Kenny Morris
Vital Squad Member
So not only are you overly full of negativity and criticism, but now you seem to want the team to lose.
Some fine supporters we have!
Summer transfer thread
- Thread starter king_dezeeuw06
- Start date
Some fine supporters we have!
runcornfan1978
Vital Squad Member
That's the message that always seemingly comes across. It's so that if we lose he can say told you so.
king_dezeeuw06
Vital Football Legend
If we think the is marginally weaker or stronger than last year doesn't really change the fact we are stepping up to a higher calibure of opposition and have less senior players in the squad. It's not a case of if we need to add quality and depth, we definitely do. Especially with the ability to use 2 extra subs.
We are coming up with momentum and you often see teams able to ride that into a good start and hopefully we will but when that momentum inevitably fades we will need as much quality as possible.
jeffs right
Vital Football Hero
If anything we need to be looking at a striker. Charlie may be doubtful, Leam is reluctant to play Humphreys and McGennis is just not good enough unless he has a partner and Leam favours one up top which was bloody not exactly brilliant last season at home against top half sides.
ManchesterLatic89
Vital Reserves Team
Agree again KdZ. I was hearing something the other day that our record against the top eight sides in League One last season wasnt all that brilliant. It was our brilliant consistency vs the sides in the bottom half of the table in beating them both home and away whilst others slipped up that got us over the line and promoted.
Its also worth mentioning too that the bottom six in League One last season were utterly terrible. Crewe were arguably poorest League One side i had seen in decades, and didnt AFC Wimbledon go something like 30 league games without a win as well yet still had a chance to survive on the final day of the season based on purely how equally poor the sides in and around them (Fleetwood, Morecambe, Doncaster etc) were? So that did have an impact imo on the high points tallies we saw across the board from ourselves, Rotherham, Sunderland, MK Dons and one or two others.
As KdZ says, we are stepping up where there is a much higher calibre of opposition to face every week. There really are no Crewe, AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham, Fleetwood etc freebie games this season where even if you are off it performance wise you can still grind out a comfortable 2-0 win. Plus i reckon when the takeover was done, the target was promotion to the Championship in two seasons, hence some of the lengths of contract given out (Naylor on a three year deal as an example). But getting promoted a year earlier has moved the goalposts and to me it necessitated a need to get in at least 3 new players to the squad for the season opening game.
As i referred to on an earlier post, i fear a decent portion of our fanbase are looking at the Blackburn cup win last season in a one off game as a sign that we can step up at this level with very few additions to this squad. This season there will be tests every single match for us and we will need to be on it week in week out. Also worth pointing out momentum swings both good and bad will likely occur throughout the season.
Im just fearful that if we get off to a bad start then it will get harder to recruit players on deadline day (especially if you are bottom two in league) and then in January. Its a dangerous game leaving recruitment very late in the window and one im never normally comfortable with as it hints at reactivity rather than proactivity.
moonay
Vital Football Legend
Bear with me ...
I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'd quite like to see most of that lot given the chance to prove themselves at this level. Yes, we may very well need one or two more players, but bloody hell, that lot deserve a little belief and support.
The good thing of course is that if things don't go well tomorrow - or in the first few games - at least we can assume that fans won't get on the back of the manager/players, as it's all the fault of the shite new owners for not getting in any decent replacement players quickly enough ......... No?
I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'd quite like to see most of that lot given the chance to prove themselves at this level. Yes, we may very well need one or two more players, but bloody hell, that lot deserve a little belief and support.
The good thing of course is that if things don't go well tomorrow - or in the first few games - at least we can assume that fans won't get on the back of the manager/players, as it's all the fault of the shite new owners for not getting in any decent replacement players quickly enough ......... No?
moonay
Vital Football Legend
Don't know the answer to your past couple of questions John ... but with regard to your point re Shinnie, Kerr and McGrath, I don't necessarily disagree, and I hope that at least two of those would start. I was merely pointing out that we've got (decent?) cover throughout the side.
TRUE BELIEVER
Vital Football Hero
Bloody hell, I wonder why the hell I bought a season ticket this year, if the negativity on this board is to be believed we are already relegated and we haven't kicked a ball yet.
I understand that people are concerned at the lack of new players coming in but obviously the manager and the owners aren't. They are prepared to give the players who got us promoted last season time to show what they have and are putting their trust in them.
I'm sorry if this upsets some of you but I am also prepared to put my trust in the players, manager and owners rather than the many experts on here who know all there is about the players we have and who should be replaced but have never attended a training session or been involved in the professional game themselves.
Perhaps they should concentrate more on getting their team together on Football Manager and leave the real life selections to those who are in the best position to do so.
I understand that people are concerned at the lack of new players coming in but obviously the manager and the owners aren't. They are prepared to give the players who got us promoted last season time to show what they have and are putting their trust in them.
I'm sorry if this upsets some of you but I am also prepared to put my trust in the players, manager and owners rather than the many experts on here who know all there is about the players we have and who should be replaced but have never attended a training session or been involved in the professional game themselves.
Perhaps they should concentrate more on getting their team together on Football Manager and leave the real life selections to those who are in the best position to do so.
R
removed at members request
Guest
How do you know the manager isn't concerned?
TRUE BELIEVER
Vital Football Hero
How do you know he is?
I take it from his recent interviews that he is happy to go into the new season with the squad he has. He has never said anything in those interviews to make me think he is not happy with the situation.
Please enlighten us as to what he has said that makes you think he is concerned, or as usual, are you simply placing your concerns on other people and quoting it as fact.
moonay
Vital Football Legend
HudWiganFan
Vital Reserves Team
Well, fortunately, Brannagan has done a Jason Roberts-esque U-turn on the M6 and decided to stay at Oxford at the last minute, signing a new three-year deal instead.
Still concerns me that these clubs we're supposed to be directly competing with for survival are even capable of tabling these kind of bids, which seem well beyond our remit at the moment...
loudmouthblue
Vital Football Hero
Why does it concern you other clubs have more money to spend, does it not concern you that we nearly went out of existence 18 months ago and have got people running us now that have a sustained fiscal policy that won't kill us.
moonay
Vital Football Legend
I don't think anyone's arguing John that you don't need some better players ... just not a teams-worth.
That said, many many of our players have previously excelled when they've gone up a league (even two). Jimmy Bullard, Lee McCulloch, Leighton Baines, Alan, Mahon, Arjan De Zeeuw, Dan Burn, Nathan Byrne, Samy Morsy ... and anyone who thinks players can't improve, and perform at a higher standard equally knows nothing about football.
Whether we're waiting for the right loans, the right buys, or whether we've missed out on primary targets, and are now trying to identify alternatives, only the recruitment team know ... but even then, we'll only be talking about a handful of players, if that. Five pens remember ... and were Smith and Robinson included in that five?
Lots of this team have played at Championship standard before, and others who haven't are probably good enough to do so. Let's not write em off before they've had a chance.
king_dezeeuw06
Vital Football Legend
No one at the club is going to say 'we are very concerned and worried' even if they did, so we don't know for sure know either way how worried or relaxed they are.
But i think it's also reasonable to say that 3 months ago when last season finished they probably all planned and hoped we'd have a few more additions in than we have managed. I'm sure the club has tried very hard and continues to do so but for whatever reason it's not happened. You don't have to be slating anyone to admit that it's a concern - i doubt anyone at the club feels it's an ideal scenario.
As usual in any debate things always get polarised between 2 positions when the reality is 2 things can exist at once.
Yes the club certainly faith in the players from last season and there is hope many of them will be able to step up. We've got a great spirit, momentum and some promising and revitalised players. We shouldn't believe that we are a team of absolute no hopers.
But also a team to come up from L1 without (m)any additions and to survive / compete well over the course of the season is not common. The team is largely made up of players who haven't been to this level or struggled at it in the past. Adding quality is realistically going to be needed.
We've all watched this team play for 12 months now, everyone clearly rates the players likelihood of adapting higher and lower, so I can see why anyone would see it from a pessimistic or optimistic. But football is a funny game and anything can happen. We've just got to hope for a good result tomorrow.
But i think it's also reasonable to say that 3 months ago when last season finished they probably all planned and hoped we'd have a few more additions in than we have managed. I'm sure the club has tried very hard and continues to do so but for whatever reason it's not happened. You don't have to be slating anyone to admit that it's a concern - i doubt anyone at the club feels it's an ideal scenario.
As usual in any debate things always get polarised between 2 positions when the reality is 2 things can exist at once.
Yes the club certainly faith in the players from last season and there is hope many of them will be able to step up. We've got a great spirit, momentum and some promising and revitalised players. We shouldn't believe that we are a team of absolute no hopers.
But also a team to come up from L1 without (m)any additions and to survive / compete well over the course of the season is not common. The team is largely made up of players who haven't been to this level or struggled at it in the past. Adding quality is realistically going to be needed.
We've all watched this team play for 12 months now, everyone clearly rates the players likelihood of adapting higher and lower, so I can see why anyone would see it from a pessimistic or optimistic. But football is a funny game and anything can happen. We've just got to hope for a good result tomorrow.
E
exiled tic
Guest
Well said LMB some fans have very short memories and also seem to conveniently forget we are still under signing restrictions and free agents are probably our market for next two seasons!!
HudWiganFan
Vital Reserves Team
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moonay
Vital Football Legend
I think I see the point you're trying to make, but I really don't see what's worse about having been up there before, for whatever reason, coming down and then going straight (ie immediately) back up. This lot of players have just gone up a league in case you've forgotten.
Edit ... Oh, and Dan Burn had to come down to go back up.
HudWiganFan
Vital Reserves Team
My concern is with other teams' spend because it threatens our chances of survival in the Championship, the long-stated aim of the ownership group. Did I say we should be tabling the same kind of big money bids ourselves? No.
I have never advocated for a 'fiscal policy' that would threaten the club's existence. In fact I have been one of the most vocally concerned over the club's finances over the late wages saga and the spend in League One last season, and was dismissed by a few people on here - including you - because of it.
You were angry then because I was concerned about us potentially spent too much, and now you're angry because you think I'm concerned about the club spending too little. If you're going to criticise my opinions at least be consistent about it.
At least you didn't accuse me of talking crap this time - learned your lesson from last time on that front...
