joey_big_nose

Carter has always been real quality when fit, could conceivably play in the Premier League. Just a question of how long he can stay off the treatment table. The big unknown is how decent is Miller as a CB. My best guess is given Wharton and Carter's injury records Miller is going to get at least 10 games this season at CB.

I don't know, as a similar languid style and likes to play one touch. Very reminiscent to Nzonzi for me stylistically. Just unfortunately he keeps losing the ball and missing tackles. That said, as others have mentioned, it does seem to be a pace of the game thing. Could improve over time. But I wouldn't have started him today, and wouldn't start him next week.

Hmm, neither Travis nor Tronstad are sitting players, both get forward. And conversely from the looks of it Tavares seems more of a deeper player. So not really sure what you're saying here?

WTF - is that from Elliot Jackson? I like what he does a lot personally (unlike many on here) - like the podcast etc - but surely crack is involved somewhere in that assessment? Anyone got Tavares down as having a good game?

Have to say we looked really good. Only player id swap in from September 2024 was Travis. Obviously we are riding our luck on Carter and Wharton staying fit. But like the look of the team. I hope Tavares can get up to speed and improve as he was a total passenger. Not good either on or off the ball. But ive seen players (e.g. Tronstad) who look a completely different player after a few months. Toth, Tronstad, Wharton, Carter were all so solid today. Foundation for the rest of the team. Thought all the attacking players did well, Cantwell is consistently better this year. Gudjonsen looks very very promising.

Hmmm Tronstads been great... How has he come off and Tavares is on???

My definite feeling is apart from Travis we have adequately replaced/backfilled the players we have lost. Need half a dozen more games to really know, but feeling quite positive.

Pretty amazing that 3 players came off and not one of them was Tavares...

Well we have Gudjonsen... Not sure after a great performance like today I would change 3 players and the system. Hmm....

I think you hit "post" at the exact second of Ohashis brilliant play through...

I guess Gudjonsen will get a chance around 60 mins.

Id take Buckley over him every week. Tavares has done one lovely pass, but apart from that loses the ball regularly. I have to say apart from Tavares all of our other signings have looked decent.

Definitely could see a Bullseye kit being an absolute classic still remembered in 50 years. If the club doesnt make one BRFCS should! Could use one of those concept kit manufacturers.

Totally agree - I am sure this will happen soonish, sure its part of the plan of the whole Natons League concept (which I really like btw, best thing for international football in decades). Teams improve by playing other teams within a level they can realistically compete with, not getting smashed 5-0 every week. San Marino, Andorra etc would get a lot more out of playing each other than Spain or England. If they do actually put a good team together climbing up the nations league is a really good incentive.

I just really hate wrong footed full backs. Can be great defensively, but the only one who ive seen who looked offensively good was Spinazzola for Italy, but he was incredibly unique.

I dont think Belligham playing alongside Rice works. You need a player who will dictate play there, not be bombing on. Anderson or Wharton type. We're in the same old problem of having too many similar players for the number 10 position. Tuchel will need to pick between Morgan, Bellingham, Palmer and leave two on the bench, and make sure we have a proper central midfielder alongside Rice. They're totally different positions with different skills. What id like us to avoid is playing number 10s on the wing or deeper in midfield, just to fit them in.

Love the seesaw we all go through from being no hopers to it being there for the taking in 4 days. Think we'll need to see how the games evolve over the next 9 months to really say one way or the other.

Always interesting in these circumstances where big names like Saka and Bellingham have been out - do they come straight back in when fit or do Morgan Rodgers and Maduke keep their place? Tells you a lot about the manager. I think every manager we have had in the last 30 years would go back to the big names. I reckon Tuchel might be different. Good in Anderson and Wharton we have two technical central midfielders coming through. Havent had one since Carrick (apart from the odd appearance by the likes of Harry Winks who was nowhere good enough) and its really shown. The big gap england has imo compared to other top nations is we just never have that clever dominating hub player like Kroos, Xavi, Pirlo etc. Not saying either will be as good, but at least we have some options in that area rather than playing two physical players like we were with Henderson, Connor Gallagher and Phillips. Rice is such a good foil for a technical player too, covers all the ground and gets forward. Bellingham is a bit of an issue for me - hes the quintessential big name, but doesn't seem to work at all with Kane, and has had few good games for England. Would we have played so well with him in? Personally I doubt it.

Well Gudjonen exciting - first real positive of the season. I think that goal will propel him straight into the starting lineup. Id revise my team to Toth Alebiouso. Carter. Wharton. Riberio Tronstad. Cantwell Ohashi. Morishita. Hedges Gudjonsen If Carter is fit, Cantwell can play deeper, and Gudjonsen and Morishita follow through on their promise then it might actually be a decent team. Lots of ifs! But at least something to stimulate a bit of hope.

If Ange is a success there I will be amazed. His style of play makes Lemmings look risk adverse. Fine if you're celtic and have all the best players. But if you're playing teams at a similar or higher standard to yourself you get taken apart.

I have started thinking maybe rather than the "big six" fucking off to a European Super League, what may well happen first is less well resourced clubs leaving the Football League to form a league more based on the German model with required fan ownership and close spending controls. I think a lot of fans would trade off the quality of players their club can afford to feel like the club is actually "theirs".

On the face of it should be great news. But then again it doesn't seem logical that our reduced funding has really been linked to the guarantees transfer of money specifically as they could just pay the guarantee anyway. I suppose not having to pay any more lowers the risk, and I guess the feeling of oversight? So maybe that will increase funding again? Confusing. I guess the key question to the clubs is "was the financial planning of the club and transfers assuming the latest £12.5M would arrive, or was it anticipated that this may not be forthcoming so was not planned to be spent?" I suspect that this money was already planned to be spent, but if not wahey! That they are investing in persuing these court cases, sending big sums of money, never the slightest hint they are looking to sell at all suggests that they are invested in the future of the club for the long term. But then again the massive reductions in wage bill, non attendance at games, complete lack of engagement, all suggests they are not. It's one of the great mysteries of all time. Someone somewhere has to be able to explain it. People do not sink £150M+ over more than a decade and fight the Indian government without there being a rationale behind it.

I agree there's enough injuries now to make not bringing Beck (if even we could have, which I doubt) back a good call. 30 years of watching rovers has brought me to the point that if anyone has a significant injury record just don't sign them no matter how good they are. It's not just the time they are out, it's the time for them to get back up to speed and the disruption and uncertainty they bring to the squad. JRC is another one where Charlton have taken a really big gamble.

Yeah - the question that needs to be asked is what is the advantage for any of those players to extend their contract? Why does anyone extend their contract with an employer? 1) You are offered more money (we have only done that recently when it is guaranteed we will attract big fees for the player e.g. Wharton, Szmodics) 2) You maybe don't get more money, but you buy into the long term vision of the employer and feel a valued part of a longer term plan where you can see how you grow and you enjoy your work. The way we operate completely and utterly undermines this. For all those players, especially with the well worn path to free transfer / sale mapped out from Lenihan and BBD to Travis and Dolan, why on earth would you commit early? Just wait to get to the end of your contract and look for a better option. The reason it's so important to get rid of venkys is while we may be in an even worse position in terms of money (although it's getting to the point now I am wondering about that), we can go some way to mitigating that through having good long term planning and operating like a somewhere with a vision and a good place to work longer term.

Yes hes only happy with these circumstances until he gets a better offer which is if he surprisingly manages to succeed with the awful level of risk hes been given. Even if we luck out with the signings he will still want to move somewhere there is investment. With the way we treat the managers its either tails we lose (they do badly and we're stuck with them) tails you win (they do well but with an enhanced reputation they jump ship at first opportunity). Weve had two of the latter with JDT and Eustace. With Ismael it could go either way. But what it absolutely cant lead to is him and the players doing well and us keeping them. Sad face.