Panic over: Scunthorpe 0-1 Imps

I recall a few weeks ago reading a raft of messages fretting around Lincoln’s transfer business, but after defeating League One play-off side Scunthorpe in the final pre-season friendly of the summer, I think we can safely assume the panicking was all for nothing.

I’ve had to follow events from a beach on the Isle of Wight, hence the low number of articles over the last day or two. There’s worse places to be, although as an aside you can perhaps blame me for the weather change. The last time it rained I was on holiday on Lindisfarne, we come to the IoW for a weekend and it rains again. I’ll keep you informed when we go away in future so you know not to.

I’ve seen a bit said about the Imps starting line up and, in the absence of any views from the game, that is what has driven me to get the laptop out whilst I’m away. All summer I’ve been utterly convinced Danny is planning a three centre back tactic, with wing backs and then a flexible approach further up the field. We haven’t seen it all summer, but I think there’s a reason.

I suspect there is a degree of subterfuge, a reluctance to play in the formation against the bigger clubs we’ve faced to retain the element of surprise for visiting scouts. Danny has been very good at diversion, misdirection and the like, whether it was the Ben Nugent saga drawing attention away from the likes of Juan Luque, to his reticence in press conference’s to give anything away. I’m still of the belief his preferred approach this season involves more across the back and better players pushing forward.

Tactically we’re blessed with a manager who not only tries different set ups, but uses them regularly once he does. He makes the team fit the players to a degree, he certainly did when he first arrived. Last season we started without Rheady as a focal point remember, but the recruitment in the summer was all about wingers. The JMD experiment didn’t work and slowly but surely we resorted back to the diagonal ball because we needed to, This summer how many wingers have we been linked with, and I mean out and out wide players? None? That suggests the 4-4-2 of last season is gone, but will there be a 3-4-3, a 4-3-3 or something more exotic like a 3-1-2-1-1-2 (that is a joke btw)?

I think Danny liked the way we started last season, conceding few goals but the offshoot was we struggled to score. With Bozzie and Woodyard protecting the back four we looked strong and the goals against only really flowed once we upset that partnership, around the time Josh Vickers got injured. This season we seem to be looking at the same number of players in the middle of the defensive third, but set up differently. With either O’Connor or Bostwick protecting a flat back three, with more emphasis on the wing backs to get forward.

That relies on us having a rich array of attacking talent and on paper we have that. McCartan’s capture was a real bonus so soon after John Akinde, but along with the likes of Green, Pett, Andrade and Rhead we have more options that at any point under Danny’s tenure. It’s exciting to see, there’s no two people who will name exactly the same starting line up and tactics at the minute. I’ll be doing something along those lines later this week, offering my opinion, but with such a great mix and more to come in, the personnel shouldn’t be an issue.

I would imagine Danny would like another defensive player, whether that is in the middle of the park or possibly right-sided. It looks very much as though Juan Luque is on the verge of earning himself a deal too, which is the interesting ‘project’ I had hoped for earlier in the summer. I know I’m a little fixated on the whole Mo Eisa thing, but you don’t find a player like Eisa if you don’t take the odd risk. Luque looks to have a certain physicality that will be an asset, a bullish build along the Harry Anderson lines, he’s direct and he will offer versatility too.

To go to a League One side fielding a strong starting XI and win 1-0 is noteworthy, not so much at the beginning of July but certainly as a final warm up match. I’m not a fan of friendlies as you know, not as a competitive spectacle, but the final one is perhaps a little more fiercely contested than the rest. To all intents and purposes it is the most intense game of the summer and therefore the result is perhaps more important than the rest.

Of course, a Scott Wharton header shows we’ve retained some approaches from last season, we’ll certainly be a threat from set pieces and signing Scott on a season-long loan was another piece of astute business. He’s going to be a top player when he’s served his time with us, Blackburn are incredibly lucky to have him, as are we. Not being there today means I can’t pass judgement on his performance, but I reckon ‘d be on safe ground to say it looked as though he’d never been away. To think, I was underwhelmed when he signed on deadline day, thinking he was no more than cover.

I appreciate it wasn’t a ‘proper’ game, I know that things will be very different in a week’s time but still, this was a nice way to round off a very challenging set of games. City played just one side they were expected to beat in a pre-season more focused on finding faults than a winning formula. I believe that Danny knows the formula, he knows what the players can do and he wanted to see what they couldn’t do and where their limitations might be. There’s never going to be a glut of wins when you open against a side featuring a £10m forward, then face a Hull side only out of the top flight for a short while, a promotion winning side from last season and a Championship play-off side two years out of the last three. Even the final game today was against a successful side from 2017/18. This was never going to be a summer about winning games, but a fact-finding mission for a manager hell-bent on improving each and every single day.

When I look at the squad from that Norwich game and the squad today, I can’t help but be impressed with the summer business. However, the comings and goings have also been accompanied by Ellis Chapman’s run in the side. His start this afternoon suggests he’s going to get much more game time this season than last. I noted the D3D4 podcast had him as one to watch in our division, which is a wise pick. from what I’ve seen he’s first team quality, but I know Danny will manage him carefully. I don’t expect Ellis to start against Northampton, but I do expect him to be on the bench and perhaps play at Port Vale in the EFL Cup. As he comes of age, he’ll be as important as any player we’ve signed this summer, I’m sure of that.

Once I’m back I’ll be doing a review of the pre-season campaign as well as looking ahead at League Two with my predictions for 1 to 24. Last year I called City seventh and as you know, I was spot on. This year, as an established League Two side, you might be forgiven for expecting me to predict a little higher.

I would liked to have been there today so I could bring you the usual coverage but I’ve been at the wedding of my lifelong friend Craig Rowson and his infinitely better half, Tina. Craig and I have known each other since primary school and I wanted to end today by offering my congratulations to them both. It’s been a privilege to share their day with them and we wish them a long and happy life together.

Thanks to Graham Burrell for the pictures