The absolute priority has to be centre backs Inniss ain't up to it physically - 2 seasons now same story Lavelle looked like a slimmer younger Jason Pearce (2021 version) then broke down with serious injury Pearce is older, slower and now injured Gunter - last night was just one example Famewo has improved dramatically in recent weeks but could be recalled Elerewe and Barker are talented teenagers with little experience
If we are to sustain a promotion push we need to keep the back shorne up and to do that we'll need 2 more capable experienced campaigners at CH, even if we don't carry on playing 3 at the back
We're continuing to score despite all the pant wetting B/S on here about lacking strikers. We're probably overladen in midfield and one or two might need to get loaned out or sold to make room in the permitted squad, candidates? Morgan, Watson, Kirk are all off the list of starters, harsh on a couple but needs must.
This is how I see it... I get the approach that we need more Strikers and need to just out score the opposition.
But we've scored eleven goals under Jackson and conceded just three.
Two of which were when we started with just one recognised Centre-Back
Scoring goals isn't the issue
It was last night.
Erm... We were 2-0 up
If we had proper defensive cover we would have won
If we had scored 3 we would have won. We had enough pressure in the final 3rd to have scored more than 2.
Meaningless quote. If you attack & score more goals than your opponent then you win the game. If you win all your games then you win the title.
Ergo - Scoring more goals than your opponents will win you the title. Keeping clean sheets is only good if you can score as well. If you cant score then the best you'll do is 0-0. 46 0-0 draws won't win you the title.
Scoring goals is therefore more important than keeping clean sheets.
It’s never one or the other, the best sides usually have a balance. Keep a clean sheet and you only need to score one to win. Being too focussed on attacking or defending leaves you with a team who can only win one way. All our promotion sides under Curbs, Powell and Bowyer were strong defensively as well as able to score goals.
Defending was our main problem last season, far too often we needed to score 3/4/5 goals to win a game. Must be very rare for a team in modern football to win promotion consistently having to score so many to get results. Posh were usually a free scoring side in the 6 years Maddison was there but they never won promotion.
Over the last 6 games we’re 6th in the form table having scored 10 and conceded 4. Portsmouth are top having scored 9 but only conceded 2. Fleetwood have also scored 10 but due to conceding 15 they’re bottom.
I’d rather we played attacking and entertaining football but not at all costs. I want to see at least one striker sign in January, but I also don’t want us to return to the defending of last season. We shouldn’t need to score 5 at home to Rochdale or 5 away to Burton to beat them. Winning 6-0 away was a highlight but much of it was down to Plymouth’s poor performance, a team who could regularly win like that would never be in L1 to begin with.
This might surprise you but I totally agree. The problem is, and has been for a number of years, is that we don't have a decent striker (or midfielders) to score the goals. Currently we have 3 recognised strikers, of which only Washington is regularly scoring. Stockley might be tall but he is not Andy Gray (the Everton one, not the one we signed) and doesn't seem to be able to get in front of his marker when a cross comes in.
Odd then that he was on 10 goals in 20 appearances this season prior to suspension.
Stockley’s on track for 15-20 over the season as long as he stays fit and avoids more suspensions. Now we’re playing two up front we need to bring in that 4th striker. It would be great if Burstow can step up too, these two cup games are a good chance for him to show he’s ready.
The midfield we’re playing should have goals in them, other than Dobson (not his role) all have the ability to score 5-10 a season. It’s less likely if we’re playing Souare and are missing Stockley. Davison’s hold up play isn’t consistent and he’s not as strong in the air. Having that up front will create more opportunities for the midfield to score goals.
Having proper CBs back will improve our chances from set pieces too, even if it’s just making space for Stockley.
The absolute priority has to be centre backs Inniss ain't up to it physically - 2 seasons now same story Lavelle looked like a slimmer younger Jason Pearce (2021 version) then broke down with serious injury Pearce is older, slower and now injured Gunter - last night was just one example Famewo has improved dramatically in recent weeks but could be recalled Elerewe and Barker are talented teenagers with little experience
If we are to sustain a promotion push we need to keep the back shorne up and to do that we'll need 2 more capable experienced campaigners at CH, even if we don't carry on playing 3 at the back
We're continuing to score despite all the pant wetting B/S on here about lacking strikers. We're probably overladen in midfield and one or two might need to get loaned out or sold to make room in the permitted squad, candidates? Morgan, Watson, Kirk are all off the list of starters, harsh on a couple but needs must.
This is how I see it... I get the approach that we need more Strikers and need to just out score the opposition.
But we've scored eleven goals under Jackson and conceded just three.
Two of which were when we started with just one recognised Centre-Back
Scoring goals isn't the issue
It was last night.
Erm... We were 2-0 up
If we had proper defensive cover we would have won
If we had scored 3 we would have won. We had enough pressure in the final 3rd to have scored more than 2.
Meaningless quote. If you attack & score more goals than your opponent then you win the game. If you win all your games then you win the title.
Ergo - Scoring more goals than your opponents will win you the title. Keeping clean sheets is only good if you can score as well. If you cant score then the best you'll do is 0-0. 46 0-0 draws won't win you the title.
Scoring goals is therefore more important than keeping clean sheets.
What Fergie should have said is that Clean Sheet Wins win you titles
Nigel Adkins after the first exciting game at the Valley against Sheffield Wednesday when Cafc had no shots on target and Sheffield Wednesday should have nicked it at the end in a classic 0-0 where the keepers must've been as bored as the crowd.
My target is to keep 25 clean sheets said
Adkins! No mention of trying to score in those games and winning.
Stockley and Washington in a 2 up front will average a goal ever 2.5 to 3 games in this division which isn't too shabby but of course we want a more clinical striker but the catch 22 is if they are capable of 25 odd goals in League 1 their agent will try to get this striker a move to the Championship.
It seems we have the same problem we had when Bowyer was here. Players past their sell buy date & injury prone key position players
The fact Arter is not making the squad seems we have made the same mistake we made with Watson previously.
Of course a squad needs 1 or 2 senior players but 27/28 year old still performing is less of a risk than bring in names that were very good in their prime but doubts exist, this needs more scrutiny.
We need a CB & Striker. If it were my call I would send Arter back to Forest when the window opens and take Watson out of the squad and give him a coaching role till the end of the season to give us the 2 places in the squad.
The fact we have 4 CB is irrelevant if only one or two available when your playing a system using 3. Same applies to the forwards. We need to learn the mistake of last season when we kept using players out of position for key places at CB.
Nigel Adkins after the first exciting game at the Valley against Sheffield Wednesday when Cafc had no shots on target and Sheffield Wednesday should have nicked it at the end in a classic 0-0 where the keepers must've been as bored as the crowd.
My target is to keep 25 clean sheets said
Adkins! No mention of trying to score in those games and winning.
Stockley and Washington in a 2 up front will average a goal ever 2.5 to 3 games in this division which isn't too shabby but of course we want a more clinical striker but the catch 22 is if they are capable of 25 odd goals in League 1 their agent will try to get this striker a move to the Championship.
Football facts of life.
Even under no shots Nigle we only failed to score in 4 games, and in one of them we missed a penalty.
Of course you need to score goals but far, far, to often over the last year, who ever the manager is, we have needed to score 2 to get a point. That's not sustainable. It's also easier to fix than magicing up a 30 goal a season striker.
After last night, I think the January transfer window could be very exciting but not in the way we had necessarily hoped.
Alex Gilbey's performance last night was breath-taking and capped off with a superb goal. If I was a Championship manager, I'd be looking at that performance and thinking that man could do one heck of a job for me.
Likewise, Conor Washington. What a wonderful display of finding space and making chances for others. 6 months on his contract - a little cheeky bid from someone I wonder?
Even players like Stockley and Dobson, who are on longer contracts, must be catching the eye of "bigger" clubs.
Will be a good test of where we are going under TS if any bids do come in and he says no.
And please, can we sign up players we want to keep now rather than letting their contracts run out and seeing them walk away for nothing next summer a la Aneke.
I don’t see the point of spending much money in January, unless there’s some real bargains out there.
We’re not going to make the top 6, we’d have to have title winning form for the rest of the season - as well as relying on other teams to capitulate. I fully a expect a couple of the current top 6 to fall away, but there’s Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Lincoln, etc. all ahead of us to take those spots.
Hopefully we go into January with a settled management team and they can start to mould the squad in anticipation for a title charge next season.
Still 2 months to go before January, so plenty of points to play for. By then we'll be able to see whether promotion this season is realistic or not
I love the optimism but I don’t see any reality where we’re close to 6th come May. Far too many good sides this year and we threw away 12 games
We are 11 points off 6th with 30 games to go. Not 5-10 games, 30! It's certainly not impossible.
There are some good sides but i don't agree there are "far too many good sides". We've beaten Sunderland and should've beaten Rotherham and they're in the top 5.
Burton away (draw) Plymouth home (win) Morecambe away (win) Shrewsbury away (win) Ipswich home (draw) Cambridge home (win) Plymouth away (lose) Wimbledon away (draw) Gillingham home (win) Wycombe home (draw) Crewe away (win) Cheltenham away (win)
are our games up until mid-January. Plymouth are flying and Ipswich and Wycombe are tough teams, but no reason at all we couldn't take 25 points from those 12 games (my predictions in the brackets).
That would give us 41 points from 28 games and have us right in the play off picture. 2 points per game average from now until the end will be enough. Tough but by no means impossible.
Not quite the way i predicted but 10 points from 5 games keeps us on track for the 2 points per game average we probably need to mount a play off charge.
It might be an indication of the clubs intent moving forwards as I would think there might be a couple of our current players that would attract attention from other clubs we will see if we sell any of our youngsters
Three weeks until the window - but do we even need anyone? Perhaps a few stronger bench warmers?
Definitely need a striker as we're very limited if Stockley or Washington are missing.
JFC coming back will obviously boost the midfield.
I'd send Arter back and sign a creative midfielder as backup/competition for Lee.
If we're going to sign one Striker then it needs to be cover for Stockley for sure after the three games he was suspended for - Wonder it its worth trying to bring back another ex-Striker from Birmingham, seeing he's not overly involved up there.
Also if we could bin off Souare and Arter and get some younger fresh legs in, that would be excellent.
Do Crewe want Kirk back on loan? He doesn’t fit this system and I don’t see a place for him unless he can adapt to playing second striker / the Elliot Lee role.
As much as weve missed Stockley in the games he’s missed I think we’d miss Connor as much if not more. He’s in a hot scoring spell at the moment but even when he isn’t scoring he causes the defences constant issues with his movement. 2 strikers would be ideal if Burstow doesn’t step up permanently.
Dont think we need too much,we have 2 cbs who will be fit soon plus deji.We have JFC coming back in midfield,plus Watson,Arter Morgan who can do stand in jobs,plus the u23 players on the fringe.Up front,maybe a problem if Stockley gets hurt or suspended,but you wont get a top striker in who is prepared to play second fiddle,so maybe Burstow will get more chances.All clubs will now have their squad stretched between now and the seasons end,think we are in a better position than some,if not most.
Am I right in thinking we have already got a deal in place to sign Famewo? Am sure it was announced when he signed on loan?
As to others, we need another striker in and I'd like to sign Lee on a perm.
Arter will no doubt go back. I also wouldn't be surprised if Kirk goes back up North. Hasn't worked out for him at all and the formation Jackson plays absolutely does not suit him.
Comments
The midfield we’re playing should have goals in them, other than Dobson (not his role) all have the ability to score 5-10 a season. It’s less likely if we’re playing Souare and are missing Stockley. Davison’s hold up play isn’t consistent and he’s not as strong in the air. Having that up front will create more opportunities for the midfield to score goals.
My target is to keep 25 clean sheets said
Stockley and Washington in a 2 up front will average a goal ever 2.5 to 3 games in this division which isn't too shabby but of course we want a more clinical striker but the catch 22 is if they are capable of 25 odd goals in League 1 their agent will try to get this striker a move to the Championship.
Football facts of life.
The fact Arter is not making the squad seems we have made the same mistake we made with Watson previously.
Of course a squad needs 1 or 2 senior players but 27/28 year old still performing is less of a risk than bring in names that were very good in their prime but doubts exist, this needs more scrutiny.
We need a CB & Striker. If it were my call I would send Arter back to Forest when the window opens and take Watson out of the squad and give him a coaching role till the end of the season to give us the 2 places in the squad.
The fact we have 4 CB is irrelevant if only one or two available when your playing a system using 3. Same applies to the forwards. We need to learn the mistake of last season when we kept using players out of position for key places at CB.
Of course you need to score goals but far, far, to often over the last year, who ever the manager is, we have needed to score 2 to get a point. That's not sustainable. It's also easier to fix than magicing up a 30 goal a season striker.
Alex Gilbey's performance last night was breath-taking and capped off with a superb goal. If I was a Championship manager, I'd be looking at that performance and thinking that man could do one heck of a job for me.
Likewise, Conor Washington. What a wonderful display of finding space and making chances for others. 6 months on his contract - a little cheeky bid from someone I wonder?
Even players like Stockley and Dobson, who are on longer contracts, must be catching the eye of "bigger" clubs.
Will be a good test of where we are going under TS if any bids do come in and he says no.
And please, can we sign up players we want to keep now rather than letting their contracts run out and seeing them walk away for nothing next summer a la Aneke.
JFC coming back will obviously boost the midfield.
I'd send Arter back and sign a creative midfielder as backup/competition for Lee.
Do Crewe want Kirk back on loan? He doesn’t fit this system and I don’t see a place for him unless he can adapt to playing second striker / the Elliot Lee role.