HarryBosch Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 A lot are saying they think we've got a decent squad and/or it's certainly better than last seasons.... I'm not so sure.. Ian Lawlor (season loan from Doncaster Rovers) - can't be worse than Zeus/Woods was but not exactly nailed on to be good Gary Woods (2021) - see above Jordan Barnett (January 2021) - looks like a body for the sake of a body Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (2021) - could be anything, including absolute dogshit Tom Hamer (2022) - probably off. One of them where he'll kick on if he does leave but will remain below par like last season if he stays Kyle Jameson (2021 plus option) - I'm getting the words "Sefil" and "Sohny" Sido Jombati (2021) - looks OK but has hardly played for 2 years. If that was due to being kept out by better players rather than injury he could be good. Looks entertaining if nothing else Carl Piergianni (2022) - should be good with (a) Wheater alongside. That looks unlikely though & I worry we'll see why he'd never played league football before pretty quickly. Might be good for a goal or two from corners David Wheater (2021) - I was his biggest critic for the early part of last season. He then got much better. Looks like he's off though Dylan Fage (2021) - some are saying he's had a good pre-season and that he might be good played central. We'll see Ben Garrity (season loan from Blackpool) - I thought he looked good v Lincoln. A lot disagreed. Another who's not played league football before Bobby Grant (season loan from Wrexham) - Wrexham fans slated him and I could see why v Lincoln. Looks totally washed up Davis Keillor-Dunn (2021) - great pre-season. Looks a good signing. Reasonably experienced compared to a lot of his team mates albeit in Scotland Callum Whelan (2022) - another who hasn't played league football, looks decent from the little we've seen though Zak Dearnley (2022) - who knows what we're going to get? If he stays fit and has a good season he could single handedly have us right up there. Will he though? Conor McAleny (2021) - looks good, my kind of player, but hasn't played much over the last 3 years Danny Rowe (2021) - if he stays and things are less disfunctional than we've become used to I think he'll bag 20+. If things are as disfunctional as usual I think he'll be gone by Christmas Everyone other than Rowe and Keillor-Dunn, and possibly Lawlor, looks a gamble. We had for more known quantities this time a year ago, albeit we knew how shit most of them were. There's no midfielder of McCann's calibre. If Wheater does go we have no leader. If he stays we only have one. Although Whelan looks like he might have that in him maybe. There should be more goals in us than last season. It looks like we're not playing with wingers which I've said for years was the way forward even back in League One. They're never consistent at this level, you're better off with a solid midfield 3 and two of a forward three who can drift wide and do a little bit. I like the fact we've gone for creative, attacking midfielders in Grant and MacAleny but I think Grant is finished and MacAleny must need to find fitness and consistency looking at how sporadic his appearances have been over the last few seasons. If we sign another known quantity upfront and replace Wheater (or sort the Wheater situation out) plus a McCann I'll be optimistic but if we don't I'm concerned. I think Kewell is an upgrade on Maamria but if he gets off to a good start I reckon he'll be off quicker than you can say "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary1906 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 12 minutes ago, HarryBosch said: A lot are saying they think we've got a decent squad and/or it's certainly better than last seasons.... I'm not so sure.. Ian Lawlor (season loan from Doncaster Rovers) - can't be worse than Zeus/Woods was but not exactly nailed on to be good Gary Woods (2021) - see above Jordan Barnett (January 2021) - looks like a body for the sake of a body Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (2021) - could be anything, including absolute dogshit Tom Hamer (2022) - probably off. One of them where he'll kick on if he does leave but will remain below par like last season if he stays Kyle Jameson (2021 plus option) - I'm getting the words "Sefil" and "Sohny" Sido Jombati (2021) - looks OK but has hardly played for 2 years. If that was due to being kept out by better players rather than injury he could be good. Looks entertaining if nothing else Carl Piergianni (2022) - should be good with (a) Wheater alongside. That looks unlikely though & I worry we'll see why he'd never played league football before pretty quickly. Might be good for a goal or two from corners David Wheater (2021) - I was his biggest critic for the early part of last season. He then got much better. Looks like he's off though Dylan Fage (2021) - some are saying he's had a good pre-season and that he might be good played central. We'll see Ben Garrity (season loan from Blackpool) - I thought he looked good v Lincoln. A lot disagreed. Another who's not played league football before Bobby Grant (season loan from Wrexham) - Wrexham fans slated him and I could see why v Lincoln. Looks totally washed up Davis Keillor-Dunn (2021) - great pre-season. Looks a good signing. Reasonably experienced compared to a lot of his team mates albeit in Scotland Callum Whelan (2022) - another who hasn't played league football, looks decent from the little we've seen though Zak Dearnley (2022) - who knows what we're going to get? If he stays fit and has a good season he could single handedly have us right up there. Will he though? Conor McAleny (2021) - looks good, my kind of player, but hasn't played much over the last 3 years Danny Rowe (2021) - if he stays and things are less disfunctional than we've become used to I think he'll bag 20+. If things are as disfunctional as usual I think he'll be gone by Christmas Everyone other than Rowe and Keillor-Dunn, and possibly Lawlor, looks a gamble. We had for more known quantities this time a year ago, albeit we knew how shit most of them were. There's no midfielder of McCann's calibre. If Wheater does go we have no leader. If he stays we only have one. Although Whelan looks like he might have that in him maybe. There should be more goals in us than last season. It looks like we're not playing with wingers which I've said for years was the way forward even back in League One. They're never consistent at this level, you're better off with a solid midfield 3 and two of a forward three who can drift wide and do a little bit. I like the fact we've gone for creative, attacking midfielders in Grant and MacAleny but I think Grant is finished and MacAleny must need to find fitness and consistency looking at how sporadic his appearances have been over the last few seasons. If we sign another known quantity upfront and replace Wheater (or sort the Wheater situation out) plus a McCann I'll be optimistic but if we don't I'm concerned. I think Kewell is an upgrade on Maamria but if he gets off to a good start I reckon he'll be off quicker than you can say "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" Wow you’ve managed to put a pessimistic slant on every single member of the squad, along with the manager! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfootkilkenny Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 20 minutes ago, HarryBosch said: Ian Lawlor (season loan from Doncaster Rovers) - can't be worse than Zeus/Woods was I wouldn't be too sure about this. Apart from that, agree with most of your summary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Not enough quality to challenge towards the top but might be a bit better to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 That would change with an adequate replacement for Wheater and a couple more key additions but whether that happens.......??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tGWB Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 FourFourTwo magazine usually isnt miles off with their predictions and this is their table: 18. Morecambe 19. Cambridge 20. Harrogate 21. Oldham 22. Southend 23. Barrow 24. Stevenage Looking at the experience of our signings its hard to disagree so our hopes are that Harry Kewell can build a strong team mentality Top 7: 1. Salford 2. Bolton 3. Cheltenham 4. Bradford 5. Port Vale 6. Mansfield 7. Exeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Og Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 12 minutes ago, tGWB said: FourFourTwo magazine usually isnt miles off with their predictions and this is their table: 18. Morecambe 19. Cambridge 20. Harrogate 21. Oldham 22. Southend 23. Barrow 24. Stevenage Looking at the experience of our signings its hard to disagree so our hopes are that Harry Kewell can build a strong team mentality Top 7: 1. Salford 2. Bolton 3. Cheltenham 4. Bradford 5. Port Vale 6. Mansfield 7. Exeter I wonder how many would take that now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightDN123 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Compare the squad now to what we put out against Forrest Green and you’d be happy. This league is so bloody shit, you just need a decent unit to crack on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tGWB Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Dave_Og said: I wonder how many would take that now... Avoiding the drop into Non League definitely but finishing below Harrogate would hurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweeperKeeper Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 It's good to have less deadwood around who are hardly going to ever get on the pitch, but the squad looks very thin to me. Think we desperately need another first-choice CB even if Wheater stays. We've also got a lot resting on Garrity or Fage coming good in CM, and that's a big gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Screams cheap to me. I don't know a lot about the players (well any players, it's been that long since I cared anything more than superficially). I do like not having a bunch of half-arsed stiffs from FC Croque Monsieur though, but that's about all the optimism I'm harbouring at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 4 minutes ago, SweeperKeeper said: It's good to have less deadwood around who are hardly going to ever get on the pitch There's a lot of wood that could die very quickly there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 I have to say the signings we have brought in in the last week are less than inspiring we need more quality than that. I only see a relegation scrap a lack of real experience to guide the 1 or 2 promising young players we've got is probably the biggest concern. We can put out a first 11 and thats if the likes of Rowe Wheater and Hamer stay that could be fairly competitive looking at the bench we have alot of unproven players. My ambitions for this season are survival and new ownership which has been like most seasons since ooh 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweeperKeeper Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 10 minutes ago, HarryBosch said: There's a lot of wood that could die very quickly there.... True, but we have fewer of the type of Gonzales who are never going to get a game however many injuries we have. Probably just Egert, as his legs are made of biscuits and he's more likely to be injured than the players he's back up for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzlatic Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 To date we have a low budget, inexperienced squad. Doesn't mean to say they can't be challenging near the top if they all gel well, but to sustain any sort of good form over a season will be very difficult without more experience and quality. The loans worry me a bit, before last season it seems our loans always came from the top 2 divisions, but so far we don't have any from that far up. Edit - just to say, I've assumed Wheater is gone hence talking about inexperience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweeperKeeper Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said: I only see a relegation scrap a lack of real experience to guide the 1 or 2 promising young players we've got. To be honest that is what we are missing most - some cynical bastards who've won something before and knows what it takes. Taking youngsters who didn't make it the top level is good on one level, but there's something to be said for also having players who've have won a bit - even at lower level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 1 minute ago, SweeperKeeper said: To be honest that is what we are missing most - some cynical bastards who've won something before and knows what it takes. Taking youngsters who didn't make it the top level is good on one level, but there's something to be said for also having players who've have won a bit - even at lower level. Absolutely assuming Wheater is off then who is the leader Piergianni? again you need more than 1 you need a good group of late 20's early 30's somethings who are going to offer leadership both on the pitch and in the dressing room especially if we hit a bad patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 For me the squad is both light and lightweight. Essentially we are missing a decent spine. i.e. Centre Back, Defensive Midfielder, No. 10 type player, Central Striker. Centre Back - Wheater (if he stays) and Piergianni would be an okay pairing for this division. Otherwise another experienced CB is needed. Defensive Midfielder - I had hoped that Milovanovic might fill that role but the rumours are that he will not be offered a contract. I wonder if Hamer (if he stays) has been tried in the DM role? No. 10 - McCann would have been okay for this Division. I wonder if any of the new boys could step up to this role? I suppose there’s always...nah, don’t even go there... Central Striker - we could play Rowe in this position but he looks better dropping deep. At one time we were linked with Ollie Palmer but he was missed out on - his type is needed but I suppose it now depends on how Kewell wants to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: No. 10 type player, No. 10 - McCann would have been okay for this Division. I wonder if any of the new boys could step up to this role? McCann a No. 10???? MacAleny is a number 10 isn't he? Rowe to an extent with how he drops deep. I think Grant is supposed to be that type too. McCann was a No. 4 or 8 in my eyes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweeperKeeper Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 10 minutes ago, TheBigDog said: I wonder if Hamer (if he stays) has been tried in the DM role? No chance. Distribution and positioning are not exactly his strong points. If they were, he could play centre back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
League one forever Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Better than last year- but still nowhere near good to challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayfield Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Last season was largely painful to watch, punctuated by decent performances against other struggling sides, which I did enjoy. The start was abject, relegation loomed, then by luck of good judgement we moved into a safe league position. Two shinning lights in the team, Jonny Smith and Chris McCann, both gone. The midfield signings are encouraging, I dont think we have enough to stay clear of a relegation scrap. Losing Wheater will be a mistake, however good Pidge is, he needs help. If the twitter talk about Danny Rowe is accurate, very happy to have a lot more goal threat, the new lads look decent. The keeper also looks better, I would also be happy to see Tom Hamer stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcmetty Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 2 hours ago, LightDN123 said: Compare the squad now to what we put out against Forrest Green and you’d be happy. This league is so bloody shit, you just need a decent unit to crack on. Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 4 hours ago, Gary1906 said: Wow you’ve managed to put a pessimistic slant on every single member of the squad, along with the manager! Good to have an honest appraisal rather than new signing euphoria. It should be better than last year, can't be a lot worse, but hardly nailed on to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 We haven’t a clue really have we??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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