It's a results business. Yes we get results, but seldom in the winners enclosure. The outcome of the next six, four at home, may well determine where we end up come the business end. Blackpool h Middlesbrough h Huddersfield Peterborough h Luton Coventry h
I was initially waiting to see how we did after precisely that run of games, but one goal in 8, in a game we were already well beaten, 12 conceded in the same period and 2 points from the last 8 - makes me think that perhaps we can't wait to make the change as I can't see us getting anywhere near a decent points tally from what should be an inviting run of fixtures as things currently stand.
You have to wonder what McLoughlin has to do to force his way in. So far, I haven’t been convinced by Greaves this season. I think he’s a talented lad but he needs to hit the gym and work on his upper-body strength. He did well against ****e League 1 forwards but Championship ones have and will bully the **** out of him. His shirt doesn’t even look like it fits him properly. He’s still got the physique of an u-18s player. He’s also got this awkward, lanky gait about him on and off the ball. At least Alfie Jones and Bernard look like men playing men’s football. I said it during the match but when you compare Greaves to Souttar, it’s night and day. The former looks like a sixth former wearing his dad’s suit to a job interview and the latter looks like a man playing amongst men. And there’s only a year between them I think!
Worrying that we are going into that nice run of games with McCann still in place. Hopefully we are over-reacting, but the facts suggest not
Fk me just listened to the post match interview by Gollum Lloyd, first time I've wanted to punch both the interviewee and the interviewer !!!!!
No that's completely wrong. People speculated this idea that he wanted to move down South and you've got muddled into thinking that was fact. Facts are we had an option for an extra year on his contract, but the club were quite open that they wouldn't take it up because we wouldn't pay his existing wage, rumoured to be somewhere around 10k as a Championship club. McCann said we'd offered him a different contract on a smaller wage instead. Same with Long. Neither were ever going to accept such an insulting proposal. It was entirely financial. I do keep going on about Burke because it irritated me at the time how happy people were to accept it and it irritates me now that people have forgotten it. That contract situation made it absolutely clear what our ambitions were for this season.
I agree about Greaves (although I'm a bit uncomfortable with negativity aimed at him since our academy talents are one of the only things we've got to enjoy at the moment) but the issue with McLoughlin replacing him is that he's not good enough. He's played in Ireland and half a season at some Scottish club. Even less experienced than Greaves at any meaningful level.
Fair enough if true, and to be fair I don't know either way just going on what was posted on here and other media, so I'll leave it to others that know better lol
I see your point about it being financial - of course it is ultimately but I'm far from convinced he would be the answer. Hardly covered himself in glory last time out in the championship and I don't see how you can have a player only marginally more experienced than the rest of the squad on 4 x as much money without causing its own problems. We should have used the money we saved on an experienced player instead of overloading the midfield with more players of a similar calibre to what we already had. We've essentially brought them in to be left out of the squad.
No I agree, he wouldn't have been the answer. But it says a lot that rather than improving our defence when getting promoted we opted to save money by releasing a starting centre back and getting a cheaper loanee in his place.
I actually quite like Bernard and Greaves as players, but they need guidance on the field of play from someone with nous at the level - that clearly isn't coming from the dugout. Having new midfield signings being left out of the squad and yet still not having quality/experience in both boxes is criminal tbh.
I understand but I’m not slating him by questioning his ability. I remember reading something about Steven Gerrard and that Houllier told him after he made his first-team debut against Blackburn that he’d need to seriously hit the gym and bulk up a bit if he wanted to play senior football as a career. It’s clear Greaves needs to do the same. I think McLoughlin not being good enough is a weird one. Wasn’t he given a new three-year contract recently? His contract was due to run out this summer but he got a new three-year deal in March. His contract not running out until 2024 is longer than anyone else at the club right now. Lots of players have contracts running out next summer or summer 2023 but his is the longest.
Agreed, I’d have swapped one of Smith/Cannon or Longman/Williams plus Bernard for a more experienced defender. We desperately lack a shouty organiser.
https://www.the42.ie/sean-mcloughlin-new-hull-city-contract-5372830-Mar2021/ Here’s what McCann had to say about McLoughlin’s new three-year deal earlier this year. Strange to give a squad player that long of a renewal to just sit on the bench and play the odd cup game, especially since McCann explicitly said he has a ‘bright future’ at the club. He’s 24 now and below three centre-halves younger than him in the pecking order. Personally, I’d like to see him given a run in the league. Grant dropped de Wijs for Greaves so it’s not like he’s afraid of dropping starting players on a bad run of form. I’d even like to see McLoughlin between Jones/Bernard and Greaves in a back 5. That being said, I agree with other posters. Did we really need Matt Smith, Andy Cannon AND Tom Huddlestone? I have the feeling we’d be better off not signing one of them and getting a more experienced centre-half. Even on deadline day, the club was fart-arsing about trying to sign ANOTHER midfielder in Slater rather than strengthening elsewhere. Whether it’s McCann or recruitment, someone isn’t doing their job properly when it comes to prioritising new signings.
I suppose that should be Coyle's job- on today's evidence I'm not sure how he is starting in front of Emmanuel: would say he was the most exposed of the back four, too slow and no pace in front of him in Wilks. I meant to add about the match- troubling to see the players all coming off at half time with heads held low, looking very dispirited. That definitely doesn't bode well so early in the season.
One criticism of McCann from first time around in this league was that he seems to be unable to deal with anyone who challenges his way of thinking. Better managers than him have been able to handle being interviewed on the radio by Burnsy. Gets Burnsy taken off interviews and the next thing he's prickling at Mike White for asking legitimate questions of the lack of goals when you've just broken the club drought record. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that we haven't signed one of those shouty organisers. If he can't handle the woke snowflakes from the bbc, then how is he going to handle a loud voice in the dressing room with proven experience at the current level he and Byrne never really established themselves at?
