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The main defining question about a season that could swing either way

Can the high number of foriegn players adapt to the English game? And quickly gel as a team?

If so I predict a top 9 finish.

If not, I predict...an inevitable dramatic return of Jose Riga to keep us up again. (footballs too strange to rule that one out)

I maybe echoing a point that has already been made plenty of times, but cmon, it deserved its own thread.

Comments

  • Tall order getting getting a squad full of new faces to gel from day one. Takes a great manager to be able to achieve that.

    Would of thought it's less about the new faces being foreign, and more about whether they're up to the required standard. RD's scouting network were way off the mark last season, have they got it right this time round?
  • I wouldn't say they are anymore foreign than a lot of other teams and the fact half of them have all played together at one point or another I can't see if being a massive problem.
  • MrLargo said:

    Tall order getting getting a squad full of new faces to gel from day one. Takes a great manager to be able to achieve that.

    Oh, I don't know. Lennie Lawrence & Chris Powell managed it.
  • I think the difference with this season's SL influx is that they are more experienced and their supposedly strong attributes are suited to this football. Buyens is meant to be pretty tenacious and Tucadean looks like he won't take any shite. Ben Haim is already familiar with this level. Gudmundsson is quick and tricky, which is pretty standard for a winger. Bikey is an absolute beast. Vetokele is quick and although not the tallest looks quite tough.

    The main thing is that Peeters implements his own style and the way he wants them to play early doors . Has had the fortune of getting 8 players in quickly, so I'm quite confident this group will be ready come Brentford. If we get to 8-10 games in and we are struggling then I'll be quite concerned but I don't think that's gonna happen.

    I make you right, I can see why people are concerned about the relative lack of Championship experience but for the most part they've played in leagues with a similar sort of ratio of skill:physicality already. Bob seems to have done well in balancing bringing in a bit of flair without sacrificing the necessary battling qualities, on paper at least. Whilst Moussa and Gudmondsson may not be scrappers, they'll be playing in a midfield alongside the likes of Cousins and Buyens, who won't back down from anyone. I seem to recall that a new poster mentioned Tucudean is not afraid to mix it up either, and Vetokele is not a shrimp either.

    Powell managed to get a much bigger transition to run smoothly after only half a season as a manager - Peeters actually has more experience in that regard already. Perhaps being relatively new to the English game from a coaching perspective will count against him but let's face it, the basic principles of team building and creating a united squad are the same wherever you go. He's got a good reputation for getting teams to gel, it was part of why RD and Katrien opted for him (and that is from KM herself in an OS interview, not me spinning facts.)
  • To get a team to gel is not the problem for me ,if the team gel okay but does this team have the know how to fight in the championship or the players for that matter.We have some trust worthy Englishmen in the set up ,Morrison,Wiggins,Solly,Wilson,Jackson,with Fox ,lennon , Gomez and Pope that could play apart in the set up this season.For me the only new player that has any match play for this season is Gudmondsson proved it at AZ.
    Unless the other new players get up to speed and quickly for us in The Championship this could well be the downfall.
    In the past it has worked but the players we brought came from the north or Scotland in the case of Lennie .
    Bring back the class of 86 .
  • The bigger question for me is will Peeters be allowed to run the playing side without interference?
  • To get a team to gel is not the problem for me ,if the team gel okay but does this team have the know how to fight in the championship or the players for that matter.We have some trust worthy Englishmen in the set up ,Morrison,Wiggins,Solly,Wilson,Jackson,with Fox ,lennon , Gomez and Pope that could play apart in the set up this season.For me the only new player that has any match play for this season is Gudmondsson proved it at AZ.
    Unless the other new players get up to speed and quickly for us in The Championship this could well be the downfall.
    In the past it has worked but the players we brought came from the north or Scotland in the case of Lennie .
    Bring back the class of 86 .

    There is no reason why they shouldn't. Tucudean is up for a barney according to those who have in fact seen him, Buyens is beginning to look like he could be a proper combative midfield scrapper. Moussa and Gudmondsson both seem more tricky than physical, that would be the case with wingers wherever they came from. Vetokele is more about speed than getting in the mixer, again that's a universal quality.

    Whether or not RD and his advisors underestimated the league in January I think there's some Lifers overestimating it this time around. If you look at the mid-range teams in the league they're really not all that special honestly. Coming in with a decent preseason and some experience training as a team instead of being thrown into the fire to see if they burn and I think these new players can (hopefully) fit in just fine.
  • MrLargo said:

    Tall order getting getting a squad full of new faces to gel from day one. Takes a great manager to be able to achieve that.

    Oh, I don't know. Lennie Lawrence & Chris Powell managed it.
    I know, that was my point. Never miss an opportunity to point out what a fine manager Mr Powell was.
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  • Its all down to jj as to how the season goes because he will be the key figure providing direction when there are so many new players and thats why its probably even more important that the fans get behind jj as much as we do the team...let everybody know he's got a red and white army charging with him and leave them in no doubt he's in charge on the pitch
  • I just want to see us win at home more often than not :)
  • I just want to see us win at home more often than not :)

    Yes exactly. And if we can do that we should be halfway up the league and that would be a success.

    2015/6 would then be an opportunity to build on that success.
  • Perhaps the main defining question is can we play when opposition teams are trying to stop us?
    Will we have better strategy, tactics and formations? Will we want it enough? Will we have any players capable of imposing themselves on a match? Will we have any players able to unlock doors?
    Will we be capable of stopping other good players and other good teams?
    Will we be able to gather points?
    I know it is stating the bloomin' obvious all that, but I am saying that have we got a set up for this particular competition?
    It is a bit like the Reza conundrum. Yes he is a player, he can do a bit, but is he suited to our league even though he has recognizable qualities?
    My advice to Bob is take one game at a time.......and win it!
  • seth plum said:

    Perhaps the main defining question is can we play when opposition teams are trying to stop us?
    Will we have better strategy, tactics and formations? Will we want it enough? Will we have any players capable of imposing themselves on a match? Will we have any players able to unlock doors?
    Will we be capable of stopping other good players and other good teams?
    Will we be able to gather points?
    I know it is stating the bloomin' obvious all that, but I am saying that have we got a set up for this particular competition?
    It is a bit like the Reza conundrum. Yes he is a player, he can do a bit, but is he suited to our league even though he has recognizable qualities?
    My advice to Bob is take one game at a time.......and win it!

    All 23 other teams in the league will be asking exactly the same questions.
  • It's not the players that are worrying me so much.
    I know we're only little old Charlton but I think the job in hand is too big for Peeters.
  • I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.
  • I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.

    We won't be safe by the end of September.
  • The biggest issue for me is that I haven’t got a clue how good or bad our team is. The friendly games so far haven’t helped really. I am expecting us to struggle, but some convincing pre- season games – whilst not meaning anything may allow me to be more optimistic.
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  • shirty5 said:

    I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.

    We won't be safe by the end of September.
    No we won't. I just think by then we'll probably know whether Bob Peeters and the players are good enough for the Championship and whether the season is going to be a disaster or not.
  • shirty5 said:

    I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.

    We won't be safe by the end of September.
    No we won't. I just think by then we'll probably know whether Bob Peeters and the players are good enough for the Championship and whether the season is going to be a disaster or not.
    I'm thinking more like christmas time, before we know.
  • shirty5 said:

    I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.

    We won't be safe by the end of September.
    On the other hand, you can prove the Daily Mail wrong about twenty five times a week
  • I'm always optimistic at the start of a new season and having moved seats/stands for the first time in umpteen years its like a fresh start...
  • IdleHans said:

    shirty5 said:

    I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Hopefully by the end of September the Daily Mail will have been proved wrong.

    We won't be safe by the end of September.
    On the other hand, you can prove the Daily Mail wrong about twenty five times an issue
    There... fixed that for you. :-D
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