If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
It’s probably a harder argument if you exclude the guy who can’t play 90 minutes, the constantly injured Center Back, Fraser from whom we have seen little and received nothing when he has played, and assume Dobson actually stays with a mid to low level Div 3 team…..and expect CBT to stay and stay fit and Stockley plays more than he did this year and gets fit….but I am open to persuasion. It’s arguable you could argue a good C let alone the O R and E, let alone persuade me that’s a top 10 set up
“I think we’ve got a good core that will be coming back to us next season"
Well that tells you all that you need to know
I guarentee he includes the likes of Gilbey and MacGillivray in that which is as worrying as the 4-0 today.
He also said (possibly not word for word as I can't find the article)) the other day on "Londonnewsonline" that our strikers are top class & he's not really looking to improve that area, there's other positions with a higher priority.
I really hope your pulling our pissers there charltonbob!!!😬 no more new strikers would be criminal!!
I wish I was ! ................. well erm.....not actually pulling your pisser of course.
He did say something along the lines of our top class strikers & maybe we'll be looking at back up, but other positions are higher priority. (I think it was tues/weds I read that) I've said it before & I'll say it again, I believe we'll be having this same conversation this time next year. I (sadly) have no confidence in JJ.
Half expected these piss artists to win today just to try and make Sandgaard think the squad is salvageable. It’s not, none of it is. 4-0 against Ipswich, a team we almost always nick something off even when we’re bad, is a good summary of where we are. Burn it all. Keep the people who work in the ticket office and the groundsmen and sack off the rest. No mercy. I’d love a refreshed squad under Jackson to storm the league next season but it’s more likely we’ll just see the same again. What a life
Bloody hell. You’re usually one of the more measured ones mate
I literally just got off a plane after a nice holiday for a 3-0 scoreline to immediately ruin my mood. I am not the audience for their shenanigans today
If a 3-0 scoreline ruined your mood I hate to think what mood you are going to be in when you realise we lost 4-0! :-)
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
It’s probably a harder argument if you exclude the guy who can’t play 90 minutes, the constantly injured Center Back, Fraser from whom we have seen little and received nothing when he has played, and assume Dobson actually stays with a mid to low level Div 3 team…..and expect CBT to stay and stay fit and Stockley plays more than he did this year and gets fit….but I am open to persuasion. It’s arguable you could argue a good C let alone the O R and E, let alone persuade me that’s a top 10 set up
Lord help us! He thinks " we have a good core that will be coming back to help us." No we haven't Jackson. That's the problem. The core of your side can't play your formation and are not winners. They have no balls and can't fight. Happy being beaten. He has to go.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
It’s probably a harder argument if you exclude the guy who can’t play 90 minutes, the constantly injured Center Back, Fraser from whom we have seen little and received nothing when he has played, and assume Dobson actually stays with a mid to low level Div 3 team…..and expect CBT to stay and stay fit and Stockley plays more than he did this year and gets fit….but I am open to persuasion. It’s arguable you could argue a good C let alone the O R and E, let alone persuade me that’s a top 10 set up
You’re welcome to be miserable about it but…
- Lavelle has played season in season out with Morecambe before joining. Typical of our season and club that he sustains two freak injuries in the same season. He will lock down that middle centre back position next season. - Fraser is a proven performer at this level. Unfortunately like Lavelle he’s suffered twice from injury/illness that has prevented him playing often. Given what we know now about his COVID and the cysts in his knee, his peak level of fitness for us came away at Bolton where he came on off the bench and turned the game for us, until we conceded a sloppy goal at the end. He looked great and looking forward to seeing more of him. - Dobson is a good player I’m glad you agree. I would be shocked if he has Championship interest though. He’s still prone to diving into tackles unnecessarily and suspect his game as it is today would get picked apart at the next level. - CBT has shown himself to be dangerous. Another player that suffered from a lack of consistent pre season training - convinced he will be back stronger next year. - Stockley reached 20 goals this season and is good enough to be a part of a squad challenging for promotion. - We all know what Aneke is capable of at this level despite not being able to start regularly.
There is also Sean Clare who blossomed into a good option for us in that wide centre back role. We also have a pre-season competition for the GK shirt on our hands. Having CMG and AMB in direct competition with each other should bring the best out of them.
I also hope we have contracts on the table for Washington and Forster-Caskey who would be worthy of a place in a top six squad.
Where the core is weak is left sided centre back (Famewo or Purrington is not the options you want), wing back (Matthews, Purrington, DJ & CBT aren’t ideal) and central midfield (need better than Gilbey and Morgan in the starting XI).
Add a couple of other defenders, a striker or two and that should be a good platform to push onwards starting in August.
Gutted and embarrassed in equal measure. Really thought Jackson would make a real fist of it. Will the owner take the cheaper option of letting the whole coaching staff go and move into next season with new coaches and maybe only a couple of new signings or a complete rebuild?. It's gonna be an interesting ride either way.
The problem is I think our team did have a go. The big issue is the difference in quality between our team vs a team good enough to win promotion next season.
Finishing 11 points below 11th place in league one is embarrassing but the reality of how good we are.
League one basically consistent of two divisions this season. The top 11 (who are all much better than us) & then 13 truly shite teams below that. Sadly we are very much part of the 13!
“I think we’ve got a good core that will be coming back to us next season"
Well that tells you all that you need to know
I guarentee he includes the likes of Gilbey and MacGillivray in that which is as worrying as the 4-0 today.
He also said (possibly not word for word as I can't find the article)) the other day on "Londonnewsonline" that our strikers are top class & he's not really looking to improve that area, there's other positions with a higher priority.
I really hope your pulling our pissers there charltonbob!!!😬 no more new strikers would be criminal!!
I wish I was ! ................. well erm.....not actually pulling your pisser of course.
He did say something along the lines of our top class strikers & maybe we'll be looking at back up, but other positions are higher priority. (I think it was tues/weds I read that) I've said it before & I'll say it again, I believe we'll be having this same conversation this time next year. I (sadly) have no confidence in JJ.
🤣🤣, no I’m not totally confident JJ is going to replicate powelly, and for the record as nice a chap I’m sure you are, I have no desire for you to pull my pisser either.😂
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Not sure on Lavelle though sometimes new signings especially from lower divisions can take time to settle. Fraser was dropped at Ipswich & hardly set the place on fire here in his few games. CBT ? Not sure. I don't think Stockley is good enough to be our main striker that will fire us to promotion. Aneke ? What we need is an Aneke who can play every game for 90 minutes or there abouts. I wouldn't put the Aneke that we have as part of a strong core. What we need is a strong spine through the team. How are we doing ? Goalkeeper ? No. CB? No CMF ? Dobson. Striker ? Not really. & while we're about it we also need a strong, aggressive noisy captain.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
It’s probably a harder argument if you exclude the guy who can’t play 90 minutes, the constantly injured Center Back, Fraser from whom we have seen little and received nothing when he has played, and assume Dobson actually stays with a mid to low level Div 3 team…..and expect CBT to stay and stay fit and Stockley plays more than he did this year and gets fit….but I am open to persuasion. It’s arguable you could argue a good C let alone the O R and E, let alone persuade me that’s a top 10 set up
You’re welcome to be miserable about it but…
- Lavelle has played season in season out with Morecambe before joining. Typical of our season and club that he sustains two freak injuries in the same season. He will lock down that middle centre back position next season. - Fraser is a proven performer at this level. Unfortunately like Lavelle he’s suffered twice from injury/illness that has prevented him playing often. Given what we know now about his COVID and the cysts in his knee, his peak level of fitness for us came away at Bolton where he came on off the bench and turned the game for us, until we conceded a sloppy goal at the end. He looked great and looking forward to seeing more of him. - Dobson is a good player I’m glad you agree. I would be shocked if he has Championship interest though. He’s still prone to diving into tackles unnecessarily and suspect his game as it is today would get picked apart at the next level. - CBT has shown himself to be dangerous. Another player that suffered from a lack of consistent pre season training - convinced he will be back stronger next year. - Stockley reached 20 goals this season and is good enough to be a part of a squad challenging for promotion. - We all know what Aneke is capable of at this level despite not being able to start regularly.
There is also Sean Clare who blossomed into a good option for us in that wide centre back role. We also have a pre-season competition for the GK shirt on our hands. Having CMG and AMB in direct competition with each other should bring the best out of them.
I also hope we have contracts on the table for Washington and Forster-Caskey who would be worthy of a place in a top six squad.
Where the core is weak is left sided centre back (Famewo or Purrington is not the options you want), wing back (Matthews, Purrington, DJ & CBT aren’t ideal) and central midfield (need better than Gilbey and Morgan in the starting XI).
I don’t know you and never will, but wouldn’t dream of assuming your mood so it would be appreciated if you would do the same. I am not miserable about anything to do with Charlton, they are a football team, not a very good one and frankly, apart from a few massive highs, have been pretty shit since my first game in 1968. Charlton are not a point of misery. They are however a subject of opinion (and frequently disappointment) so I will leave it with you and whatever that diatribe was, but I am very happy with my opinion, well made and in a generally realistic and perfectly happy mode, that the “core” of this team is not good enough to compete for promotion. Happy to be proved wrong, and acknowledge your right to have a different opinion. The rest of it I didn’t read though, cos the opening line just isn’t worth continuing with the effort. Have a lovely day.
I don't think the core is too bad through the centre if you're looking at one each, but we need at least 1 quality in each (CB, CM and STR). What I think we're seriously missing is the key player element. People give players like Famewo, DJ and Gilbey a lot of stick, but realistically they're decent league 1 players. Under Powell we still had Evina and Doherty. Sullivan wasn't a great back up, Euell was coming towards the end of his career and we had a few short-term loanees who were nothing more than average. Under Bowyer we still had Reeves, Marshall and Ajose. Fosu didn't play much.
What we severely lack is the core quality of 12/13 players. I think too much attention is paid to the '2 players for every position'. We worry about cover but we need to get a quality core and keep them fit. Left-back is the prime example of where we didn't have any cover at all previously, Evina was bang average and Page injured. It didn't matter because Wiggins and Purrington were successful. We've probably got about 16 players who are all absolutely fine if they make 15 appearances, mostly from the bench. But only 2/3 genuinely quality players and that is why we're mid table IMO.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Aneke shouldn't be thought of as part of a 'core' if he's a 30 minute player.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Aneke shouldn't be thought of as part of a 'core' if he's a 30 minute player.
That's nonsense as long as he's available for most matches like he was last season. It also relies on the strikers around him staying fit admittedly.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Aneke shouldn't be thought of as part of a 'core' if he's a 30 minute player.
That's nonsense as long as he's available for most matches like he was last season. It also relies on the strikers around him staying fit admittedly.
If we're 2-0 down by the time he comes on, is he considered part of a core?
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Not sure on Lavelle though sometimes new signings especially from lower divisions can take time to settle. Fraser was dropped at Ipswich & hardly set the place on fire here in his few games. CBT ? Not sure. I don't think Stockley is good enough to be our main striker that will fire us to promotion. Aneke ? What we need is an Aneke who can play every game for 90 minutes or there abouts. I wouldn't put the Aneke that we have as part of a strong core. What we need is a strong spine through the team. How are we doing ? Goalkeeper ? No. CB? No CMF ? Dobson. Striker ? Not really. & while we're about it we also need a strong, aggressive noisy captain.
They're 7 (plus Clare, forgot him) players who could all play a big part in a promotion winning squad. I'm not saying we don't need to sign better or that all of them will play 90 minutes every week.
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Aneke shouldn't be thought of as part of a 'core' if he's a 30 minute player.
That's nonsense as long as he's available for most matches like he was last season. It also relies on the strikers around him staying fit admittedly.
If we're 2-0 down by the time he comes on, is he considered part of a core?
He's not on the pitch for longer than he is.
How many times in League 1 has he come on when we were losing by 2+ goals compared to when we were at least level? I accept if you're 2+ down his ability as a 'supersub' is weakened, but realistically 95% of the time he's going to be coming on when we're 1 up, 1 down or level and he has the opportunity to be a valuable asset.
JJ cant think he did himself any favours in the post match interview surely ? Wtf has he been watching this season ? Even when we went on the winning run the performances were far from decent. The more I listen to the club comms the more I feel like someone is trying to sell me a timeshare in a shit hole ! Hopefully JJ isnt that stupid that he seriously thinks we have a good core to compete next season. We have 4 maybe 5 max anywhere near and that's assuming they will be able to play every game. TS is a salesman at heart and is learning re football but the rest of the coaching staff should be more than aware of the issues
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
Not sure on Lavelle though sometimes new signings especially from lower divisions can take time to settle. Fraser was dropped at Ipswich & hardly set the place on fire here in his few games. CBT ? Not sure. I don't think Stockley is good enough to be our main striker that will fire us to promotion. Aneke ? What we need is an Aneke who can play every game for 90 minutes or there abouts. I wouldn't put the Aneke that we have as part of a strong core. What we need is a strong spine through the team. How are we doing ? Goalkeeper ? No. CB? No CMF ? Dobson. Striker ? Not really. & while we're about it we also need a strong, aggressive noisy captain.
They're 7 (plus Clare, forgot him) players who could all play a big part in a promotion winning squad. I'm not saying we don't need to sign better or that all of them will play 90 minutes every week.
Take Lavelle for example.
Played 24 games this season.
12 Losses.
5 Draws.
7 Wins.
Conceding 33 goals. It's just one player in a defensive group sure, but it doesn't seem like he has been a huge miss when out.
This season was finished the second we were mathematically safe from relegation and the club has essentially been on holiday mode ever since. I'd count myself in that as well.
Today was a bad result yes, but it has taught us absolutely nothing that we didn't already know. We know some of these players aren't good enough, we know the end of the season can't come quick enough, we know we need a rebuild. We knew all of this before getting smashed 4-0 today.
Whether people like it or not everyone at the clubs eyes will have been on next season, and for many of this squad they have essentially been working their notice period knowing they are gone in a few weeks. As with most people in a notice period they have turned up but their heart isn't really in it.
Jacko is 100% correct to point out we were bottom when he was appointed. There was discussion on this forum that we were genuine relegation candidates. People can argue as much as they want that our league position didn't reflect the ability in the squad, and they would be right, however lots of clubs have been relegated who have very good squads of players.
Jacko did what he had to do and moved us up the league. 13th is not good enough for our club but given the position Jacko inherited it was about where I expected us to end up, give or take. He has earned the right to have a go next season, and he will know 13th next season is not good enough. Only promotion will be. At least there can be no doubt about the target.
There is lots of doom and gloom at the moment but I don't actually feel that down about things. Everyone at the club knows this season has been an absolute write off and that finishing bottom half is an embarrassment to a club of our size. And it's clear mistakes have been made on the pitch, and behind the scenes. We won't find out for a while whether we have learned from the mistakes or whether we repeat them. I can accept mistakes being made this season given the amount of changes behind the scenes at the club, I will feel differently if they are made again next season when we have had opportunity to learn from our mistakes this season.
However recruitment is always a gamble for clubs of our size. It's easy posting that we should go out and sign Cameron Brannagan, or the players with the best stats from League Two, but every single club from the championship and below has the same idea nowadays. There has been a massive shift in the transfer market recently and clubs can't go out and get players from abroad like they used to, so big hitters in the championship are now looking at the domestic market. As are lots of clubs in League One and League Two. Even Stockport and Wrexham in the national league have budgets which are out of this world in comparison to the league they are in.
There are going to be lots of disappointed fans from the sounds of it because we are never signing Cameron Brannagan or players of his ilk this summer. That's not due to lack of ambition from the club, its because they will have interest from clubs in a higher league than us, with bigger budgets to match. I'm sure if someone said to TS you could pay 750k and get Brannagan he would pay it, the issue is players want to play at the highest level they can and earn as much money as they can. Why would he sign for us in League One when he can sign for a club in a higher league and earn more money whilst he's at it?
We are no doubt going to bring in a few established names who might get bums off seats, a few established pro's who know the leagues, and then a few youngsters or relatively unknown names who will be a gamble that might pay off, or might not. I don't necessarily have an issue with that approach because lots of clubs have been promoted with similar strategies. Ipswich might have beat us 4-0 today but they tried the approach of signing every big name going and it has failed miserabley.
Last thing I'd say is some of the criticism I've read of fans clapping the players off today is completely unwarranted. Any fan who has paid their money and taken the time to make a considerable journey to Ipswich and back today has the right to clap the players off if they wish.
“I think we’ve got a good core that will be coming back to us next season"
Well that tells you all that you need to know
I guarentee he includes the likes of Gilbey and MacGillivray in that which is as worrying as the 4-0 today.
He also said (possibly not word for word as I can't find the article)) the other day on "Londonnewsonline" that our strikers are top class & he's not really looking to improve that area, there's other positions with a higher priority.
I really hope your pulling our pissers there charltonbob!!!😬 no more new strikers would be criminal!!
I wish I was ! ................. well erm.....not actually pulling your pisser of course.
He did say something along the lines of our top class strikers & maybe we'll be looking at back up, but other positions are higher priority. (I think it was tues/weds I read that) I've said it before & I'll say it again, I believe we'll be having this same conversation this time next year. I (sadly) have no confidence in JJ.
I agree with him that other positions are higher priority. Yes, it'd be nice to have another free-scoring striker, but the midfield have contributed hardly any goals themselves, haven't been great creatively and have been fairly bad at winning and retaining possession with the exception of Dobson. And don't get me started on the defence...
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
None of those are promotion quality though. Especially not in this formation
If we really do “have good core” of contracted players then we are a very long way from top 10 next year given the top 10 this year and the 3 coming down
Could argue Lavelle, Dobson, Fraser, CBT, Stockley and Aneke is a good core.
It’s probably a harder argument if you exclude the guy who can’t play 90 minutes, the constantly injured Center Back, Fraser from whom we have seen little and received nothing when he has played, and assume Dobson actually stays with a mid to low level Div 3 team…..and expect CBT to stay and stay fit and Stockley plays more than he did this year and gets fit….but I am open to persuasion. It’s arguable you could argue a good C let alone the O R and E, let alone persuade me that’s a top 10 set up
You’re welcome to be miserable about it but…
- Lavelle has played season in season out with Morecambe before joining. Typical of our season and club that he sustains two freak injuries in the same season. He will lock down that middle centre back position next season. - Fraser is a proven performer at this level. Unfortunately like Lavelle he’s suffered twice from injury/illness that has prevented him playing often. Given what we know now about his COVID and the cysts in his knee, his peak level of fitness for us came away at Bolton where he came on off the bench and turned the game for us, until we conceded a sloppy goal at the end. He looked great and looking forward to seeing more of him. - Dobson is a good player I’m glad you agree. I would be shocked if he has Championship interest though. He’s still prone to diving into tackles unnecessarily and suspect his game as it is today would get picked apart at the next level. - CBT has shown himself to be dangerous. Another player that suffered from a lack of consistent pre season training - convinced he will be back stronger next year. - Stockley reached 20 goals this season and is good enough to be a part of a squad challenging for promotion. - We all know what Aneke is capable of at this level despite not being able to start regularly.
There is also Sean Clare who blossomed into a good option for us in that wide centre back role. We also have a pre-season competition for the GK shirt on our hands. Having CMG and AMB in direct competition with each other should bring the best out of them.
I also hope we have contracts on the table for Washington and Forster-Caskey who would be worthy of a place in a top six squad.
Where the core is weak is left sided centre back (Famewo or Purrington is not the options you want), wing back (Matthews, Purrington, DJ & CBT aren’t ideal) and central midfield (need better than Gilbey and Morgan in the starting XI).
I don’t know you and never will, but wouldn’t dream of assuming your mood so it would be appreciated if you would do the same. I am not miserable about anything to do with Charlton, they are a football team, not a very good one and frankly, apart from a few massive highs, have been pretty shit since my first game in 1968. Charlton are not a point of misery. They are however a subject of opinion (and frequently disappointment) so I will leave it with you and whatever that diatribe was, but I am very happy with my opinion, well made and in a generally realistic and perfectly happy mode, that the “core” of this team is not good enough to compete for promotion. Happy to be proved wrong, and acknowledge your right to have a different opinion. The rest of it I didn’t read though, cos the opening line just isn’t worth continuing with the effort. Have a lovely day.
Message received. Hope you have a lovely day too.
Your post read as unnecessarily dismissive of what I believe to be players that will be here to win promotion. Especially after reading your summaries on both Lavelle and Fraser, I felt the need to comment in kind.
In your post you say you’re open to persuasion but shut yourself off immediately to what I posted, calling it diatribe. I think you’ve made your mind up.
Comments
He did say something along the lines of our top class strikers & maybe we'll be looking at back up, but other positions are higher priority. (I think it was tues/weds I read that) I've said it before & I'll say it again, I believe we'll be having this same conversation this time next year. I (sadly) have no confidence in JJ.
- Lavelle has played season in season out with Morecambe before joining. Typical of our season and club that he sustains two freak injuries in the same season. He will lock down that middle centre back position next season.
- Fraser is a proven performer at this level. Unfortunately like Lavelle he’s suffered twice from injury/illness that has prevented him playing often. Given what we know now about his COVID and the cysts in his knee, his peak level of fitness for us came away at Bolton where he came on off the bench and turned the game for us, until we conceded a sloppy goal at the end. He looked great and looking forward to seeing more of him.
- Dobson is a good player I’m glad you agree. I would be shocked if he has Championship interest though. He’s still prone to diving into tackles unnecessarily and suspect his game as it is today would get picked apart at the next level.
- CBT has shown himself to be dangerous. Another player that suffered from a lack of consistent pre season training - convinced he will be back stronger next year.
- Stockley reached 20 goals this season and is good enough to be a part of a squad challenging for promotion.
- We all know what Aneke is capable of at this level despite not being able to start regularly.
There is also Sean Clare who blossomed into a good option for us in that wide centre back role. We also have a pre-season competition for the GK shirt on our hands. Having CMG and AMB in direct competition with each other should bring the best out of them.
I also hope we have contracts on the table for Washington and Forster-Caskey who would be worthy of a place in a top six squad.
Where the core is weak is left sided centre back (Famewo or Purrington is not the options you want), wing back (Matthews, Purrington, DJ & CBT aren’t ideal) and central midfield (need better than Gilbey and Morgan in the starting XI).
Add a couple of other defenders, a striker or two and that should be a good platform to push onwards starting in August.
Finishing 11 points below 11th place in league one is embarrassing but the reality of how good we are.
League one basically consistent of two divisions this season. The top 11 (who are all much better than us) & then 13 truly shite teams below that. Sadly we are very much part of the 13!
What we need is a strong spine through the team. How are we doing ? Goalkeeper ? No. CB? No CMF ? Dobson. Striker ? Not really. & while we're about it we also need a strong, aggressive noisy captain.
What we severely lack is the core quality of 12/13 players. I think too much attention is paid to the '2 players for every position'. We worry about cover but we need to get a quality core and keep them fit. Left-back is the prime example of where we didn't have any cover at all previously, Evina was bang average and Page injured. It didn't matter because Wiggins and Purrington were successful. We've probably got about 16 players who are all absolutely fine if they make 15 appearances, mostly from the bench. But only 2/3 genuinely quality players and that is why we're mid table IMO.
He's not on the pitch for longer than he is.
Played 24 games this season.
12 Losses.
5 Draws.
7 Wins.
Conceding 33 goals. It's just one player in a defensive group sure, but it doesn't seem like he has been a huge miss when out.
Today was a bad result yes, but it has taught us absolutely nothing that we didn't already know. We know some of these players aren't good enough, we know the end of the season can't come quick enough, we know we need a rebuild. We knew all of this before getting smashed 4-0 today.
Whether people like it or not everyone at the clubs eyes will have been on next season, and for many of this squad they have essentially been working their notice period knowing they are gone in a few weeks. As with most people in a notice period they have turned up but their heart isn't really in it.
Jacko is 100% correct to point out we were bottom when he was appointed. There was discussion on this forum that we were genuine relegation candidates. People can argue as much as they want that our league position didn't reflect the ability in the squad, and they would be right, however lots of clubs have been relegated who have very good squads of players.
Jacko did what he had to do and moved us up the league. 13th is not good enough for our club but given the position Jacko inherited it was about where I expected us to end up, give or take. He has earned the right to have a go next season, and he will know 13th next season is not good enough. Only promotion will be. At least there can be no doubt about the target.
There is lots of doom and gloom at the moment but I don't actually feel that down about things. Everyone at the club knows this season has been an absolute write off and that finishing bottom half is an embarrassment to a club of our size. And it's clear mistakes have been made on the pitch, and behind the scenes. We won't find out for a while whether we have learned from the mistakes or whether we repeat them. I can accept mistakes being made this season given the amount of changes behind the scenes at the club, I will feel differently if they are made again next season when we have had opportunity to learn from our mistakes this season.
However recruitment is always a gamble for clubs of our size. It's easy posting that we should go out and sign Cameron Brannagan, or the players with the best stats from League Two, but every single club from the championship and below has the same idea nowadays. There has been a massive shift in the transfer market recently and clubs can't go out and get players from abroad like they used to, so big hitters in the championship are now looking at the domestic market. As are lots of clubs in League One and League Two. Even Stockport and Wrexham in the national league have budgets which are out of this world in comparison to the league they are in.
There are going to be lots of disappointed fans from the sounds of it because we are never signing Cameron Brannagan or players of his ilk this summer. That's not due to lack of ambition from the club, its because they will have interest from clubs in a higher league than us, with bigger budgets to match. I'm sure if someone said to TS you could pay 750k and get Brannagan he would pay it, the issue is players want to play at the highest level they can and earn as much money as they can. Why would he sign for us in League One when he can sign for a club in a higher league and earn more money whilst he's at it?
We are no doubt going to bring in a few established names who might get bums off seats, a few established pro's who know the leagues, and then a few youngsters or relatively unknown names who will be a gamble that might pay off, or might not. I don't necessarily have an issue with that approach because lots of clubs have been promoted with similar strategies. Ipswich might have beat us 4-0 today but they tried the approach of signing every big name going and it has failed miserabley.
Last thing I'd say is some of the criticism I've read of fans clapping the players off today is completely unwarranted. Any fan who has paid their money and taken the time to make a considerable journey to Ipswich and back today has the right to clap the players off if they wish.
Your post read as unnecessarily dismissive of what I believe to be players that will be here to win promotion. Especially after reading your summaries on both Lavelle and Fraser, I felt the need to comment in kind.
In your post you say you’re open to persuasion but shut yourself off immediately to what I posted, calling it diatribe. I think you’ve made your mind up.