Just an update on our 1st team squad at present. GK Robert Green GK Alex McCarthy DF Nedum Onuoha (captain) DF Steven Caulker DF Clint Hill (club captain) DF Yun Suk-young DF Darnell Furlong DF Jack Robinson DF Cole Kpekawa MF Samba Diakité MF Armand Traoré MF Massimo Luongo MF Karl Henry MF Alejandro Faurlín MF Michael Doughty MF Ben Gladwin MF Frankie Sutherland MF Junior Hoilett MF Michael Petrasso MF Brandon Comley FW Jamie Mackie FW Jay Emmanuel-Thomas FW Sebastian Polter FW Tyler Blackwood FW Reece Grego-Cox On loan: MF Sandro DF Michael Harriman Expected to leave before window shuts: MF Matt Phillips MF Leroy Fer FW Charlie Austin Doesn't make good reading.
Looks fine to me In Faurlin and Henry we have two of the best midfielders in the league The two Swindon boys look tip top I think Diakite has an energy that if he contains it could be a big surprise I see goals above and hoilett is a great championship player YSY is very good also We have great keepers Good defenders And the three players expected to be sold are still with us so today it looks fine if they go then we will have money we can do without them IMO Very excited to see our first CR side Win or lose its a new start and with that we should destroy any false expectations we had I sense a team will be built for the first time in a long time You could list out a team of top names and then five of them get crocked
Out of that lot only Faurlín (& Fer) can control a football with their first touch We are going to need to battle and have pace I fancy us to do OK but at times be quite quite terrible
Agreed....... But I must ask what does MF Next to Sandro stand for? I have a good idea but just wanted to confirm.
The ´god damn´ part was also omitted The squad doesn´t look like it will tear up the Chumpionchip but then do we expect to?
Certainly doesn't make good reading & with McCarthy looking likely to go we have a long way to go to fill our squad, at the moment I don't see enough goals in the team & the defence is looking paper thin & can see us struggling to keep clean sheets.
Looks like mediocrity to me, but if Austin, Fer and Phillips go and the money is used for three or four wise buys, who knows?
Kwpeka, Doughty, Sutherland, Petresso, Grego-Cox and Blackwood can't really be considered as first team players, yet. We will always be looking to get players better than all of them in if we are to go up. I, personally, still think we are three or four players short of a good team. We need another centre back, winger, striker and attacking midfielder (providing Austin and Fer go). If Phillips goes we need two wingers.
As everyone is well aware, we need one or two good defenders to add to the list above, but I trust CR and SLF to be working on that. They're not complete mugs! I wouldn't complain at a more clinically proven striker, but as we are trying to prove with Austin, they are not cheap and easy to find! I imagine JET, Mackie and Polter could all get 10-12 goals over the season, but would be really nice to have one striker that we can absolutely rely on to put away the chances created by Luongo, Gladwin, Faurlin and Samba.
seen on WestLondon news....Chery about to sign, Sandro issues ressolved. now unless I am mistaken these are both midfielders..not defenders. Have I mentioned at all....WE NEED DEFENDERS Am I the only person to have noticed our defence amounts to DF Nedum Onuoha (captain) DF Steven Caulker DF Clint Hill (club captain)...VERY OLD DF Yun Suk-young DF Darnell Furlong DF Jack Robinson INJURED DF Cole Kpekawa YOUNGSTER We have one set (ie 4 defenders)...and Clint on the bench!!! This is just plain ridiculous
Well Lugano, Gladwin and JET definitely can trap a ball and this Tjaronn Chery bloke who looks likely to sign looks like he's got plenty about him (Skip the first 40 odd seconds) I'd imagine we'd line up With a similar formation to our championship winning team. One out and out striker, and Gladwin or Chery playing off him Personally think Phillips will stay but if he doesnt. Along with Fer, Austin and the Sterling money that is £42m of money in a pot for us to dip into. If this Polter turns out to be half decent, i think we are a good right back and left winger away from having the best first 11 in the league. Certainly with a proper right back We have the best back 5 in the league. Then Lugano, Faurlin Gladwin, Chery Phillips Polter and we have a good side. With more additions and quality to follow. Understand wh some might be slightly nervous because we are still thin on numbers but if Ramsey does his bit then anything less than a promotion push is a failiure
"Certainly with a proper right back We have the best back 5 in the league." This would be Green, Yun, Caulker and Ned...do us a favour!!! And when one gets injured or suspended....Clint??? There is of course the German trialist (cannot remember his name) , he might turn out to be OK??? Not the best back 5 in the league , no way...League 2 maybe...
I think the squad is average at best for the Championship - Alejandro Faurlín will be injured again within 3 months (unfortunately) The "good times" if you can call it that re a few times in the premier league are over - Sorry boys and girls expect 5 - 7 years in this league.......... Austin and Phillips will leave soon and that's the best edge we had............... Back to good, hard, honest football for the R'ssssssssss........... Do you truly honestly think I'm wrong ???
Steven Caulker is actually better than most think. He is a confidence player, who has excelled in the Championship (remember his header against us for Bristol City?). There is a lot more to come from him. Ned is also a very good Championship defender. As for full backs, yes we need a RB, but Yun on his day is a solid Championship full back who's pace bails him out a lot. If McCarthy stays he is by far and away the best keeper in the league.
I can't believe I'm about to say this but I agree with this, Damage. All except for one minor issue. We never signed Lugano from West Brom. I think you mean Luongo. I wouldn't normally mind, but as it's you Damage...I know you love attention to detail.
I'm cautiously optimistic, by which I mean top 6. I don't think we're near top 2 quality yet. I think some will be surprised by the Swindon pair and JET. I also think Mackie's hard work will complement the flair of JET well. I can see us growing throughout the season, after an average start, to finish in the playoffs.
Beth you do know that the team of the year centre backs last year were Martin and Keogh in this league?! Green nothing further needed to be said. Yun is very good for this level and gets up and down. Onouha as a centre back is without doubt better than those two clowns who got in team of the year. Caulker was ****e in a ****e team but a settled year and he will kick on and hopefully rediscover the sort of form that got him in the England team and made us and Cardiff pay £8m for him (not too many championship centre backs you can expect that of especially young ones who havent passed their peak). And remember Caulker was ****e by prem standards. He's had one bad season in the prem but previous excellent seasons in prem and championship level. Physically strong and full of pace those three. We are obviously going to sign some new defenders to get the numbers up so dont panic about squad depth But as a back 5 be interested which team/players you would pick as better than ours?
I am feeling extremely optimistic and Chery looks very good. Not very many mentions for Gladwin who looks excellent and will be extremely effective on the left wing. Obviously (as Beth may have mentioned) we need to get some defenders in, although Kpekawa has impressed me at RB. He will be very good with some experience under his belt.
