 | Forum
Thread | Fatigue an issue / Norwich thoughts
at 04:03 7 Apr 2024
Obviously, a big dissapointment to not get anything out of the derby, but in the grand scheme of things, with Leeds losing, the only thing lost was the opportunity to put some distance between them and us.
I thought yesterday was a game too far for many of our players, which is totally understandable given the intensity of McKenna's system and how hard some players have been pushing deep into added time recently. For me, Luongo, Morsy, Hutchinson and Moore all looked a little leggy, meaning we didn't really have that snap in midfield and were slow to get up the pitch, press and compete for second balls.
The next 2 home games are absolutely massive. I'm sure we'll pack out Portman Road for these next 2 games, make some noise and get fully behind the team as always. If we can pick up 6 points, we 'could' be well set and i think the squad will benefit massively from the 14 day break before the Hull fixture, where the likes of Hirst and Burns may be back to bolster numbers.
|
| Forum
Thread | Takeaways from Leicester
at 02:12 23 Jan 2024
Firstly, Sarmiento, Hutchinson, Taylor and Broadhead were all exceptional off the bench. With a somewhat easier set of fixtures over the next 2 months (only 1 top 8 side to play), we really need to consider starting Sarmiento and Hutchinson, as i think they are considerably better than what is in front of them currently. Both are future multi-million pound Premiership stars and players that can really help us stretch teams where we will be starting on the front foot. Might not be popular, but Hutchinson is a superior player to Burns in pretty much most departments. Must play !
Defense was exceptional. Clarke has shown a real upturn in form over the past month and managed Mavididi superbly, as he did the previous fixture with Clarke. Edmondson and Woolfenden assured as ever and distributed well from the back. Hladky looked the far superior keeper on the pitch.
Travis wasn't fantastic. Struggled to play the pivot role that Morsy plays, looked sluggish and lacked the vision that our other central players have. Again, it might be unpopular, but Morsy, Luongo and arguable Taylor are lightyears ahead of him. He is adequate back up for Morsy, which is enough for what we need going forward.
All eyes on Ashton et al now. 'If' we can bring in 2 strikers and potentially another full back (if Williams departs), we'll have an exceptionally strong squad heading into what looks like a favourable next 2 months of fixtures. I fancy our chances now. Incredible achievement to come through such a tough set of fixtures and still be in second.
[Post edited 23 Jan 8:31]
|
| Forum
Thread | Mizouni
at 05:03 2 Jan 2024
Surely El Miz is the one we want want back in terms of our players out on loan.
Young, has Championship experience, technically very gifted and he's been Leyton's stand out player for the last year or so, picking up muliple awards.
No brainer in my opinion. |
| Forum
Thread | Hutchinson wide right?
at 09:08 1 Oct 2023
For me, i think we should consider starting Hutchinson wide right. He's looked incredibly dangerous each time he's played there and has pretty much got the beating of his man whoever he has faced. I'm a fan of Burns, but i feel he struggles against more athletic full backs that can match him for pace and he doesn't necessary have the technical ability or awareness in tight spaces.
Would also argue that Williams is currently an upgrade on Clarke defensively. Hasn't looked too bad going forward either. Morsy and hopefully Broadhead back for Hull at home. Need both going into October with some winnable fixtures coming up. Good chance for us to build some distance between us and third to give us a margin of safety when tougher fixtures arise. |
| Forum
Thread | Transfer record broken this summer?
at 08:16 13 May 2023
Personally, i wouldn't be surprised to see our 4.5m transfer record broken this summer. You get the sense that while we 'flexed' on a couple of transfers last season (notably the Nathan Broadhead and Leif Davis deals) our spending & ambition was somewhat tempered by the amount of quality players who were willing to drop a division. I also think that Ashton et al will have been cautious in over-investing in a team of League One superstars who might not be good enough to mount a serious push in the Championship.
Getting to the Premiership is sole objective of Gamechanger 20 Ltd and now we are in a position to attract players with Premiership ambitions/capabilities. Therefore, i think the second phase of their investment will very much reflect this and we'll see some fairly significant signings. Ashton's approach will be similar to what it was at Bristol City (e.g when he poached Adam Webster for £3.75m). I don't think we'll be setting our sights on Taylor or JCH, but instead looking to take players from impoverished Championship clubs and perhaps the odd signing from overseas e.g like Ashton did with the Diédhiou signing at BC.
I fully expect the club's calculated, ruthless and 'relentless' approach to continue and it might result in the odd surprise sale this summer in our bid to upgrade the squad.
|
| Forum
Thread | Not a bad result all things considered
at 03:50 11 Apr 2023
Should we have won yesterday ? Probably, given our domination and chances created. However, 4 points over the Easter weekend isn't too bad, with Cheltenham being a tough place to go (as other teams have also found out) and pick up all 3 points.
The bigger fixtures are the next 2 at home. If we're able to win both, that will take us up to 88 with 4 games remaining. 6 points over the next 2 fixtures might be enough to create a 2-3 point gap between us and Plymouth, with our goal difference between effectively worth an extra point. That would give us a small margin of safety heading into those tougher away games.
Win the home fixtures and 1 of our 3 away games an we should be okay in my opinion. [Post edited 11 Apr 2023 3:52]
|
| Forum
Thread | Luongo - different class
at 17:07 25 Feb 2023
Barely gave the ball away in that second half and oozed class. He takes us to another level. [Post edited 25 Feb 2023 17:09]
|
| Forum
Thread | Ineffective players & ineffective tactics.
at 06:57 15 Feb 2023
Firstly....4 changes. I can understand Broadhead if he was carrying a knock (although this didn't seem the case on the basis of his performance), however where is the logic in taking Chaplin and Clarke out of the side? Both had fairly good games on Saturday and Clarke in particular needs time to settle and get up to speed. Swapping the entire front 3 on a regular basis isn't going to produce consistent performances and results on the pitch.
My next point is about some of the players we are carrying. Aluko being a perfect example. We all love a Maradona turn or the odd flick here and there, but the last time he scored was Cambridge away last season. The same can be said for Burns and Harness to a lesser extent, who although have clocked up reasonable numbers this season, aren't in form.
With Evans out, we need to get Luongo (a seasoned campaigner) into the side ASAP alongside Morsy, stick with a settled back 3 and perhaps also give Burns a prolonged rest. Edwards has a high ceiling in terms of his ability and deserves a shot. Chaplin and Broadhead need to start week in week out. McKenna has to play his strongest 11 , week in week out and also not be afraid to change formation and go more direct if teams are sitting against us. There is a real rigidity about the way we play and it makes it so easy for teams like Rovers to set up against us.
Management team need to put their finger out and quickly, as the US owners, Ashton and the fans have backed the side to the hilt this season. Another year in League 1 will be another year of close to 10m lost in TV revenue while carrying players on Championship wages etc... [Post edited 15 Feb 2023 7:07]
|
| Forum
Thread | Hurst / Defence / Starting Eleven
at 14:32 13 Feb 2023
The next 5 games represent an amazing opportunity to get our season back on track and into the automatic promotion spots again. However, there have been some real questionable decisions from McKenna in recent games.
The first is about Hurst. For me, Hurst hasn't done enough. He is yet to score this season in league football and if you're a non prolific striker, then you need to be absolutely outstanding in other areas of your game...e.g back to goal, running the channels, physical presence, bringing others into player etc...and this simply hasn't been the case. Ladapo was in a real purple patch of form towards the end of January and he must start week in week out for us.
The second thing McKenna needs to address is his defence. I can understand WBs being rotated from time to time due to the distance they need to cover, but McKenna has chopped and changed too much at CB this season and this is a position that requires faith and continuity from management.
Woolfenden, Burgess and Edmondson have a defensive lapse in them once every 3 games for me, something that isn't currently helped by them not having a prolonged run in the team. Keogh's legs have totally gone, which is a shame as he is a model pro who clearly cares about the club, but Cambridge away wasn't pretty to watch.
McKenna needs to identify his best 11 and stick with it until the end of the season, as inconsistent line ups produce inconsistent results. The same can be said with his substitutions, which again need to be consistent. The absence of Edwards at the weekend was baffling after a very good half against Cambridge. [Post edited 13 Feb 2023 14:35]
|
| Forum
Thread | Clarke - Great Signing
at 04:41 20 Jan 2023
We should have greater continuity down both flanks now, with Davis on the left and Clarke on the right.
Clarke and Burns will be a real handful for sides, with Donacien providing quality back up and versatility in terms of squad options.
Technically strong, quick, physical, match fit and a great age. A very shrewd piece of business. |
| Forum
Thread | January wish list
at 18:32 3 Jan 2023
I think McKenna has done a terrific job over the past year, but i think the time has come for him to make some tough calls on players. Personally, i'd argue that Jackson (2 in 23 games), Aluko (1 assist in 11), Ahadme (not really contributed) and KVY (a significant downgrade on JD & Burns) should probably be moved on, or demoted for more effective players. You'd also think that we'd de-register Ball and Camara.
Wish list :
- A right sided player that offers genuine competition to Burns / allows him to be rested.
- A lock pick CM or 10
- Cover at CM
- A goal scoring 10 that can play in several positions behind the striker and clock up similiar numbers to Chaplin
- A physical striker who can create and get on the end of chances
- Another support striker.
That may sound quite excessive, but i do 5 to 6 players could potentially be needed and i would encourage McKenna to make some ruthless decisions if needs be. |
| Forum
Thread | Pretty, well coached, good football, but wasteful and lacking a bit of quality..
at 17:31 2 Jan 2023
It's clear that we're a well coached side, who has a clear identity and play great football, but i think the time has come to make a few tough decisions in the squad.
I'm a huge supporter of McKenna and the leadership team at PR, but i think if we want to finish in the top 2, we perhaps need to be a little more ruthless on and off the pitch.
Is Ladapo good enough to first choice for a top 2 club at this level? History would argue probably not.
Jackson...2 goals in 23 appearances. Is that really good enough for our second choice striker?
Aluko is a great player to watch, but are the numbers there?
Do Donacien and KVY offer the same level of threat and quality on the right side that Leif Davis offers on the other flank?
Are we getting the best out of Edwards, who has a high ceiling in terms of his ability?
Do we have a plan B or C against the low press?
I think we'll be fine this season and Ashton won't leave anything to chance. However, McKenna will have to make tough calls on players (players that he has coached and developed into better players) to take us to that next level. We need quality up top and more of a killer instinct. |
| Forum
Thread | Issues and reinforcements
at 11:52 3 Dec 2022
Last night was waiting to happen. We didn't look our normal self in the second half and were leggy across the pitch. The goal was an absolute freak deflection, but it certainly wasn't against the run of play.
Looking at the squad, i think we're relatively okay between the sticks and at the back with Leigh back now back in contention. In midfield it's obvious that we need another CM and probably a wide right player. We've looked a little flimsy under pressure at various points this season, and i think we'd do well to get an experienced enforcer to play alongside Morsy or even allow him to be rotated and rested. The same can be said for Burns. We need to bring in some competition for him, as he looks jaded and in need of rest. With Evans, Harness and Aluko back in the fold, that would give us some genuine depth. Wouldn't be against brining El Miz back on the 1st of January and loaning him out at the end of the window if needs be.
Up top, another 10 is needed as we've missed TJJ's versatility (be great if we get him back playing quickly) and i think we need to bring in a top striker, as Jackson (who i'd look to move on), Ahadme and Ladapo doesn't strike me as being clinical or good enough for a team with top 2 ambitions.
4 players needed i think in January and it'll be expensive. [Post edited 3 Dec 2022 11:53]
|
| Forum
Thread | So wasteful...
at 17:02 12 Nov 2022
Enough chances to win 3 or 4 games. |
| | Westcountryblue
|
Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 537 | | Comment Votes: | 45 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 582 |
|
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.