The way I see it, yes we are a better team but not by much. Michu- Gomis (michu so far) JDG-Siggy (Siggy) Chico-Fernandez (par) Hernandez-montero (montero) Canas-Ki (ki) Vorm-Fab (fab) Davies-not replaced Ngog-olivera (olivera) So yea IMO we have better players but without Bony we're now not a better team Our success relies on Gomis hitting the back of the net, something I think he won't do.
In our entire existence we've never had a squad, until this season. Up until this season we've had no more than a starting 11 (if lucky) backed by a couple of decent subs but after that..................................NOTHING. My gripe is that this, our very first squad, is not big enough to absorb the attritional effects of regular injuries and the constant flow of suspensions its had to endure. We still need a player or two to bulk it up imo. We've signed a couple but we desperately need a stand out DM. I did think Amat was to cover there but apparently not, so a DM for me is essential. oh yes, and a bucket for that drip Gomis.
Last season we stayed competitive in the FA Cup, Europa Cup & Premier League with up to 10 first choice players unavailable. Players came in and knew their roll, players came in and were at the very least competent, players came in & played a system. We not only had a squad we had a better squad - we may have a couple of slightly better players this season but we don't have abetter team.
I'd take issue with your comparisons - here is what I believe to be the case Bony - Gomis (Bony) Michu- Siggy (michu so far) JDG - Ki (Par) Shelvey - last season Shlevey (par) Leon - last season Leon (last season Leon) Chico-Fernandez (par) Hernandez-montero (Pablo - Montero hasn't done enough YET) Canas- Carroll (Carroll) Vorm-Fab (fab) Davies- Taylor (Davies) Vasquez -olivera (not enough game time to judge but even I'm not as poor as Vasquez - so Oli) Rangel - last season Rangel (last season Rangel) Williams - last season Williams (Williams) Dyer - last season Dyer (last season Dyer) Routledge - last season Routledge (last season Routledge) Poz - Emnes (par - only because they are so different) Last season sneaks it.
Happy with everything apart from Siggy completely smokes the Michu of last season - mainly because Michu was injured for 75% of it, I know. But 6 goals and countless assists is already much more than Michu achieved last term. Careful how you word it the rest though. "Older" kind of hints that you prefer the 'older in age' version of those players rather than the 'past' version. Old Dyer, Routledge, Williams, Rangel and Britton are certainly shadows of their 2 years younger versions. Age has caught them and we should be looking to replace them all in the next 12 months in my opinion. For them, I see their poor performance as an age thing rather than a management thing. The rest of the squad don't have that excuse.
Isn't really about how a squad gels and plays as a team? The number of changes that have been made to the squad this season is clearly a major factor.
Cheers got that completely backwards - only Williams who, imo, was poor for much of last season is slightly better this.
Our squad has improved in 1 or 2 areas with the players and that is due to circumstances of players on contract need to move out before they can be replaced. Everything about the club and the running of the club has improved massively. Everything outside the club is getting worst with parking and traffic on match days and that will need urgent attention before the club can ever dream of expanding to the level that is required. The club is financially sound but still needs investment to buy the calibre of players needed as the wages is a major hindrance when attracting players..( it gets harder and more expensive every season) This is why monk keeps getting praised and rightly so as he has to run his squad of not the best players in the world and get them to play good football to a standard that will keep us in the premiership and where we are and have been all season says he is doing a brilliant job....
Sorry but Bony has only been missing for one game so far, so as of now you can't compare. Michu and siggy are no comparison, if you where to select a team with last years players and this years it would look like this: Fab (Vorm) Rangel, Fab (Chico) Ash Taylor (Davies) Defence Leon, Ki (Canas) Dyer, Siggy (JDG), Monterro (Hernandez) Bony/Gomis, (Michu) so: Ki (Canas) CM/CDM Monterro (Hernandez) RW Siggy (JDG) CAM Gomis, (Michu) ST
Not really when you know how Chico behaved behind the scenes, he had a definite discipline issue the same as Shelvey, and on the pitch he could be a clown of the highest order, not professional enough for me, and I stand by the comparison, you can disagree all you like, it's all about opinions............
Chico was fine behind the scenes - certainly no worse than our current manager's or many other players - at least it was on the training ground not on the pitch. His discipline was far better than Shelvey's - Jonjo looks for trouble. Chico was sent off largely due to John Terry, for an innocuous challenge and he took a second booking for the team for another dismissal. Clown? What a nasty comment about a player who loved the club and fans. If the only way to get the ref to notice you are on the receiving end of ABH is to make a fuss - make a fuss. Many fans took their cue on Chico from what our current manager had to say - as they did when he stirred muck over Sousa and Laudrup - there again Monk is English and the people he had problems with were all foreigners. Join the dots.
Don't agree with that, JDG never really played for us in the AM role, he always found himself further back. Last season, our ideal starting line up for me personally was Vorm Rangel - Chico - Ash - Davies Britton - JDG Dyer - Hernandez - Routledge Bony Pablo always did better in the middle than he did outwide due to his style, I always felt he was one of our better players, granted his first touch let him down at times, as did his short passing, but as a player who could create chances, there was no better in our team IMO. You also list Michu as our first choice striker under ML, or are you forgetting that Bony was our top scorer last season too? A few times he tried playing Bony up front with Michu behind in his preferred position, but due to injuries and fitness issues, they never really got the chance to gel, which for me, was our bad luck as I think they would have been a force to reckon with, such as the link up play between Siggy and Bony this season. I think Michu/Bony would have been a better combo. As for comparisons to this. For me: Vorm -> Fab = There is no doubting that Vorm was a good keeper, and I was disappointed when Fab came, but he has proved me wrong, and I do love that he is good in the air. A step up, but not a great deal in it, as Vorm was much a better distributor of the ball which would help us open the pitch up. Chico -> Fernandez = Chico for me, we have gone downwards IMO, as much as Chico could be a loose cannon, and his rolling was annoying, he was a cracking CB who would get in the faces of the opposition, we don't have that now IMO, a player willing to unsettle the strikers like Chico could. Davies -> Taylor = Davies, however Taylor is still one of my personal favourites and am really looking forward to see him keep growing. JDG -> Ki = I was never JDG's biggest fan, but then thats because I never liked him in this role, preferred him further up the pitch. Ki however has been our best player this season for me. So Ki wins this hands down for me. The scary thing is, out of Ki and JDG in that role at first, JDG was better. And he was only getting better in fairness. This a Ki/JDG pairing would have worked well for us this season. Hernandez -> Siggy = Siggy, and its only just, and primarily to do with the injury time Pablo had, I find both players suited the role, but Pablo never really managed to get a solid run in the team as injury hampered him, and he always took a few games to get back into the swing of things. By which time he would get injured again. There was a reason why even through injury, many liked Pablo, because they could see his potential, we just never really got chance to enjoy it for long enough.
Players come and players go and that's life. forget looking for negatives and think of the positives. We are not in the top half for being a bad team are we....
No we're there because of player attitude (so sayeth the Monkster), which has been eroding since the start of the season.
'It's all about survival for the foreseeable future and has been since monk took over...." "Our squad is an ageing with not very good standard in some cases and some are lower premiership standard. we only have a keeper and ash and ki who are quality" Recognise those words?
