A quick comparison between this years squad and last year's squad. I've bolded the player I deem to be superior and would like to hear other people's thoughts/"final scores" Forster vs Forster Stekkers vs SKD SKD vs Gazza Fonte vs Fonte Maya vs Toby Bertrand vs Bertrand Cedric vs Clyne Caulker vs Maya Martina Vs ? Targett vs Targett Vic vs Vic Clasie vs Morgan JWP vs JWP Davis vs Davis Reed vs Reed Tadic vs Tadic Mane vs Mane Jrod vs Djuricic Juanmi vs ? Elia Pelle vs Pelle Long vs Long So 7-4 in my contest. How does yours rate? (No points for a draw) I reckon Targett has improved beyond where he was last year, as has Mane so they both get the nod against themselves. Unfortunately, I think Tadic has gone backwards (mainly due to predictability). If we bring in another CB to partner Jose, then it would be Maya vs Maya and Caulker vs ? which would shift the score further in 2015/2016's further. Add into that another CM and everyone would shift down one place, adding several more points to the 2015/16 boys!
Well Isgrove was the winder in waiting last year before his injury. Do you have a more suitable reserve wing option?
Well seeing as this coming season's squad isn't finished yet, I'd wait until the transfer window closes. But it's a good idea for a thread. A tad too soon for me though. FWIW, I think the squad will end up, on the whole, stronger than last season's.
The battle of the two players with awesome names: Cedric and Nathaniel (The latter makes me think of Jeff Wayne: "No, Nathaniel!") Reputation to anyone who gets the reference
Forgot the loanees!! Still say 2-0 to the 2015/2016 boys though so wouldn't change my overall comparison. Edited anyway for thoroughness sake
I'd like to hear your explanation on how, after one competitive game of this season, you think the 2015/16 Tadic has gone backwards? That's an unbelievable decision based after one game and in the first week of August. This is a player who faded last season due to injury. This is why I just don't get some fans.
I've based it on his form at the start of last season compared to the end of last season and having attended 32/38 games I feel I'm in a good position to judge. Obviously judging after one game would be specious at best. The Tadic of late last year was far too predictable, cutting in on every occasion but without a good enough shot to justify doing so. I also saw him excel several times, both home and away, at the start of the season and he looked a different player who could go both ways. I would love to be proved wrong but how you can call it "unbelievable" is unbelievable in its own right given the way he tailed off. Let's hope it was down to injury but I'd say fatigue was a more likely explanation. So before you start slating people for no reason, why don't you ask for their explanation before proceeding with your monotonous rant.
PARSON: Didn't I warn them this would happen? Be on guard, I said. For the Evil One never rests. I said exorcise the devil. But no, they wouldn't listen. The demons inside them grew and grew. Until Satan gave his signal. And destroyed the world we knew. BETH: No, Nathaniel Oh no Nathaniel! No, Nathaniel, no There must be more to life There has to be a way That we can restore to life The love we used to know Nathaniel, no There must be more to life There has to be a way That we can restore to life The light that we have lost Etc. etc.
It's unbelievable because you have asked people to compare the 2014-15 squad to the 2015/16 squad. What you have done with Tadic is compare the first half of last season to the second half. That's not what you asked. A lot of fans thought Davis tailed off second half v first half, as with Pelle but you rightly keep them equal. The player is the player and I dinfind it amazing that you'd make that judgement using the criteria you laid out for one player but not others. That why I find it unbelievable. It's almost unbelievable that your find it unbelievable that I said it was unbelievable, when it is clearly believable that I find it unbelievable. Believe me. Oh and Joey, I did ask for your explanation in the very first line ... Then I hit my "monotonous" rant... Which wasn't really a rant, was it? It was a two line comment.
Ah yes, but you didn't wait for the explanation before launching into rant mode. Ok how's this. My 2014/2015 rating is Tadic on the left and my 2015/2016 rating is Tadic on the right. Does that get your blessing? I think Tadic's decline was much more dramatic than Davis or Pelle. Pelle had a barren spell but came back well whilst Davis was never more than 2 games away from a good performance. Tadic went on a run of 7 or 8 games where he was just dreadful. I love the way he played early on and hope he can get back to that.
You don't need my blessing, but if you post an opinion then someone may disagree with it. Be prepared for that. It wasn't a rant. I disagreed in an expressive way I have ranted before and it's usually more than 2 lines. Go back and read the forum for the last two months of the season (don't actually, but it is there) and you'll read people bemoaning Davis performance of the latter half. On Tadic, putting my pedantic head on, when do you think he started playing on the right? It was actually pretty early on. Maybe he faded earlier than you thought?
Bit Preachy???? I thought it was an interesting thread and its a shame that some threads turn into threats so quickly. I think we should sometimes be careful with our language because words like unbelievable and lumping people in with 'some fans who we don't get' can come across as more than just a different opinion, but maybe that's me. I think Tadic will improve again if he maintains his fitness. He started well on Thursday but tired. We all want him to, after all.
Apologies if my reply to Joey was deemed as too strong, not intended as so. It certainly wasn't a threat, so know idea where you're coming from on that and I still don't see it as a rant. Reading it again, I can see the words may come across as a bit strong, so I apologise for that. I still think my point was valid though.
But by its very definition, that would not be a predictive comparison... it's hard work in here isn't it?!
