Blues run out at Wigan ends goalless

I think DCL will score tonight.

Link

The new second strip looks good!

Christy disagrees. For some reason. Delph is ‘more attacking' apparently.

His many games at left back for Man City and 13 career league goals speak to this

Anathema to Annika possibly ;-), but Delph was excellent. Arguably our best player in that opening 45. Neat, tidy, always available, good range of passing and positioning.

Bernard again not clicking. Theo Walcott the better of the two wide men tonight. Seamus looks good. Mina decent. Old boy Robinson possibly their best player. Eat yer heart out, Mike Gaynes!

But still lacking that penetration beyond the 18 yard line into their penalty area. Amazing support for a friendly away to Wigan on a Wednesday night.

Doesn't discount Gomes as a good signing but here last year – still a way to go yet so hopefully Brands can do some more magic!

Drab

I wish I could have taped the full game to watch it later, I suffer from chronic insomnia, I think that game would have me to bo bo's well before it finished.

We were punchless up front?

Now there's a real shock to my system...NOT lol

Mirallas played well at right back (!!!), although mostly in a forward position. Davies the pick of the 2nd half midfield. Schneiderlin and McCarthy too plodding for me.

Another clean sheet, but also no goals again. Very little actually getting into the opposition penalty area to even offer us a sniff of a chance.

Schneiderlin and McCarthy make Gueye look like a thoroughbred racehorse.

DCL and Walcott totally anaemic with only Coleman and Delph doing themselves any justice first half.

Second half the kids totally overshadowed the seniors with energy and application and if I hear one more "Well its only preseason" I will explode.

If we think this squad minus Zouma and Gueye will get anywhere near the top 6 we are seriously deluding ourselves.

The more I watch them the more my optimism fades.

Minus Zouma and Gana we will struggle to maintain 8th in my opinion.

I still can't forget how many abject attacking displays I witnessed in the middle stage of last season, whilst we got some good wins late on, many performances were just like tonight's toothless display.

As mentioned there were only a handful of players deserve any credit at all, and I'm being generous at that. 0-0 is bad enough, but there was virtually nothing created from all departments.

There's talk of we are short of a couple of players up front, agreed, but had they been playing tonight (hypothetically) where was the service to anybody?

If Silva was happy with that I despair!

It would not be my preference for him but he's much better than anything else we have in that position now.

If that is the case and Calvert-Lewin is our number 9 then I despair I really do!

Our previous number 9?

Sandro!!

What was a once legendary number at this club has now become a farce.

I've seen far worse preseason friendliest, my take in the first half playing DCL as striker he had no service.

The second half the team had more endeavour, so based on what we have in place, for Palace, Id say we will be the same team that finished last season assuming Idrissa goes, and Delph, fills in.

Let's see how the weekend in Germany goes and perhaps we may get a couple of players in soon.

No strikers yet, 2 centre backs down, no right back, losing the best holding midfielder in the league, crazy.

Gibson looks an outstanding prospect.

I'd be happy to spend the biggest part of our kitty on Zaha. Palace want £80m but I'd offer em £55m plus Bolasie and McCarthy. They're continually linked with McCarthy and they could get a fan favourite Zaha replacement in Bolasie. Zaha's 26 so he's just about in Brands age group he's looking for. I'd also buy Skev Olsen who should be available for under £20m. He's a skilful winger but 6ft 1 and can play as a striker like Richarlison. We might even Henry Onyakuru this summer too. If we offload Tosun and Niasse. I think we'll have enough fire power using DCL, Richarlison, Henry or Olsen as a striker at any one time.

The kid is 20 and already head and shoulders above Zaha.

Oh and the game was shite.

I'm all for optimism but with a statement like that we might aswell say we need a forward, how about Ronaldo.

If we do sign Zaha, Walsh is the gift that keeps on giving.

Hard to read the players names on the away top but sure number 5 was Gibson who came on at half time, he looks well composed at the back, like the look of him.

As for our forward line, need to get that elusive striker in and quick.

Thankfully only a few miles away from the Dw stadium so short drive there and back.

Again I feel for the loyal support who outnumbered Wigan by all accounts, and made the effort. While I appreciate it was a pre-season game and little significance in terms of a result, but I would have expected a better showing than that, like a few have said, it was that boring many were leaving around the 60 minute mark.

Whilst people say Sigurdsson doesn't create enough, take his 13 goals away last season we'd probably have finished 10th.

We created enough chances in games away at Arsenal, Watford, Palace, Fulham if I remember right but we don't have anything clinical in the final third, that will be the same this coming season.

As I say, I've seen more firepower in a water gun.

Although we could use a more clinical striker I'm more worried by the lack of creativity. We are too dependent on our full backs for chance creation and the likes of Gomes and Siggy have got to create more from open play. Gomes especially does not pass through the lines enough and given his defensive frailties if he is not creating then I don't know what he's doing in this team. Of course better movement from front 3 would help to this end.

World beaters in pre-season - disaster once the season starts, or, terrible pre -season, then top the table after five games.

The trouble has always been that usually, after scenario two and after five games, we fall away dramatically.

I am hoping for scenario two this season - but without the fall away.

Come the beginning of August, I hope it is all going to click - like it started to do at the tail end of last season.

I'm looking forward to seeing the stadium pictures later today Peter, and with you being one of the lucky ones who are going to the Titanic hotel, I'm also looking forward to hearing what you've got to tell us as well mate.

Looking forward to the new stadium presentation tonight.

It's about being ready for Palace, nothing more.

Let's not sugar coat it with excuses about pre-season, we all know this will continue into another wasted year of treading water if we're lucky. Let's get nasty and drive out the parasites leaching off the club. They're getting far too easy a time living a life of luxury while disrespecting the club and ultimately us.

The whole coaching staff, including Silva, is obviously not up to the job, the evidence is in front of our eyes. Never mind whinging about changing things too often, the alternative of sticking with sub-standard coaching for the sake of expediency is frightening.

Paul#80, I watch as many games as I can every pre-season, and they rarely seem a pointer to the season ahead. I treat them as just a way of getting fit. And trying to guess which players really are possible contenders for some starts this season - Mirallas at right back maybe?!

Silva and Brands said at the end of the season that they had identified there targets in the transfer window and wouldnt be leaving it late to sign the players as they did last season. Well they got Gomes and added Delph, but I think a blind man could see we need a couple of strikers. Last season we had Bernard and Walcott and Richarlison and DCL playing in a front 3, and as I said earlier of those forwards only Richarlison got into double figures.

Surely if we hope to break into the top 6 then additions to the front 3 should be our main priority. I believe unless we do sign a couple of goalscoring forwards we will struggle to better our position last season.

I'm looking forward to the presentation this evening, I'll be going with an open mind.

There has been a lot of chopping and changing as most clubs are doing in pre-season giving youngbloods and new signings opportunities besides building up match fitness so I suppose we shouldn't be too critical until after the first few Premier League games but it is hard to see the same guys up front doing anything different.

Did you not see the chances he made for others and the space he created for others to exploit? Well, neither did they... but chances and space he did make. So maybe your sarcasm should be directed elsewhere.