there are some fans who think both Mowbray and Speakman are doing a bad job. Not sure how both can be true. Could argue one or the other if you really wanted but not both! Not saying this season is exceeding expectations, but it’s a hell of a lot better than it could have been.
Id be keeping Simms and looking to add a 3rd striker and ideally genuine competition for Patterson. Going on the principle of 2 players for each position: GK: Patterson, Bass RB: Huggins, Hume, Gooch CB: Ballard, Wright CB: Batth, O'Nien LB: Cirkin, Alese CM: Evans, Michut CM: Neil, Ba, Matete RW: Diallo, Roberts CAM: Pritchard, Embleton LW: Clarke, Dajaku CF: Stewart, Simms In an ideal world: Sell Dajaku and replace (which seems mad seeing as he's had so little game time). or use Gooch as 4th winger. Does Hume maybe need a loan? Sell Wright and replace Buy an experienced keeper Add a 3rd striker - maybe one that can play wide so can be a possible replacement for Dajaku Matete is an interesting one - he's looked OK in the games he's played, but he's clearly not in TM's plans. I think he has some potential so would possibly look to loan him out to a top end L1 team for rest of season
I don't get the Speakman hate - the bloke has done an outstanding job, but haters gotta hate. I have people who still tell me that teh Jan transfer window last season was "horrific"
A player playing and doing well in Premier league for a London based team? Will it happen? No there is, no chanc! Which is why I have said all along we aren't replacing Stewart never mind how much cash we get and we aren't doing it with the model we want. Certain players shouldn't be for sale in the model imo. Stewart is in that bracket!
Pressure off with a few games left would have suited me at the start, be over the moon with a mid table place and a few more good halves in the second half of the season. OaU
Be nice to see the second half of the season have more matches where we are dominant throughout and don't have as many games of two halves. So consistency would be nice to see and string together a decent run of wins once or twice!
I am happy enough. If Stewart had been fit I think we would be in tne top 6. It is not impossible to still do that if Stewart stays. When you account for many of our players having very little experience at this level we are doing really well and so are they. A striker to back up Stewart, not Simms, in Jan and we are looking good. If Pritch is away then we need to find someone with experience to play in there. You could see yesterday the game awareness of Diallo and Clarke just isnt there and without Pritch to marshall them the pressure on Evans and Neil is massive. That 10 role in a front is critical to slowing down the opposition getting to a midfield 2. Pritch is a master at it.
I'd say that when we are good we can match anyone. But the youth and lack of Championship experience has cost us a few times, as has the injury load. January, and the clubs ability to attract and retain should decide if we can exceed mid table , ( for me upper middle eight is what I'd hoped for). I'd think we should be able to keep above the worst of the fray at the bottom. But it's a tough league. It would have been interesting to see where we would have been if Stewart hadn't got injured, but that's all ifs and buts. Considering the injuries, I'd say we were at least par at the moment, probably above it.
