Why oh why, do we sign so many players that come with a lot of fanfare, but turnout to be pants, something stinks with our recruitment strategy, we just can’t get it right?
Why oh why, do we sign so many players that come with a lot of fanfare, but turnout to be pants, something stinks with our recruitment strategy, we just can’t get it right?
Why oh why, do we sign so many players that come with a lot of fanfare, but turnout to be pants, something stinks with our recruitment strategy, we just can’t get it right?
A lot of the fanfare comes from people on here.
Maybe you’re right, maybe leave it until they’ve actually started playing for us, and see if they can do it over a long period of time and be consistent , rather than flash in the pan performances that nose dive if the winds blowing their hair the wrong way.
Keep: Innis, Forster-Caskey, Washington, Famewo Bin: The rest
Purrington?
if we keep playing with wing backs i'd rather not. Back four yes i'd keep him
It does feel like things like that weren’t thought through in the summer. Purrington and Souare aren’t the type of player Kirk needs behind him. Morgan isn’t suited to that number 10 role. Stockley doesn’t have the mobility to be a lone striker. I’m sure there are more examples.
Powell’s team was so good because it fitted together so well.
He planned to play JJ on the left of a midfield four. Some on here were happy Bessone who we had on loan was good enough as he “did a job”.
Instead Powell signed Wiggins and Evina, two pacey left backs who liked to get forward - exactly what JJ needed given he couldn’t offer that type of threat.
On the other side we had Solly, a more defensive full back so ahead of him we had an attacking player in either Wagstaff or Green.
Up front BWP was partnered by Yann or Hayes, both could hold up the ball and had an eye for a pass.
It looks like we went out to find the best value for money we could in each position without thinking through how the playing styles and roles fit together.
I wouldn't keep Washington if we want a promotion push. He is slap bang average league 1 standard which is why we are average league 1 standard. Maybe have him on the bench but we need better than him if we want to improve
I wouldn't keep Washington if we want a promotion push. He is slap bang average league 1 standard which is why we are average league 1 standard. Maybe have him on the bench but we need better than him if we want to improve
We need to sign replacements for Watson, Davison etc that come in as first choice players with the likes of Washington becoming squad players (assuming they’re players who fit the formation).
Keep: Innis, Forster-Caskey, Washington, Famewo Bin: The rest
Purrington?
if we keep playing with wing backs i'd rather not. Back four yes i'd keep him
It does feel like things like that weren’t thought through in the summer. Purrington and Souare aren’t the type of player Kirk needs behind him. Morgan isn’t suited to that number 10 role. Stockley doesn’t have the mobility to be a lone striker. I’m sure there are more examples.
Powell’s team was so good because it fitted together so well.
He planned to play JJ on the left of a midfield four. Some on here were happy Bessone who we had on loan was good enough as he “did a job”.
Instead Powell signed Wiggins and Evina, two pacey left backs who likes to get forward - exactly what JJ needed given he couldn’t offer that type of threat.
On the other side we had Solly, a more defensive full back so ahead of him we had an attacking player in either Wagstaff or Green.
Up front BWP was partnered by Yann or Hayes, both could hold up the ball and had an eye for a pass.
It looks like we went out to find the best value for money we could in each position without thinking through how the playing styles and roles fit together.
Harsh. Kirk has already proven he's good enough to excel in this division, which is why we bought him.
He's a young lad moving down south who just lost his dad. It's understandable if he hasn't settled, but given the talent he's already shown, it's up to us as well as Kirk to get the best out of him.
Maybe I’m an old curmudgeon, but can we stop with the “he’s a young lad”. He’s 24, not some teenager. He might not like living in London, and that’s fine, but at this point his age shouldn’t be playing into this.
With Kirk if he goes to Blackpool and does well surely the fee to make the move permanent goes up. There is a slim chance we might even end up making a profit.
I wouldn't keep Washington if we want a promotion push. He is slap bang average league 1 standard which is why we are average league 1 standard. Maybe have him on the bench but we need better than him if we want to improve
There’s actually a lot on Conor’s game that’s Championship level (his movement & runs) the problem is the most important bit - finishing! Is league 2
Keep: Innis, Forster-Caskey, Washington, Famewo Bin: The rest
Purrington?
if we keep playing with wing backs i'd rather not. Back four yes i'd keep him
It does feel like things like that weren’t thought through in the summer. Purrington and Souare aren’t the type of player Kirk needs behind him. Morgan isn’t suited to that number 10 role. Stockley doesn’t have the mobility to be a lone striker. I’m sure there are more examples.
Powell’s team was so good because it fitted together so well.
He planned to play JJ on the left of a midfield four. Some on here were happy Bessone who we had on loan was good enough as he “did a job”.
Instead Powell signed Wiggins and Evina, two pacey left backs who likes to get forward - exactly what JJ needed given he couldn’t offer that type of threat.
On the other side we had Solly, a more defensive full back so ahead of him we had an attacking player in either Wagstaff or Green.
Up front BWP was partnered by Yann or Hayes, both could hold up the ball and had an eye for a pass.
It looks like we went out to find the best value for money we could in each position without thinking through how the playing styles and roles fit together.
Harsh. Kirk has already proven he's good enough to excel in this division, which is why we bought him.
He's a young lad moving down south who just lost his dad. It's understandable if he hasn't settled, but given the talent he's already shown, it's up to us as well as Kirk to get the best out of him.
Maybe I’m an old curmudgeon, but can we stop with the “he’s a young lad”. He’s 24, not some teenager. He might not like living in London, and that’s fine, but at this point his age shouldn’t be playing into this.
Also we signed him in August & I believe his dad died around that time too. That's 5 months ago. I know grief is different for everyone but I'm sure its not affecting him on a day-to-day basis now.
With Kirk if he goes to Blackpool and does well surely the fee to make the move permanent goes up. There is a slim chance we might even end up making a profit.
We ? Who are we ? Did you put any money up for the fee then ?
I chucked in a quid and got a Charlie Kirk certificate
I wouldn't keep Washington if we want a promotion push. He is slap bang average league 1 standard which is why we are average league 1 standard. Maybe have him on the bench but we need better than him if we want to improve
There’s actually a lot on Conor’s game that’s Championship level (his movement & runs) the problem is the most important bit - finishing! Is league 2
Control? I've never seen a player find space but then his first touch undoes all the good positional work
With Kirk if he goes to Blackpool and does well surely the fee to make the move permanent goes up. There is a slim chance we might even end up making a profit.
We ? Who are we ? Did you put any money up for the fee then ?
I chucked in a quid and got a Charlie Kirk certificate
A strike duo of Lyle Taylor and Defoe would be interesting wouldn't it
I would not be surprised to see Defoe heading back towards London if nothing more than to be a Sky Sports / TalkSport pundit as it seems to be the done thing now. Playing at Charlton as a player/coach/broadcaster
In an ideal world (it isn’t) and if we are to mount a serous promotion challenge (unlikely) and we are to have a squad fit for the championship the following season (now I’m falling off my own chair laughing) then we’d get rid of the entire list. At a (long and heavy) push, Purrington, Washington and fully fit Innes and JFC (yes I know I’m hallucinating now) would be kept but all as back up only.
My gut feeling was that over the summer analytics took precedence over traditional scouting and squad building.
There is a place for both but a computer algorithm isn't the same as knowing if a player will be happy in London or if he'll play well in a different formation with different players and, as it turned out, under a different manager.
It doesn't help, IMHO, if one of the analysts is in Australia and that neither of the then manager or Head of Recruitment have the final say.
Add the budget not being as big as those of Ipswich and Wigan and not realising that many of the league 1 and 2 players we were targeting would go to the championship because if we thought they were good so would others with deeper pockets and you can get a feel for what was, IMHO, going on over the summer.
But we still made some strong signings IMHO
Stockley, Famewo, Macca, Lavelle, Dobson, Clare, even Lee and Leko at times, were/are decent signings at this level.
Arter, Souare, Kirk, for different reasons, weren't.
So the squad had some quality as it showed when JJ took over but it also relies on Stockley far too much and their confidence is fragile. Innis and Lavelle have been big misses too.
Players like DJ can be brilliant or invisible but thats why he's in league 1.
Bottom line for me is that this squad has underperformed.
It should be top six. The run from Sunderland away proved that.
That it is not is partly poor management, partly injuries, partly the players not doing enough, partly that the squad wasn't balanced, partly some players not being good enough. What % you want to put on each is something to argue about until the cows come home or we sign another player.
The player who was standing out every week for Crewe hasn’t just disappeared. He’s barely had a chance under Jackson, and when he has it’s come out of position. And under Adkins, everyone was awful, even Dobson, Clare etc. who we’ve all been raving about for the past few months.
Not a coincidence he’s going to a team in the league above. We’ll regret this decision in the future if he’s goes for good.
Depends on the price. If he goes for £1m+ that's good business. If he goes for less, well then we have a problem.
The player who was standing out every week for Crewe hasn’t just disappeared. He’s barely had a chance under Jackson, and when he has it’s come out of position. And under Adkins, everyone was awful, even Dobson, Clare etc. who we’ve all been raving about for the past few months.
Not a coincidence he’s going to a team in the league above. We’ll regret this decision in the future if he’s goes for good.
So two managers now haven't played him. Do you think that might be because A) He has been garbage when he has got minutes. He is off the pace in training and giving both managers no indication that he will compete in a first team game. C) Both A and B are correct.
Or maybe he’s barely had a chance under Jackson because he constantly persists with a 5 at the back formation that doesn’t utilise wingers, and Kirk is a winger.
You have Clare and JFC to come back into that CM category next season but wing backs defo need improving.
Clare is a right back or right centre back .
No, he’s a central midfielder who has the athleticism and ability on the ball that Jackson wants from one of his outside centre backs to venture into midfield and join the attack. He has the ability to play there, and overall has done very, very well, because of playing at right back previously in his career. He understands the defensive side of the game better, but he is still a midfielder playing in defence.
I don’t think he has the passing quality or awareness to play there . Evidently I’m outnumbered on this feeling but he looks much better in defence to me . I think he wants to play in midfield, certainly.
More than entitled to that. I just don’t think he has been able to show his worth in midfield. To me, he’s as close to a Gilbey replacement that we have. He has the athleticism and the ability to carry the ball, not to the same standard, but he can do it. He’s just proved to be very useful as an outside centre back.
For me, I will be interested to see the style of play and principles of play that Jackson will try to implement in the summer. Especially as we will have a core of players and the season starting a little earlier, we need to do our business early and I would hope we would see what his style actually is. And with that, where Clare fits in and the position he plays.
I think the fact that he can't get in this midfield says a lot about his prospects of playing there next season, after hopefully a productive close season. Closest thing to Dobson, yes, and therein lies the issue- our midfield is woefully short on quality and mobility. I really like Dobson- I'm glad he's maintained his form in this slump and I think Gilbey is a good player, albeit with minimal end product. Beyond that, we've got an inconsistent Morgan (who I hope will be go on a run of good league games now), Lee, who has fallen away spectacularly and Watson.
Yes, our midfield is nowhere near good enough and for me, that’s been the biggest problem this season. Not enough goals, not enough protection for the defence, not enough creativity.
I personally think Gilbey is our best midfielder, with what he brings to us, if he had a bit more about him defensively, he wouldn’t be in this league.
I think him and maybe Dobson, if he improved his ability on the ball, are the only ones who could be a squad player for a Championship club, not starters but would play a part. I think that’s the problem.
I know we wouldn’t have a midfield like that again at this level, but compare our midfield now to what we had when we won promotion and it’s scary the massive difference in quality.
Think his ability on the ball has been excellent. He’s calm in possession and is excellent at turning out of trouble. His pass completion stats are decent too, I think. He’s easily my favourite player, and for me our best midfielder, albeit he’s a defensive one.
I want us to sign players who give a shit and start kicking people if we are losing or show some sign they don't like losing......this bunch are mentally weak and soft
I accept I'm not an expert on strategy and formations but I personally would rather buy a squad of half decent players and then play a formation that suits the matchday squad. Rigidly sticking to one formation make everything too predictable with a squad of 22 is it ? Surely we should be capable of playing different formations ? The alternative is sacking off the whole squad everytime someone has a new plan ffs
Comments
Powell’s team was so good because it fitted together so well.
He planned to play JJ on the left of a midfield four. Some on here were happy Bessone who we had on loan was good enough as he “did a job”.
Instead Powell signed Wiggins and Evina, two pacey left backs who liked to get forward - exactly what JJ needed given he couldn’t offer that type of threat.
On the other side we had Solly, a more defensive full back so ahead of him we had an attacking player in either Wagstaff or Green.
Up front BWP was partnered by Yann or Hayes, both could hold up the ball and had an eye for a pass.
It looks like we went out to find the best value for money we could in each position without thinking through how the playing styles and roles fit together.
Think he'll do well at Blackpool, shame it didn't work, because everything in his past points to him being a good player
I'd agree mostly, but would add Famewo to 'the rest'. Purrington I'm happy to have in the squad too.
lack of finishing is why I wouldn't keep him.
There is a place for both but a computer algorithm isn't the same as knowing if a player will be happy in London or if he'll play well in a different formation with different players and, as it turned out, under a different manager.
It doesn't help, IMHO, if one of the analysts is in Australia and that neither of the then manager or Head of Recruitment have the final say.
Add the budget not being as big as those of Ipswich and Wigan and not realising that many of the league 1 and 2 players we were targeting would go to the championship because if we thought they were good so would others with deeper pockets and you can get a feel for what was, IMHO, going on over the summer.
But we still made some strong signings IMHO
Stockley, Famewo, Macca, Lavelle, Dobson, Clare, even Lee and Leko at times, were/are decent signings at this level.
Arter, Souare, Kirk, for different reasons, weren't.
So the squad had some quality as it showed when JJ took over but it also relies on Stockley far too much and their confidence is fragile. Innis and Lavelle have been big misses too.
Players like DJ can be brilliant or invisible but thats why he's in league 1.
Bottom line for me is that this squad has underperformed.
It should be top six. The run from Sunderland away proved that.
That it is not is partly poor management, partly injuries, partly the players not doing enough, partly that the squad wasn't balanced, partly some players not being good enough. What % you want to put on each is something to argue about until the cows come home or we sign another player.
LLL&BH