I am a fan of Campbell, part the way he was so easily marked out of the play-offs games makes me think he will need to improve quite a bit to step up to Champ level
And yet we're all delighted to have Kelman who didn't get a sniff at Wembley thanks to Jones and the rest of our defence. Campbell looked pretty tired at the end of last season having been kicked all across the country but he was completely key to how we played and kept us in the hunt for 2nd with some key goals as the season wore on. Everyone in our team needs to step up this season, I think TC is one of the most equipped to keep developing in our squad
I wouldn't read too much into Kelman not doing anything at Wembley. May didn't score for Cheltenham against us while Ahadme scored twice for Cambridge against us in one game. Kelman scored 27 goals last season and i'm sure would have produced similar numbers playing for us in a better team than Orient.
Scored against us in his last game for Cheltenham, a 2-2 draw.
On Wrexham quickly, they are signing Broadhead as well as signed Cody and soon to be Moore. They’ve signed O’Brien as well. They’re strengthening their spine and spending huge wages that go with it.
They finished second last season, have huge momentum and brining in players who have played at the top level before. I think they’ll finish higher than 18th.
Their achilles hill is going to be Parky and how difficult the ownership will find it if they need to make a decision on his future if it’s not going to plan.
They’re going to feel incredibly loyal and close to him, but his record at this level is not good. If they hit a tough patch I don’t know if he is good enough at this level to turn it around. That’s what I’m interested in seeing.
I have a suspicion that we may be clutching at straws to a degree, in suggesting that Parky will be their weakness.
Admittedly, I quite like him, but I expect that he will have learned from his previous experience and that, being able to build and field his team over time, Wrexham will be stronger than expected.
I would like to be wrong, but then, I also think that we are going to be much better than expected.
Deliberately not going to bet on it, as my record when I put money down is atrocious, but I am (possibly because I'm delusional) reasonably sanguine about the season at the mo'.
Wrexham spending £2m each on Moore and Coady shows we're in a different division now but also the different approaches.
Two proven players but both 32 whereas we have gone for much younger attacking players yet to prove themselves at this level.
I actually think, despite their triple back to back to back promotions that Wrexham have even more work to do in the transfer window than us. They have been on a crest of an incredible wave but have a mix or L1 and L2 players for the most part and need a significant upgrade in a lot of departments. Probably need 10-12 players. NTT20 predicted Wrexham just one place above us in 18th. I think it will be the other way around unless they break the bank for 10-12 premiership level players over the coming 4-6 weeks.
Respectfully mate, I don't think that's the case at all.
Their squad is at minimum high end League 1, as proven runners up and an impressive season, they have also added proven Championship proven players in Coady, Hardie, Windass, O'Brien. I might be forgetting others.
I would argue their squad is more Championship proven/ready than ours is currently. Our summer business has been very good, but all of the standouts in Kelman, Knibbs, Apter & Tanto fees wise, are unproven talents in the Championship. Until a ball is kicked our squad is very much high end League 1 as it stands. Although I do believe most of these players will step up.
I think you're underestimating Wrexham slightly there, I will be very pleasantly surprised if we finish above them, as I don't see them going down. They won't need 10 premier league players to keep their head above water, they'd probably be fighting for automatics if they did that..
The problem with buying experience is high wages, injuries take longer to heal, players are difficult to move on. Harry managed to bankrupt a few clubs with this policy.
Not a risk I would like for our club.
It is a strategy that has worked well for Wrexham so far and they have the money to fund it.
We, on the other hand, have also bought in experienced players but also some youth, who along with our academy products, have potential to develop and be more valuable on the pitch as well as in the transfer market.
We are making the most, we hope, of what we have and Wrexham are aiming for the same but by a different route.
Parky is now a far more experienced manager and his previous failures at this level came a clubs in trouble. He's now well backed and at a stable club.
Would I swap him for Jones? No, I wouldn't and I prefer our current business model but write Wrexham off at your peril.
I am not writing them off. Far from it. They admit that the Netflix series is funding a fair chunk and the owners are putting a lot of money in. All well and good as long as they can continue to do that. At some point they will need to move players on and that is not easy with old players. How many have they sold this year? None. A couple of free transfers and loans. Loans which they are probably paying a chunk of wages. Wages that they have been very generous with. The ex Prem players they are signing will be big earners and costing a significant amount. We begged and borrowed ours. Big difference. For me their club is becoming very vulnerable should something go wrong.
Hopefully this is the place to ask this question, but with all these new players coming in, is there one or more that can take a decent corner and or free kick?
Same, defo keep the league one starting 11 for now except apter for small and if godden injured, kelman
That's a great strategy.
If you want to lose.
Why? We are a winning team with form, momentum and spirit.
Let other teams, like watfords 9 new signings, make wholeale changes and not have any of that.
When we won promotion last season to me at least we needed to sign at least 7 or 8 players to be competitive in the championship. So I'm more than happy that we have signed 9. At least 5 of those appear to be better than we had so I'm confident we will do OK this coming season. But if we start the campaign with 9 of last Seasons players in the starting 11 I believe we will lose. Just my opinion.
We can't start the season with all 9 newcomers as some are not fit, and Knibbs is not match fit
I never said we should. My response to a post that suggested we start with 9 of last seasons players was that I thought if we did that we would lose. I expect 4 or possibly 5 of our new signings will start against Watford.
When looking at the squad it’s important to remember NJ’s mentality, it’s not starting 11 and reserves, he sees the team as a whole unit. The subs are game changers not just slightly worse players than the starting 11. With a jones squad anyone in and around the senior squad can and is expected to be able to play whenever called upon to the same level as everyone else
On Wrexham quickly, they are signing Broadhead as well as signed Cody and soon to be Moore. They’ve signed O’Brien as well. They’re strengthening their spine and spending huge wages that go with it.
They finished second last season, have huge momentum and brining in players who have played at the top level before. I think they’ll finish higher than 18th.
Their achilles hill is going to be Parky and how difficult the ownership will find it if they need to make a decision on his future if it’s not going to plan.
They’re going to feel incredibly loyal and close to him, but his record at this level is not good. If they hit a tough patch I don’t know if he is good enough at this level to turn it around. That’s what I’m interested in seeing.
Parky will carry on doing what he does best.
He'll have coaches that will need to deal with Championship level players - so maybe they strengthen that department?
IMO the Hollywood owners will stick with what has worked so far - even if they struggle.
Wrexham spending £2m each on Moore and Coady shows we're in a different division now but also the different approaches.
Two proven players but both 32 whereas we have gone for much younger attacking players yet to prove themselves at this level.
I actually think, despite their triple back to back to back promotions that Wrexham have even more work to do in the transfer window than us. They have been on a crest of an incredible wave but have a mix or L1 and L2 players for the most part and need a significant upgrade in a lot of departments. Probably need 10-12 players. NTT20 predicted Wrexham just one place above us in 18th. I think it will be the other way around unless they break the bank for 10-12 premiership level players over the coming 4-6 weeks.
There isn't a single Championship side who have 10-12 Premier league level players. Even the ones who've just come down don't, which is why none got more than 25 points and they were all relegated with weeks to go. So why would Wrexham need to sign that many?
Bet Godden is lovin' the way some on here are trying to pension him off, he'll still do for me...
Football fans are very weird. We have spent so much time over the past 10+ years complaining about how our squad is never big enough. Even when we had a relatively decent 11 like in 14/15 we were so short when even one injury happened and we suffered for it. We've been picking up shoddy free transfers and cast-off loans for years to cover for the fact we only have one first team left back or striker. We've sat through Pape Souare, Matt Fry, Oguchi Onyewu, Eggert Jonsson, Kevin Foley and Joe Dodoo all in the name of squad depth, but the second we actually start filling out a proper competitive squad people on here can't wait to start selling off the previous season's players and leaving us short. We sign one additional striker to play in the same space as Godden and suddenly he has to be put down. We bring in some midfielders and it's time to flog our captain or loan out key members of the squad from last season. I will never understand it.
Completely agree (though think it's a little harsh on Matt Fry having him in that list, he at least cared and tweeted in support when things were looking bleak under ESI)
I think we'll start the Watford game with what Nathan Jones sees as the best team to get a result on the day. I suspect almost everyone in the squad will have a role to play this season — and that includes Godden, who in my opinion is a fantastic option to bring on after 75 minutes when Kelman starts to tire.
Wrexham spending £2m each on Moore and Coady shows we're in a different division now but also the different approaches.
Two proven players but both 32 whereas we have gone for much younger attacking players yet to prove themselves at this level.
I actually think, despite their triple back to back to back promotions that Wrexham have even more work to do in the transfer window than us. They have been on a crest of an incredible wave but have a mix or L1 and L2 players for the most part and need a significant upgrade in a lot of departments. Probably need 10-12 players. NTT20 predicted Wrexham just one place above us in 18th. I think it will be the other way around unless they break the bank for 10-12 premiership level players over the coming 4-6 weeks.
Respectfully mate, I don't think that's the case at all.
Their squad is at minimum high end League 1, as proven runners up and an impressive season, they have also added proven Championship proven players in Coady, Hardie, Windass, O'Brien. I might be forgetting others.
I would argue their squad is more Championship proven/ready than ours is currently. Our summer business has been very good, but all of the standouts in Kelman, Knibbs, Apter & Tanto fees wise, are unproven talents in the Championship. Until a ball is kicked our squad is very much high end League 1 as it stands. Although I do believe most of these players will step up.
I think you're underestimating Wrexham slightly there, I will be very pleasantly surprised if we finish above them, as I don't see them going down. They won't need 10 premier league players to keep their head above water, they'd probably be fighting for automatics if they did that..
The problem with buying experience is high wages, injuries take longer to heal, players are difficult to move on. Harry managed to bankrupt a few clubs with this policy.
Not a risk I would like for our club.
It is a strategy that has worked well for Wrexham so far and they have the money to fund it.
We, on the other hand, have also bought in experienced players but also some youth, who along with our academy products, have potential to develop and be more valuable on the pitch as well as in the transfer market.
We are making the most, we hope, of what we have and Wrexham are aiming for the same but by a different route.
Parky is now a far more experienced manager and his previous failures at this level came a clubs in trouble. He's now well backed and at a stable club.
Would I swap him for Jones? No, I wouldn't and I prefer our current business model but write Wrexham off at your peril.
I am not writing them off. Far from it. They admit that the Netflix series is funding a fair chunk and the owners are putting a lot of money in. All well and good as long as they can continue to do that. At some point they will need to move players on and that is not easy with old players. How many have they sold this year? None. A couple of free transfers and loans. Loans which they are probably paying a chunk of wages. Wages that they have been very generous with. The ex Prem players they are signing will be big earners and costing a significant amount. We begged and borrowed ours. Big difference. For me their club is becoming very vulnerable should something go wrong.
For now it’s working like a dream. Huge momentum and huge interest. The problem as I see it, is that eventually that momentum will decrease and so will the interest. They really do need to gain another promotion in the next couple of years. Will Netflix be so interested in a mid table Championship club ? Will people want to watch once the bubble has, if not burst has deflated a bit ? Their business model is built on sand rather than sustainability. Should the miracle continue then perhaps I’m wrong but even if Wrexham do gain promotion over the next couple of seasons there will still be problems.
I think we'll start the Watford game with what Nathan Jones sees as the best team to get a result on the day. I suspect almost everyone in the squad will have a role to play this season — and that includes Godden, who in my opinion is a fantastic option to bring on after 75 minutes when Kelman starts to tire.
I think Godden will play a much bigger role than that.
Not a rumour but really like the look of Ollie Tanner for Cardiff - right winger, 23, 6ft1 - former youth player here, from Bromley - 30 champ appearances last season with a couple goals and couple assists.
Looks quality and would be a decent pick up for us but probably unlikely now we’ve signed Apter. Perhaps one to keep an eye on as seems a good fit.
Not a rumour but really like the look of Ollie Tanner for Cardiff - right winger, 23, 6ft1 - former youth player here, from Bromley - 30 champ appearances last season with a couple goals and couple assists.
Looks quality and would be a decent pick up for us but probably unlikely now we’ve signed Apter. Perhaps one to keep an eye on as seems a good fit.
I also like the Cardiff right back. Only just turned 18 as well.
Not a rumour but really like the look of Ollie Tanner for Cardiff - right winger, 23, 6ft1 - former youth player here, from Bromley - 30 champ appearances last season with a couple goals and couple assists.
Looks quality and would be a decent pick up for us but probably unlikely now we’ve signed Apter. Perhaps one to keep an eye on as seems a good fit.
I also like the Cardiff right back. Only just turned 18 as well.
That Right back has just scored an absolute banger as well.
Hopefully this is the place to ask this question, but with all these new players coming in, is there one or more that can take a decent corner and or free kick?
This whole saga reeks of Reading playing silly buggers at the last minute & moving the goalposts.
Really does doesn't it. Knibbs will be fuming if thats true
If this is really the case then I don't think the deal is definitely off. If Knibbs makes it clear he wants to go and his agent puts pressure on Reading they might yet come to their senses and get the deal done.
Called this one right.
Considering how many games he's played the last few years I never believed it was because of a failed medical
FYI - The delay wasn’t down to Reading playing silly buggers. The real reason doesn’t matter anymore, but nothing to do with Reading or medical.
The real reason was because we was in for Knibbs for over a month and Reading were getting impatient and rightly so. Reading gave us a deadline and that deadline was met and Jones wanted the player.
Look at the Wrexham squad though who would we actually take in our starting XI Broadhead, O’Brien Windass, Cacase, Coady those are only the guaranteed starters in our team. Bear in mind 2 of those aren’t going to be getting any better as well. With the trajectories of both teams I can see us finishing above Wrexham
Wrexham brought in Longman and Sam Smith in January, both decent players and a good age also.
Just on Wrexham, it is Disney, not Netflix that run the series.
Either way it is a unique source of pressure on Wrexham. As a belated fan of the series, I was quite disappointed by Series 4 (covering this most recent season). There were only 8 episodes and even then they were struggling for decent content. This despite a record-breaking achievement on the pitch. The rational expection for Wrexham this season is lower mid-table. How do you get a series out of that when you've already scoured a less than huge town for four years for human-interest stories?
I don't know how much pressure that would put on Parky, he seems to have managed the constant scrutiny very well up to now. But I am glad we don't have that at Charlton.
Comments
Admittedly, I quite like him, but I expect that he will have learned from his previous experience and that, being able to build and field his team over time, Wrexham will be stronger than expected.
I would like to be wrong, but then, I also think that we are going to be much better than expected.
Deliberately not going to bet on it, as my record when I put money down is atrocious, but I am (possibly because I'm delusional) reasonably sanguine about the season at the mo'.
They admit that the Netflix series is funding a fair chunk and the owners are putting a lot of money in.
All well and good as long as they can continue to do that.
At some point they will need to move players on and that is not easy with old players.
How many have they sold this year? None. A couple of free transfers and loans. Loans which they are probably paying a chunk of wages. Wages that they have been very generous with.
The ex Prem players they are signing will be big earners and costing a significant amount. We begged and borrowed ours. Big difference.
For me their club is becoming very vulnerable should something go wrong.
My response to a post that suggested we start with 9 of last seasons players was that I thought if we did that we would lose.
I expect 4 or possibly 5 of our new signings will start against Watford.
He'll have coaches that will need to deal with Championship level players - so maybe they strengthen that department?
IMO the Hollywood owners will stick with what has worked so far - even if they struggle.
Unless it all truly all turns to ratshit.
(though think it's a little harsh on Matt Fry having him in that list, he at least cared and tweeted in support when things were looking bleak under ESI)
Either way it is a unique source of pressure on Wrexham. As a belated fan of the series, I was quite disappointed by Series 4 (covering this most recent season). There were only 8 episodes and even then they were struggling for decent content. This despite a record-breaking achievement on the pitch. The rational expection for Wrexham this season is lower mid-table. How do you get a series out of that when you've already scoured a less than huge town for four years for human-interest stories?
I don't know how much pressure that would put on Parky, he seems to have managed the constant scrutiny very well up to now. But I am glad we don't have that at Charlton.
Stop nicking my posts