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I see Macfazden getting good reviews in the Telegraph. Whilst I thought he defended well- he's a proper old school centre half, his distribution was appalling.  There was quite a few who's passing was way off.  I used to enjoy how, despite a chronic lack of pace throughout the squad we could punish teams on the counter with our rapid transition.  Sure, we used to get caught out, but at times it was lovely to watch us work out from the back from one end to the other. 

I accept we don't really have the personnel to play this way but we seem to have gone completely the other way and now struggle finding feet and passing the bloody thing.  Why can we not have a sensible middle ground. We don't have the pace at the back to play a high line, nor do we have the pace or hold uplay to hit it long. So surely the only real viable option is to invite teams on to us and have a viable system of counter-attacking football..   

Our pressing is really poor too-  whilst I accept sitting deeper is necessary you'll often see Sammy waving his arms looking back at his team mates as he leads a press alone. Come on man.  We can push up a bit allowing our midfield- which is handicapped due to playing 3 at the back anyway, an opportunity to press..  Why not, if we're going to play three at the back- when we're on the transition, or dominating have defender move forwards into the defensive midfield slot creating an overload..  Lenihan would have been perfect- again, not sure we have the personnel..   Perhaps we could Play Trondstadt in such a position with JRC & Ayari ahead of him.   So when we gain possession he has a licence to push forwards, on the back foot he's a body around our box. 

I think, with fast over-lapping full backs and a striker like Keiffer Moore that'd be brilliant.

That's not us though. We have a state of the art coach to travel in and a decimated underinvested in squad.

We've lost so many players and not replaced them with equal or better. We're shite. Just a really, really bad side. 

Wharton,  JRC, Trondstadt, Szmodic, Dolan, Hedges Ayari

The rest are average at best.  

You'd need to be a miracle worker to get a tune out of this lot. Which JDT did last season- albeit with Brereton, amazing what a difference one or two good quality players make to a team of average ones.

3 hours ago, only2garners said:

No, that’s Camus you’re thinking of.

Albert? 

I think he looks tidy. Holds the ball and links up play. Would be happy to give him a run of games through the middle. Let Gallagher run around pressing not scoring goals.. Because that's what all the best strikers do.. Press defenders and consequently are rarely in the right position.. 

8 hours ago, LDRover said:

Seriously? Have you seen him play?

He's one of the worst 'footballers' I have ever seen in my life. He makes Semir look like Haaland.

Hahaha, I watched 30s of him on Youtube at my sons request.  In fairness I thnk Tel looks useful whenever I have seen him play.

Kyle Hudlin, 6ft 9, from Burton.  Whip some crosses in and let him cause some chaos. Low cost/risk gamble..   Hardly prolific but with such a stature...

If we go down I'd love to see Dacky back at the club..  Give the entire place a much needed lift. Sure it'd lift both the fans and players too!!

9 minutes ago, ABBEY said:

Talking of Buckley... gonna back him to bag 

Christ! 

If, and, as a pessimist, I think we will lose this then we're deep in the shit.

I know we beat Leeds the other week but prior to that we were absolutely abject.  We've won two under Eustace since he came in, our home form is absolutely abysmal.   

This squad needs quality injecting into it- the sum of the parts and all that..

Players like Buckley would be a lot more useful if they had pacey wingers and proper target men to play off.. 

Without that I think we're a very poor squad.

Objectively I don't see why we win today? Two bad sides in not the best form. However Sheff Weds must go into this one with a bit more belief. They were marooned before Christmas and have dragged themselves into contention. Conversely we were 'safe' and have been pulled into it.. 
 
Who knows, toss a coin. Can't say I am confident though.  If we lose this I think we go down on GD.

The squad needs that much investment it's nuts. We're weak in every position.  I can't see Venkys spending a penny in the summer. Rhodes, Best, Breo, Gally, Dack, Szmodic, Hyam, Brittain, Wahlsted are the only significant cash buys I can think of since they've been here...  How many years is that across?

They need to get out of the club.

Seen us linked with Ruddy from Birmingham- was he not absolutely dreadful when we played them at Ewood? .. Surely we can do better than that!

We could be right back in the shit by Sunday afternoon. A few wins underneath us on Saturday followed by another abject home performance and we're back in the thick of it with the pressure firmly on...  I don't think we're safe just yet.

On 14/04/2024 at 22:42, superniko said:

Looking at that squad we need:

Starting GK

LB and RB - starters / squad to compliment Pickering and Brittain

Starting CM for JRCs annual injury 

2 x Starting Wingers

Starting CAM after we sell Szmodics 

Starting Striker

Thats at least half a team of starters needed, with squad players on top of that. 

Sell/Release: Wahlstedt, Buckley, Markanday, Vale. I’d also let Hyam and Travis go if we get offers (the club won’t do this though).

Anyway in reality, the squad will just continue to get weaker and weaker and we’ll invest barely anything. 

Totally agree with this..

Pears would be a great no2

Gone off Brittain, I think he lacks the physicality and grit necessary. Rather have a Nyambe that isn't constantly injured.

Hyam and Macfazdean need bombing out- bring in a big, agrressive centre half from league one that has a bit of potential and ambition.

Team has a chronic lack of pace and creativity.

I'd be looking at rapid wingers and someone in the mould of Danny Graham so we can utilize them to hold the ball up and play others, such as Dolan, Siggy, Szmodic etc into play. Ball doesn't stick at the moment..

Two wingers, a striker (if not two) and a new centre midfielder, preferably a quick, skillful ball carrier that can break the lines and pull people out of position..

Given we will likely spend zero I imagine we'll see Gallagher and Dolan leave for paltry sums or run down the last year of their contracts.

Macfazdean gets a new deal.  We loan in a couple of unknown youngsters from the Premiership then Travis' return is hailed as 'like a new signing'.. We will blood some youngsters into the side, struggle and ultimately get relegated because lack pace, goals, creativity and have plenty of mistakes in us..

That's assuming we stay up. Lose against Wednesday and we're much still in with a chance of going down..

I think Hyam should be moved on.  This season, perhaps due to his injuries, he has looked like his legs have gone. He's so slow and clumsy on the ball.  

Wharton has been tremendous and is back to his old self. 

Carter has all the attributes you'd want for a good centre half.

I'd bomb out Macfazdean and  Hyam to bring in good competition from league 1 or 2 for centre half along with a decent Premiership loan.

Hyam and Macfazdean are not the future. Move them both on.

Hyam should not even be in the squad tomorrow. Disgraceful performance.   Looks disinterested and like his legs have gone.

Carter and Wharton centre half with O'Riordon on the bench. Fuck Macfazdean off too. Would rather have a young lad from the academy on the bench.

Going to need an athletic and mobile midfield tomorrow- which we don't have.  Trondstadt sitting,  Garrett, Szmodic and Ayari ahead of him..

Dolan on one wing and Gilsensen on the other, Gallagher through the middle- have Szmodic buzzing around between midfield and Gallagher..

We need a win..  Not going to get it by attacking, suck them in, then counter like JDT had us doing..

JRC as inverted full back tucking into midfield freeing up Szmodic and being that general nuisance.. Carters athleticism will be needed tomorrow...

We'll need a miracle to get anything out of this one.

oooh medium please!

We've got a handful of good championship players:

Carter, Szmodic, Trondstadt, Wharton, JRC (As a fullback), Dolan

A couple of average players: Pickering, Hyam, Hedges, Pears, 

The rest are absolutely wank. Brittain is powderpuff and lacks physicality, Gallagher flatters to deceive in the converse sense, Buckley- wank, so languid and lazy,  Markanday etc.

Then we have a few prospects...  I'd start playing the likes of Batty etc. At least they'll have a go!
 

The reason we are going down is because we have a poor side.

Next game we win will be in league 1.

9 hours ago, philipl said:

The accounts are for 22/23

Ahh, so they're much lower now..  I guess the kick in the balls is, as a general rule of thumb, you finish around what you spend on wages..    

Football is an entertainment business..  If you're successful more people come to watch..   Speculate to accumulate..

Conversely, if you cut you're generally going to get worse, play worse football and finish lower.  You then get fewer fans, less revenue..  So then what? Make more cuts?  If you follow this trajectory it's a path to oblivion in football.. Make cuts, get worse, finish lower, less fans, make more cuts, ad infinitum.  

The club needs a fresh start, a clean slate,

Lose tomorrow and we're in the shite, big time!

The wages baffle me..   How on earth, with the squad we have, are we paying so much in wages..

I thought we'd off-loaded all of our 'high earners'..  

Great result, thought we were going to get smashed! Need to grind a few more points out. 

Just a bit of fun, or not..

Call me a pessimist but I don't see why we'd pick up a win out of our last few games- even then it looks like a couple of draws see's us (hopefully) limp over the line.  We're a poor side and I'm not entirely convinced we will stay up looking at the fixtures of sides around us. 


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