We are a weird team

Super Ted said:
Agree, If we are wanting promotion there's still an awful lot of upgrades we need to make.

Even if we kept all of our players (which we wont), We need a centre half alongside Ballard, A central midfielder or two as Ekwah is far too inconsistent. If anything happened to Neil we would be knackered. A winger and at least two proper strikers.

Only then would we have any chance of getting out of this league.

That's also on the basis if all players were fit and the players coming in were upragdes on what we have.

Patto
Hume - Ballard - **** - Cirkin
Neil - ****
**** - Jobe or Rigg - Clarke
****
​
That leaves the likes of Huggins, Alese, Roberts, Pembele, O'Nien, Mundle, Aouchiche, Seels and Ekwah making up a very solid squad. All of whom would play their part over a 46 game season.

The likes of Burstow, Dack, Evans, Hjelde, Ba, Hemir etc need to go out on loan or be sold on.
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The coach will be most important signing this summer. I've no real problems with a lot of the players. I think I probably rate Ekwah more highly than many seem to be at the minute. The lad'll come good.

I'd like a good CDM to sit in behind Neil and Ekwah - and keep them right. And a striker is obvious.

We may need to look at left back again this summer for the simple unfortunate reason that we cannot keep our best options fit.

We're not a million miles away, we just need better guidance in certain areas, and a touch more quality and know-how through the spine.

I'd love to think we could keep Clarkie. I'm doing me best to fool myself into thinking we can.
 


Super Ted said:
Agree, If we are wanting promotion there's still an awful lot of upgrades we need to make.

Even if we kept all of our players (which we wont), We need a centre half alongside Ballard, A central midfielder or two as Ekwah is far too inconsistent. If anything happened to Neil we would be knackered. A winger and at least two proper strikers.

Only then would we have any chance of getting out of this league.

That's also on the basis if all players were fit and the players coming in were upragdes on what we have.

Patto
Hume - Ballard - **** - Cirkin
Neil - ****
**** - Jobe or Rigg - Clarke
****
​
That leaves the likes of Huggins, Alese, Roberts, Pembele, O'Nien, Mundle, Aouchiche, Seels and Ekwah making up a very solid squad. All of whom would play their part over a 46 game season.

The likes of Burstow, Dack, Evans, Hjelde, Ba, Hemir etc need to go out on loan or be sold on.
Click to expand...

O'Nien needs to be present. He's our best defender and a proper leader. Dread to think where we'd be this season without him.

Agree with the rest, switching between Jobe and Rigg switching up in attacking midfield to give them deserved rests at a young age would be ideal.

I think Clarke will be the only player out this Summer that will have any noticable impact. I worry that we've been playing Ba in Clarke's position as we hope for him to be his replacement.

I've got some (probably) false hope we might bring Diallo in on the other side on loan again, giving his lack of game time under ETH and apparent desire to return.

Probably need another RB that can stay fit. As good as a lot of the fullbacks we already have there are, it's pointless if they can't stay fit. Reminds me a bit of Luke Shaw at United - they don't want to bring in a permanent replacement for him as he's great when fit, but he's only played about 20 games a season for a decade.

Experience is ultra necessary in midfield and arguably up front, although even Hemir would score if given the service - which he hasn't been given this season.

For me:

Patto
Hume - Ballard - O'Nien - *****
Neil - *****
Diallo(?) - Jobe or Rigg - *****
*****
​
That would leave us with an extremely strong bench too. Ekwah, Ba, Aouchiche, Rigg/Jobe, Roberts, Alese, Cirkin, Huggins, Rusyn, Dack, Seelt, Triantis, Hemir, Mundle, Pembele etc.

A massive transfer window including bringing in a manager, replacing Clarke, and bringing in much needed experience. I've got 4 players needed from the £20m or so we'll hope to receive from the Clarke sale (after a percentage goes to Spurs). Optimistic?
 
Coeus said:
I disagree, we could have the best striker in the league but we don't create chances for them, we create chances primarily for the wide forwards. Would it have been better if we had someone to make it stick more often than not, sure, but folk hated Geldhardt when he was decent at just that.
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The thing is we've seen a Ross Stewart type who's a big lad, but he could play, and we've seen Charlie Wyke who was a lump that offered nothing other than tap ins. The latter will be pointless because like you say, especially under Mowbray, we don't create chances for a striker.

And it's easier said than done to find a Stewart type within our budget.

The striker position needs major surgery that hopefully the summer transfer window and new manager can address.
 
TZMouk said:
The thing is we've seen a Ross Stewart type who's a big lad, but he could play, and we've seen Charlie Wyke who was a lump that offered nothing other than tap ins. The latter will be pointless because like you say, especially under Mowbray, we don't create chances for a striker.

And it's easier said than done to find a Stewart type within our budget.

The striker position needs major surgery that hopefully the summer transfer window and new manager can address.
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I agree, half the problem is that we had Ross Stewart who in the championship was an anomaly, his stats were so beyond what a typical championship player is capable of, it pushed Southampton to pay 8 figures for a chap who was soon out of contract and had a very bad injury. He did every aspect of all different types of forwards brilliantly.

Problem now with major surgery is that we have 4(?) Strikers for one position and Its pretty poor planning and financially draining to add to that. Unless Clarke leaves and Rusyn is pencilled in for the left then he needs shipping in order to get another one imo. Unless we're flush, I'd have Joe G back happily as he will be dirt cheap at this point. He at the very least will play a supporting role for the wide forwards if that is how we are going to continue.

Or we could just agree with Jobe that thats his position, I think he'd do a decent job up there if fully trained that way. Hemir has all the physical and technical attributes, unsure if he can put it together and Mayenda needs first team football somewhere.
 
Get Into Em said:
O'Nien needs to be present. He's our best defender and a proper leader. Dread to think where we'd be this season without him.

Agree with the rest, switching between Jobe and Rigg switching up in attacking midfield to give them deserved rests at a young age would be ideal.

I think Clarke will be the only player out this Summer that will have any noticable impact. I worry that we've been playing Ba in Clarke's position as we hope for him to be his replacement.

I've got some (probably) false hope we might bring Diallo in on the other side on loan again, giving his lack of game time under ETH and apparent desire to return.

Probably need another RB that can stay fit. As good as a lot of the fullbacks we already have there are, it's pointless if they can't stay fit. Reminds me a bit of Luke Shaw at United - they don't want to bring in a permanent replacement for him as he's great when fit, but he's only played about 20 games a season for a decade.

Experience is ultra necessary in midfield and arguably up front, although even Hemir would score if given the service - which he hasn't been given this season.

For me:

Patto
Hume - Ballard - O'Nien - *****
Neil - *****
Diallo(?) - Jobe or Rigg - *****
*****
​
That would leave us with an extremely strong bench too. Ekwah, Ba, Aouchiche, Rigg/Jobe, Roberts, Alese, Cirkin, Huggins, Rusyn, Dack, Seelt, Triantis, Hemir, Mundle, Pembele etc.

A massive transfer window including bringing in a manager, replacing Clarke, and bringing in much needed experience. I've got 4 players needed from the £20m or so we'll hope to receive from the Clarke sale (after a percentage goes to Spurs). Optimistic?
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I don't think we will get promoted with O'Nien, He's got too many mistakes in him. Would deffo keep him around the team and he would still play a vital role but he's not the future.
 
It’s all to do with play style. We can’t compete with teams who are physical and press hard . This is why we lose to teams like Huddy and can perform against so called better teams. Unfortunately for us the way the mags play is the exact style we crumble against hence the fa cup display
 
Zidane said:
We are missing strikers, its as simple as that.

Even last season where we all remember it as amazing, there were games where the strikerless wonders formation worked and there were definately plenty where it didnt. At that was with Amad, Clarke and Roberts on full power.

This season we've had completely ineffective strikers, Roberts has been poor, Clarke great then injured, no Amad and pretty much all season long injuries to our best 2 attacking full backs.

Stick a decent striker into 90% of this seasons games and none of this shit would have happened. Its been the root cause of all on field issues.
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Absolutely spot on.
With a decent striker or two up top last night we’re winning that game.
That we’re playing an 18 year old midfield prospect up there after all this time since losing Stewart is an absolute disgrace.
 
The players need a long hard look at themselves in my opinion. The performances have been vastly inconsistent and you can't put the disgracefully apathetic performance we saw against Blackburn or QPR down to the coaching staff's fault -it was the players who didn't turn up and showed zero desire to win those games. Contrast that with the effort and commitment we saw last night. Indefensible really.
 
Would be good to finish the season with some sort of momentum. 3 of the last 4 games (not inc West Brom) are winnable - on paper, anyway. However, in keeping with the title of this thread, no result would surprise me from us at the minute.
 
cowan86 said:
Get hammered off Blackburn look defensively shambolic, to getting a fantastic well organised point defensively brilliant. Honestly can’t make us out. If only we had a fantastic forward! Be tempted to cash in on Jobe far too slow.
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We are weird.
Imagine, if we don't know what to expect how must the opposition feel? :lol:
 
Super Ted said:
Agree, If we are wanting promotion there's still an awful lot of upgrades we need to make.

Even if we kept all of our players (which we wont), We need a centre half alongside Ballard, A central midfielder or two as Ekwah is far too inconsistent. If anything happened to Neil we would be knackered. A winger and at least two proper strikers.

Only then would we have any chance of getting out of this league.

That's also on the basis if all players were fit and the players coming in were upragdes on what we have.

Patto
Hume - Ballard - **** - Cirkin
Neil - ****
**** - Jobe or Rigg - Clarke
****
​
That leaves the likes of Huggins, Alese, Roberts, Pembele, O'Nien, Mundle, Aouchiche, Seels and Ekwah making up a very solid squad. All of whom would play their part over a 46 game season.

The likes of Burstow, Dack, Evans, Hjelde, Ba, Hemir etc need to go out on loan or be sold on.
Click to expand...
Almost all teams in the middle of the league could say that with 4 new first team starters they would he challenging at the top end of the league.
 
chriswallace85 said:
The coach will be most important signing this summer. I've no real problems with a lot of the players. I think I probably rate Ekwah more highly than many seem to be at the minute. The lad'll come good.

I'd like a good CDM to sit in behind Neil and Ekwah - and keep them right. And a striker is obvious.

We may need to look at left back again this summer for the simple unfortunate reason that we cannot keep our best options fit.

We're not a million miles away, we just need better guidance in certain areas, and a touch more quality and know-how through the spine.

I'd love to think we could keep Clarkie. I'm doing me best to fool myself into thinking we can.
Click to expand...
This all day.
 

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