Gotta think we're going into the season much better off. Remember our strike force for instance going into game one - Nouble/ Banj / Marriott considered part of the fold. Compare that to the usual two plus Sears/ Pitman... different level. Bishop folded in, likewise Bru from the off. Out wide, appears have added two very good players. Could play with actual 4-4-2 wide men this time! Defence is Mings less and is the one area that needs addressing. We'll be top 8 somewhere for sure, more likely top 6 again. Haven't really thought about this season much, but we've got a good chance. Mick's building something good.
The majority of the squad has been kept together and have been together for a while now and stability is never a hindrance. I think our strike force is one of the best in the league. Sure other teams may have one or two outstanding strikers each but the four we have are all capable of 15 goals at least each and they will all have to be top of their game to see time on the pitch. I hope that doesn't lead to too much chopping and changing. As you say Westy, it looks like we have a couple of decent wingers that should help whoever is in the full back positions to concentrate more on the defensive duties, Chambo included. I'm also not too bothered about adding that so-called all important scoring midfielder if the goals come from the strikers and the wingers. I have a feeling our current centre mids will score just a few more each this season anyway. In summary, we look better equipped to play entertaining, attacking football and goals shouldn't be a problem. We're a bit short on defensive cover but the starters will continue where they left off and provide a solid platform for some decent football to be played. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the squad
" Nah bollux as far as I'm concerned! " Please elaborate, our squad right now is clearly better from the off than the one we had last season. Sure, Boro are throwing the £££ around, Derby are aswell and we cannot compete for signings like them. However, given the ££££ we're in I would say we've built a decent squad. Providing the front four all stay, we arguably have the best strike force in the division. Fraser + Miles signing appear to give some intent out wide also.
Keepers aren't good enough, need a proper Right Back, a central midfielder as a play maker, need another CB Where has the Mings money gone? Hmm I wonder!
Until we get a quality Right Back we still have a weak link in my opinion, ive not checked but I feel sure that the goals we conceded last season after the New Year were greater than the first half of the season, I think we just got found out rather than a loss of form or commitment in that position. The Mings money? Im sure ME thinks hes entitled to some back after the way he has bailed us out and I don't think anyone would begrudge him that, but just a quarter of that £8M would surely strengthen us no end compared to last season.
There will always be a weak link in any side, I personally don't mind Chambers at RB he has been playing there for a while now so he should be comfortable by now. I'm sure that some money is available if needed but that in my mind doesn't mean we should go out just to spend it. I think both keepers are much off a muchness not world class but will do a job...just pick the one with the biggest beard IMO. I think this season Bishop will step up again and be the playmaker in midfield.
Unsurprisingly, I agree with Weighty, except choosing a 'keeper by his beard size. I'd start with Billy.
For me, the players wont matter until we change our philosophy from must not get beaten to a go out and win attitude
I don't think that will be a problem this season mate. Mick expects the work ethic from his lads and it seems our new wingers have that. The difference is they have more quality going forwards than Ando or Tabb.
Mick has done what Mick always does. He took a team shipping goals for fun and sealed up the defence. He then brought in hard nosed pros to get us competitive at the right end of the table. He used the loan market to bolster our squad or add quality we couldn't afford, at little or no financial risk to the club. He then kept the majority of the team together, brought the best out of Murphy and bedded in one of the best midfielders to come out of the academy recently. He's now utilised the Bosman and loan market again to further enhance our attacking options with the type of wingers he wants in his beloved 4-4-2. Add to that the fact that contracts are being renewed on time, players are being sold for big profit and we have a team to be proud of and you can see why I like him as our manager. He steers clear of troublemakers and prima donnas and to be honest, I don't expect a rural town team to be full of household names anyway. He has improved our final standing every season and I see no reason why it won't be the same again this term.
This year I expect our tactics to be a bit different. Instead of pumping the ball forward to Murph I think we'll see it played out to the full backs, onto the wingers and then crossed in or driven into the box. I don't see a lot of goals coming from the centre of midfield, he'll use this area to stop the flow of traffic to our goal.
While pre-season does not offer an entirely accurate indication of the season ahead, we're conceding far too many goals against inferior opposition and we lack reinforcements at the back. We sold Tyrone Mings for a healthy sum of money, but our failure to reinvest it may well affect our chances against our promotion-chasing rivals, some of whom are spending big cash and bringing in established quality. I think we're mostly in agreement we need a natural right-back, if only to shift Chambers in his more preferred position of centre-back and drop an inconsistent Tommy Smith. Jonathan Parr can do a job at left back, but with Clarke out on loan, we have no clear back-up there. I've been impressed with our new signings out wide in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Ryan Fraser. They're quick, exciting players and clearly offer an improvement over our previous wide players, such as Stephen Hunt and Jay Tabb, who were more industrious than creative. Skuse, Bru, and Bishop offer a nice balance in the middle, but my concern is injuries and suspension will leave us short. Luke Hyam has showed glimpses of his potential, but I think a player like Jonny Williams to throw in the mix would be a perfect move. We clearly have a formidable firepower up front, and that's where our strength evidently lies. Murphy, Sears, McGoldrick, and Pitman will strike fear in the other teams in this division. They offer a variety of playing styles and clearly can score a lot of goals between them. Obviously we have another month to bring in some new players, but I think it's pretty clear we need to add a couple more players.
That's about right Nuggets I don't think anyone is worried about the strike force, Sears,Murphy, Pittman and McG ( if he stays ) must be one of the divisions most potent combinations but we keep coming back to the defence, as you say weve conceded far too many goals albeit in friendlies where nobody wants to get injured to lesser opposition. Its no good scoring 2 or 3 goals a game if youre conceding more so I really don't understand why with just days to go before the first league game we haven't strengthened our weaknesses.
" but I think a player like Jonny Williams to throw in the mix would be a perfect move. " How so ? We have flair in Niles / Fraser / Bru / Bishop and McGoldrick, for once we're kinda spoiled for options! Bialakowski Chambers / smith / Berra / Parr Fraser / Bishop / Skuse / Fraser / McGoldrick / Murphy. We're looking at that. San Diego has pretty much sumarised my thoughts in a nutshell - Mick is adding the wide boys into his 4-4-2. I can' t remember which player said it, but the onus of playing style this pre season has been to play more football. As for the ££££ not being reinvested - we had the 6th highest wage bill last season. Pitman's wages we've had to pay - got him on a free. We could very easily have spend £1 - £2 mill on a player of his ability. Sort the defence / keeper and I would be very happy with this lot.
