I hope that unless anyone injured we play the same side.
I think the spine should remain the same but rotation in attacking areas can be a healthy thing. Teams not knowing if they're going to be going up against the guile of Kirk or the raw pace of CBT down the left, not knowing if they've got Leko or DJ to deal with down the right and not knowing if they're going to be run into the ground by Davison or battered by Stockley is a great option for us. The backline and the central midfield should hopefully be the same as much as possible though, just need to keep Gilbey and Arter fit and ensure that Clare and JFC are ready to come in for them when they need to. Dobson can spend some time learning his role and, if reports are true, sorting his attitude out and Watson can be there to help the younger players develop. This Fleetwood win might be another false dawn but the right things are in place for a big, talented squad to do well.
I think when a club goes on a bad run those who are a ‘bit suspect’ will start dissing the manager behind his back, and that attitude can spread, ultimately ending in the manager ‘losing the dressing room’. (If the manager is a nightmare then perhaps that’s fair enough.)
Nothing like a few wins to change the narrative though, and it was good to see that photo of the bench, including Arter, properly celebrating the win. It’s easy to think that players don’t care or are ‘stealing a living’ when on a losing run, but I think, with very rare exceptions, that’s way OOTT. Their careers are dependent, ultimately, on results.
Adkins seemed tetchy with Minto in the post-match, the bounce has gone from his step and he could probably do with a couple of days off.
Perhaps Jacko will be 'manager' again for tomorrow night's Pap game?
Adkins can sit high up in the stands like the rest of us. Then he'll see what we see. He can then see clearly how the game unfolds tactically.
Think the amount of times a game is watched by the management team he will see a lot more then supporters who only see what they want to see !!
Well, of course ..... many fans naturally focus on the action with and around the ball. They're not really watching the overall pattern of play, shape, off ball movement, covering and tracking, etc.
But a manager or his representive high in the stands will. And they will see many things more clearly with an overview and see where adaptions and changes are needed, rather than only the more restricted perspective from the dugout.
So the weekend is over and the Monday morning blues returned.
You can set what targets/ expectations you like. Whether they are realistic in relation to the changed circumstances is entirely another matter. You can argue the changed circumstances shouldn’t have happened but they did.
I am intrigued by the concept football has been anything but an industry of ifs and buts? If Barnsley hadn’t scored 2 own goals, If Schwarz had scored that penalty….it’s such an easy game to play. It’s like listening to a bad sales review. If this, that or other had happened then these targets will have been met. It’s meaningless.
Partnerships? Partnerships did I hear? Yup. That’s nearer the mark.
- 2 months in, 7 (64%) recruits signed in last days of/ after the window, now 4/5 weeks SE7 - Gilbey out long term with Covid - 35% operational staff turnover in 2 weeks - how would your business cope? - 6 of the 8 started Saturday - 2 were on the bench - 8 of the starting 11 had no full pre season with the club
Whatever next? Balance & shape emerging after 4 weeks. Why do you think they set aside 6 weeks for pre season? Like 90% of projects, launch operationally before the project is done and bits fall off. The less preparation done the more bits fall off. It’s not rocket science.
Is the squad still a work in progress? Of course it is for the same reason it has struggled to this point.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Does he really? I think this statement is really over egging the squad we have put together. Relegation squad? Probably not. But let’s not kid ourselves that these players are better than they are - evidence up to now suggests they are lower mid / mid table at best.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Does he really? I think this statement is really over egging the squad we have put together. Relegation squad? Probably not. But let’s not kid ourselves that these players are better than they are - evidence up to now suggests they are lower mid / mid table at best.
100%, we could easily have drawn the game on Saturday but thankfully held out for a much needed win. We will not get promoted clinging onto slender leads as we have proved we do not have it in us. Equally we do not appear to have the strength and depth to be winning comfortably on a regular basis.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Does he really? I think this statement is really over egging the squad we have put together. Relegation squad? Probably not. But let’s not kid ourselves that these players are better than they are - evidence up to now suggests they are lower mid / mid table at best.
It’s simply not a mid table squad. If you want to see a lower mid / mid table squad go look at Fleetwood, Plymouth, Crewe or Wimbledon.
The reason people are disappointed with the start is because they know we have a squad capable of challenging for promotion. If we had a mid table squad then our current form wouldn’t be far from par.
Leko, Stockley, Kirk, Arter, Gilbey, Famewo, CMG, Souaré and Lee are all top players at this level. Very few clubs in this league have players of that calibre.
It would be very generous to the manager to state he’s being tasked with promotion with a lower mid table squad of players. I don’t think Adkins would even say that.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Does he really? I think this statement is really over egging the squad we have put together. Relegation squad? Probably not. But let’s not kid ourselves that these players are better than they are - evidence up to now suggests they are lower mid / mid table at best.
It’s simply not a mid table squad. If you want to see a lower mid / mid table squad go look at Fleetwood, Plymouth, Crewe or Wimbledon.
The reason people are disappointed with the start is because they know we have a squad capable of challenging for promotion. If we had a mid table squad then our current form wouldn’t be far from par.
Leko, Stockley, Kirk, Arter, Gilbey, Famewo, CMG, Souaré and Lee are all top players at this level. Very few clubs in this league have players of that calibre.
It would be very generous to the manager to state he’s being tasked with promotion with a lower mid table squad of players. I don’t think Adkins would even say that.
Of the eight outfielders mentioned:
Kirk has had his off the field issues to deal with Gilbey has been out 'til recently Arter came to us having not kicked a ball in anger Souare hadn't played in over 18 months before starting for us
Of the 14 utilised on Saturday only four played for us last season and as I say one of those, Gilbey, didn't have a proper pre season.
I agree that we should finish higher with this squad than mid table mediocrity but we have to also take into account the mitigating circumstances so far as the start is concerned
There are mitagating circumstances and that's why I want an honest assessment after 15 games of a 46 game season in whether Nigel Adkins has the heart and stomach to motivate and set the team up to score goals and have a defensive shape. It really is possible to do both. Especially in the mediocre League 1.
I was totally out of sync with Nigel as the season started. Don't tell the crowd at the valley that was bored rigid after a 0-0 and no shots on target that 25 clean sheets is your aim. 0-0 away is fair enough against the stronger teams in this division but Score goals and entertain. We don't expect gung ho football but if you can't create 6 chances at the valley in League 1 with at least 3 on target then we are under performing.
I have reset and don't expect cafc to be top six but I would like us to win 2 out of every 3 home matches.
10 home league wins out of 32 home matches with 29 of those in League 1 is so poor.
Bowyer and Adkins have both struggled to win home matches when in charge over the last two seasons and the last few games of the mini League in the Championship.
I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for Adkins - even if the football approach has left a lot to be desired.
He did the business at the back end of last year which he would probably have assumed would be followed up by an aggressive attack at the start of the transfer window. Getting the players in early, and players who to be frank probably amounted to more than Oxford and Sunderland rejects.
Usually with a manager I am pretty clear in my mind one way or the other - but this time there are too many other variables at play that I think have affected our results.
I really don’t know what I would do - and it probably comes down to who (if anyone else) would be available.
That’s the case for pretty much every football club up and down the land. Adkins isn’t just one unlucky manager who’s club did the majority of their business in the final month. We’ve spent more than most of our competitors and he now has the tools to get promotion.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Does he really? I think this statement is really over egging the squad we have put together. Relegation squad? Probably not. But let’s not kid ourselves that these players are better than they are - evidence up to now suggests they are lower mid / mid table at best.
Too early to know for certain how good this squad is but for me it’s likely to be top half as a minimum. There are weaker areas (right back the obvious one) but we’ve got more attacking options than we’ve had for years and we should be capable of improving defensively.
Davison’s shown early signs of stepping up, while players like Arter and Kirk were written off by some. Others decided Lavelle was a clone of Pearce.
Our last two promotions didn’t involve a team of superstars. We played half a season with Parker as Grant’s replacement. Before that Ward was one of our main options at the tip of the diamond, he was then replaced with Williams who I don’t think got a goal or assist in his first six months. Players like Solly, Page and Purrington did a job and rarely stood out.
Powell’s squad included the likes of Green, Wagstaff, Hughes, Evina and Hayes. None of them were future Championship players but they didn’t need to be.
We don’t need a squad full of future Championship player. There’s enough first choice players who could be seen as top L1 players by the end of the season. Not saying they will but we’ll have a much better idea in a few months time than we do now.
I've mentioned before how TS did no favours to Adkins in terms of this season's expectations. The irony is that it is easier to gain short term success than build a Club for the future.
I've read quite a few of Matthew Syed's books. In The Times today he talks about the relationship between coach and athlete:
Consider my first table tennis coach, Peter Charters, a man with a black moustache, twinkly eyes and a willingness to occasionally offer a sharp rebuke. He didn’t like it when players went through the motions. He didn’t like it when we turned up late for training. When we let ourselves down, he didn’t hold back; indeed, he occasionally raised his voice. But none of the criticisms ever felt gratuitous or bullying.
Why? Because we trusted him. He took the time to get to know us as individuals, to understand our aspirations, to gauge our personalities. We could see that, in the way he invested his time and energy in our development (not just sporting but as human beings, too), he was “on our side”.
Over weeks and months, we came to recognise that this wasn’t merely a coach but a mentor. Later, as I progressed into my late teens, he became one of my most trusted friends. And this is why, when his words stung, I never questioned his motives. I didn’t think: “Is he trying to put me down to boost his own ego?”
And that is why I am a fan of Adkins. Because I do believe he is a man manager and is trying to do things for the long term but long term success needs building blocks to be put in place. Short term success also relies on having a fit and performing squad from day one. Half of ours weren't even at the Club of, if they were, they weren't fit and able to perform.
Last night we saw all bar four of our outfield players that started the first three games this season play for what is, effectively, our reserves. Did they hide or were they trying to impress the Manager? On Saturday did we capitulate with a different set of players once Fleetwood had equalised? When we twice went behind against Portsmouth did we fold? Yes sandwiched in between was the heavy defeat to Bolton but we were chasing the game when we got hit by three late goals. Clare and Davison came on to score against Portsmouth. Stockley did likewise against Fleetwood. Have they sulked as a result of being left out?
Adkins cannot, equally, be held responsible for individual mistakes. And there have been plenty of them with Matthews at the centre of quite a few. Will Matthews go missing in action now as a result of being singled out by the Manager. I would put more money on Adkins having a quiet word and getting him back to his best than most. Because as surprising as might be to some coaches, athletes do recognise when they aren't performing. They don't need to be lambasted in public to told that.
Yes we can all call for the Manager's head. That really is the easy part. It's replacing him that is the issue. Just ask Watford or, even better, the 16 Managers they've had in the last decade.
But the following weren't available at the beginning of the season:
Kirk Lavelle Souare Arter Lee Leko Gilbey Purrington Blackett-Taylor
That's nine players that had to be integrated later either because they hadn't been signed or because of injury or the lack of fitness. If you then add Clayden and Ellewere to that list as they have only made a couple of token sub appearances that's 11 of the 25.
That is why it has taken a while to establish our best side but there probably isn't any such thing in reality. There will be a few that will be indispensable but the whole point of a squad is that one player will replace another seamlessly. Equally, we can't just throw young players in if they aren't ready. That is the point of the U23s and the EFL competition.
I agree that the stated aims before the summer, haven't really been met, due to the scatter gun transfer window, leaving us a bloated squad, full of quantity rather than quality, and academy players not getting a chance to break through.
Are Dempsey, Vennings and Henry good enough to be part of the 1st team squad this season? We'll never know, as they can't even get into our starting Pizza Cup side
I agree that the stated aims before the summer, haven't really been met, due to the scatter gun transfer window, leaving us a bloated squad, full of quantity rather than quality, and academy players not getting a chance to break through.
Are Dempsey, Vennings and Henry good enough to be part of the 1st team squad this season? We'll never know, as they can't even get into our starting Pizza Cup side
I think the youngsters will get a chance to play in the Pizza Cup - it's just that this is the only means at the moment to get the first teamers that haven't been up to fitness a game. There's only so many older players that can play for the U23s and the other thing is that we actually, unlike most seasons, have very few currently injured.
Utopia is having two players for every position and three keepers - that's 23 players. We've used 25 but that includes Clayden and Elerewe who have made token sub appearances. We've lost Schwartz now and will hopefully find a replacement in January to compete with Davison, Stockley and Washington. At that time JFC might be ready in which case we can lose one or two of our existing midfielders - that is the one area where we are overloaded with up to eight players competing for three places
I agree that the stated aims before the summer, haven't really been met, due to the scatter gun transfer window, leaving us a bloated squad, full of quantity rather than quality, and academy players not getting a chance to break through.
Are Dempsey, Vennings and Henry good enough to be part of the 1st team squad this season? We'll never know, as they can't even get into our starting Pizza Cup side
I think the youngsters will get a chance to play in the Pizza Cup - it's just that this is the only means at the moment to get the first teamers that haven't been up to fitness a game. There's only so many older players that can play for the U23s and the other thing is that we actually, unlike most seasons, have very few currently injured.
Utopia is having two players for every position and three keepers - that's 23 players. We've used 25 but that includes Clayden and Elerewe who have made token sub appearances. We've lost Schwartz now and will hopefully find a replacement in January to compete with Davison, Stockley and Washington. At that time JFC might be ready in which case we can lose one or two of our existing midfielders - that is the one area where we are overloaded with up to eight players competing for three places
Even in the Pizza Cup, unless we lose several players to injury, we'll still have first teamers needing game time.
2 players for every position is talked about, but rarely means 23 senior players, you'd normally expect 2 or 3 youngsters at least
If it's true Sandguard gave Nigel a much reduced budget for pre-season, can't understand if he is a man of principle why didn't he resign straight away? Surely he has plenty of dough from his previous sackings! Would love for the true facts to come out.
If it's true Sandguard gave Nigel a much reduced budget for pre-season, can't understand if he is a man of principle why didn't he resign straight away? Surely he has plenty of dough from his previous sackings! Would love for the true facts to come out.
Man that hasn't worked for years, doesn't walk 4 weeks into a contract 'shock'
25 players used plus 4 different Captains at the start of the League games.
Clearly still working out his best side. Stick to the eleven that won at Fleetwood this Saturday. Stop changing it for the sake of changing it
I don't think bar the Wycombe game, coming off the awful performance the game before, he has changed it for the sake of changing it. Most of the changes are due to players being rightfully dropped or that they are no where near match fitness.
We have fundamentally played the same formation, you can argue symantics, in all bar 2 games since he has been here. I think he does know 8 or 9 of his first choice team he just hasn't been able to pick them consistently.
I think he also knew 7 or 8 of his team for this season last April, but that's another matter.
I agree that the stated aims before the summer, haven't really been met, due to the scatter gun transfer window, leaving us a bloated squad, full of quantity rather than quality, and academy players not getting a chance to break through.
Are Dempsey, Vennings and Henry good enough to be part of the 1st team squad this season? We'll never know, as they can't even get into our starting Pizza Cup side
I think the youngsters will get a chance to play in the Pizza Cup - it's just that this is the only means at the moment to get the first teamers that haven't been up to fitness a game. There's only so many older players that can play for the U23s and the other thing is that we actually, unlike most seasons, have very few currently injured.
Utopia is having two players for every position and three keepers - that's 23 players. We've used 25 but that includes Clayden and Elerewe who have made token sub appearances. We've lost Schwartz now and will hopefully find a replacement in January to compete with Davison, Stockley and Washington. At that time JFC might be ready in which case we can lose one or two of our existing midfielders - that is the one area where we are overloaded with up to eight players competing for three places
Even in the Pizza Cup, unless we lose several players to injury, we'll still have first teamers needing game time.
2 players for every position is talked about, but rarely means 23 senior players, you'd normally expect 2 or 3 youngsters at least
But take Clayden for instance. People were talking about him at the start of the season but following recent appearances it's obvious he isn't ready. Roddy is likewise. Elerewe might be but won't sign a contract so why play him instead of Famewo, Inniss, Lavelle or Pearce to further his career when he might not be ready anyway though he did play in the Pizza Cup. As and when games stack up, as they will and injuries take their toll, more will get an opportunity to play in that comp.
We need to push up the table with the best squad we can - the older players like Watson, Pearce and Gunter will be the first to go. We should also remember that the likes of Davison (22), Kirk (23), DJ (23), Morgan (21), Lavelle (25), Clare (25), Dobson (23), Blackett-Taylor (24), Purrington (25), Famewo (22) and Harness (21) hopefully all have more of a career in front of them than behind
25 players used plus 4 different Captains at the start of the League games.
Clearly still working out his best side. Stick to the eleven that won at Fleetwood this Saturday. Stop changing it for the sake of changing it
I don't think bar the Wycombe game, coming off the awful performance the game before, he has changed it for the sake of changing it. Most of the changes are due to players being rightfully dropped or that they are no where near match fitness.
We have fundamentally played the same formation, you can argue symantics, in all bar 2 games since he has been here. I think he does know 8 or 9 of his first choice team he just hasn't been able to pick them consistently.
I think he also knew 7 or 8 of his team for this season last April, but that's another matter.
No excuses this Saturday. Pick an unchanged eleven.
25 players used plus 4 different Captains at the start of the League games.
Clearly still working out his best side. Stick to the eleven that won at Fleetwood this Saturday. Stop changing it for the sake of changing it
I don't think bar the Wycombe game, coming off the awful performance the game before, he has changed it for the sake of changing it. Most of the changes are due to players being rightfully dropped or that they are no where near match fitness.
We have fundamentally played the same formation, you can argue symantics, in all bar 2 games since he has been here. I think he does know 8 or 9 of his first choice team he just hasn't been able to pick them consistently.
I think he also knew 7 or 8 of his team for this season last April, but that's another matter.
No excuses this Saturday. Pick an unchanged eleven.
I agree but you can't say that has previously been the case.
Comments
Henderson
Barker, Elewere, Pearce, Purrington
Dobson, Arter
CBT, Morgan, Clayden
Davison
Assuming DJ is frozen out, if he’s not then I’d expect him to be in for CBT or Clayden.
Probably see Matthews back in then.
They're not really watching the overall pattern of play, shape, off ball movement, covering and tracking, etc.
But a manager or his representive high in the stands will.
And they will see many things more clearly with an overview and see where adaptions and changes are needed, rather than only the more restricted perspective from the dugout.
In my opinion. it's beneficial to have both.
Slade got the boot with 16 points from 16 games
You can set what targets/ expectations you like. Whether they are realistic in relation to the changed circumstances is entirely another matter. You can argue the changed circumstances shouldn’t have happened but they did.
I am intrigued by the concept football has been anything but an industry of ifs and buts? If Barnsley hadn’t scored 2 own goals, If Schwarz had scored that penalty….it’s such an easy game to play. It’s like listening to a bad sales review. If this, that or other had happened then these targets will have been met. It’s meaningless.
Partnerships? Partnerships did I hear? Yup. That’s nearer the mark.
- 2 months in, 7 (64%) recruits signed in last days of/ after the window, now 4/5 weeks SE7
- Gilbey out long term with Covid
- 35% operational staff turnover in 2 weeks - how would your business cope?
- 6 of the 8 started Saturday - 2 were on the bench
- 8 of the starting 11 had no full pre season with the club
Whatever next? Balance & shape emerging after 4 weeks. Why do you think they set aside 6 weeks for pre season? Like 90% of projects, launch operationally before the project is done and bits fall off. The less preparation done the more bits fall off. It’s not rocket science.
Is the squad still a work in progress? Of course it is for the same reason it has struggled to this point.
Doing business late isn’t an acceptable excuse for 2 wins in 11.
Kirk has had his off the field issues to deal with
Gilbey has been out 'til recently
Arter came to us having not kicked a ball in anger
Souare hadn't played in over 18 months before starting for us
Of the 14 utilised on Saturday only four played for us last season and as I say one of those, Gilbey, didn't have a proper pre season.
I agree that we should finish higher with this squad than mid table mediocrity but we have to also take into account the mitigating circumstances so far as the start is concerned
It really is possible to do both. Especially in the mediocre League 1.
I was totally out of sync with Nigel as the season started. Don't tell the crowd at the valley that was bored rigid after a 0-0 and no shots on target that 25 clean sheets is your aim.
0-0 away is fair enough against the stronger teams in this division but Score goals and entertain. We don't expect gung ho football but if you can't create 6 chances at the valley in League 1 with at least 3 on target then we are under performing.
I have reset and don't expect cafc to be top six but I would like us to win 2 out of every 3 home matches.
10 home league wins out of 32 home matches with 29 of those in League 1 is so poor.
Bowyer and Adkins have both struggled to win home matches when in charge over the last two seasons and the last few games of the mini League in the Championship.
Davison’s shown early signs of stepping up, while players like Arter and Kirk were written off by some. Others decided Lavelle was a clone of Pearce.
Our last two promotions didn’t involve a team of superstars. We played half a season with Parker as Grant’s replacement. Before that Ward was one of our main options at the tip of the diamond, he was then replaced with Williams who I don’t think got a goal or assist in his first six months. Players like Solly, Page and Purrington did a job and rarely stood out.
Powell’s squad included the likes of Green, Wagstaff, Hughes, Evina and Hayes. None of them were future Championship players but they didn’t need to be.
We don’t need a squad full of future Championship player. There’s enough first choice players who could be seen as top L1 players by the end of the season. Not saying they will but we’ll have a much better idea in a few months time than we do now.
I've read quite a few of Matthew Syed's books. In The Times today he talks about the relationship between coach and athlete:
Consider my first table tennis coach, Peter Charters, a man with a black moustache, twinkly eyes and a willingness to occasionally offer a sharp rebuke. He didn’t like it when players went through the motions. He didn’t like it when we turned up late for training. When we let ourselves down, he didn’t hold back; indeed, he occasionally raised his voice. But none of the criticisms ever felt gratuitous or bullying.
Why? Because we trusted him. He took the time to get to know us as individuals, to understand our aspirations, to gauge our personalities. We could see that, in the way he invested his time and energy in our development (not just sporting but as human beings, too), he was “on our side”.
Over weeks and months, we came to recognise that this wasn’t merely a coach but a mentor. Later, as I progressed into my late teens, he became one of my most trusted friends. And this is why, when his words stung, I never questioned his motives. I didn’t think: “Is he trying to put me down to boost his own ego?”
And that is why I am a fan of Adkins. Because I do believe he is a man manager and is trying to do things for the long term but long term success needs building blocks to be put in place. Short term success also relies on having a fit and performing squad from day one. Half of ours weren't even at the Club of, if they were, they weren't fit and able to perform.
Last night we saw all bar four of our outfield players that started the first three games this season play for what is, effectively, our reserves. Did they hide or were they trying to impress the Manager? On Saturday did we capitulate with a different set of players once Fleetwood had equalised? When we twice went behind against Portsmouth did we fold? Yes sandwiched in between was the heavy defeat to Bolton but we were chasing the game when we got hit by three late goals. Clare and Davison came on to score against Portsmouth. Stockley did likewise against Fleetwood. Have they sulked as a result of being left out?
Adkins cannot, equally, be held responsible for individual mistakes. And there have been plenty of them with Matthews at the centre of quite a few. Will Matthews go missing in action now as a result of being singled out by the Manager. I would put more money on Adkins having a quiet word and getting him back to his best than most. Because as surprising as might be to some coaches, athletes do recognise when they aren't performing. They don't need to be lambasted in public to told that.
Yes we can all call for the Manager's head. That really is the easy part. It's replacing him that is the issue. Just ask Watford or, even better, the 16 Managers they've had in the last decade.
Kirk
Lavelle
Souare
Arter
Lee
Leko
Gilbey
Purrington
Blackett-Taylor
That's nine players that had to be integrated later either because they hadn't been signed or because of injury or the lack of fitness. If you then add Clayden and Ellewere to that list as they have only made a couple of token sub appearances that's 11 of the 25.
That is why it has taken a while to establish our best side but there probably isn't any such thing in reality. There will be a few that will be indispensable but the whole point of a squad is that one player will replace another seamlessly. Equally, we can't just throw young players in if they aren't ready. That is the point of the U23s and the EFL competition.
Might be 2 if they dont tie CBT down with a permanent contract.
Are Dempsey, Vennings and Henry good enough to be part of the 1st team squad this season? We'll never know, as they can't even get into our starting Pizza Cup side
Utopia is having two players for every position and three keepers - that's 23 players. We've used 25 but that includes Clayden and Elerewe who have made token sub appearances. We've lost Schwartz now and will hopefully find a replacement in January to compete with Davison, Stockley and Washington. At that time JFC might be ready in which case we can lose one or two of our existing midfielders - that is the one area where we are overloaded with up to eight players competing for three places
Clearly still working out his best side. Stick to the eleven that won at Fleetwood this Saturday. Stop changing it for the sake of changing it
2 players for every position is talked about, but rarely means 23 senior players, you'd normally expect 2 or 3 youngsters at least
Would love for the true facts to come out.
Man that hasn't worked for years, doesn't walk 4 weeks into a contract 'shock'
We have fundamentally played the same formation, you can argue symantics, in all bar 2 games since he has been here. I think he does know 8 or 9 of his first choice team he just hasn't been able to pick them consistently.
I think he also knew 7 or 8 of his team for this season last April, but that's another matter.
We need to push up the table with the best squad we can - the older players like Watson, Pearce and Gunter will be the first to go. We should also remember that the likes of Davison (22), Kirk (23), DJ (23), Morgan (21), Lavelle (25), Clare (25), Dobson (23), Blackett-Taylor (24), Purrington (25), Famewo (22) and Harness (21) hopefully all have more of a career in front of them than behind