The squad is not weaker!


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A few of our youngsters are looking capable of making the step up but we're still 5 or 6 short imo. We've got no senior fullbacks at the club
 
Why does he need to prove he can do it at sunderland. Hes proven he can do it. Were you saying that about every new signing? Darren bents scored goals but hes going to have to prove he can score at sunderland? Of course not. Ridiculous way of thinking. If wed signed him from blackpool youd be over the moon

With all due respect he played eighteen games at Blackpool scoring once and creating a couple. I’ve said I think he has ability but he still needs to prove himself.

I didn’t say it with Darren Bent because he’d scored 100 league goals in the top two flights, half of which were in the premier league, by the time he was 25.
 
Without additions in key areas the squad is paper thin. Whilst the young lads have potential and will play a part this season they also need careful management
 
Think the team is alright but obviously missing fullbacks and a striker. Stewart might do the job and I hope he does but if not we do t really have a back up plan other hoping Grigg and O Brien somehow up there game.

I don't think we'll be terrible but we don't look prepared for injuries and a bit lacking in depth. A few more signings and I'll be happy, a couple of full backs, a striker and maybes another centre half.
 
I don't think we can be definitive about this, because the team is incomplete. The full backs are a particular concern.
 
We look better in CM and I think Stewart is better than Wyke. The defence and GK are a big worry and so is the squad depth as we will no doubt pick up our usual mount of injuries to key players.

Still a lot to do before we can have a go at the automatic spots.
 
To be fair, we had 5 centre halves, 6 if you include Feeney and every one of them got injured. That is unprecedented ....
Sure, not to mention our first choice LB, and McLaughlin who imho made a very decent CB.

(If only we'd had someone in the U-23's who could have ... oh ...wait ... )

I think any team would have struggled, and it's unlikely to be repeated. But it's still a salutary reminder of the need for depth.

No senior left back before we start. Best RB is a CM. In some ways we were fortunate that Wyke stayed fit as we were so dependent on him last season. Looks the same right now with Ross Stewart in a different style of play. Neither AoB, nor Grigg have got the pace and/or finishing skill to replace him.

Not being negative - I think we'll bring them in. But the OP's 'we're stronger now' line ... nah.
 
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Tin hat on but. . . .

We look a much better side already this season. The plan was always going to be look for better players who need a fresh start, e.g. Prichard, Evans. I know we haven’t seen Prichard but Evans looked brilliant last night. My man of the match in the 1st half.

However, more importantly, we were always going to promote heavily from the U23’s and look for quality loans/ buys from premier league u23 sides.

These types of players will always come later in the window after they’ve been assessed by their current clubs. This will also always be done later in a summer with a big competition like the euros.

we already look like we are a much quicker and better passing side who can control the middle of the park.

I think the predictions of 10th to 5th are way off the mark even if we start the season with the players we have and we are only a couple of good fullbacks away from being a really class (at this level) side.
I think you better check your chinstrap on that tin hat is locked:-
1. Our youngsters are arguably a better crop, but no better than the average footballer in league one.
2. The first XI does not look a champion winning side.
3. Our squad is critical when the injuries from a long season start to rack up and here I think we will struggle to make the playoffs if we lose one or two criticial positions to backups.
 
I’m feeling weirdly optimistic these last few days. Probably just the usual pre season / fresh start optimism. For years fans have been saying we want team made up of young hungry players and academy products. In our 4th season in league one this is the first time we look like doing that. If nothing else, at least if it goes wrong this season we aren’t lumbered with 6 or 7 bang average journeymen the wrong side of 25 who we are having to send out on loan for the next 2-3 years.

I guess usually seeing us sign the likes of Danny Graham or squad fillers like McFadzean creates a kind of resigned apathy. In a weird way the lack of signings has created a vacuum that I’m choosing to fill with optimism :lol:

(fully expecting to be 1-0 down to a Max Power strike at 3:14pm next Saturday with threads like “Speakman FRAUD” and “Kyril is a chancer” on the front page of Pure Football)
 
Tin hat on but. . . .

We look a much better side already this season. The plan was always going to be look for better players who need a fresh start, e.g. Prichard, Evans. I know we haven’t seen Prichard but Evans looked brilliant last night. My man of the match in the 1st half.

However, more importantly, we were always going to promote heavily from the U23’s and look for quality loans/ buys from premier league u23 sides.

These types of players will always come later in the window after they’ve been assessed by their current clubs. This will also always be done later in a summer with a big competition like the euros.

we already look like we are a much quicker and better passing side who can control the middle of the park.

I think the predictions of 10th to 5th are way off the mark even if we start the season with the players we have and we are only a couple of good fullbacks away from being a really class (at this level) side.
We have lost a 30 goal striker, have no senior fullbacks, lost a decent winger and looks like we will be playing flannigan and you reckon we aren't weaker. 😁
 
Tin hat on but. . . .

We look a much better side already this season. The plan was always going to be look for better players who need a fresh start, e.g. Prichard, Evans. I know we haven’t seen Prichard but Evans looked brilliant last night. My man of the match in the 1st half.

However, more importantly, we were always going to promote heavily from the U23’s and look for quality loans/ buys from premier league u23 sides.

These types of players will always come later in the window after they’ve been assessed by their current clubs. This will also always be done later in a summer with a big competition like the euros.

we already look like we are a much quicker and better passing side who can control the middle of the park.

I think the predictions of 10th to 5th are way off the mark even if we start the season with the players we have and we are only a couple of good fullbacks away from being a really class (at this level) side.

Agreed. Already it looks a much fresher, mobile and hungry team with hopefully 3 or 4 good additions. Confident we have at last bottomed out and the upward curve can start.
 
I'm going to put my neck on the block here and say that Grigg will have a better season than Wyke.

Winchester often played right back for Oldham and looked comfortable in the role last night. We need another in, obviously, but he's a more than capable right back and no worse there what we had last season.

We're a bit thin on numbers but the first choice 15 or so look better than last season.

Embleton is better than Scowen and O'Nien is better in midfield than Power.
I agree with most of that but it doesn’t stop the squad being weaker
 
The squad was bloated last season with too many players who were both mediocre and also quite injury prone.

The wage bill was at least twice as much as the output being provided warranted, it was also very one paced.

If the head coach had been braver he could have still tried to use more of the young players ahead of the senior plodders to try to change the dynamic of the team but he chose not to.

Releasing a good proportion of the senior players has made us stronger even before signing anyone in as much as it forces Johnson's hand to some extent, I think he was guilty last season of hiding behind the fact that they weren't his players so he had a free hit.

In hindsight we fell well short last season and to bridge that gap we definitely need to strengthen.

Ideally we would

Sign a new first choice keeper and try to move Burge on

Sign one first choice right back and use Winchester as cover/competition

Sign two more centre backs and try to move Wright and Flanagan on

Sign one first choice left back, get Hume to sign and use Hume as cover/competition

Sign one more central/wide midfielder possibly on loan to compete with Neil, O'Nien, Evans, Embleton, McGeady, Gooch and Diamond

Sign one more pacy striker and try to move O'Brien and Grigg on.
I agree; and for midfielders I’d like to see a move for Owen Dale and Ali McCann and I also think maybe one more hard as nails defensive midfielder...
Wether people like it or not weve lost 40 goals out of last years total, that needs to be replaced.
Jebbison hopefully or how about Shankland?
 
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:lol:

Last season we had Wyke and Stewart and now we have Stewart and Grigg. Weaker

Last season we had McFad, Hume, Mcglaughlin as full backs and now we have none. Weaker.

Doyle hasn’t played a single first team game anywhere and Sanderson was probably our best player defensively. Weaker.

You’ve used some absolutely mental arguments there buddy
Last season we had Wyke starting. This season we have Stewart. How anyone hasn't noticed that Stewart is a better player than Wyke is beyond me.
Winchester and Younger both look better RBs than Power / McLaughlin.
We had McFadz last season. Neil and Taylor both look better than him.
I've seen Doyle half a dozen times and he's a step up from Sanderson, who was really good. We have more than one fit CB, that's better than last season.

Do you honestly believe that we're not stronger? We have a bunch of midfielders that look light years ahead of last season's. If the model is to promote from the U23s and augment this with a smaller number of signings, this gets my wholehearted support. Part of the deal with having a data driven approach is that you use this model to promote from the U23s. If there's a lad in the U23s whose data shows they're a better fit than what's in the marketplace, you promote them. If you have five, you promote all five. You get the added bonus of them not needing to settle / move / get used to a new environment. If we'd signed the likes of Younger, Neil, Patterson etc. from other clubs, would you be happier?
 
Tin hat on but. . . .

We look a much better side already this season. The plan was always going to be look for better players who need a fresh start, e.g. Prichard, Evans. I know we haven’t seen Prichard but Evans looked brilliant last night. My man of the match in the 1st half.

However, more importantly, we were always going to promote heavily from the U23’s and look for quality loans/ buys from premier league u23 sides.

These types of players will always come later in the window after they’ve been assessed by their current clubs. This will also always be done later in a summer with a big competition like the euros.

we already look like we are a much quicker and better passing side who can control the middle of the park.

I think the predictions of 10th to 5th are way off the mark even if we start the season with the players we have and we are only a couple of good fullbacks away from being a really class (at this level) side.

I would agree, we lack depth that would be my major criticism, last season we had a big squad, but it was mediocre and there wasn’t an obvious starting XI
 
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