Last week's game… and a little progress

Once again posting on behalf of El Capitan:

Another win last week, with several excellent performances, particularly in the first half. We looked a lot more compact and difficult to break down when we didn't knock it long, which unfortunately we did revert to a little in the second half. For those of you who are unsure, the point about playing quick balls into feet is that not only will it make us more effective going forward, it will also make us more solid defensively. For example, when we play the ball short and it gets lost, for whatever reason, our formation is not compromised and disrupted as players are scattered all over the pitch chasing after a speculative ball. We will then be much more difficult to break down as we will be still relatively compact, with our midfield and defence in two close lines of four. This is essentially why I wish us to play this way, and, I have to say, the signs are encouraging. I'm certain the more we do this the more comfortable everybody will become in this system, and that ultimately it will make us a much better team.

Another encouraging sign is that quite a few players are adapting to several positions during the course of a game, although with the type of football we are aiming to play this really shouldn't be a problem. Therefore you may get asked to play in a position you feel unfamilar or uncomfortable with. I can guarantee I will only ever do this if I feel it is in the interests of the squad/team. Most people seem happy to play wherever they are asked, but if you do have any positional issues I am always available to discuss them. Or anything else for that matter.

Finally, after three wins it's probably worth mentioning the issue of complacency. It's vital that we look to improve in every game, both individually and as a team. Sometimes it can be helpful to set yourself particular targets during the course of a game. One that iI find quite useful is to try to focus on not giving the ball away as many times as I did the previous week - OK, I don't always manage it, before anybody says anything! Anyway, rather than basking in the glow of the previous week's success we do need to keep focused on the game in front of us. Personally I'm convinced we can improve our levels dramatically in the coming months. Looking at some of our upcoming fixtures I suspect we will need to do this! Anyway, a very positive start to the year with some pretty impressive football being played. More to come I hope, so let's maintain the positive collective spirit we seem to be tapping into, keep winning games and continue to have fun.

Up the Accies.

The Accies, a relationship saver!

According to researchers, couples argue 312 times a year - "with a Thursday evening the most likely time for a row to develop." Furthermore, they even say it's most likely around 8pm - when we're all on a football pitch - unless your name is Perre obviously!

So next time your partner moans that you spend more time playing footy for The Accies than you do lavishing on them, point them in this direction...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1348308/Couples-argue-312-year-likely-8pm-10-minutes.html

Selhurts II...

Another new development regarding our spiritual home...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6681161,00.html

Selhurts…

As it says here, Crystal Palace FC are planning to leave Selhurst Park and relocate to the athletics stadium that we currently call 'home'. Clearly us Accies will be keen to learn what timetable of the redevelopment of our theatre of dreams will be – a lengthy one, hopefully, because I don't fancy us being homeless!

All we can do for now is enjoy every game we play on our beloved grass pitch as though it were our last, wring every drop of enjoyment out of the venue and make sure that when our final pitch booking does arrive, we can say we truly appreciated what we had before it was gone.

And at least Barry will be able to take his children and grandchildren to Palace matches in years to come and say: "Of course, you know I used to play here myself in my younger days…"

Message From Your Club Secretary

All,

The minutes have been sent out by email. If you haven't received them and want a copy, please let me know.

Cheers,

Andrew.

News from Brisbane

From Accie-in-exile Graeme Were:

"We evaculated this morning at 6am when I heard the siren in my sleep - the house was lost to the flood waters... we climbed the hill and met colleagues and staying with them on higher ground....power cuts, deluge etc.more soon, its a disaster zone,"

Last Week And The New Year!

Posting on behalf of Captain Thornes:

Firstly, I am flattered and honoured that the club wants me to carry on picking the team in the role that I had last year. It's not something i take lightly and I can guarantee I will do my best to make this a successful year on the pitch for the Accies. I thought last week's game was a great start, as we played the kind of simple, pass-and-move football that we have been striving towards for a while. Having managed to do it once I hope this gives us the confidence to keep playing this way for the rest of the year. We might not win every game if we do, but I feel sure we will enjoy our football much more this way than any other style we might adopt.

As i said in the dressing room after the game last week, to single anybody out as Man Of The Match wouldn't be right, given everybody played a significant part in a great performance. As many of you might have noticed I am not a great fan of Man Of The Match awards generally. They encourage individualism in a game where a strong collective spirit is crucial. MOTM awards are also a very subjective decision and usually ignore some of the less eye-catching, but equally important efforts of less high-profile players. I also believe that raising the levels of someone who is having a bad game is more important than praising a player who is playing well. Anyway I'll probably proceed with this in a fairly ad hoc way. The main thing is we have a squad of players who all make a contribution.

Pretty much everything else will stay the same as last year. I am still committed to everybody getting approximately equal playing time on a Thursday. The only exceptions to this would be injury, a very obvious lack of fitness which prevents a player from doing his job on the pitch, or a player repeatedly ignoring specific instructions given before or during a game. Otherwise, I think our aims this year should be to enjoy playing as a team, win as often as possible and retain the Anglo-Dutch Cup. They are certainly my aims. If anybody needs to speak to me about anything my number is 07828 950790 - drop me a text and i'll quite happily call you back, so long as it isn't the middle of the night!

Up the Accies!