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.
Feel like that does Sessegnon a bit of disservice as he was brought in to play LB and in my opinion is quality - it’s no coincidence how much better our performances are when he is in the team.
Not having a back up option however was criminal.
I’m a fan of Sessegnon too and am pleased whenever I see him on the teamsheet. No harm in wishing for a second left back though
Back to transfers and interesting how Cole Stockton has fallen away so badly this year. One many wanted in the summer. 23 games this season for Morecombe. 1 goal, 1 assist.
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.
You may be right, as Leaburn is still very young and the other two blow hot and cold. I was more thinking of what we need to avoid relegation this season. But on the positive side, Miles seems to be improving with every game, and perhaps the new manager can get more out of JRS and CBT than his predecessors have?
Allowed? Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland. Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
What’s the bad thing that happens if something is said anyway? Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’. I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal. Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
Allowed? Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland. Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
What’s the bad thing that happens if something is said anyway? Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’. I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal. Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
I think it's quite obvious that his "source" has given him info, but asked him to keep the players names quiet.
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.
I agree to an extent and better will be required but if we bring a left back in and swop sessignon, that makes Clare a squad player and tbh, i'd sooner have Clare challenging for that 3rd midfield spot than jfc (i know he's now gone), morgan or mgrandles due to the fact that i think its an athlete that we require in there. Ultimately i think clare will become a squad player or move on if the club moves in the right direction.
Allowed? Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland. Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
What’s the bad thing that happens if something is said anyway? Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’. I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal. Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
I think it's quite obvious that his "source" has given him info, but asked him to keep the players names quiet.
Yes of course. So in that context why say anything at all? Is it some convoluted way of engendering hopefulness in a hopeless situation?
Allowed? Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland. Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
What’s the bad thing that happens if something is said anyway? Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’. I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal. Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
I think it's quite obvious that his "source" has given him info, but asked him to keep the players names quiet.
Yes of course. So in that context why say anything at all? Is it some convoluted way of engendering hopefulness in a hopeless situation?
I have no idea if he's making it up, or if he has actually been given info. He's either sharing what he is able to or making it all up for attention. Time will tell.
Allowed? Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland. Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
What’s the bad thing that happens if something is said anyway? Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’. I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal. Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
I think it's quite obvious that his "source" has given him info, but asked him to keep the players names quiet.
Yes of course. So in that context why say anything at all? Is it some convoluted way of engendering hopefulness in a hopeless situation?
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.
Excellent assessment, as I said he hasn't got a football brain.
Too slow to react, leaves players unmarked, doesn't get tight enough.
He's decent when he can charge forward without too much thinking.
Comments
But on the positive side, Miles seems to be improving with every game, and perhaps the new manager can get more out of JRS and CBT than his predecessors have?
Sounds like legally binding confidentiality agreement between some ghost person and Sam Wheatland.
Is it best to say nothing if you’re not ‘allowed’ to say something?
Speaking personally my stance is ‘don’t tell me or don’t write it to me, I will try to figure things out for myself’.
I can keep a confidence, but only on terms I accept and agree to, not because some force out there decides for me what I should or shouldn’t reveal.
Would it be better to say something like ‘I have decided to say no more for my own reasons, not because of some external constraint’?
*(unless it's Cullen or Gallagher)
Or do we just have to stick with "familiar" names because we aren't capable of identifying players anymore?
CDM - davis
CM - cousins
LB - fox
Source - the black box
So in that context why say anything at all?
Is it some convoluted way of engendering hopefulness in a hopeless situation?
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/macauley-bonne/leistungsdaten/spieler/296577
That can't be true. He's a proven Championship striker.......
Too slow to react, leaves players unmarked, doesn't get tight enough.
He's decent when he can charge forward without too much thinking.