Our squad is so light on numbers but also quality. And particularly attacking quality. Quite worried about this season. Some saying we’ll only be mid table. I think we’ll struggle to stay up.
But we’re already better off up front with Lyle Taylor in the team.
But weaker in goal, at left back, only have one fit right back. We don’t know how Pratley will compare to Kashi.
The signs of a bad season are there, much like they were 10 years ago in 08/09 when we got relegated from the Champ.
Look at the injury problems we’ve had over the last four years. This squad has even less depth than any of those did.
I’ll feel better if we get a couple of signings in soon, or the takeover goes through.
Weaker in goal. Weaker in attacking midfield. Weaker at center back and weaker at right back (both because of losing Konsa).
I agree we're stronger up front with Magennis and hopefully Igor playing some part, plus having KAG back hopefully he continues his form from Crawley, but we're lower on quality and quantity literally everywhere else.
GK is not the priority. I can think of LB RB RW CM and so the list goes on..... We will struggle to keep the players we have fit until Christmas because of the demands. The only good thing is the talented younger lads coming through will get opportunities. But for a club like ours we need experienced players especially at this level.
Agree we certainly need another defender and midfielder aswell but another GK is an absolute must. With Ince, Ward and Dawkins having been on trial then I guess it's comfort knowing Bowyer is looking whereas with the keeper we are not sure which adds to the concern.
Bowyer is definitely looking but it is a tough one. It means if we sign a keeper would comes in as number 1, it means we have to sign another keeper as well as Phillips will go out and play elsewhere. We don’t have the budget for two more keepers.
Yet, it is possibly even harder to find a more experienced keeper to come in and know he is going to be number 2 to allow Phillips to play.
It’s like a catch 22, it’s tough.
I'm of the opinion, not having seen a ton of him, that Phillips isn't quite good enough to be the keeper for a promotion chasing team in this division. Now, will we be chasing promotion is a big question. But if that is the hope, I'm not sure he's up to that standard.
You're bang on when you say it's really tough. He's certainly promising and has a lot to offer. But he needs to play. And if we bring in an experienced keeper like Martin, or really any decent experienced keeper, he'd have a real fight on his hands. But we just can't go into the season with AMB as our #2.
He needed to go out on loan last season, that's really the issue here. We couldn't get in another keeper and it ended up screwing Dillon. And now we're in a situation where we either go into the season with a largely untested (handful of cup and league games, and that loan spell at Cheltenham-I think it was-a couple years ago) as our #1, or we bring in someone else and risk losing Dillon in the summer. Dillon has said, and I think it's fair, that he only wants to be the #1 here. It may not be realistic, but I think for him personally and his career he has to play this season. So it's tough, as you say.
I wouldn't say we were massively weaker in attacking midfield. Yes we need more bodies, but none of the loanees that we no longer have (Mavididi, Kaikai, Zyro) were massively successful for us, and I'm sure equivalent young loan players from the PL will be easy to obtain.
When checking to see if Taylor had retired I did see a comment from him saying that he didnt want to go down to League One or League Two because he wanted to prove that he is good enough to be a Premier League Goalkeeper
The fact he's only played 34-games at that level over a 21-year period surely means he isnt good enough
Crazy really. He's played 75 league games in 18 seasons!! And only 7 in the last 8 seasons.
Bloke does less work for his wages than Winston Bogarde did at Chelsea.
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
I don't think that's fair. The problem (and not Dillon's fault) is that he has had so little league experience, due to not being loaned out during the last 2 seasons. Darren and Rob both also had loans to league clubs
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
I doubt any Charlton fan really wants a promising young academy graduate to fail.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
I doubt any Charlton fan really wants a promising young academy graduate to fail.
We have a minority of negative fans like most clubs - my fear with the lack of faith shown in Phillips is that some fans won't give him a chance. That is par for the course in football. I've seen enough players scapegoated over the years.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
He joined Huddersfield as their second choice left back. They then got promoted to the Prem which there’s no way he’d have been ready for.
He then spent all of last season injured after getting injured on his Portsmouth debut.
It’s not really worked out for him in terms of getting regular football at one club. That’s not necessarily because of a lack of ability.
He’s 22, there’s still time for him to make in the Championship if the injury hasn’t set him back too much.
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
That’s incredibly harsh.
Happy to give Phillips a chance and really want him to succeed, but the “chance” element surely indicates risk which means there’s a possibility it doesn’t work out. What then? We just stick with him or some other child from the youth team until the January window? That’s to big a risk to take at goalkeeper.
We have to sign another ‘keeper to compete with Phillips as a priority.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
Agree. Because he was quick and young alot of our fans said he had potential but I never rated him at all. Postional sense was terrible. Id be amazed if he goes on to play above league one level. Very similar to Cedric Evina.....and simply not that good in my opinion.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
Agree. Because he was quick and young alot of our fans said he had potential but I never rated him at all. Postional sense was terrible. Id be amazed if he goes on to play above league one level. Very similar to Cedric Evina.....and simply not that good in my opinion.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
Agree. Because he was quick and young alot of our fans said he had potential but I never rated him at all. Postional sense was terrible. Id be amazed if he goes on to play above league one level. Very similar to Cedric Evina.....and simply not that good in my opinion.
Clearly not up to much if he’s ended up there, most of our fans reckoned he’d be a starter in the championship by now when he left. Never rated him much personally.
Agree. Because he was quick and young alot of our fans said he had potential but I never rated him at all. Postional sense was terrible. Id be amazed if he goes on to play above league one level. Very similar to Cedric Evina.....and simply not that good in my opinion.
Did you rate Pope or Fox? Players can improve.
Well, Pope has.
And Fox was a squad player in the Championship last season, which is a higher than most expected him to play at.
Phillips needs to get experience to improve - we either play him or get rid. He played 36 times for Cheltenham and helped them win the National League. Darren Randolph and Robbie Elliott both got their initial experience in the Conference and kicked on from there.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
That’s incredibly harsh.
Happy to give Phillips a chance and really want him to succeed, but the “chance” element surely indicates risk which means there’s a possibility it doesn’t work out. What then? We just stick with him or some other child from the youth team until the January window? That’s to big a risk to take at goalkeeper.
We have to sign another ‘keeper to compete with Phillips as a priority.
Phillips is hardly a child and I'm not saying we shouldn't sign another keeper as backup.
It's not harsh to say that some of our fans enjoy scapegoating players - it's been going on for as long as I can remember. If you don't show confidence in a player you're setting them up to fail if they make a mistake.
Goalkeepers get plenty of stick - Pope's confidence was hardly helped by some of the cockheads in our fanbase. There is no real point Phillips being here to be an understudy at a L1 club - play him or let him go.
It's always a 'chance' to play any player but that's life. There are plenty of other keepers available out there as a backup in case of injury or loss of form - it would make sense to sign one. I don't know enough about Maynard-Brewer to pass judgement but he does lack experience.
I hope Phillips gets a decent run and that if he does make a mistake the fans keep behind him. I think he can be a good keeper.
I think Phillips will flourish if given the chance - confidence isn't something he lacks - better off getting s cheap over the hill back up and putting any money elsewhere, like another striker or CM
Think we have to take a chance with Phillips. We don’t have the budget for an Amos or Rudd and sooner or later we must get a GK who is ours and is first choice. We’ve been in the same situation for the last few seasons under Duchatelet and it’s not good to have continued uncertainty over one of the most important positions in the team. Give Phillips the shirt. We’ll have all the answers we need by Christmas. Not ideal but a loan could come in January if Phillips disappoints. The squad is inadequate on a lot of levels and I don’t think GK is going to be the end of our woes this term.
Comments
Bloke does less work for his wages than Winston Bogarde did at Chelsea.
I do think some of our fans are desperate for Phillips to fail and seem unwilling to give him a chance. I have faith in him but if the club don't then they should move him on.
Good luck to him, a very good player for League One.
I've seen enough players scapegoated over the years.
He then spent all of last season injured after getting injured on his Portsmouth debut.
It’s not really worked out for him in terms of getting regular football at one club. That’s not necessarily because of a lack of ability.
He’s 22, there’s still time for him to make in the Championship if the injury hasn’t set him back too much.
Happy to give Phillips a chance and really want him to succeed, but the “chance” element surely indicates risk which means there’s a possibility it doesn’t work out. What then? We just stick with him or some other child from the youth team until the January window? That’s to big a risk to take at goalkeeper.
We have to sign another ‘keeper to compete with Phillips as a priority.
It's not harsh to say that some of our fans enjoy scapegoating players - it's been going on for as long as I can remember. If you don't show confidence in a player you're setting them up to fail if they make a mistake.
Goalkeepers get plenty of stick - Pope's confidence was hardly helped by some of the cockheads in our fanbase. There is no real point Phillips being here to be an understudy at a L1 club - play him or let him go.
It's always a 'chance' to play any player but that's life. There are plenty of other keepers available out there as a backup in case of injury or loss of form - it would make sense to sign one. I don't know enough about Maynard-Brewer to pass judgement but he does lack experience.
I hope Phillips gets a decent run and that if he does make a mistake the fans keep behind him. I think he can be a good keeper.