I have only seen two games live this season (Swindon and Coventry) but thought I would offer my opinion on what has happened over the first month. I cant ever remember a season starting with such a flat atmosphere in the ground and I hope we get a bit more to cheer about in September. There have been some plusses (Bradshaw, Taylor and Summerfield especially with Woods and Goldson developing well) but I do get the sense that the team is not too far away from plunging into the relegation zone rather than heading for the top half of the table. The two cup games were worrying as they were poor performances against one side now bottom of the Championship and one from our own league. A couple of performances like that (or in the first half against Coventry) at home in the league and we will really be struggling. The biggest talking point as always has been the abject failure to recruit some experienced players, especially up front. Our over-reliance on very inexperienced forwards is a real weakness. Reach looked a world-beater for 30 minutes against Swindon but now seems to be slipping into mediocrity. Main looked very lively against Coventry but did not seem to make much impression against Oldham. To rely too much on very inexperienced players is absolute folly - we have lost so many experienced stalwarts in the last two years. Morgan was let go with no permanent replacement - he is not everyone's cup of tea but we would be stronger as a club with him in my opinion. We struggle to fill the bench at all, let alone with quality like some of our opponents can. All in all I cannot help but fear for the worst with the flawed strategy the club is pursuing - in my view the squad as a whole is far inferior to that which took us up into this league.
Having seen all games, so far, I am not going to knock it. One defeat in five where it matters is what counts IMO.
KDS, I agree the league games are more important but are you not concerned like me about the lack of numbers and experience in the squad?
Always could do with more bodies.Winfield should be back soon but I was a bit surprised that GT did not sign McSweeney (judging by his blog probably got too much of a mind of his own). Probably got a selection problem on Saturday up front. I would leave Bradshaw out (travelling being the excuse) and play Taylor off Main. This worked well with Bradshaw against Swindon and Rotherham but Main is bigger and stronger. Reach is a problem. He offers no defensive protection to the full backs (Jacobson against Coventry and Woods against Oldham). I suspect he will not be kept on after the month. Not too impressed with Burke. He scored with a thunderbolt against Oldham, which the keeper was lucky not to be in it's line, but he did sod all else.
by and large, Saturdays results went our way, and we have a game in hand. we may get lucky against creepie, and I am hopeful of a result at trashton gate. we will do well to take a point against wolves. expect tom to be on the bench after international duties, on Saturday. yes our squad is thin, we need some backup. me despondent? naaaa.
Some good points made by all above. We are short of players and dread the day when we are well and truly found out, whether that is through having no one on the bench bar a keeper and youth players, or a squad that we cannot change because they are all playing crap! Reach needs to show something more than he has because bar one brilliant half has done nothing of note Burke is here until January but if he isn't getting into our starting squad then I dread to think what will happen to him at Villa Will we get Tavernier and Asanti back at any point, do we want them back? We could do with three or four more players, experienced would be better, as mentioned above why didn't we sign McSweeney? Money? who knows. If we do sign more experienced players they will expect to be starting? If they do what happens to the other players, as I'm sure Goldson is frustrated by his good performances followed by bench warming.
Thanks for all the constructive comments everyone. I suppose there are two ways of looking at it - one defeat in five (and that away to the leaders) or one win in seven with three defeats (with five of those at home). I just hope GT has something up his sleeve in the emergency loan window as it was around this point last season where everything started to go pear-shaped. I am sure I am not alone in wanting to see us establishing ourselves properly in this league rather than grimly hanging on in a relegation dogfight.
