that utterly strange couple of days where we went from buzzing (sorry) about beating Plymouth to finding about the 3 point deduction meant we fell apart mentally.
Tellingly, NA felt that some of the mentality of some of the players wasn’t 100%. I got the feeling that he put a lot of faith in what he assembled last year but got let down.
He did mention “stats” a lot, and for those who like playing NA Bingo, he also spoke about “doing jobs”. No mention about following instructions though.
Why did Sheringham play ahead of Midson? The answer was interesting here – not because of what NA said, but what he didn’t say. He was quick to point out that Midson played more than Teddy’s kid – basically, Midson’s stats in pre-season were well below those of what were needed and therefore he didn’t start.
There was no mention of rows, in fact NA was very quick to point out there was never a cross word between him and Midson.
The strike force was a major problem, as we all know, and only Appiah (who went back to Cambridge today, by the way) made the difference. Absolutely no mention of Sheringham was made, not even a comment about making a mistake on him. Go figure…
It should come as no surprise that we take the Moneyball approach – NA used that exact phrase. The records of AA and Tubbs speak for themselves, for starters.
Ironically, as he was talking about this, AA was having his pic taken with star-struck fans in the car park. I think he could be a very popular member of the team if the reaction to him tonight was anything to go by.
We’re playing with two up front, we’re not the finished article by any means, although Ardley did point out that the four sides that went up were “footballing” ones. Or to quote him more directly, next season will be “more League Two but not hoofball”.
Are the positions set in stone? No, there are a fair few positions still up for grabs.
The home form from last season really bugged NA, and that is one reason we’ve gone for more experienced players – better mentality, more “characters”. As we focus a lot of the training in preventing injuries, the older players may sometimes get an extra day off – especially with midweek matches.
We’re going to try and take more risks in the final third, and I do wonder if that was a) an admission that he got it wrong last season, and b) it really didn’t click like it should have done last season.
Shea was brought in because NA felt that at times Worner entered a comfort zone. Bassey said that Azeez was raw, but different to the other players. He needed to work on his finishing, and that’s where the u21 setup comes in handy.
Why do we put so many people in the box while defending corners? NC said that in that situation, only one team is likely to score – and it ain’t going to be us. So the more bodies you put in the less likely you are to concede.
That said, we started putting Pell away from the box towards the end of the season – not due to tactics, but according to Cox “he’s 6ft 4 and can’t defend from set pieces…….”
After a much needed half time break (although the venue nearly wasn’t as stuffy as previous MTMs), we started again. A reminder that it was 12 years to the day since THAT Sutton game, and how far we’d come in that time. Perhaps literally.
The first question was about impact subs, namely Chris Arthur and KSL. Basically, it’s up to them to prove they’re more than just that, although KSL was starting to progress before he did his hamstring.
Speaking of KSL, his big flaw seems to be his defending – as in, he’s as slow in defending as he’s quick in attack.
Somebody asked about Jim Fenlon, and NA really didn’t know what went on there. There’s obviously more to this, but he reconfirmed that he offered a new deal, Fenlon turned it down and we haven’t heard from him since.
While we’re on the subject of fullbacks, expect both Fuller and Jack Smith to find themselves in attacking roles in games. Though hopefully not too far up the pitch if we give the ball away.
Who’s going to be the captain? Benno has done a fantastic job, Framps is a natural leader and Fuller speaks for himself. A good dilemma there.
Highs and low points of last season? NC said the way we finished was a low point, while Northampton was a high point despite being down to 10 men (no mention that the Cobblers were bottom at the time). Though the way we came back in games was pleasing, if a necessity.
For NA, getting over the line and winning at Plymouth was the high point, along with a better defence. The last two games were the lowest points, especially as he thought it would be an upward curve from his first campaign.
Bassey said that Pompey at home was the highlight, while the worst for him was Accrington and Hartlepool away. Mainly the time he got back home afterwards…
Has the budget increased? Yes it has, and it’s needed to.
We did try and get Danny Kedwell, but he was clearly hoping his boyhood club would be offering him a better deal, which he duly got. It was early in the close season, we chanced our arm and it didn’t come off.
NA wasn’t worried about the question stating that Gillingham fans reckoned AA couldn’t play games in quick succession. You’ve all heard the jokes about AA meeting our boss at Bella Italia in Purley (or is it Purley Way?) and was wanting to go into Nandos next door.
However, it sounded as though AA was very honest – and flexible – about his training regime, and how he didn’t want special treatment. Intelligent, and very much the team player, apparently…
More about Azeez. He’s also got a lot of stamina, as well as pace and energy. Which is quite unusual for a player. Expect him to be an impact sub when the opposition are tired of battling the Beast. Also, Sean Rigg can play up top too.
The u21s came up again, and it’s taken 18 months to get to this stage with them. Last year they weren’t close enough to the first team, but within the next nine months they should be.
We’re now in the Final Third Development League (the Central League, to you), so we’re looking for a suitable venue and – make a note in your diaries – we’re aiming to play in the evening so people can get down to watch them.
Is there such a thing as the “Wimbledon Way”? Firstly, the characters from the WFC era are few and far between now – you can’t exactly headbutt a player at half time these days, for instance.
What we do want to be is hungry and very hard working. Not tippy-tappy – in fact, NA made that exact remark – and instead “realistic football that is exciting to watch”.
NA admitted that his first season with us was a roller coaster, and his reaction to the NPL stadium plans were “wow” – though he was worried that he wouldn’t be in charge by the time it get built.
Which led NC to ask if it could be built by October…
Not surprisingly, NA didn’t enjoy a lot of last season, and it got to him at times – especially around Xmas. He couldn’t see any identity of the squad he put out (which is something that came up a lot last campaign), and a lot of it was through gritted teeth.
A kid from the Academy asked what advice would he give to, er, Academy kids? Do the hard work, and listen to your coach. Ask questions of him. Perhaps not coincidentally, NA mentioned that he tried to explain to the first team players why they were being trained in a certain way….
Concerns about lack of pace, especially at the back, were raised. This shouldn’t be a problem, because those players read the game so well they know where to be to begin with. Jason Euell’s name got mentioned here – he wasn’t the quickest in pace, but he had a razor-sharp brain.
Why did Harry Pell go off the boil? He lost his confidence, basically. It was also pointed out that Pell is actually only 21 years old. With the talk of the youngsters needing the u21 setup to make the next step up, they are only one or two years younger than Pell himself.
Also, his girlfriend gave birth last night, so that will change his priorities.
Is playing right footed players in left-sided positions just over-complicating things? Not really, and only Francomb was properly played out of position. Jack Smith is a natural LB anyway, although interestingly the last proper signing may also be able to play at left back.
The player NA was most upset to lose was, not surprisingly, Michael Smith. Incidentally, we build up good relationships with players we let go (although one suspects this may not apply to Sheringham and Fenlon), and we hug/hi-five those we do let go.
The inevitable “Who would win between X and Y in a fight?” question came up, and this year it was AA and Fuller. Who incidentally are very good buddies after Fuller stood up to the Beast in training at Gillingham…
Is there time off during the season for the coaching staff? Not really – Sundays are quieter, but it is a 24/7 job. But don’t feel too sorry for them, because it’s a job they love in a profession they love.
The issue of cup runs were brought up, and we seem to suffer from them being too early. We have Sat/Tues/Sat/Tues/Sat in the first month alone. Obviously, Franchise will see us put out a full squad.
Transfer negotiations are, unsurprisingly, complex. We get a budget, see who can fit into it, then talk to the player, then the agent (or the other way round), players may ask other players for references, and getting them down to the training ground to speak means you’ve done pretty bloody well in negotiations.
Tubbs was a very complex transfer, especially as AFCB hold the cards – NA mentioned that the Tubbs deal is not “100% bombproof”, and it seems like we had to jump through a lot of hoops.
Getting players to like the club seemed to be the main aim – Michael Smith didn’t want to come to us originally, but when his loan was up he wanted to stay (although £100k or so from Swindon changed his mind).
NA singled out Paul Cook of Chesterfield as a manager he liked to pit his wits against, and felt the game up in Derbyshire was us being too gung-ho. We aimed not to make the same mistake at KM, and we got a credible point out of it.
Back to loans – there is no hard and fast rule about having to play a player on loan. Depending on what the parent club wants, whether it’s to develop a player further or give him game time, dictates that.
We go for players who we need to play, either to fill a gap or to improve the team. He didn’t elaborate further, but for example we would have taken Appiah on loan last season because we needed him and Palace felt we’d give him the game time.
What we do do is send out to parent clubs a loan report, why we’re playing them (or not), things we pick up in training – that goes down well with parent clubs apparently, and gives us a bit of leeway if we need it.
Do we pay win bonuses etc? Not really – a decent cup run will generate funds for the player pool, while individual players may get bonuses for unspecified reasons (of a good kind), so our money is spent on getting the players in to begin with.
Any targets we dipped out on who we regretted? A couple, but none we set our hearts on getting (which may explain why the fans were more upset at not getting Kedwell than the club was).
The stat about not scoring in the first 30 minutes was brought up, and NA was at a loss to explain it. That said, the front players managed to have a loss of form all at the same time.
Callum Kennedy got mentioned, and it was basically the same comment as the original story. Although he was training with another club tonight. “Watch this space” was the comment…
Unintentional humourous comment was from the questioner who confused Shaun North with Peter North – “he’s a porn star” said NA. Once everyone had stopped pissing themselves, the idea of the u21s is to not dip into the loan market and instead use our home grown talent.
Finally, that game in Buckinghamshire was mentioned. NA asked how many would go, and sensing the split in the crowd said that it would be less turds on the floor to clean up this time.
We will go up there with a much stronger squad – the squad the first time was the poorest he’s had in his time here, yet they equipped themselves well that cold December Sunday. And to end the evening with a massive round of applause, NA will tell the players beforehand that they will be legends for that season if we win…..
Final thoughts? There’s a quiet confidence this time around, along with a steely determination to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes from last season. Ardley himself seemed a lot more assured in his answers, as though he may have a group of players this season that he can communicate with. And indeed have more of an idea how League Two really works.
Oh, and the Admiral kit was on sale. Still not sure about those pinstripes…