Our squad is smaller than last season but has some very good additions in it, including Igor. If we cam avoid too many injuries, yeah right, we look capable of making a climb up the table.
Our squad is smaller than last season but has some very good additions in it, including Igor. If we cam avoid too many injuries, yeah right, we look capable of making a climb up the table.
Bowyer said from the beginning of the season, he will have a smaller squad but a better one, anyone want to argue he was right
Would obviously have Reeves and Sarr on the bench ahead of Lapslie and Marshall, and would also consider starting Vetokele over Pratley or Aribo so we had actual wingers
It’s good to debate you in a non political topic, but I disagree why would you need two centre backs and right back on the bench, we don’t have many park the bus moments in this league.
Sarr would be the only back-up left-back. Bielik and Dijksteel can both play midfield. It's a no-brainer. Sarr not even making our bench is madness. He's our only remotely experienced back-up CB
Our squad is smaller than last season but has some very good additions in it, including Igor. If we cam avoid too many injuries, yeah right, we look capable of making a climb up the table.
Bowyer said from the beginning of the season, he will have a smaller squad but a better one, anyone want to argue he was right
But by the same measure one much more susceptible to an injury crisis. If JFC's injury had happened later we'd have struggled to get a quality replacement. Another injury or two and the U21s are back on the bench. It's the strongest first 11 we've had fir a while and Bowyer has shown real intelligence in his transfers but we are going to need lots of luck to do better than midtable even so.
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
Would obviously have Reeves and Sarr on the bench ahead of Lapslie and Marshall, and would also consider starting Vetokele over Pratley or Aribo so we had actual wingers
It’s good to debate you in a non political topic, but I disagree why would you need two centre backs and right back on the bench, we don’t have many park the bus moments in this league.
Sarr would be the only back-up left-back. Bielik and Dijksteel can both play midfield. It's a no-brainer. Sarr not even making our bench is madness. He's our only remotely experienced back-up CB
Bauer/Pearce gets a knock, Bielik comes on, Solly/Page gets a knock, Dijksteel comes on. Hardly madness. Rather Solly left back than Sarr if Page gets injured, and rather Bielik CB.
Very well done to Lee Bowyer, both in persuading these players to come to a chaotic and distressed club and (especially) in squeezing some money out of Duchatelet for the loanees’ wages. I’m sure a lot of credit should also go to Steve Gallen for his hard work in getting these lads in (a good signing by Robbo, to be fair).
The benefit of Bowyer’s and Gallen’s contacts in the game is not to be underestimated, given our recent history. I can’t, for example, imagine Karel Fraeye - approaching the second anniversary of his sacking by those Belgian giants, Lommel United - having an informed discussion with Neil Warnock about our potential signing of Jamie Ward....
We are still a small squad and will need some good luck with injuries but we should at least now be competitive and avoid messing about in the lower regions of the table - something which was a very real concern for me at the start of the season with only 12 or 13 fit players who had started a league game, coupled with a general sense of foreboding about Roland’s scorched earth policy.
Subject to the timing of the much yearned for/hallucinatory takeover, it is, objectively speaking, a little baffling that Lee Bowyer has not been given the job on a permanent basis. He has done exceptionally well in very difficult circumstances and his relentless positivity - getting the very best from the resources he has - reflects the Lennie Lawrence and Alan Curbishley school of management. I suppose that Duchatelet did say that Lee’s position would be confirmed by the start of the season on 3 August in the absence of a takeover, so no one should be surprised that he’s still the caretaker [NB. None of Duchatelet’s employees complain - or so we’ve been told].
A difficult August - as we all knew it would be with the injuries - and a tough month ahead, but I am feeling more optimistic about our prospects than I did before the Sunderland game, although I am still worried about the lack of goals in the team. Lapslie and Morgan have both done very well, Phillips has answered his critics, we’ve added three very decent loanees and players are coming back who will hopefully enable us to open up defences better than we have thus far. Much will depend on Fosu’s long term fitness and form, whilst a fully functioning Igor would be a big bonus at this level.
Zac Clough to Rochdale on loan seems an odd one. Christian Doidge to Bolton on loan.
agreed, Clough was meant to be a top player but seems to have lost his way. I think I would have just taken Clough over Ward on ability, but we did need a winger.
Only issue if if we play 442, I am not convinced Ward and Fosu can play down the wings. And I am not convinced Marshall is good enough.
Marshall is good enough. He proved that at Bradford. What he needs to do is prove he can do it consistently.
But that was over a year ago. On the 8 or so occasions I have seen him play he has played well twice. And that was more defensive/protecting the full back. Don't believe he offers the attacking threat we need.
Would like him playing down the wing 1-0 up but not 1-0 down.
Marshall is good enough. He proved that at Bradford. What he needs to do is prove he can do it consistently.
But that was over a year ago. On the 8 or so occasions I have seen him play he has played well twice. And that was more defensive/protecting the full back. Don't believe he offers the attacking threat we need.
Would like him playing down the wing 1-0 up but not 1-0 down.
For some reason, Marshall picks up the ball so deep too often, he also comes inside with his back to goal, facing the defence asking for the ball, he is never going to hurt the opposition doing that.
Hopefully now with Cullen, we will have a player who can pick the ball up and find Marshall 20 yards further up the pitch. He just needs to be told to stay wider and not come short looking for the ball. He has ability, I have no doubt of that, I just think he needs a bit of guidance positionally as he seems to have lost a bit of confidence. Players who do what he has been doing are often low on confidence and just want to get involved in the game when sometimes the team needs them to do the opposite.
If for example we played a 4-3-3, as long as he stayed high and wide for most of it, I think he would be a threat going forward. We know he can do the defensive work, just needs to get back to the basics and what he is good at.
Zac Clough to Rochdale on loan seems an odd one. Christian Doidge to Bolton on loan.
agreed, Clough was meant to be a top player but seems to have lost his way. I think I would have just taken Clough over Ward on ability, but we did need a winger.
Only issue if if we play 442, I am not convinced Ward and Fosu can play down the wings. And I am not convinced Marshall is good enough.
Ward and Fosu can’t play down the wings? Or do you mean you wouldn’t play two at the same time in a 4-4-2?
I don’t think anyone would argue with the suggestion that the Mark Marshall we have seen isn’t the Mark Marshall of Bradford’s playoff final defeat to the Scum where he was the best player on the pitch. That season wasn’t he Bradford’s player of the year ? He’s not so old and decrepit that he can’t get back to something like that form. I don’t think playing under Robinson and his strange inflexible system did MM any favours and it’s only since Bowyer took charge that Marshall has looked as if he’s on the comeback trail. The most telling point for me is that Bowyer made the point of saying that he wanted to retain Marshall and was very much in his plans. MM is a winger and by definition inconsistent but I certainly havn’t written him off for having an important contribution to make this season.
Zac Clough to Rochdale on loan seems an odd one. Christian Doidge to Bolton on loan.
agreed, Clough was meant to be a top player but seems to have lost his way. I think I would have just taken Clough over Ward on ability, but we did need a winger.
Only issue if if we play 442, I am not convinced Ward and Fosu can play down the wings. And I am not convinced Marshall is good enough.
Ward and Fosu can’t play down the wings? Or do you mean you wouldn’t play two at the same time in a 4-4-2?
Sorry yes meant not sure they can play same time in a 442.
Remains to be seen I guess, but I’m surprisingly slightly optimistic about the squad
He is a good lad Jamie ward, popular lad and got a good attitude. Character is everything and something we stopped focussing on since SCP.
We are going to do this the hard way. No takeover and big money. We have to graft.
We are actually going to put a promotion on that old twat's obituary.
I think we do actually have the right blend and quality in the squad and if the likes of lapslie and morgan prove to be worthy of the championship then that's where we are going.
I just think Bowyer is gonna do something special. He is the right guy to show strength in adverse circumstances.
Dec-february - watch a little 8-9 game winning run
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I don’t think anyone would argue with the suggestion that the Mark Marshall we have seen isn’t the Mark Marshall of Bradford’s playoff final defeat to the Scum where he was the best player on the pitch. That season wasn’t he Bradford’s player of the year ? He’s not so old and decrepit that he can’t get back to something like that form. I don’t think playing under Robinson and his strange inflexible system did MM any favours and it’s only since Bowyer took charge that Marshall has looked as if he’s on the comeback trail. The most telling point for me is that Bowyer made the point of saying that he wanted to retain Marshall and was very much in his plans. MM is a winger and by definition inconsistent but I certainly havn’t written him off for having an important contribution to make this season.
Didn't Mark Marshall play together with Josh Cullen at Bradford, that season? Billy Clarke was also in that team.
Cullen might be just the player to feed Marshall, as he did that season. I wouldn't write off Marshall just yet,
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I disagree somewhat. Just don't feel we have enough up front to challenge for a top 6 place.
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I disagree somewhat. Just don't feel we have enough up front to challenge for a top 6 place.
Taylor, Grant, Vetokele & Ajose. Not enough up front ?
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I disagree somewhat. Just don't feel we have enough up front to challenge for a top 6 place.
Taylor, Grant, Vetokele & Ajose. Not enough up front ?
Not unless we can start providing quality service to them. Which with Fosu, Clarke and Ward coming in should be doable tbf.
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I disagree somewhat. Just don't feel we have enough up front to challenge for a top 6 place.
If we don’t score enough goals I think it will be more down to the midfield not chipping in enough. We’ve had decent contributions from that area which shamed our strikers in recent times but without Holmes and JFC I’m not sure that who we’ve replaced them with are as prolific in terms of goals. There will however be more chances made for Taylor, Vetokele and Grant. I really don’t see Ajose featuring much once all the injured players are fit.
serious question / when was the last time we signed someone on a deadline day ? Pre Duchâtelet?
It was on deadline day, 31 August 2017, when Robinson pulled a masterstroke in signing Joe Dodoo.
One thing LB has done is to have brought in experienced players in Prately & Ward.....even Cullen has played a few seasons in this league. KR brought in players like Mavidid, Dodoo & Kaikai who hadn't played much at this level & are raw. Even though I still don't think we'll get anywhere near the top 6 this season at least the last couple of weeks has guven me hope that we will finish around mid table - which I'd have bitten your hand off at the start of August.
The squad with the addition of the injured lads looks good enough to me to make the playoffs this season with 41 games still to play. In fact I would go as far as to say that if we don’t get top six then Bowyer will have had an epic fail. The key is getting those injured players back and having a bit of luck with injuries. We must be due some.
I disagree somewhat. Just don't feel we have enough up front to challenge for a top 6 place.
Taylor, Grant, Vetokele & Ajose. Not enough up front ?
Not unless we can start providing quality service to them. Which with Fosu, Clarke and Ward coming in should be doable tbf.
Taylor already has 3 goals with "no service" and Grant has 2. Vetokele has played about 40 mins of football and Ajose hasn't been played as a striker at all. IMO we won't have the top scorer in the league but we'll score a decent amount of goals. And that's without mentioning Ward.
Bauer, Pearce, Bielik, Sarr, Pratley all bring a lot of height as well and I think we'll get quite a few set piece goals, especially with quality dead ball delivery which Cullen should bring
Comments
The benefit of Bowyer’s and Gallen’s contacts in the game is not to be underestimated, given our recent history. I can’t, for example, imagine Karel Fraeye - approaching the second anniversary of his sacking by those Belgian giants, Lommel United - having an informed discussion with Neil Warnock about our potential signing of Jamie Ward....
We are still a small squad and will need some good luck with injuries but we should at least now be competitive and avoid messing about in the lower regions of the table - something which was a very real concern for me at the start of the season with only 12 or 13 fit players who had started a league game, coupled with a general sense of foreboding about Roland’s scorched earth policy.
Subject to the timing of the much yearned for/hallucinatory takeover, it is, objectively speaking, a little baffling that Lee Bowyer has not been given the job on a permanent basis. He has done exceptionally well in very difficult circumstances and his relentless positivity - getting the very best from the resources he has - reflects the Lennie Lawrence and Alan Curbishley school of management. I suppose that Duchatelet did say that Lee’s position would be confirmed by the start of the season on 3 August in the absence of a takeover, so no one should be surprised that he’s still the caretaker [NB. None of Duchatelet’s employees complain - or so we’ve been told].
A difficult August - as we all knew it would be with the injuries - and a tough month ahead, but I am feeling more optimistic about our prospects than I did before the Sunderland game, although I am still worried about the lack of goals in the team. Lapslie and Morgan have both done very well, Phillips has answered his critics, we’ve added three very decent loanees and players are coming back who will hopefully enable us to open up defences better than we have thus far. Much will depend on Fosu’s long term fitness and form, whilst a fully functioning Igor would be a big bonus at this level.
Only issue if if we play 442, I am not convinced Ward and Fosu can play down the wings. And I am not convinced Marshall is good enough.
Would like him playing down the wing 1-0 up but not 1-0 down.
Hopefully now with Cullen, we will have a player who can pick the ball up and find Marshall 20 yards further up the pitch. He just needs to be told to stay wider and not come short looking for the ball. He has ability, I have no doubt of that, I just think he needs a bit of guidance positionally as he seems to have lost a bit of confidence. Players who do what he has been doing are often low on confidence and just want to get involved in the game when sometimes the team needs them to do the opposite.
If for example we played a 4-3-3, as long as he stayed high and wide for most of it, I think he would be a threat going forward. We know he can do the defensive work, just needs to get back to the basics and what he is good at.
Remains to be seen I guess, but I’m surprisingly slightly optimistic about the squad
He is a good lad Jamie ward, popular lad and got a good attitude. Character is everything and something we stopped focussing on since SCP.
We are going to do this the hard way. No takeover and big money. We have to graft.
We are actually going to put a promotion on that old twat's obituary.
I think we do actually have the right blend and quality in the squad and if the likes of lapslie and morgan prove to be worthy of the championship then that's where we are going.
I just think Bowyer is gonna do something special. He is the right guy to show strength in adverse circumstances.
Dec-february - watch a little 8-9 game winning run
Feck It might as well look on the bright side
Billy Clarke was also in that team.
Cullen might be just the player to feed Marshall, as he did that season.
I wouldn't write off Marshall just yet,
Bauer, Pearce, Bielik, Sarr, Pratley all bring a lot of height as well and I think we'll get quite a few set piece goals, especially with quality dead ball delivery which Cullen should bring