Cherries: Pugh pleased with team's pre-season form (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Cherries: Pugh pleased with team's pre-season form
7:00am Friday 30th July 2010 in
MARC Pugh believes Cherries’ impressive pre-season form will stand them in good stead for another fast start to their league campaign.
Pugh has turned in a series of eye-catching displays as Eddie Howe’s men have matched Premier League and Championship opposition during their warm-up friendlies.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder, a summer signing from Hereford, has showcased his talents, predominately on the left flank, and has looked an excellent acquisition.
Pugh will be hoping to have done enough to have played his way into the Cherries starting line-up for their League One curtain-raiser at Charlton Athletic a week tomorrow.
The Lancastrian checked Cherries’ flying start to last season when he netted twice for Hereford in a 2-1 win at Edgar Street – after Howe’s side had won eight of their opening nine games in League Two.
Pugh told the Daily Echo: “We have been really pleased with the way we have been performing in pre-season and, if we keep it up, I think the results will come.
“We proved against Derby and Portsmouth that, if we get in amongst them, we can live with teams from the Championship and can go into the game against Charlton full of confidence.
“I thought we played some great stuff against Portsmouth and the manager was chuffed with the way we played, especially in the second half.”
Despite his impressive showings, Pugh knows there is no guarantee he will get the nod for Cherries’ opener at the Valley, particularly as Howe is blessed with options in midfield.
“There are no certainties in football,” said Pugh. “You have got to impress in training every day and in the games.
“Competition is great. You have got to perform and impress in every game and, if you do, you will play week in, week out. It is important to have everyone on top of his game.
“We have played a few times with a lone striker and, if the midfield get up to support him, I don’t see why we can’t score a lot of goals. We have had lots of chances in pre-season and we need to get people in the box to put them away.
“There is going to be a big crowd against Charlton and we have got to impress. The manager has brought in a few players and everyone has settled in well and we have gelled.
“For me, it is a big step from last season when I was playing away at Accrington Stanley. Charlton and Southampton are both big clubs and have been in the Premier League in the past few years.
“We have got nothing to lose and have just got to play with confidence and belief. It is important we pick up points in the early games of the season and then we can push on from there.
“Every minute of pre-season has been a joy. It has been tough but all the lads are raring to go and, hopefully, we can start well and give a good account of ourselves at Charlton.”
Pugh is expected to feature when Cherries complete their pre-season friendly fixtures at Dorchester tomorrow (3pm).
Comments(15)
snake hips
says...
8:35am Fri 30 Jul 10
Square Old Codger
says...
8:53am Fri 30 Jul 10
kangman2012
says...
11:14am Fri 30 Jul 10
Square Old Codger wrote:Don't ask me why but I have a funny feeling in my water that we might not be as short on strikers at the beginning of the season as everybody seems to think. As the character "Oddball" in the film "Kelly's Heroes" says: "Have a little faith baby, have a little faith".
An intersting article and certainly the Squad looks well equipped to do well this Season, though whether with so many of our strikers unvailable through injury we will be able to make as successful a start as last Season, is doubtful. But I hope that I am proved wrong.
denisd
says...
1:07pm Fri 30 Jul 10
I think we will all be pleasantly surprised come Saturday week.
smhinto
says...
1:29pm Fri 30 Jul 10
We may be playing well but I do not feel that we are stong enough up front with just Pitman on his own??? Remenber we have gone back to the division where we originally were and I feel at the moment we are woefully short up front. i.e Piman has yet to prove himself in League One, Lovell will not be match fit for some time, Fletcher will make little imopact in Leage One and Symes in my view is not a League One player despite his 19 goals in Leagie Two last season.
Regards
dc addict
says...
2:04pm Fri 30 Jul 10
smhinto wrote:Give Symes a bit of slack Hinto. I thought he showed some good touches against Spurs and he's been injured since. 19 goals is 19 goals.
Does anybody else beside myself believe that we may need a striker or two in on loan in view of injuries to Lovell, Fletcher and Symes. We may be playing well but I do not feel that we are stong enough up front with just Pitman on his own??? Remenber we have gone back to the division where we originally were and I feel at the moment we are woefully short up front. i.e Piman has yet to prove himself in League One, Lovell will not be match fit for some time, Fletcher will make little imopact in Leage One and Symes in my view is not a League One player despite his 19 goals in Leagie Two last season. Regards
What's wrong with, for the time being, Pitman and Pugh up front?
My worry is at centre back. Ryan Garry WILL be injured at some stage and injury to Jason Pearce will leave us very exposed because we simply don't have the cover. I just don't think that Shaun Cooper, our only alternative, is big enough for this league.
denisd
says...
2:53pm Fri 30 Jul 10
We have to believe that the chosen players have the potential to be brought up to scratch by the training team and will prove themselves.
My concern is the injuries our players seem to get. I don't know if we are better or worse than other teams but we do seem to get more than our fair share of injuries.
garymcm
says...
3:35pm Fri 30 Jul 10
denisd
says...
4:08pm Fri 30 Jul 10
garymcm wrote:Well said Gary
Didn't take long for the doom and gloom to come back, the season is a week away and people are already moaning, so much for the high spirits of promotion and new signings. How can anyone know what we will be like until we have kicked the season off, and no I don't expect us to start like last season, that was a club record!!! Let's see where we are after a couple of games and then we will know if we need any lona players or not, but in the mean time the players that got us here deserve their chance and our support.
dc addict
says...
5:29pm Fri 30 Jul 10
denisd wrote:No it's not "well said" at all. Although I disagree with him about on-loan strikers, Hinto's view is a fair one.
garymcm wrote: Didn't take long for the doom and gloom to come back, the season is a week away and people are already moaning, so much for the high spirits of promotion and new signings. How can anyone know what we will be like until we have kicked the season off, and no I don't expect us to start like last season, that was a club record!!! Let's see where we are after a couple of games and then we will know if we need any lona players or not, but in the mean time the players that got us here deserve their chance and our support.Well said Gary
And how can you form any opinion after 2 games !!
Garymcm, your definition of "doom and gloom" really needs re-assessing - unless of course, you are just having a "pop" for the sake of it.
cherrypicker
says...
6:00pm Fri 30 Jul 10
yokel cherry
says...
9:59pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Tezza1965
says...
11:03pm Fri 30 Jul 10
The bookies have us as one of the favourites for the drop..... I don't think so! Play-off candidates I reckon. Place your bets now!!
I was at the Hereford away game last season when we lost 2-1 and witnessed first hand just what a class act Marc is. He tore us to shreds and was the best player on the park by a country mile, scoring both their goals.
If he can replicate that form for us this year he will be as big if not bigger for us than Wade Elliott.
UTCIAD!
garymcm
says...
7:41am Sat 31 Jul 10
dc addict wrote:You argue against yourself, if a couple of games in isn't fair to assess the players then how can now be??(and by a couple I don't actually mean two), it's you who is arguing for the sake of it. I am correct about the doom and gloom, it's already started before the season is underway, this isn't right give the players who got us promotion a chance before writing them off!!
denisd wrote:No it's not "well said" at all. Although I disagree with him about on-loan strikers, Hinto's view is a fair one.
garymcm wrote: Didn't take long for the doom and gloom to come back, the season is a week away and people are already moaning, so much for the high spirits of promotion and new signings. How can anyone know what we will be like until we have kicked the season off, and no I don't expect us to start like last season, that was a club record!!! Let's see where we are after a couple of games and then we will know if we need any lona players or not, but in the mean time the players that got us here deserve their chance and our support.Well said Gary
And how can you form any opinion after 2 games !!
Garymcm, your definition of "doom and gloom" really needs re-assessing - unless of course, you are just having a "pop" for the sake of it.
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wookj1 says...
8:32am Fri 30 Jul 10
That is the headlines teams like Burnley, Grimsby and Darlington receive.
Lets score a few more goals, and even if we let in one or two, "WON BUT PLAYED BADLY" will do me nicely.
That headline each week, plus the 3 points, will make most of the cherries supporters very happy people indeed.
Hope to see Danny H fit and well and back in the team soon.