the_mighty_bosh

After reaction to recent setbacks, I expect certain people to call for Shez's head.

...why do you tease us?

A win tonight would've given us more than a glimmer of hope of reaching the playoffs even after a league campaign of mediocrity, expectations were high before the match and it all comes crashing down after what sounded like a desperate performance.

God I love and hate Latics so much!

I beg that we don't have yet another pointless 'happy-clappers' Vs 'doom and gloomers' argument again for the next couple of days please, it's really boring.

Worst thing about tonight is that unless we play amazingly on Saturday the crowd is going to get even lower for Bournemouth next Tuesday.

I believe that this time between now and the start of next season is the time to get behind the young guys and give them a chance to show what they can do under less pressure, then hopefully the atmosphere around the place will be positive for next season if they prove themselves, my guess is they will.

Every game is a must win game because if we don't win, I feel sad.

He said the lower leagues have to be regionalised which is something I have said for years, difficult to work in promotion and relegation but there is a way. How many Stockport, Bury or Rochdale would of been at Bp last night, a damn site more than 150, plus it creates more interest for the home fans.

Time to be selfish.

No, absolutely not, never again!

I'm fairly certain OASIS would feel the same!

EDIT: As for the main question, strippers replacing cheerleaders. Next?

We absolutely need some average, journeyman, experienced league 1 pro's - the sort that knock about the lower leagues for donkeys years, stepping in when needed, and then going somewhere else - Roccy & Eddie are great examples - but we just dont have that... shez seems to amke comments that he will only improve the squad - great - but you need these fringe players to survive when things get tough like this.... he either seems to annoy these type of players (see Roccy and eddie) or sign turkeys - Dabo, Wood etc etc...

 

Clubs such as Tranmere, orient, Carlisle etc... have very average players - but have enough of them so they can chop and change if needed - the dont have as good players as us, however have depth so that they can batter us for consistency when our top performenrs get injured - the Trannies have had thier two best players injured for ages - yet are still doing ok...

 

As I say... nothing to do with replacing quality... we just need more of the average to support messirs Hughes, Davies, Gregan, Jarrett, taylor et al...

I agree, good points.

We havent though, the only problem I have with sheridan is that he seems incapable of bringing in the happy squad player - we havent sacrificed depth for investment in top players - Hughes, Kalala, Allott & Davies will be on absolutely no more money than Wellens, Porter, Roccy & Warne.... Hughesy should be but he is on less than Porter, I dont agree on the fact we havent replaced with enough quality - I think that arguement is flawed and the players we have brought in are good enough... we just yet again seem to have absolutely no depth...

What I was trying to say was that I wasn't sure whether the way we seem to have distributed the budget has been right or wrong. I also believe that the majority of players we've brought in are good enough but with the lack of depth and the fact that we'd filled our budget at the start of the year shows that we've spend more of the budget on better players than we could've if we had got more squad players. The players we have brought in may be on the same money as the four you mentioned that have left but they are still taking up the budget we have. Theoretically we could have spent the money that we did for Hughes, Allott, Kalala and Davies on 7 players of less quality, solves the depth problem but we lack the quality that we could have got from Hughes, Allott, Kalala and Davies.

Which way is better? I honestly don't know. But we could get the best of both worlds if we add to the better quality we have now in the summer window coming up! This is when Shez has the chance to earn his corn.

 

Shopping list minimums

 

GK - New no.1

CB x 1 or 2 depending on who stays

CM - Creative ball player

LW - Genuine left winger please - and invest a few quid in the process

CF - Big target man to get on the end of all those lovely crosses that our star new LW is gonna be pinging in

RW - A genuine option to Taylor on RW - Taylor can be utilised as cover on left in needs be.

I would agree with most of that especially putting Taylor on the right, except I would keep Kalala in the squad, even though he's a limited player he breaks up play well against oppo who play their way through the centre. Good backup for Allott. If we get an attacking left winger and Jarrett proves himself worthy I think that a creative central midfielder is a luxury that we don't need. Attacking down the flanks and being solid in the middle will be good enough at this level.

I really hope we keep hold of Livermore, from what I've seen of him he looks a decent enough player but more importantly how many experienced left footed players are we going to find who can play centre back, left back, centre mid and left mid? Not many so keeping him in the squad would be essential for next year. Wolfy doesn't seem like he's going to get his chance with too many ahead of him so unfortunately, get rid.

.........then we can pretend it is May and write the whole thing off once and for all knowing we will still be the longest serving team in this god awful league. That is taking it that we can scrape another ten points or so.

 

Who stays folks? Where is this supposed base to build upon that I have read so much about?

 

Views appreciated.

 

KtF,

 

Derek.

Why is this such a god awful league?

The squad and the stadium plans are the base to build upon because, like it or not, progression is slow process (painfully so at times) for a club with our financial situation which is trying to get stability at a higher level. Continuous squad turnover year on year hasn't worked. Keeping faith in the current managing and playing staff is the best way to go at present.

You know what, it might fail. But it is a risk I am willing to accept because constant change has repeatedly failed.

Not a travesty IMO but a tad disappointing, however the youngsters seem to be very promising with Alessandra being the pick of the bunch!

I'd seriously question whether this season is a travesty or not. OK, we need to put into perspective but have we developed or moved on from last season? I think we've gone backwards as we haven't replaced quality despite Sheridan given a budget to sweep the necessary changes back in the summer. Failure to address this over the last few months too has had a major impact on attendances and general interest. Fans are voting with their feet because we're lacking signs of ambition despite the early promise and there's a general feeling of apathy now amongst the management and players.

 

We may have peaked too early last season by reaching the Play-Offs but that was the benchmark for this season and Sheridan and his team has failed to deliver so far. Rather than seize the opportunity and readdress the situation, we seem to have written off this season already despite the guff spouted about trying to get in players. We're that desperate for new blood and if we can't convince players to come here when we're on the verge of a Play-Off place then questions need to be asked.

 

Failing this season will drive one extra nail into our coffin because fans are becoming impatient with the lack of progress and failing to deliver on promises. It is evident already with dropping crowds as we're failing to attract new punters to add to the diehards. Despite progress off field with the stadium development, I'm unsure how longer progress can be expected if we maintain our position in League One.

Although we are making big strides to grow in stature as a club the reality is that we are not one of bigger clubs in this league until the new stadium is built and we can get extra sources of revenue. We are around about the middle so mid table, while not great, is not sending us backwards in the way we are developing.

One thing that does disappoint me with Shez is that he didn't give the squad enough depth in the summer. Last year we had some luck with injuries tbh so our backup wasn't exposed a lot. This season we have lost Gregan, Liddell, Hughes and Pogs to injury for a large part of the season all of whom are important experienced players in our squad and we haven't got any replacements to fill in, thus we rely on youth. Even though the youth have done well we shouldn't be relying on them as much as we have done if we want to challenge higher.

An argument to this is that we've sacrificed depth to bring in higher quality starters and without these starters we would be lower than we are now with less hope of improvement. But if we are gonna push for the promotion spots next time around (which we have a good opportunity to do) we need to add to what we've got now instead of chopping and changing radically, that is how we are going to get the depth.

Anyone still not convinced that we are heading towards mid-table?

Not a travesty IMO but a tad disappointing, however the youngsters seem to be very promising with Alessandra being the pick of the bunch!

Have you checked Donny's???

 

That normally confirms when we havent got a player....

Chaddy says it true, so I'm convinced!

Out of interest, what type of cancer does Ernie have?

I'm stunned by this news. Ernie was my favourite player during the survival season, didn't possess a huge amount of ability but he battled for everything all over the pitch! The two things of his which stick out in my mind are at Bristol City with his goal and performance that day and at Plymouth when Calvin Zola and the big Plymouth defender were battling to win the ball and Ernie lept out of nowhere and beat both of them despite being nigh on a foot shorter than both! His heading ability for someone so short was mind boggling!

I don't know him personally but one of my former school teachers used to teach him up in London and said that although he was never the brightest he would give everything for everything that he would do.

Best of luck Ernie, as said above, our thoughts are with you!

Keep The Faith

All the best Les!

When confident, he was up there with the best 'keepers in the football league! Lots of great memories from the playoff seasons and survival season and of course the Man City cup game!

Does anyone know where the highlights of the Bradford game are? I never saw the saves he made in that game.

My guess is that, when fit again, he'll play in the A league and I hope he'll recover to play a few more seasons!

Well done Derk, lots of bites. Never realised Taylorbait would work so well.

 

Anyway, I don't think he's half as bad as what Wilson makes out, and I certainly wouldn't shove anyone there. Like mighty_bosh has said, he's in his first pro contract so his wages, in the general scheme of things will be fairly low I'd have thought. If you want a bone fide natural left sided player who's also a few notches above Taylor's ability then it comes with a premium. I'd bet Livermore's salary is comfortably higher than CT's, even on CT's proposed next contract.

 

So, he's the cheap option. So let's discuss the merits and downfalls of having this 'cheap option'.

 

Without a doubt he's now without his flaws. Football brain and vision isn't the best, hence why he runs down too many dead end streets and fails to find a player. Self-confidence is fragile to say the least, which explains him not being confident in going outside the man more and why he tackles like a complete fairy. First touch also needs to be much better - suffers from pinball foot all too often. But, he's a roamer, and tremendously difficult to mark, and he's also starting to find those dangerous positions more often than he used to explaining his goal output ratio rising.

 

I feel a bit sorry for Taylor in all honesty. Sheridan has put faith on him in the summer to continue on the left when I'm sure being in his natural position, on the right, would help his self-confidence issue so much. And he'd be much more confident going outside the full back rather than inside all the time and into other players. This is a big issue because a confident Chris Taylor (and we've all seen him when his tail is up) is pretty good at this level.

 

As for shipping him straight off to Blackers, well, I'd agree. But only if they were willing to part with half a mill.

Couldn't have put it much better myself!

Personally I would give anyone but CT a go, maybe other than Crossley because he may be a bit past it and we don't have another GK atm.

 

I take it you know the ins and outs of Taylors contract to come up with such a statement?

 

Who knows what money the lad is on? Personally I would prefer to judge him on ability and what he brings to the plate as one of the starting eleven. Unless of course we need to go down the 'Let's all get on Killens back' road again. He earnt a shed load and perhaps didn't deliver for what he was paid at times (we only know this from some dummy spitting from our owners - but to perceive that Taylor may or may not be paid tuppence ha'penny a week is only conjecture).

 

This of course is an individual thing for the fans to think for themselves.

 

I wouldn't pay him in washers, but I think people already know that from my comments.

 

CT-WOS.

 

KtF,

 

Derek.

He's on £861.53 a week with an appearance bonus of two pukka pies a game.

Of course I don't know exactly how much he's on, but he has come through the youth set up so he's certainly not going to be on the same wage as the older 1st team players that we have bought from other clubs. I'd doubt that he's on a grand a week or more.

You say that you'd prefer to judge him on ability rather than wage? OK, I know, we should sign Ronaldo! He's got far more ability than Chrissy T so...oh wait, he's on about 100 times more a week than Taylor, darn it. Ability comes first over money but money is a big factor and needs to be taken into account. If there is a better left winger on approx. the same wage as Taylor or someone we can afford then I would be willing to give them a chance.

Finally, you say you'd replace Taylor with anyone? If you want a reasoned debate then that's the type of thing to be more specific about. If you want to be stubborn about your point of view then why reply to any other post?

Get rid.

And replace him with?

For the wages Taylor's on there's not too many better wingers out there.

I'm very happy having Norm between the sticks for this season.

But I feel that we will need a new No 1 next season.

Plymouth - just coz they're the other city down here!

Leeds - arrogant fans.

Obviously didn't see the Scunny game last year, but I see Adkins as a bit of a role model for me being a physio turned manager!

BBC says that Crossley is a major doubt.

With him I could see us winning 2-0 but uncertain about how good Bell is. It would be interesting to see whether Crossley makes a difference to the defence or not.

What's everyone else doing on Tuesday at Brizzle and how many are planning on going?

Great passing move, Davies finishes it off! 2-1!

1-1! Taylor!

Donny have signed Stephen Elliot from Wolves as well (who I believe we were in for).

Don't you mean Stuart Elliot from Hull?

IMO there needs to be wage capping in some form, trouble is that I don't know how it can realistically be done.