So our only senior CM back up is a 35 year old player-coach who will have to play at LB anyway, and we have no senior striker back up. Absolute lunacy.
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
A word on Dodoo, Forest wanted him according to the Nottingham post, Warburton obviously thinks highly of him if he fancied him in the championship, suggests he could do a job at our level.
So our only senior CM back up is a 35 year old player-coach who will have to play at LB anyway, and we have no senior striker back up. Absolute lunacy.
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
Crikey it does look like they were attempting to free up some wages for another decent striker but failed to land the one they wanted.
Crofts will almost certainly have been paid off.
Maybe the player wanted to be released because he could get first team football elsewhere, and thus was happy to sacrifice the rest of his contract? I can imagine Crofts being the sort who in his final years wants to play regularly, maybe he'll go back to Gillingham where he started?
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
So our only senior CM back up is a 35 year old player-coach who will have to play at LB anyway, and we have no senior striker back up. Absolute lunacy.
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
You forget the cancelled contracts for network clubs ploy.
So our only senior CM back up is a 35 year old player-coach who will have to play at LB anyway, and we have no senior striker back up. Absolute lunacy.
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
On the other hand if Kashi or JFC was absent, and KR had chosen Crofts to play there instead of Aribo, Konsa or even Djiksteel, he would have been slaughtered here
So our only senior CM back up is a 35 year old player-coach who will have to play at LB anyway, and we have no senior striker back up. Absolute lunacy.
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
Konsa is decent there.
If you want a big lump up top Nabby is 6'5"
I disagree re Konsa - I've not seen one decent game at CM from him.
I don't want to see Nabby Sarr - our 4th/5th choice CB - up front unless it's chasing a 90th minute goal. He's not a replacement for Magennis should he miss 5-10 games through injury. Worse still is that Robinson describes Dodoo as someone who can change our style - a different option to Magennis. If Magennis gets injured we now have to change our preferred style of play as we have no one else who can play that role.
The squad is woefully short in two key areas - par for the course under RD and KM.
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
Yes, because both Robinson (privately) and Bowyer (publicly) expected it to happen and planned on that basis.
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
Yes, because both Robinson (privately) and Bowyer (publicly) expected it to happen and planned on that basis.
IF we had sold Konsa in July say, and used the money to buy Grigg or similar, would that have been better for our promotion chances?
The thing that concerns me the the most is that we've recently seen such a huge shift in experience vs youth:
Many of the players we've seen leave in recent months (Rudd, Ajose, Johnson, Chicksen, Tex, Watt, Novak, Crofts etc) have all racked up many appearances at this level and above, but have been shipped out and their places in the squad replaced by the likes of Dodoo, Fosu, Aribo, Djiksteel & Hackett-Fairchild.
Not denying we should have kept Johnson, Tex etc and that some of our incomings are of a great standard for this level (Marshall, Reeves...), but can't help but feel the overall mix of youth/experience has shifted hugely, and for League One I don't believe that's a good thing. It then seems very strange to let the likes of Hanlan/Umerah go out on loan whilst we're bringing in equally as inexperienced loans to cover this? Bonkers.
Couple this with the complete lack of depth (heaven forbid Magennis, who is injury prone, gets crocked this weekend) and letting Novak go for free to a rival team, has brought us all back to earth with a bump, reminding us that as hard as Robinson tries, ultimately Roland & Meire still don't have a clue.
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
Yes, because both Robinson (privately) and Bowyer (publicly) expected it to happen and planned on that basis.
IF we had sold Konsa in July say, and used the money to buy Grigg or similar, would that have been better for our promotion chances?
The money received is always earmarked to cover operating losses, so I am not sure if it would have made any difference. I do wonder if Robinson kept him out of the L1 team so that he couldn't make too good an impression in the run-up to the deadline. If so that was a good plan, IMO. The regime were clearly willing to resist £3.5m for now, but whether that is because they think they can get more in January or to assist the team is a matter of debate.
The thing that concerns me the the most is that we've recently seen such a huge shift in experience vs youth:
Many of the players we've seen leave in recent months (Rudd, Ajose, Johnson, Chicksen, Tex, Watt, Novak, Crofts etc) have all racked up many appearances at this level and above, but have been shipped out and their places in the squad replaced by the likes of Dodoo, Fosu, Aribo, Djiksteel & Hackett-Fairchild.
Not denying we should have kept Johnson, Tex etc and that some of our incomings are of a great standard for this level (Marshall, Reeves...), but can't help but feel the overall mix of youth/experience has shifted hugely, and for League One I don't believe that's a good thing. It then seems very strange to let the likes of Hanlan/Umerah go out on loan whilst we're bringing in equally as inexperienced loans to cover this? Bonkers.
Couple this with the complete lack of depth (heaven forbid Magennis, who is injury prone, gets crocked this weekend) and letting Novak go for free to a rival team, has brought us all back to earth with a bump, reminding us that as hard as Robinson tries, ultimately Roland & Meire still don't have a clue.
Reeves, Clarke and Marshall are experienced though. Amos is similar to Rudd
Of course I would have liked an experienced and proven Goalscorer to come in. We are very thin if Big Mag gets an injury for any length of time. It's quite frankly bad planning and has seriously jeopardised a promotion challange ........but I'm not quite as despondent as some.
Clarke with Reeves behind will be very hard for a lot of teams in league one to handle. Completely different to what they normally face week in week out. Where it falls over is if we are forced to play it game after game. It will need the midfield to win a lot of ball because sure as hell it won't stick up front. Dodoo is supposed to have pace and could be good to come off the bench. Reeco and KAG aren't going to change games.
Duchatelet has proved yet again that he knows eff all about football. He's saved a lot of wages this summer and his failure to invest in a striker of proven pedigree might well cost us and him. False economy Roland. Sell in January or sooner please.
Same paper thin squad, different season, The Rat doesn't learn does he......
2-3 injuries away from mid table third tier finish.....2 strikers away from the Championship....hey ho, maybe just maybe we will sign a couple of out of contract players....maybe.......?
Would imagine we are also getting a reputation with players that if they are unhappy it is fairly easy for them to get out of their contract and move on.
Pleased to see we kept hold of Holmes, Pearce, Konsa and Kashi. And agree that some of the new additions look good.
If we're serious about promotion, leaving us so light up front is baffling. I could understand it more if we were in financial straits or got a fantastic offer for Novak. But we've got the richest owners in our history and Novak went for free.
No manager can be happy with no experienced striker cover. So for me it's either that we're not that serious about promotion, incompetence or a bit of both.
Pleased once again that I gave up my season ticket and found better things to do on a Saturday. Club's a joke.
Which ones don't? (Apart from Amos - and he's performed well over the last two/three matches). How many matches have you watched this season?
Fair challenge, original post amended to state ''...the new additions look good so far."
Seen one match live this season, couple of pre-season streams, clips and follow CL post match comments. I live in Hampshire, so hope this is enough for you.
My main point still stands- the decision to leave us so light forward-wise given that (a) the squad could otherwise challenge for promotion and (b) our owner is not short of funds, is up there with some of the more stupid things that they've done.
I think everyone here needs to relax a bit, I hate the ownership group as much as the next but let's be realistic. Wigan was never selling Griggs. Akinde is a headcase. Godden was a one year success in league two after being nonleague for a while. Novak didn't want to be here because of lack of playing time. There were really no good options in the last month. Every single team in League one has depth issues, it is the nature of the budgets at this level. Every single team has to rely on their up and coming youth players to fill in as reserves. With djiksteel, konsa, aribo as the holding cover and the fact that players like reeves, holmes and fosu can play multiple positions on the attack, I feel comfortable with our midfield. We also have decent depth at the defense even if we are a little thin at the fullbacks. We took a risk not keeping ajose, vetokele or watt but none of them were expected to play at a decent level. Yes we are thin up front and yes injuries could be a concern but that is true with every league one promotion hopeful.
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
Yes, because both Robinson (privately) and Bowyer (publicly) expected it to happen and planned on that basis.
Amazing . You have been posting on here all summer Konsa will be sold before the window closes. Fair play to the club to keep hold of the talent and getting rid of the older players.
Joe D may be as good as his clips look but if he does well Ranger's will want him back. If he doesn't we are likely to be in mid-table mediocrity. Loans are great for bolstering squad but not to give us our 2nd senior (rookie) striker.
I see another Greenwich Borough striker has joined a league side.
Last year we had Kevin Foley, Jackson Crofts and Ajose starting surrounded by kids, I would say the present side is a vast improvement ... only player I would put in today's team would be Lookman
Also surrounded by Pearce, Holmes and Magennis, all signed under Slade, to be fair. Presumably you would keep them, as well as Solly and possibly Rudd. And Konsa? And Bauer was here, although injured.
See Konsa was sold before the window closed in which you did forecast.
Yes, because both Robinson (privately) and Bowyer (publicly) expected it to happen and planned on that basis.
Amazing . You have been posting on here all summer Konsa will be sold before the window closes. Fair play to the club to keep hold of the talent and getting rid of the older players.
Comments
To put this into perspective our most experienced CM in reserve is Aribo with less than 20 first team appearances (including subs). Our most senior back up striker has 25 senior appearances including subs.
I suspect we will be shopping in the free transfers bin for a couple of extra signings as there's no way we don't get injuries in those positions. Anyone know the list of freebies out there?
And I'll never forget old Crofty and his glorious pass for Ben Reeves debut goal v. Crawley.
And his 'waaaaaay' on @CharltonLive.
We hear the same bollox they have learnt --- judge them on this season / window blah blah
how many times have we gone into seasons --part of seasons with a tiny squad or glaringly short in key areas ---but "they have learnt"
it was Pearce who said we needed to strengthen up front when Watt left---Novac and Hanlon go and we bring one in !!
we were NEVER in for Grigg as their manager had said we didnt bid----but when u spend cart loads on a PR company spin and false info is what u get
anyone who stills believes that RD and the poodles have the good interests of this club at heart is deluded
If you want a big lump up top Nabby is 6'5"
I don't want to see Nabby Sarr - our 4th/5th choice CB - up front unless it's chasing a 90th minute goal. He's not a replacement for Magennis should he miss 5-10 games through injury. Worse still is that Robinson describes Dodoo as someone who can change our style - a different option to Magennis. If Magennis gets injured we now have to change our preferred style of play as we have no one else who can play that role.
The squad is woefully short in two key areas - par for the course under RD and KM.
Many of the players we've seen leave in recent months (Rudd, Ajose, Johnson, Chicksen, Tex, Watt, Novak, Crofts etc) have all racked up many appearances at this level and above, but have been shipped out and their places in the squad replaced by the likes of Dodoo, Fosu, Aribo, Djiksteel & Hackett-Fairchild.
Not denying we should have kept Johnson, Tex etc and that some of our incomings are of a great standard for this level (Marshall, Reeves...), but can't help but feel the overall mix of youth/experience has shifted hugely, and for League One I don't believe that's a good thing. It then seems very strange to let the likes of Hanlan/Umerah go out on loan whilst we're bringing in equally as inexperienced loans to cover this? Bonkers.
Couple this with the complete lack of depth (heaven forbid Magennis, who is injury prone, gets crocked this weekend) and letting Novak go for free to a rival team, has brought us all back to earth with a bump, reminding us that as hard as Robinson tries, ultimately Roland & Meire still don't have a clue.
Clarke with Reeves behind will be very hard for a lot of teams in league one to handle. Completely different to what they normally face week in week out. Where it falls over is if we are forced to play it game after game. It will need the midfield to win a lot of ball because sure as hell it won't stick up front. Dodoo is supposed to have pace and could be good to come off the bench. Reeco and KAG aren't going to change games.
Duchatelet has proved yet again that he knows eff all about football. He's saved a lot of wages this summer and his failure to invest in a striker of proven pedigree might well cost us and him. False economy Roland. Sell in January or sooner please.
2-3 injuries away from mid table third tier finish.....2 strikers away from the Championship....hey ho, maybe just maybe we will sign a couple of out of contract players....maybe.......?
Seen one match live this season, couple of pre-season streams, clips and follow CL post match comments. I live in Hampshire, so hope this is enough for you.
My main point still stands- the decision to leave us so light forward-wise given that (a) the squad could otherwise challenge for promotion and (b) our owner is not short of funds, is up there with some of the more stupid things that they've done.
I see another Greenwich Borough striker has joined a league side.