How would you rate the new signings so far?

[lancy lad]

As promised, I have returned to this thread to see how the opinion of the new signings has changed since August.

 

Jonson Clarke-Harris - 6 - Really come along last few games, so slighty improved mark than before, the fact he needs to be tutored by Subbuteo is worrying for me, as you learn the basics of positional movement when you're in school.

 

James Dayton - Remains a 6, can be excellent on his day and is in decent form at the moment, scoring against Notts County and Bristol City, but a bit lightweight at times.

 

Sidney Schmeltz - 5 - Got a few tricks up his sleeve, but the game against Swindon (IIRC) when he ran through on goal with their keeper stranded in our area as they chased the equaliser, when his 'shot' trickled towards goal and stopped short of the net summed him up for me.

 

Korey Smith - 10 - Unbelievable capture for us, still can't believe we pulled this off. Runs the show, leads by example, and still puts in an amazing shift when asked to fill in at Right Back.

 

Mark Oxley - 6 - I'm not his biggest fan, but really grown over the last few games, helped no end by the fact we're getting a settled back 4 now with people playing in their actual position.

 

Charlie MacDonald - 6 - Had a good little spell, but injury has hampered this recently, his misses at Crawley highlight what a hit and miss start he's had, but will probs find us 10 goals this season which is not a bad return.

 

Anton Rodgers - 6 - Liked his passing and movement from the off, anyone who has trained and played through Chelsea's ranks (despite a fair bit of nepotism) must be able to play, and the last few games he's shown what he's all about and is getting a fair bit of deserved credit.

 

Adam Rooney - 6 - Dropped due to the potency of the Philliskirk/Clarke-Harris partnership, but has remained professional and is a good lad to have around the camp, his goal yesterday will do him the world of good, and is our top league goalscorer.

 

Danny Philliskirk - 7 - Despite what anyone says, he was brought in due to the imminent departure of Jose Baxter. To be fair to the lad, he has stepped up the plate and is in fantastic form, one slight criticism would be that his league return is poor with only 1 goal, but his cup heroics are more than making up for it as he shoots us towards a double trip to Wembley.

 

Paul Rachubka - 6 - For me he should be No. 1, and has shown how dependable he is in his two appearances in the JPT against Preson and Notts. County, conceeding just the one goal. LDJ had it spot on when he said he has two No. 1 GK's in the squad.

 

Mateo Lanzoni - 6 - Started well and his debut was suitably rewarded with the MOTM award, his rugby tackle after losing the ball was also a highlight, took the form into September and scored at Rotherham, but injury has derailed the promising start.

 

Genseric Kusunga - 6 - Stepping up to the plate more and more, and a good partnership is developing with Tarky, also filled in excellently at Right Back, where he could actually be better suited, scored a great header vs Wolves.

Philliskirk 7 and JCH 6

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Edited November 20, 2013 by lancy lad

[opinions4u]

Glad you don't do my work appraisal.

[alex_balls]

Philliskirk 7 and JCH 6

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

 

Glad you don't do my work appraisal.

 

I'm working on you now O4U :-)

 

I've given JCH 6 because lets be honest what has he done this season? He beasted his way about Stevenage and Derby and then went stale, he had the odd substitute appearance, and it's taken until November until he's bagged his first and second goals of the season, hardly prolific. 6 is an averga mark for someone who has had an average season, unless you're laughing because you think he should be marked down?

 

And Philliskirk, what would you give him, 8? 9? 10? he's only played about 10 games, and scored most of his goals in the tin pot, he's doing very well and a score of 7/10 (70%) reflects the good start he has made.

 

Unless, you're one of these that bigs everyone up when theyre playin well, then kill them when they have a couple of bad games?

[deyres42]

A bit giddy with Smith, couldn't argue with the others and your reasonings.

[b0ndl1ne]

Can't honestly say that any of the signings have been let downs which is impressive given the number brought in. Imagine what LJ could do with a proper budget!

[alex_balls]

A bit giddy with Smith, couldn't argue with the others and your reasonings.

 

Agree. :-)

[Aaron Howarth]

A bit giddy with Smith, couldn't argue with the others and your reasonings.

 

 

 

Agree. :-)

 

Couldn't disagree more, I'd say he's being harsh on Smith only giving a 10! add a couple zero's.

[HarryBosch]

Can't honestly say that any of the signings have been let downs which is impressive given the number brought in. Imagine what LJ could do with a proper budget!

 

There's not a single signing he's made who you could say looks :censored:.

 

Apart from Joksts, who we haven't seen yet, they've all had one or more good games.

 

Very encouraging.

 

He did spend a hell of a lot of time scouting them before he got the job though. Time he probably won't be able to spend now. But, still...

[NewBlue]

I fancy copying alex_balls' idea.

 

Jonson Clarke-Harris - This lad will go as far as he's prepared to listen. When he came to the club we heard stories that he might be trouble, he's had a rough time of it etc. so it bodes well that there's been nothing but positives so far (perhaps excluding the theatrical falls); Johnson's looked after him well so far and is helping him use the raw talents he has to produce good partnerships with our other strikers, notably Philliskirk. 8

 

James Dayton - I'd say I'm probably Dayton's biggest fan on this board so it might be a little bias! For me he does something special every single game, whether it's a defence-splitting pass, a goal or a shot that makes the keeper pull off a fantastic save, a brilliant dribble or assist, he makes things happen and has plenty of goals in him. He needs to work on improving his effective throughout the 90 minutes but I'd say he's improving gradually and is the pick of our wingers. 8

 

Sidney Schmeltz - Brilliant flair, no end product - it's as simple as that. He's made some fantastic cameos and has been at his best in the cup, probably most effective as an impact substitute. We have to accept that he's going to be very inconsistent and he's a able 3rd winger. If he ever gets composure in front of goal and a calmer head then he'd be great, but I fear that won't happen. 6

 

Korey Smith - A complete centre-midfielder for our league; a passer, a tackler, a workhorse, a leader. Johnson pulled off a coup to bring him here. I'd like to see him get forward a bit more because he's undoubtedly got the talent and Wes can cover for him but he's a stand-out for us and 2nd on the team-sheet only to Tarky. 10

 

Mark Oxley - The most questionable signing of the summer. He's made some saves that have kept us in games, then made mistakes that have lost us them. Sporadic and unpredictable, the worst attribute a goalkeeper can have. For me, Cisak is a superior 'keeper to Oxley and it's one of the only positions where we've seen regression. I wouldn't mind us delving into the transfer market in January or giving Rachubka or Simpson a chance to be more dominant in their area, less hesitent and more steady. 3

 

Charlie MacDonald - He's proved me wrong. When we signed him I doubted his ability to score goals and if he was good enough for League 1 - he certainly is. I'm most impressed by his intelligent movement and skill to connect with his fellow attackers. A criticism could be that he's been a little wasteful/unlucky in front of goal, hit the post several times but the shared goal-scoring between the strikers means that we don't have to heap pressure on one striker to score all our goals. Can't wait for him to return from injury. 8

 

Anton Rodgers - Not had many chances to impress but seems steady. Does the simple things well, perhaps limited when it comes to being more adventurous but adequate back-up. Much like Baxter was, you need to play a more specific system to accommodate him rather than broadly fitting into the centre-midfield position. There's scope to improve, not too certain how far that can go but he's young so I won't write him off progressing yet. 6

 

Adam Rooney - All-round play has been average, goalscoring form has been decent - he's on track for a good goals tally, a similar ratio to what he came to the club with. A mixture of our over-estimations and his lack of confidence have probably contributed to him being disappointing to some. If we'd signed him on the contract and estimations we placed on Charlie MacDonald I'd be pleased with his performances, that probably tells us how we overrated him. What I'd like from him is to create chances for himself or at least get into those positions more often, even though he's a poaching striker. 6

 

Danny Philliskirk - Outstanding. The fact that he's even being uttered in the same breathe as Baxter so early after signing shows what an impact he's made. Very clever, skilful, selfless and able to connect well with his striking partners there's little more he can do other than take his cup goalscoring record into the league. At the moment he's our number 1 striker, especially when he's combined with Charlie MacDonald. 10

 

Paul Rachubka - Can't say much having played 2 matches and done very little of note. Decent calibre, however he's made a lot of mistakes over in his most recent seasons.

 

Matteo Lanzoni - Adds more height to an already giant defence, made a good start for us. As is the Italian way, he's a clever and obviously cynical defender when necessary. Looks extremely ungainly when he's on the ball yet seems to have a calmness and touch that is deceptive for a player so lanky. An injury already could be signs of a player who could be unavailable quite regularly, hopefully he's not injury prone but can't grumble about his ability on the pitch so far. 7

 

Genseric Kusunga - Started off superbly. Took him almost no time at all to settle into the centre of defence with Tarky and has already shown his versatility at left-back. Especially impressive in a new country with a defence with 3 languages between them. Dominant in the air, cool on the ball and competent in handling some of the best players the league has to offer, Sako for one. Hugely optimistic about him and I'd say the biggest problem for us is extending his contract and tempting him to stay beyond what he's already signed up for. 9

Edited November 20, 2013 by NewBlue

[OAFC_Ryan]

I fancy copying alex_balls' idea.

 

Jonson Clarke-Harris - This lad will go as far as he's prepared to listen. When he came to the club we heard stories that he might be trouble, he's had a rough time of it etc. so it bodes well that there's been nothing but positives so far (perhaps excluding the theatrical falls); Johnson's looked after him well so far and is helping him use the raw talents he has to produce good partnerships with our other strikers, notably Philliskirk. 8

 

James Dayton - I'd say I'm probably Dayton's biggest fan on this board so it might be a little bias! For me he does something special every single game, whether it's a defence-splitting pass, a goal or a shot that makes the keeper pull off a fantastic save, a brilliant dribble or assist, he makes things happen and has plenty of goals in him. He needs to work on improving his effective throughout the 90 minutes but I'd say he's improving gradually and is the pick of our wingers. 8

 

Sidney Schmeltz - Brilliant flair, no end product - it's as simple as that. He's made some fantastic cameos and has been at his best in the cup, probably most effective as an impact substitute. We have to accept that he's going to be very inconsistent and he's a able 3rd winger. If he ever gets composure in front of goal and a calmer head then he'd be great, but I fear that won't happen. 6

 

Korey Smith - A complete centre-midfielder for our league; a passer, a tackler, a workhorse, a leader. Johnson pulled off a coup to bring him here. I'd like to see him get forward a bit more because he's undoubtedly got the talent and Wes can cover for him but he's a stand-out for us and 2nd on the team-sheet only to Tarky. 10

 

Mark Oxley - The most questionable signing of the summer. He's made some saves that have kept us in games, then made mistakes that have lost us them. Sporadic and unpredictable, the worst attribute a goalkeeper can have. For me, Cisak is a superior 'keeper to Oxley and it's one of the only positions where we've seen regression. I wouldn't mind us delving into the transfer market in January or giving Rachubka or Simpson a chance to be more dominant in their area, less hesitent and more steady. 3

 

Charlie MacDonald - He's proved me wrong. When we signed him I doubted his ability to score goals and if he was good enough for League 1 - he certainly is. I'm most impressed by his intelligent movement and skill to connect with his fellow attackers. A criticism could be that he's been a little wasteful/unlucky in front of goal, hit the post several times but the shared goal-scoring between the strikers means that we don't have to heap pressure on one striker to score all our goals. Can't wait for him to return from injury. 8

 

Anton Rodgers - Not had many chances to impress but seems steady. Does the simple things well, perhaps limited when it comes to being more adventurous but adequate back-up. Much like Baxter was, you need to play a more specific system to accommodate him rather than broadly fitting into the centre-midfield position. There's scope to improve, not too certain how far that can go but he's young so I won't write him off progressing yet. 6

 

Adam Rooney - All-round play has been average, goalscoring form has been decent - he's on track for a good goals tally, a similar ratio to what he came to the club with. A mixture of our over-estimations and his lack of confidence have probably contributed to him being disappointing to some. If we'd signed him on the contract and estimations we placed on Charlie MacDonald I'd be pleased with his performances, that probably tells us how we overrated him. What I'd like from him is to create chances for himself or at least get into those positions more often, even though he's a poaching striker. 6

 

Danny Philliskirk - Outstanding. The fact that he's even being uttered in the same breathe as Baxter so early after signing shows what an impact he's made. Very clever, skilful, selfless and able to connect well with his striking partners there's little more he can do other than take his cup goalscoring record into the league. At the moment he's our number 1 striker, especially when he's combined with Charlie MacDonald. 10

 

Paul Rachubka - Can't say much having played 2 matches and done very little of note. Decent calibre, however he's made a lot of mistakes over in his most recent seasons.

 

Matteo Lanzoni - Adds more height to an already giant defence, made a good start for us. As is the Italian way, he's a clever and obviously cynical defender when necessary. Looks extremely ungainly when he's on the ball yet seems to have a calmness and touch that is deceptive for a player so lanky. An injury already could be signs of a player who could be unavailable quite regularly, hopefully he's not injury prone but can't grumble about his ability on the pitch so far. 7

 

Genseric Kusunga - Started off superbly. Took him almost no time at all to settle into the centre of defence with Tarky and has already shown his versatility at left-back. Especially impressive in a new country with a defence with 3 languages between them. Dominant in the air, cool on the ball and competent in handling some of the best players the league has to offer, Sako for one. Hugely optimistic about him and I'd say the biggest problem for us is extending his contract and tempting him to stay beyond what he's already signed up for. 9

Agree with all that, glad to see your opinion of Philliskirk has changed

[deyres42]

I know you're a positive guy NewBlue, and each to their own opinion and that, but some ludicrous viewpoints there.

[NewBlue]

I know you're a positive guy NewBlue, and each to their own opinion and that, but some ludicrous viewpoints there.

 

Such as? I'd say I'm relatively realistic, perhaps you think I'm positive but I see your posts as very negative! Maybe there's a middle-ground...

 

EDIT: Having looked back at the posts I think my marking system is different to the other fella's. I'm rating the quality of signing by LJ and he's rating the performance of the new signings. Obviously mine is based upon the level of their performances but I'm thinking more generally than just on the 20 odd games we've played so far. For example, Rooney's got more goals than MacDonald but I rate McD higher because the wage we payed and expectation of the players varies and Kusunga's and JCH haven't played enough to receive a 9 and 8 but I think over the course of time they'll prove great signings.

Edited November 21, 2013 by NewBlue

[OAFC_Ryan]

I know you're a positive guy NewBlue, and each to their own opinion and that, but some ludicrous viewpoints there.

I think he's bang on, what's he said wrong?

[slystallone]

Very happy with all of them for the most part...

 

Whilst i'm not overly convinced by Oxley; we've had worse 'Keepers.

 

There isnt one of them that i can point to and say 'poor signing'.

 

Bodes so well for LJ and his scouting / due dilegance work in players.

[LeylandLatic]

Very happy with all of them for the most part...

 

Whilst i'm not overly convinced by Oxley; we've had worse 'Keepers.

 

There isnt one of them that i can point to and say 'poor signing'.

 

Bodes so well for LJ and his scouting / due dilegance work in players.

 

I think this has been his biggest triumph. Rather than just look at the so called tried and tested players of L1 (ie. journeymen) he's gone out and found players from all over the place. None of us had ever heard of Kusunga, Lanzoni or Schmeltz but all three have real quality - in my opinion from the little we've seen so far they all have the ability to play in the next division (whether they achieve that is of course another matter, Sidney in particular is still very much a work in progress). You could possibly throw Dayton into that category as well.

 

Very refreshing to see a manager at this level who is willing to go out and do some proper scouting instead of relying on reputation and their network of mates in the game. I think this is one of the key reasons Corney is seriously thinking about a long term contract extension, clearly LJ is doing something differently that could see us benefit on the pitch and in transfer fees down the line. Hopefully the Latvian lad turns out to be another find.

[OAFC_Ryan]

 

I think this has been his biggest triumph. Rather than just look at the so called tried and tested players of L1 (ie. journeymen) he's gone out and found players from all over the place. None of us had ever heard of Kusunga, Lanzoni or Schmeltz but all three have real quality - in my opinion from the little we've seen so far they all have the ability to play in the next division (whether they achieve that is of course another matter, Sidney in particular is still very much a work in progress). You could possibly throw Dayton into that category as well.

 

Very refreshing to see a manager at this level who is willing to go out and do some proper scouting instead of relying on reputation and their network of mates in the game. I think this is one of the key reasons Corney is seriously thinking about a long term contract extension, clearly LJ is doing something differently that could see us benefit on the pitch and in transfer fees down the line. Hopefully the Latvian lad turns out to be another find.

I was thinking this, most teams in this league have players in their team who have a reputation in this country as opposed to getting assets from abroad.

Edited November 21, 2013 by OAFC_Ryan

[Mullet]

The major test of Johnson's prowess in the transfer market comes in his second year. The squad this year isn't 100% his whereas next year the squad will be completely his own creation and the players he's signed on two-year deals this season will still be at the club, therefore he'll have had 2 years to make a squad. He's started positively so far, acquiring some quality players but replacing Tarky and bringing in a keeper will be his biggest challenge for next summer. If we're to succeed with Johnson as manager it is likely to come next year so there will have to be indicators that we're advancing significantly. The backwards direction we took season-on-season with Dickov in charge should've showed us earlier it was never going to work.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Mullet

[ChaddySmoker]

SIDNEY 10- Even he hasn't got a clue what he is going to do next!

MATTEO 9.5

SMITH 9

PHILLY 8

KUSUNGA 7

DAYTON 6

OXLEY 5

McDONALD 4

A N Other 3

His mate 2

Rooney ? Guess

[Lee Sinnott]

On the whole, they're ok. Nothing more, nothing less... aside from Smith...