If We Could Upgrade 3 Starting Positions (Except Striker), What Would They Be?

NapaAddick

Let's say you could transfer-in for just three positions on the starting team, but none could be a striker, which three would you upgrade in the summer?

I am leaving out the striker position because every team wants one and no good ones are coming down to L1, so I want to focus on other areas we most desperately need an upgrade.

What are the three positions we most need to bolster?

mid_life_crisis

Owner, CEO, COO.

WestCountryAddick

Our left side is fairly weak overall so a decent left back and left winger plus a creative midfielder, someone who can get a hold of the ball and make things happen.

NapaAddick

Hahahaha! Touche, mid-day!

Callumcafc

Centre mid and left back.

sam3110

Centre mid, right back, goalkeeper

Dazzler21

Cm, cm and RB

cafcdave123

If Rudd doesn't stay beyond his loan, would people want to bring in a keeper or give Phillips the no 1 jersey? I'd be happy with him so would agree with @WestCountryAddick, a left back and winger and a bit of creativity through the centre

SouthWest_Addicks

Left back, 2 x CM

golfaddick

striker, striker, and , um, striker

SDAddick

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

MartinCAFC

SDAddick said:

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

You can sleep a bit easier. Watt still has another year on his contract to run.

SDAddick

MartinCAFC said:

SDAddick said:

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

You can sleep a bit easier. Watt still has another year on his contract to run.

Huh, sorry, I thought he signed a two-and-a-half year deal when he signed.

Chris_from_Sidcup

SDAddick said:

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

Also likely to lose Tex and Johnson (no great loss) so that's a whole team to be replaced.

JamesSeed

SDAddick said:

Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

He quite often played one up front. I can remember people shouting 442 at him, even at home. Had he played an even slightly more attacking style he might still be here today.

MrOneLung

If we were to upgrade three positions but not striker I would choose goalkeeper defence and midfield.

cafcfan

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

SDAddick said:

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

Also likely to lose Tex and Johnson (no great loss) so that's a whole team to be replaced.

Yeah, but the opening question was what three starting positions need UPGRADING.

Clearly vast swathes of the playing staff will be out the door for one reason or another. With our knowledge of the ability (or lack thereof) of the owner and his lickspittle CEO most of those will be replaced with similar or worse or old, knackered players. Frankly as things stand, the whole concept of getting in higher quality players is laughable.

Jack_Charlton

Conor McLaughlin RB
Ben Reeves CM
Marcus Maddison LW

Would be a nice start

cantersaddick

We need another winger. On a level with Holmes. We never really replaced Lookman, whilst Byrne,Chicksen and Botaka have all plated there none have made it their spot.

A genuine number 10. We don't really have one.

A creative CM in the mould of Stephens.

blackpool72

Left back
Left winger
Creative centre mid.

So that'll be three more centre halfs then.

MartinCAFC

SDAddick said:

MartinCAFC said:

SDAddick said:

GK: Rudd is good but seems to be making a mistake a week right now. His distribution is questionable, and he seems shaky under a high ball. Plus, there's no guarantee he'll stay. Phillips is certainly promising, but at 21 I'd want competition there.

CM: If Robinson sticks around and wants to play 4-2-3-1, we need another player who will put their foot on the ball and keep possession. JFC is, or should be one, but we could do with another. The notion that our players can't go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 without looking completely lost boggles my mind, but such seems the way of things in League One I suppose.

No 10: We've struggled to break teams down when they sit deep and give us the ball. Aribo is young and doesn't seem to quite have that vision or killer pass in open play--at least not yet. Said we needed one in January and we didn't get one, but another position that's really hard to fill at League One level unless you bring someone in from abroad (bloody foreigners are all soft and suchlike) or possibly get an 18-20 year old on loan from one of the big teams.

As for the aforementioned striker, holding on to Magennis has to be our top priority. Will be interesting to see if there is a one year option in Watt's contract, but haven't heard any talk of it. Even if there was...I'm not sure he's worth the risk. A heavily incentivized contract would be great, but I have to feeling there's a Champo club willing to take a punt on him.

I'm not convinced by Novak. There seems to be a bit of skill there but he seems so immobile and has a habit of missing chances. I'm also not convinced Ajose does enough to be anything above a mid-table League One player. He looks great on the break or when there is space because his team are sitting deep defending. But to win the league/get promoted we need players comfortable in possession and playing on the front foot and I don't think that's him.

As things stand, we will be losing the following from loans ending:
Ulvestad
Byrne
Rudd
DaSilva
Botaka

Contract's up:
Watt
Chicksen
Crofts
JJ

It's 9 players in total, plus I'd be willing to sell Novak and Ajose if decent offers came in. Again, we're left with a summer of rebuilding. Ridiculous. Some of that blame has to go to Slade though, who brought in players (Foley, Crofts namely) on presumably largish wages with no sell on value. He also was strict 4-4-2, but didn't bring in a midfield capable of that, despite having Novak and Ajose who seem only capable of playing that way.

You can sleep a bit easier. Watt still has another year on his contract to run.

Huh, sorry, I thought he signed a two-and-a-half year deal when he signed.

It was a three and a half year deal.

Relegator is also out of contract. Would be happy to not have him replaced and free up his wages to help keep Texieira and Bauer for another year.

harveys_gardener

I'd like to see Lennon and Thomas given new contracts as I can see one or both of Tex/Bauer leaving, and Konsa unlikely to be with us all season, unless we are sold.