Brainless to get rid of Albie. Does his bit when required and likely isn’t upsetting squad asking to start. It’s unlikely he costs much either to have around…
But can we get better? Will it improve him to go out on loan and play more consistently?
I suspect both answers are"probably"
If Morgan goes out on loan because we have got better, I doubt he will come back.
At the moment we need to keep Morgan and get better.
I meant on loan, but I agree if it's permanent why would he return to be back up again
A striker who can play the one up top role for when Leaburn not available and a left back should be our first priorities - i would then have a go at switching Clare into midfield to play with dobbo and fraser - dobbo is the screen, fraser the 10 and i think we need an engine, a box to box athlete to compliment that - could that suit Clare?
Sorry a bit behind the thread but have always thought this about Clare. We are missing a high-energy aggressive offensive midfielder who would liberate Fraser more to do his creative stuff. The ideal candidate is playing at right back.
Unfortunately, I suspect Clare has the hump and wants out in January anyway.
I think it’s unlikely there’s a queue of clubs looking to bring in Clare to play central midfield.
Bringing a left back in could free up Sess to play right back and in turn Clare to play in midfield.
Holden may also give Henry a run or bring in a CM. It’ll be interesting to see if Holden continues to use Clare as a right back or uses him in any other positions.
The most crucial signing is surely a left back. In an ideal world we'd also sign a left footed CB who can also cover at left back. Long term I'd like to try Egbo in midfield rather than the more languid Clare. Sessegnon at right back. Assuming Egbo recovers from his injury ok. In the meantime another CM would be ideal, if they are better (or more consistent) than Morgan. Payne is a decent option off the bench.
That's a reasonable starting eleven I think, but would need backup for Leaburn. If we can lose Kirk and Jaiyesimi then at least one more pacey winger/striker would be good. Egbo would bring the dynamism to midfield that has been lacking most of the season. He's also good defensively. I like Clare, but he's a bit languid. He does have the pace to get forward on the break though. Lavelle & Thomas are possibly decent backups, but you might need better if you're serious about promotion next year.
A striker who can play the one up top role for when Leaburn not available and a left back should be our first priorities - i would then have a go at switching Clare into midfield to play with dobbo and fraser - dobbo is the screen, fraser the 10 and i think we need an engine, a box to box athlete to compliment that - could that suit Clare?
Sorry a bit behind the thread but have always thought this about Clare. We are missing a high-energy aggressive offensive midfielder who would liberate Fraser more to do his creative stuff. The ideal candidate is playing at right back.
Unfortunately, I suspect Clare has the hump and wants out in January anyway.
I think it’s unlikely there’s a queue of clubs looking to bring in Clare to play central midfield.
Bringing a left back in could free up Sess to play right back and in turn Clare to play in midfield.
Holden may also give Henry a run or bring in a CM. It’ll be interesting to see if Holden continues to use Clare as a right back or uses him in any other positions.
The most crucial signing is surely a left back. In an ideal world we'd also sign a left footed CB who can also cover at left back. Long term I'd like to try Egbo in midfield rather than the more languid Clare. Sessegnon at right back. Assuming Egbo recovers from his injury ok. In the meantime another CM would be ideal, if they are better (or more consistent) than Morgan. Payne is a decent option off the bench.
That's a reasonable starting eleven I think, but would need backup for Leaburn. If we can lose Kirk and Jaiyesimi then at least one more pacey winger/striker would be good. Egbo would bring the dynamism to midfield that has been lacking most of the season. He's also good defensively. I like Clare, but he's a bit languid. He does have the pace to get forward on the break though. Lavelle & Thomas are possibly decent backups, but you might need better if you're serious about promotion next year.
A front three of JRS, Leaburn and CBT will not get us out of league one.
Our transfer business has been so poor since the days of Chris Powells promotion team. In the 10 years since, I can only think of 6 or 7 players who if we could turn the click back would sign again. Cullen, Bielik, Gallagher, Taylor, Bauer, Pearce, Dobbo, maybe some others I have missed but it would be interesting to know how many players we have signed in that 10 year period as there have been loads of poor ones.
Our transfer business has been so poor since the days of Chris Powells promotion team. In the 10 years since, I can only think of 6 or 7 players who if we could turn the click back would sign again. Cullen, Bielik, Gallagher, Taylor, Bauer, Pearce, Dobbo, maybe some others I have missed but it would be interesting to know how many players we have signed in that 10 year period as there have been loads of poor ones.
I feel like the 'move Clare to midfield' thing is the same as how highly rated players become when they're injured or have left. Inniss was basically Cannavaro when he was hurt, you'd swear Conor Washington had scored 50 goals in 6 games for us the way he's mooned over, and Chuks is never more lethal than when he's sat down recovering. The reality is we signed Clare with the specific intention of playing him in midfield and he was terrible. You can't really legislate for how bad a three of him, Dobson and Albie as 10 was but it even made Dobson look rubbish. We didn't win a single league match where Clare played in central midfield and while the whole team was awful around then, he was a contributor to why that was. It's notable that every manager since then has seen the value of Dobson in the middle, or even Albie playing deeper, but never Clare.
I just think Clare isn't able to read a game that's happening around him. When it's all in front of him and he just has to run or tackle he's a good player. He's athletic, he's not bad on the ball and he has an eye for an intelligent overlapping run. He falls apart on the second phase though. We saw him lose his marker for Pompey's goal because he'd gone to sleep after the initial ball, and I think I lost a year of my life getting angry at him being unable to protect the corridor between him and the RWB when he played at CB for us. Most of the goals scored against us came through that gap and he wasn't ever able to adjust and react. When the ball turns over or there's any kind of off the ball movement from attacking opposition players he may as well be a scarecrow. Now transfer that to midfield, where the game constantly moves around you and you have to adjust every second to what's happening around you. All you'll get is him using that great engine to trail behind attackers moving in on goal. There's a reason we more or less got him handed to us by Oxford; he didn't want to play right back and a team looking to win promotion isn't having him in midfield.
A left back with a left foot would be nice. Still find it incredible steady if not spectacular Ben P was never replaced. Square pegs in round holes ever since.
Comments
The most crucial signing is surely a left back. In an ideal world we'd also sign a left footed CB who can also cover at left back.
Long term I'd like to try Egbo in midfield rather than the more languid Clare. Sessegnon at right back. Assuming Egbo recovers from his injury ok.
In the meantime another CM would be ideal, if they are better (or more consistent) than Morgan. Payne is a decent option off the bench.
AMB/Wollacott
Sess Inniss Ness [New LB]
Egbo/New - Dobson - Fraser
JRS - Leaburn - CBT
That's a reasonable starting eleven I think, but would need backup for Leaburn. If we can lose Kirk and Jaiyesimi then at least one more pacey winger/striker would be good.
Egbo would bring the dynamism to midfield that has been lacking most of the season. He's also good defensively. I like Clare, but he's a bit languid. He does have the pace to get forward on the break though.
Lavelle & Thomas are possibly decent backups, but you might need better if you're serious about promotion next year.
433, we need loads of wide players / 1 central striker
352, we don't need any wide players, 2 strikers
leading to a total squad reset every window
...rinse and repeat
back with him
We need half a squad and I would expect us to get most deals done early. We never manage to do this.
Just checked, he's a left back.
Are these "new" targets do you or anyone else know?