Squad Size - Thoughts

Just chucking it out there really - according to the Beeb we have 30 players in our squad as per the below. - now it could be argued a couple badged as midfielders are strikers but in midfield we are very well stocked.

So ideal squad size for this division - my thoughts are around 26/27 including 3 GK's - feel free to thoroughly disagree.

Goalkeepers

1. 1 Forde
2. 13 O'Brien
3. 35 Bass

Defenders

1. 2 Davies
2. 3 Stevens
3. 5 Clarke
4. 6 Burgess
5. 16 Whatmough
6. 25 Talbot
7. 31 Davies
8. 38 Haunstrup
9. Buxton

Midfielders

1. 4 Rose
2. 7 Baker
3. 8 Doyle
4. 10 Lalkovic
5. 11 Roberts
6. 15 Barton
7. 18 Tollitt
8. 19 Chaplin
9. 23 Bennett
10. 24 Linganzi
11. 26 Evans
12. 30 May
13. 32 Oxlade-Chamberlain
14. 33 Close
15. Naismith

Forwards

1. 9 Smith
2. 14 Main
3. 20 Hunt

 

Last season Cook reflected that it had been a mistake not to have a reserve team.
At the start of the close season it seemed the intent was to introduce a few new players but to trim the squad.
As players became available more have come than have left and now the need for regular reserve team football is even more apparent.
As Woopert points out, the number of academy players in the squad is encouraging, but it is hard to see how the likes of Close and May can progress under the present set-up.

 

Good point Woops and PDU - other clubs who've done well in this league seem to have blended hungry youth and dogged experience well - we need to do the same I think.

 

I can see a couple of players that could go out on loan, the ox has already I believe.........bit worried we only have three registered strikers.....especially as none of them can score!

 

It appears that Cook has a lot of clutter in that squad. If promotion is achieved, the squad will need to be rebuilt again in L1. So all in all, very poor planning from Mr Cook and short termism. IMO the club should be building a squad that is capable of back to back promotions a la Norwich and Southampton, the latter had as many as 5 players from their L1 days in their starting 11 during the first season back in the PL. Really the long-term focus should be on improving the quality of the youth by getting youngsters down from London as well as those from the local area, aided by a few seasoned pros, and take it from there. As it is, it appears to be full of "knackers-yard" players, ie surplus to requirements at other clubs.

 

Why do Pompey ignore much of the youth it produces. OK, these players may not be PL standard but quite a number have flourished at much higher levels. I'm thinking of Matt Ritchie, Joel Ward, Alex Pearce, Lewis Buxton. Just imagine if Pompey had built around that core, aided with youngsters from the London area the club would have flourished. Maybe the 2008 FA Cup victory would never have happened, maybe the club would not have gone "belly-up" during the stewardship of the very fat ex West Ham director and strange ownership days.

 

Too many Cooks spoiling the broth perhaps. He seems to model himself somewhere between Nigel Adkins & Ian Holloway.

"It's important not to get too high and not to get too low. If we'd won the first three games, I wouldn't be saying everything's great.
Football's about goals. We're not scoring first and we're conceding first. As a manager, I've got to be strong and make sure that I will live and die by my results."

Bit too much bonkers there if you ask me.

 

idea, you seem to forget, some.......no most.......of the players you mention were sold to boost the coffers......times of need and all that. Pompey has always been a club that produces local youth talent........we do struggle to hold on to it though.......and in this league following and support can also go against you........not too many l2 players experience 17,000 week in week out. Some can handle it.......some cant!
for me though smith needs to start scoring

 

Hi chaps, I've been in a bit of results shock until Tuesday but have recovered slightly now. I see your season is mirroring last season up to now.

If you recall I commented on your thread last season regarding squad and said that the idea size of squad in this league was around the 24 mark. That allowed for cover in all positions and a couple of play anywhere types. I still maintain that is the ideal size and your club has done exactly what didn't work last season and gone into signing players overkill. It is nothing to do with the numbers you have in this league but it has to do a lot with the close knit squad who have a bit of class and blend together. The more players you have the more primma donnas you have with all of them thinking they should play week in week out and resenting the fact they don't. Your Manager seems to have learnt nothing so far. Because you can afford more players than most it seems he just wants to have more players than most. Pity he didn't invest it in total quality rather than numbers.

Just the opinion of an onlooker of course.

 

True Woop - altho I thought he was a decent player - he'll fit in at Crewe they play decent football. We did need to reduce midfield/