Yes. I’m sticking with what I’ve said before and that is, that we have a top half squad in terms of individual quality. It’s taken a while to gel (helped recently of course by a better manager) but I did predict this at the start of the season. I fancy us against any team in this division, if we are brave and play the right players. Unfortunately, we have had terrible luck with injuries. As awful as it sounds, we have also played weaker players too often (Fig, Smith, to name a couple). If possible, my first XI would look like this: Ingram Christie Jones McLoughlin Greaves Docherty Seri Tufan Allahyar Oscar Tetteh I’ve had to leave players I rate very highly out of that too. I believe Connolly will help us a lot and it sounds like Malcolm will be a good addition also. I look forward to next season if we don’t make the playoffs this time, but I do fear we may lose a lot of these top players who may not want to take the risk.
I agree we have a top half squad with a bit of good luck thrown in, but a top half squad is much different to a squad capable of getting promoted. The first 11 you just put out could on its day beat anyone as you say, but the consistency and also the quality in depth isn't there in our squad to really push for promotion. We are starting to build a promotion capable squad, but imo we are probably 5/6 players away from it
As long as you have a competent squad it doesn’t really matter if X team has better players than Y team. It’s about how the team itself plays together and functions as a cohesive unit, and how the manager can get the most out of them.
I can understand your caution, given the results. But I’ve decided we are about to go on an incredible run and do a Forest.
It's a bit of both in truth. A good manager can sometimes get a limited squad to overachieve through work rate, discipline and tactical awareness but he can't polish sh1t. If he can integrate the quality with the graft and get the balance right then who knows? But that takes time, and playing Smith and Doc out wide (in the case of the latter after Longman went off- who himself looked a bit predictable) shows how limited we are still in terms of options out wide.
I haven’t read the thread, and this will likely be an unpopliar onion, and also qualifying that I had the game on but wasn’t sitting and watching, probably caught 60-70% of it. I didn’t think it was a bad performance. I think we played better, created more and better chances. About 15 mins in we had a spell where we created some excellent chances in the space of 2-3 minutes and could easily have bagged a few goals. Tufan changed the game, and there really can be no argument any longer about whether he should be starting or not. I am not too upset. We look good.
Keeper, left back, right sided centre back, 2 central midfielders and a winger. I’d say you’re spot on. Most of our squad are good enough to be squad players in a top 6 push, but definitely need to be moving a few of them on in summer.
We certainly didn't deserve to lose, as some have suggested, but we really do need to be scoring the first goal at home, making them come out and play, not letting in a sloppy one so they can sit in with 9 behind and turn the game into a defence vs attack training session whilst time-wasting for 70 mins.
To need 2 more central midfielders when we've already got **** loads is a joke (I don't disagree though) LR has been bigging up Slater, but I don't see it. I used to be a big fan but I'm not sure what type of midfielder he is now.
Longman was behind the only chances we created in the first half. Slater needs to pull the trigger with some of the positions he ends up finding himself in. He had one go in the first half that rocked them and lead to a good save. Seri was poor today, but by his own high standards it's not the end of the world. Christie seemed off it today but at least made good runs at them. Greaves seemed to hardly overlap today but they sat that deep I can kind of understand why. Thought Doc played well enough. Wish Ingram would come off his line and claim the ball more often. Smith off Oscar can work. Smith out wide is wasted. Oscar had little to work with but played well enough when he got his chances. Tufan clearly needs to start. Tetteh too if fitness is acceptable. It's as if we're starting what's almost a B team then tweaking it into an A team with 20 minutes to go, inevitably chasing the game. Start strong, increase the chance of taking the lead and then coast it, picking them off on the counter; should be the model for home games. Prior to injuries, Tufan, Tetteh and Oscar were building some great partnerships that were leading to chances and goals. We need them on the pitch together.
Not good enough. Liam, play your best 11. Don't **** about bringing on the likes of Tufan and Tetteh when we are a goal down. Stop ****ing about and start with the best players we have.
Every game is a risk. What do you want to do, wrap him up in cotton wool. Alright leave him on the bench and do **** all about changing it. Sorry Sid but you're talking bollocks.
I want to ease him back in as Rosie is doing so when he's back playing 90 minutes in the next game or two he can actually contribute for 90 minutes and not injure himself and miss the season. It's pretty basic and I'm not talking bollocks.
Not having that Syd.. I'f he's fit then start him. Wrapping them in cotton wool is foolish when we can potentially get into the playoffs. In football players are merely assets to achieve a goal. If one gets injured you just find another one
Syd's right and it's a pretty basic thing. We missed Allahyar today, his dynamism gives us something else and we really can't afford to lose others like him. Play offs were always a stretch anyway so let's take it steady, and get some partnerships built
