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Team mates,

What can be said about today? We should have been able to knock everything up a gear or two when required; but, we didn't, and look what what happened. We got our arses kicked.

I'm critical of the approach by some players. All those who turn up should be 100% focussed, and super-focussed when they're at the table.

The minimum we need is for each player to take responsibility to win 50% of their games. Then, all things being equal, we need the big guns to try for 3 in 4, or as Brendan demonstrated very well, 4 in 4. After this, once we've secured the 23 frames required for victory, then we can play a more open game.

The GLC squad is looking to win the Regional Championships this year. The C Team should make the very best contributions every shot and step of the way to help achieve this ambition.

At this level, especially when close fighting for each frame as we had to, we should only make shots that we're 95% certain of; anything below this threshold, then play safe.

I know that Team selection is going to prove difficult this year with the trickle down effect of A players on the B team, and in turn, B players on the C team. This is the way it is now. This is the strategy that has been initiated to get GLC onto the Winner's Podium. So we'll all have to get used to it.

Arguably our hardest fixture is next - away against Kent (22March). As such, the Team has to be the best available. We have about seven weeks to get match fit. So think about how you played today. Think about what you did right; more importantly though, think about what you did wrong, and try to remove such shots/tactics/risks from your game.

There will be a practice session at JFKs on the Wednesday prior to each fixture. Attendance is now mandatory, and it is in your best interests to be there as the sessions are competitive, monitored, logged, and will influence heavily team selection for the Bs and Cs. Travel arrangements are also

It'd be good if others could post their opinions about today's defeat, and anything else constructive.

As I said to some today, today was a hard lesson for the team to learn, but it's better that we were taught it today, at the beginning of the season when we can deal with it, rather than later on when it might be more crucial to our standing.

Ok, this is the end of my rant. Thanks all for turning up, and for putting points on the board, albeit not quite enough.

regards

Peter

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not the start i expected from the C team either.
with the squad you have , you can only get stronger once you find your feet. it was/is understandibly hard to sttle so quick with so many to choose from and so many unknowns.
i was pleased that bri who came down from the B's gave a good account of himself and dissapointed with alex only getting 1 out of 4. these 2 players will get there chance to play in the B's in our next match with kent and hopefully bri can put in as good a performance and alex will raise his game ( he will have to ).
So in turn , in the next match against kent , you will be getting 2 different players plus 2 others who hopefully retun to the squad after not being availible for selection this time round , which were tony baily due to a family bereavement and ronnie sharp who had to work. this undoutedly will give you a bigger headache with selection on who playes for you but will without question make you an even stronger force to be reconed with.
i have high hopes for all 3 mens squads this year even though this is a new selection process we have implimented . but remember people , this process is a 2 year plan, by next season everyone will have a full understanding of it and i expect us all to win our divisions in 2010.
20-24 does not mean the title is over , London A did lose home and away 2 seasons in a row to surrey and still won the region both years . dont give up boys , stay focused .

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Unlucky gents :( 20-24 isn't devastating of course but from the sounds of it we threw away a lot of frames by going for it when it wasn't on?

Just a thought re: practice sessions - the competitive winner-stays-on format we've got is great on its own terms (assessing / distinguishing player quality) but I'm wondering if we can add some discussion/coaching on shot selection, tactics and percentage play as well. Sometimes unless it's spelled out for people, all the practice in the world won't make them realise why the wrong shot is the wrong shot. I know I'd still be a 6-ball player now if I didn't have very helpful people telling me exactly where I was going wrong with shot selection - in particular I learned a ton when playing as Peter's partner in the doubles tournament, with him spelling out which shots to go for as we were playing. I'm trying to instill in my uni team that a missed shot is forgivable, but taking the wrong shot isn't, and the improvement from them in just a few months has been huge. I appreciate the standard of the county C team is already very high of course, but I still think some kind of coaching would be useful, especially given Peter's evaluation of the Berkshire match.

Just my 2 cents, feel free to ignore the noob :)

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Was disappointing not to nick it in the end but definately a good day out. I think it's always going to be tough when players are turning up not sure if they are going to start or even get a run in the second half. I'm not sure if it would be feasible to have teams finalised prior to the actual County date, at least that way we can set the expectation particularly if players are travelling a significant distance to attend.

I think one area that cost us dearly is covering bags, players were going for the right shot but still leaving a gap for their opponent to either get in behind or knock it in easy and might have tipped the scales in a couple of frames.

re the comments about shot selection, Scotch doubles is a fantastic way to improve and see the set from a different perspective, particularly if table talk is allowed.

Hope everyone made it home ok, I must remember to leave before the trains stop! :wrong:

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re coaching: another reason for me playing all B and C team players first to 15.
after each frame where i think the player did something wrong or in my opinion could of done different. i always have a quick chat after those frames during the match.

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B and C team practising together on Weds before a match can only be a good thing, particularly if the more experienced players are on hand to assist, and I think the performance on the night should be a factor when selecting the Teams for the Sunday.
The issue of reserves is a tricky one, particularly for the C team. My personal view is that all teams should attempt to play their best 11, and these players should be given all 4 frames each. Any reserves on the day,(perhaps 2 or 3), for the C's could expect to play in the next match, coming in for those who played poorly previously.

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not sure i agree with this staement regarding the C team, but i do see your point, and the more i think of it , the more i am warmimg to it. maybe with 5 reserves to also allow for no shows.

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I think 2 or 3 should be fine, as they could realistically expect to play the next match, where 5 would be unlikely to, and if there are "no shows"then they could come straight in. Don't forget we have the Juniors as reserves aswell.

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true.

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I was expecting the Berkshire match to be tough but agree that we should have done better, especially after being up 7-4 at the end of the first session.

I think that one of the problems was that we weren't making enough noise. Some of you may remember the away match against Kent last year when we made plenty of noise and were 17-16 up at the end of the 3rd session. Someone told us we were making too much noise and we fell apart in the final session to lose 23-21. That's the difference a bit of noise can make.

There has been some discussion above about how many reserves to take to a match and whether reserves should play. I think it's probably worth me saying how things worked last year.

On about the Thursday before a match Jerry would give me a provisional idea of how many players he was giving from the B Team or which C Team players he would be taking. This would then be firmed up 10 minutes before the match was due to start and I would typex out names from the Team sheet and add others. To give you an idea of the scale of the problem from my point of view the B Team might give me as many as 5 players or might take as many as 6 C Team players.

OK, it’s not usually that bad but there wasn’t a single match where I didn’t need the typex.

It could be that the new system that John is implementing will make a difference here, time will tell.

The Wednesday practice session gives me a problem because I play in the Lewisham Wednesday Pool League. We have the Semi-Finals of the Team Knockout on the 18th March. As a consequence I will not be there unless my Team is knocked out before that. Also I would not expect Tony Bailey, Steve Krishnan, Andre Cox, Mark Eldridge or Paul Saxton to be there.

Why does it have to be a Wednesday? OK there isn't a day when it wouldn't be inconveniencing someone but it could be spread about a bit.

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it doesn't matter what day its done, there will always be people that cant come.

Mondays , croydon league and brixton league
Tuesdays , croydon league and waterloo league
Wednesday's , lewisham league
Thursdays, JFKs singles league and Thursdays league.
Fridays and Saturdays are weekends that people like to have time off from pool if there none on during sat and sun during the days. and the club is busy on them nights and it wouldn't be good , business wise to use the tables on those nights and give them away for free.

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Jeremy et al,

Sorry about being slow in coming back to you on this. On-site alot at the mo', so away from the WWW.
Anyway, squad selection is always a headache, especially this year when the trickle down effect we have from the As and Bs being more amplified than before.

To be blunt, I don't think there is a perfect solution to the problem inherent in being the C team. (Apart from improving enough and moving up to the Bs).

The Kent away game is almost a home fixture as Rochester is only a short hop away. So, all those players who wish to show their determination to keep playing (or being available to play) for C team, must at the very least turn up. This way, we get to see who is keen and willing to travel.

We always hit problems with the more distant away fixtures. Maybe for these we need to be very specific with team selection prior so that we can arrive 100% fully loaded.

Kent is a hard match, but a great venue. Those players who turn up and don't get a game may have to use the time to set up a practice session on adjacent tables. Not ideal, but better than twiddling your thumbs doing nothing.

It's like JK said at the intro meeting. If players don't show team spirit by supporting their comrades (by playing the fruit machines etc.) then they shouldn't bother turning up.

This is serious County Pool that London should excel in. Our performance v Berks was lousy. We need to go to Kent with a team wanting blood and a trophy. Team, please bear in mind that this is a campaign; it's ten months of committment, practice and performance. If you can't deliver, then make it easy on the selectors and step down.

If you can, then F*n A! Let's get stuck in.

We shouldn't whittle down the playlist too soon as there are very good players amongst us who just need the opportunity to have a go. My suggestion is that we stick with JK's method up to the season's half way point. At this time, everyone should have had a few frames, and the opportunity to prove themselves.
At this point we can afford then to be harsh and cut out the dead wood, and progress the second half of the season with a lean, mean cueing machine.

All comments welcome.

regards to all.

Peter

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We could still do with a few more people making comments on all this.

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I think if it was down to me I'd want to have subs listed for the C team,
and to use them if anyone wasn't playing well in the first 2 frames (maybe
even if they'd won a frame). At least for the first few matches of the season,
until all the new players have had a chance.

I know we've moved away from that in the As and Bs, but the Cs are
different because 1) there's nowhere else for unused players to go
(no D team) and 2) there are more new players that we don't know
about. Not only should we make sure that they get a chance,
but we also want to make sure that we (the County) get the
chance to see how they perform in a County shirt.

An alternative would be to get a few fringe players to play each other
before the match to see who got to play. I know that's only feasible if
one can get them there in time, but I don't think it'd be unreasonable
to ask players to turn up early in order to give them all a shout.

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Fair point Rupert about maybe having pre-qualifier prior to the match on the day. I can see merit in this, as it ensures players get a game if they're on form on the day.

Perhaps though that this couldn't work on away games as few would be prepared to travel just for the pre qualifier, sad but true.

John K's system of having a group bash on the Weds before the event goes someway to testing the players, but the system isn't only limited to C team players. It's also B v C. Which provides a harder, more testy environment.

Again though, this might be a bit unfair to some players if they get drawn in a tough group.

Really there is no perfect solution to this selection dilemma. New candidates to the Cs will have to grit their teeth and wait for the opening.

Leastways until the first half of the season is over and team selection can be more scientifically/statistically made.

I agree with you that all those who qualified at the trials should get a fair crack at the whip at some point soon.

Let's see who turns up Wednesday. All welcome.

P.