These first couple of results are an absolute masterclass from PC, other teams at the start of the season have been bemoaning the investment and quality signings and thus many teams would have sat back and tried to defend a draw, by sacrificing a few points early on PC has given teams the false impression that we are a team that they can get three points against thus making them come at us more thus giving us more space to play out Total football. If you can’t see that then I feel for you….
Hardly losing sleep over that Westy. As a youngster of course he’s good enough, with work to be done and better players, coaches around him than he has had. Read up on ‘Growth Mindset’.
That’s subjective and we’ll just never know. But if you look at where our play broke down last year, a lot of the issues were caused by Dozzell giving away possession, Chambers being caught wildly out of position and a lack of firepower at the other end. So I think it could have been improved dramatically without making wholesale changes.
It wasn't about tonking Newport ( I admire your optimism that we could) more of a case of getting the right team on the pitch in a competitive game. As others have said, maybe we are in for the long term and things will start to click by October/ November.
Haha cheers pal. I won't be writing much but jesus wept Hampy doesn't half come out with drivel after drivel after drivel. I feel genuinely sorry for you lot having to tolerate his absolute guff. Up the town, cannot wait to read more nonsense that clown writes ( I mean he will won't he.)
We needed a clear out to get rid of the culture and mentality that was stinking the place up. It wasn't so much about replacing the talent we had with new but clearing the decks of apathy. Just adding two or three new players to what we had would not have achieved this.
Agreed, I didn’t suggest that two or three would be enough and I don’t think those handful I’ve named were apathetic. In fact it’s bizarre to me that Jackson and Nolan remain at the club when they have delivered so little. We have a team who are complete strangers to each other so I would have liked to see a clear out of the dead wood with a little more balance.
Jackson should be moved on for sure, I can understand keeping Nolan as back up. I think we've done the right thing in having a big clear out. Sure it will take a bit of time for the team to start firing on all cylinders but it will be a shorter amount of time than if we tried to evolve at a slower pace and kept some of the players from last season around.
We went from having the best team in the league to needing to get rid of the whole squad in a matter of weeks
Perhaps it will work and perhaps it won’t, but either way it’s not a sustainable way to run a football club. What if we finish lower than last season? Do we replace the lot again next summer?
If Pep had a limited budget I’m sure we would find out if he was as good as people would have us believe.
No you give them time because they are decent players. Stop acting like a bell end and talking ****e!
As ever the optimist, you need to be if you have been supporting ITFC for 60 goddam years thru the best of times and the ****e worst of times like last 10 years! While not over the moon by Cooks string of dodgy results, including the pre-season, I repeat let's see where we are by October. I say again, I will be happy with top 10 by end October, and top 6 by Feb/March. The whole club has undergone a much needed massive overhaul on and off the pitch, and it will take time for all new players & staff to settle in. What have you noticed at the ground so far if you have managed to go watch a match? We have seen glimpses in all the games as to how they can tick, some really positive signs of attack and yes, once Edmundsen, Coulson & Burgess come in to marshall the weak defense, things will be on the up. Oh, and Carrol on the radar too. It seems that we now have a full squad, and finding the best players/partnerships will definitely take a good few matches and plenty of training sessions to identify. I agree with one or two that I was sad to see several talented youngsters depart, as we all know that with the experience, coaching, management skills and around them, they might well have flourished in the new set-up. I include Flynn Downes in this group. Wolfenden has clearly lost the plot and I doubt Cook will give him much more time. I would add that I have seen better man management skills in Sussex lower league footie! But a total clear-out was needed, so lets all get behind them and refrain from sniping at the team and our friends on here too! Tho one or two need wrapping in cotton wool for sure!
I think you hit the nail on the head with the man management thing. The outbursts last year made Roy Keane look like the Dalai Lama. Some players respond and some don’t. Woolfy clearly isn’t.