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Interesting comments from LJ...


spudski

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3 hours ago, BRISTOL86 said:

This sort of abuse. Just a couple of recent examples of which you’ll find a great many more. 

Those are pretty horrible comments - I would hope LJ doesn’t scan social media to see these - I haven’t heard much abuse aimed at him at games though, just some low-key murmurs of discontent, people who go to games to support the team are still getting behind the chaps - the ones who tap their vile comments on a keyboard will hopefully not crop up on LJs radar...

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4 minutes ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Those are pretty horrible comments - I would hope LJ doesn’t scan social media to see these - I haven’t heard much abuse aimed at him at games though, just at some low-key murmurs of discontent, people who go to games to support the team are still getting behind the chaps - the ones who tap their vile comments on a keyboard will hopefully not crop up on LJs radar...

I must say I can’t see any world where Lee Johnson doesn’t search on social media for Lee Johnson :laughcont:

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2 hours ago, Badger08 said:

What cracks me up about people having a pop about Johnson and spend, are the same people who were crying out for us to sign those players in the first place! 
Who's wages do you think increased the wage percentage....

Kala - Everyone was DESPERATE for him to sign
Dasilva - Everyone wanted him to sign 
Wells - Everyone was desperate for him to sign
Afobe - Rejected by the fans but was worth every penny. 

So, I don't get that argument.  People cry and cry and cry about signing these top end players, then blame Johnson for the wage increase for the players that they (the fans) wanted.  Mental. 

It isn’t the signing of players we are against. We aren’t breaking ffp rules which I think most would be happy with. The frustration is LJ is getting all the tools he needs to build a fantastic championship team and he is blowing it. He is taking proven 3-5m players and not getting the best out of them or singling them out after poor tactics from him. 
 

We go on about how great he is with young players, and rightly so, but why can’t he seem to get consistent performances from proven players? It suggest insecurity from his part because many have been part of successful teams in this division whereas younger players don’t know what it takes. Kent, Wells, Palmer, Kalas and Hunt have all had successful seasons for playoff hopeful sides yet they get here and can’t make an impact? 
 

The fact that we need to sell to keep giving LJ more and more tools is why a lot are fed up. He doesn’t have a perfect job but how many are outside the top 4 in the premier league? He may have to sell but he always gets adequate replacements. He just doesn’t have the ability to get a tune out of anyone that may know better

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3 hours ago, NickJ said:

Not sure why that would be bad news Will, but I think back to one of Johnson's earliest press conferences, in which he said that a team of people were responsible for identifying potential signings, over a very long period, the list would be narrowed down and Ashton would recommend players we would actually go for, but he (Johnson) would have the final say. That would indicate to me that all signings not just Webster are initially identified by the responsible team. And I get that, the days of the likes of Bill Shankly running around all over the country watching reserve matches don't happen any longer. If Johnson approved Webster it's still credit to him and even more so if Johnson suggested him in the first place, but that wouldn't accord with what Johnson himself has said, hence why my comment was phrased as it was.

But that and many of the other comments on this thread are off topic big time, which is, back to the original replies, that many people do not have confidence in Johnson, do not believe him, think he talks utter David Brent like garbage, are fed up with the constant blame shifting and excuses and so on. Somehow he has us 7th in the league, you would think he would have 100% support and backing, and yet that isn't so.

I would sum all of that up by saying, as I did on the very first day he was appointed as manager (ok title may be head coach or whatever but the point is he is "Number One" in terms of team and squad affairs) that I simply do not see Johnson as a leader. A good coach maybe, as part of a team, he's clearly good at learning the manuals and diligently soaking up information, but a leader of men, not in a million years, it's something you have or you don't, and I just don't see it.

In fairness to LJ, the pool of players that get analysed by the team of recruitment analyst team come from multiple sources, e.g.

  • personal recommendations from staff members, one of which will be LJ, but include others like Deano and Macca.  They get entered into the pool, so LJ might say “I like that Webster kid at Ipswich, go away and let me know what you think”
  • Attribute lists, e.g. find me left backs who are x, y and z
  • players put forward by agents
  • etc

The analyst team then crunch the database and lots of players are filtered out until a short(er) list is produced.  Lee might ask for his recommendation to stay in throughout the process to act as a benchmark ‘ comparison for other players.  Scouting (video and live) will take place, etc, etc.

So in summary, Lee recommends players too.  Whether Webster was one I don’t know. But it’s not just a database search that produces potential signings.

2 hours ago, JoeAman08 said:

It isn’t the signing of players we are against. We aren’t breaking ffp rules which I think most would be happy with. The frustration is LJ is getting all the tools he needs to build a fantastic championship team and he is blowing it.

Blowing it is a bit strong, especially with 10 games to go.  He has imho though been given the tools to succeed, i.e. make the top 6.  But whilst we are still very much in the mix, albeit with a chasing pack ever closer, and still chasing a spot above where we are, I have hope.  I do look for indicators, like team system / selection, and I will be disappointed if the team he picks Saturday deviates much from the team last week that he said “gave a performance that we can build on”.
He is taking proven 3-5m players and not getting the best out of them or singling them out after poor tactics from him. 
 

We go on about how great he is with young players, and rightly so, but why can’t he seem to get consistent performances from proven players? It suggest insecurity from his part because many have been part of successful teams in this division whereas younger players don’t know what it takes. Kent, Wells, Palmer, Kalas and Hunt have all had successful seasons for playoff hopeful sides yet they get here and can’t make an impact? 
 

The fact that we need to sell to keep giving LJ more and more tools is why a lot are fed up. He doesn’t have a perfect job but how many are outside the top 4 in the premier league? He may have to sell but he always gets adequate replacements. He just doesn’t have the ability to get a tune out of anyone that may know better

 

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4 hours ago, hodge said:

Its not an unfair argument, but is it partly a case that the quality of player required for a play off push has accounted for most of that increase? Compare Flint's wages to Kalas and that jump has occurred in 2 seasons.

didn’t have to get Kalas from a Premier League team at £7m and (guess) £25k per week!!  Looking at the play-off teams, Leeds got Ben White (losing Jansson to Brentford), Fulham didn't buy any CBs in the summer, but the other 4:

Semi Ajayi - £1.5m from relegated Rotherham

Ethan Pinnock - £3m from Barnsley 

Tobias Figueiredo - £2m from Sporting

Patrick Bauer - free from Charlton

Palmer/Szmodics, no idea of any truth behind this just my impression was that Palmer was always #1 target for the summer, Szmodics was someone we viewed at with £££ signs if we could develop him right, crude outlook but £750,000 outlay supposedly? Well hypothetically even if we sold him to Peterborough this summer I expect we'd break the million pound mark. If he sticks around it would be a case of being a Brownhill/Eliasson where we don't see much from him in the first season (less now that he's at P'boro but hard to say he's not playing well).

But we are now paying Paterson’s wages again, which will be much more than Szmodics’s.

I think partly our style as a club impacts this as well with the whole loan process, if the club wants a constant conveyor belt of players on loan to develop, bring into the squad or sell then a chunk of your budget needs to be allocated there, if we didn't have that whole process we probably would have a much smaller squad and with it the smaller financial commitment with the wage budget.

Has LJ bought and subsequently loaned out any ‘young’ players that have made us £1m yet?  Wracking my brain?  Happy to be corrected. And yes, it might be too early to tell.

Eisa - £800k plus wages (say £6k pw), sold for £1.25m....£100k profit based on cost to us (not FFP method).

Szmodics, Bakinson, Adelakun, Moore and Walsh - we’ll have to wait and see (not forgetting Smith, Holden and Hinds).  I am hopeful, but there is a wage cost too (albeit some portion recouped from loan club).

Lost money on Engvall, who he bought, loaned and sold for a loss. Lucic too.


 

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As I've said before, I think there is a disconnect between Club recruitment, and team recruitment.. We have ended up with players supposed to be first team ready, out on loan, or sold without ever being given a chance, who's decision ? The younger buys for the academy/future are not a problem, but to have such a bulky squad with no clear starting XI is. 
Engval and Eisa, brought in for decent money and sold without given any sort of chance to shine. Engval , cost £1.5m and sold for 500k after just over 50 minutes for City, must have been shit in training. Eisa was a master stroke by Aston, getting our money back all but 100k-ish, played about 25 minutes according to Whoscored, over 5 sub appearances. If Johnson stays in charge I see Szmodics being the next one, 100+ minutes before being loaned out, another bad trainer? 

I'd love to know who is at fault, buying players to not get a run and then leave in one way or another. A quick look (Transfermarkt.com)and 2017/18 we sign Eliasson, Leko and Kent , then nip over to Whoscored and our most used formation is given as Paterson and Brownhill wide. 

I don't buy in to LJ saying he has final say, if he does then he is even worse than I give him credit for. Why not chose a preferred team shape and recruit for that? If we just buy random players in the expectation of future profit, then try and fit them into a system is a recipe for chaos. It looks like Johnson has been given too much choice and doesn't know what to do, or make of it. Players coming in playing and then disappearing for months is ridiculous . The whole system is muddled, and I'm not sure who buys, who sales and who decides on loans out. If LJ was at the centre of a signing , surely the player would be given a run to see what he can do. If it was the club I could understand LJ being less keen to stick with a player but I really am baffled at the direction, or lack of , in the whole club. 
The one bit that seems to have a sense of direction is the younger lot. Just about every single one out in L1 or L2 is getting good reviews, still not confident in the long term though.

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2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

In fairness to LJ, the pool of players that get analysed by the team of recruitment analyst team come from multiple sources, e.g.

  • personal recommendations from staff members, one of which will be LJ, but include others like Deano and Macca.  They get entered into the pool, so LJ might say “I like that Webster kid at Ipswich, go away and let me know what you think”
  • Attribute lists, e.g. find me left backs who are x, y and z
  • players put forward by agents
  • etc

The analyst team then crunch the database and lots of players are filtered out until a short(er) list is produced.  Lee might ask for his recommendation to stay in throughout the process to act as a benchmark ‘ comparison for other players.  Scouting (video and live) will take place, etc, etc.

So in summary, Lee recommends players too.  Whether Webster was one I don’t know. But it’s not just a database search that produces potential signings.

 

I am at an all time low belief in him. I am convinced we will finished 10th or lower but yes you are right but even if we finished 6th I’d not feel much hope to beat anyone with performances in mind

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5 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

I am at an all time low belief in him. I am convinced we will finished 10th or lower but yes you are right but even if we finished 6th I’d not feel much hope to beat anyone with performances in mind

My trend is definitely down....but nowhere near reached Preston (a) and Preston (h) games yet.

I want to see “signs” over the remaining 10 games that reverse my trend.

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2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

True we didn't have to sign Kalas but after such a successful season with us would have been incredibly hard to think of not signing him when we got the chance. 

I agree Ajayi would have been good, wonder when West Brom first made a move for him

I wonder with Pinnock whether Barnsley wanted to add some sort of 'former manager' price hike, we've said before (Ollie Watkins) we won't be held to ransom so if they tried something I wouldn't have been surprised by us being out straight away if we even were interested.

Paterson - we wouldn't have known about them going for Rooney so would have been anticipating Pato being away all season

I don't believe we have sold anyone for £1m plus who have been loaned out, but I believe its too early, I would say I believe we have players who are worth more than they were signed for (Walsh/Moore being signed for £1m or more to begin with anyway, as said I believe we'd get > £1m for Szmodics) so the loans have been potentially financially beneficent. 

I know most on here wouldn't but I have some sympathy over the Engvall deal, signed in the few days we had after selling Kodjia so had to go find someone we could sign quickly and the lack of time meant less time for MA to negotiate with a club aware we'd just received a massive transfer fee.

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45 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

As I've said before, I think there is a disconnect between Club recruitment, and team recruitment.. We have ended up with players supposed to be first team ready, out on loan, or sold without ever being given a chance, who's decision ? The younger buys for the academy/future are not a problem, but to have such a bulky squad with no clear starting XI is. 
Engval and Eisa, brought in for decent money and sold without given any sort of chance to shine. Engval , cost £1.5m and sold for 500k after just over 50 minutes for City, must have been shit in training. Eisa was a master stroke by Aston, getting our money back all but 100k-ish, played about 25 minutes according to Whoscored, over 5 sub appearances. If Johnson stays in charge I see Szmodics being the next one, 100+ minutes before being loaned out, another bad trainer? 

I'd love to know who is at fault, buying players to not get a run and then leave in one way or another. A quick look (Transfermarkt.com)and 2017/18 we sign Eliasson, Leko and Kent , then nip over to Whoscored and our most used formation is given as Paterson and Brownhill wide. 

I don't buy in to LJ saying he has final say, if he does then he is even worse than I give him credit for. Why not chose a preferred team shape and recruit for that? If we just buy random players in the expectation of future profit, then try and fit them into a system is a recipe for chaos. It looks like Johnson has been given too much choice and doesn't know what to do, or make of it. Players coming in playing and then disappearing for months is ridiculous . The whole system is muddled, and I'm not sure who buys, who sales and who decides on loans out. If LJ was at the centre of a signing , surely the player would be given a run to see what he can do. If it was the club I could understand LJ being less keen to stick with a player but I really am baffled at the direction, or lack of , in the whole club. 
The one bit that seems to have a sense of direction is the younger lot. Just about every single one out in L1 or L2 is getting good reviews, still not confident in the long term though.

I'm with you on this.

Imo...the Club ( MA ) have greater say on who we recruit.

Muddled is exactly how I see it too.

It's like we've said...this is our blueprint...buy young and hungry. Then getting to a level where young and hungry won't get you further.

We've then recruited outside of that blueprint and added age and experience.

On paper they look good.

In reality...are they any better than any other top 10 player in this league? Have we fallen into the trap that pretty much every other Club in this division has done...started recruiting average Championship mature players?

LJ is now stuck between both...and trying weekly to find a balance of both.

Benkovic and Henriksen...on paper, should add quality. But it's clear to see they need what LJ says Palmer needs...a whole pre season.

How does anyone expect them to come in and play well straight away...it's absurd.

We've now gone back to players who LJ trusts with knowing his system, who we all know aren't going to give top 6 over a season.

Muddled and confused.

Too many ideas, too many options, too many changes, the uncertainty screams loudly.

Either way...sort it out lads...get into em COYRs

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15 minutes ago, spudski said:

Muddled and confused.

Too many ideas, too many options, too many changes, the uncertainty screams loudly.

So as somebody who seems to know what’s going on inside the club, my question for you would be, who is responsible for this malaise?

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7 minutes ago, NickJ said:

So as somebody who seems to know what’s going on inside the club, my question for you would be, who is responsible for this malaise?

MA has more say than implied...imo.

I'm not on the board... obviously ?? but from talk from Agents, I get the impression he's more influential.

Keeping the books healthy and getting promotion seems a battle.

Imo I feel LJ gets too much criticism... he's in a system where the buck stops with him, but he is undermined somewhat below...which imo, gets away with murder and very little criticism.

Just my opinion... based on talk...no definitive proof.

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4 minutes ago, spudski said:

MA has more say than implied...imo.

I'm not on the board... obviously ?? but from talk from Agents, I get the impression he's more influential.

Keeping the books healthy and getting promotion seems a battle.

Imo I feel LJ gets too much criticism... he's in a system where the buck stops with him, but he is undermined somewhat below...which imo, gets away with murder and very little criticism.

Just my opinion... based on talk...no definitive proof.

I’m sure you’re right, which is why I asked the question. 
 

But nevertheless many people are judging Johnson on his record of nonsense talking, excuses, blame shifting, and so on. 
Those traits are entirely down to him. 

In all seriousness even allowing for the perceived disproportionate criticism of Johnson, does he have the characteristics of a leader? 

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6 minutes ago, spudski said:

.

Imo I feel LJ gets too much criticism... he's in a system where the buck stops with him, but he is undermined somewhat below...which imo, gets away with murder and very little criticism.

Just my opinion... based on talk...no definitive proof.

My feeling is that LJ makes too many decisions based on anything but ability, if you are “in” you start, just look at Pato and Weimann, both can be good, but get to start whether on form or not and that’s what this thread is about - it’s Johnson and his decisions, the back room that would have challenged him is gone and it’s left to a few players to voice their opinion in the dressing room, but the big man just sees that as a personal assault and the dissenters get dropped - he has never changed and I don’t believe he ever will, nor do the players and they know a hell of a lot more about the game than I do!

we deserve better and so do the players, so much potential absolutely wasted due to a coach that thinks personality and science wins games!

 

lets get back to basic and win games. COYR

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2 minutes ago, NickJ said:

I’m sure you’re right, which is why I asked the question. 
 

But nevertheless many people are judging Johnson on his record of nonsense talking, excuses, blame shifting, and so on. 
Those traits are entirely down to him. 

In all seriousness even allowing for the perceived disproportionate criticism of Johnson, does he have the characteristics of a leader? 

I think the media face of LJ is completely different to the man behind closed doors. 

The Club now is very much media savvy and closed as to what comes out.

It's media family friendly...which winds up older heads that have grown up in a different thinking generation.

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4 minutes ago, dave36 said:

My feeling is that LJ makes too many decisions based on anything but ability, if you are “in” you start, just look at Pato and Weimann, both can be good, but get to start whether on form or not and that’s what this thread is about - it’s Johnson and his decisions, the back room that would have challenged him is gone and it’s left to a few players to voice their opinion in the dressing room, but the big man just sees that as a personal assault and the dissenters get dropped - he has never changed and I don’t believe he ever will, nor do the players and they know a hell of a lot more about the game than I do!

we deserve better and so do the players, so much potential absolutely wasted due to a coach that thinks personality and science wins games!

 

lets get back to basic and win games. COYR

You've just thought that up and have no proof of that. Just an opinion based on a multitude of posts read on here imo.

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9 hours ago, BRISTOL86 said:
This sort of abuse. Just a couple of recent examples of which you’ll find a great many more

This f****** club -  can anyone join, is there a web site and an on line application form, do they require references  and do you have to pass an audition? :) 

 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, dave36 said:

My feeling is that LJ makes too many decisions based on anything but ability, if you are “in” you start, just look at Pato and Weimann, both can be good, but get to start whether on form or not and that’s what this thread is about - it’s Johnson and his decisions, the back room that would have challenged him is gone and it’s left to a few players to voice their opinion in the dressing room, but the big man just sees that as a personal assault and the dissenters get dropped - he has never changed and I don’t believe he ever will, nor do the players and they know a hell of a lot more about the game than I do!

we deserve better and so do the players, so much potential absolutely wasted due to a coach that thinks personality and science wins games!

This has to be the most one eyed post that I’ve read in quite some time..............:cool2:

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2 minutes ago, spudski said:

You've just thought that up and have no proof of that. Just an opinion based on a multitude of posts read on here imo.

“My feeling” and opinions I have posted many times before! Along with the cut n paste that started this thread, which I posted the day before you, before you say it not point scoring, I was not the first either!

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2 hours ago, spudski said:

I'm with you on this.

Imo...the Club ( MA ) have greater say on who we recruit.

Muddled is exactly how I see it too.

It's like we've said...this is our blueprint...buy young and hungry. Then getting to a level where young and hungry won't get you further.

We've then recruited outside of that blueprint and added age and experience.

On paper they look good.

In reality...are they any better than any other top 10 player in this league? Have we fallen into the trap that pretty much every other Club in this division has done...started recruiting average Championship mature players?

LJ is now stuck between both...and trying weekly to find a balance of both.

Benkovic and Henriksen...on paper, should add quality. But it's clear to see they need what LJ says Palmer needs...a whole pre season.

How does anyone expect them to come in and play well straight away...it's absurd.

We've now gone back to players who LJ trusts with knowing his system, who we all know aren't going to give top 6 over a season.

Muddled and confused.

Too many ideas, too many options, too many changes, the uncertainty screams loudly.

Either way...sort it out lads...get into em COYRs

....and that is my biggest concern.  I’m not saying it’s gonna repeat the post-GJ years (nor am I insinuating what “legacy” GJ left us with, because it’s probably the spell as a City fan where I wasn’t as into it as at any other time...just got married, kids etc), but it is starting to feel a bit similar to the point SOD came in.  He put a lot of things in place.

1 hour ago, spudski said:

MA has more say than implied...imo.

I'm not on the board... obviously ?? but from talk from Agents, I get the impression he's more influential.

Keeping the books healthy and getting promotion seems a battle.

Imo I feel LJ gets too much criticism... he's in a system where the buck stops with him, but he is undermined somewhat below...which imo, gets away with murder and very little criticism.

Just my opinion... based on talk...no definitive proof.

I am still really sceptical about the shift of the recruitment muddle to MA. If it were true, and Lee loves the club as much as he does, he should call him out.  He hasn’t.

Keeping the books healthy and getting promotion seems a battle”.

But wasting money, seems bloody easy.

I’ll keep repeating it, pick a system, recruit to that system.  When you have a blip, work harder on the training ground.  At the moment the solution too often is “throw a player at it”.  Now I do accept MA’s ego might exacerbate that by him being able to show his skills in getting a player in.  Lee threw him a challenge in January to improve the squad when under pressure, and MA accepted it and delivered.  Perhaps they might both need reigning in.

I can still see hope of reaching the play-offs, but I don’t see us winning promotion (hope we do), so I see a summer of redefining the objectives / strategy.

I actually think Eliasson and Diedhiou entering their final year might be a blessing in disguise....as I think they have value but aren’t our best players - in terms of Lee finding / re-finding the identity.

We’ll see.

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6 hours ago, Davefevs said:

....and that is my biggest concern.  I’m not saying it’s gonna repeat the post-GJ years (nor am I insinuating what “legacy” GJ left us with, because it’s probably the spell as a City fan where I wasn’t as into it as at any other time...just got married, kids etc), but it is starting to feel a bit similar to the point SOD came in.  He put a lot of things in place.

I am still really sceptical about the shift of the recruitment muddle to MA. If it were true, and Lee loves the club as much as he does, he should call him out.  He hasn’t.

Keeping the books healthy and getting promotion seems a battle”.

But wasting money, seems bloody easy.

I’ll keep repeating it, pick a system, recruit to that system.  When you have a blip, work harder on the training ground.  At the moment the solution too often is “throw a player at it”.  Now I do accept MA’s ego might exacerbate that by him being able to show his skills in getting a player in.  Lee threw him a challenge in January to improve the squad when under pressure, and MA accepted it and delivered.  Perhaps they might both need reigning in.

I can still see hope of reaching the play-offs, but I don’t see us winning promotion (hope we do), so I see a summer of redefining the objectives / strategy.

I actually think Eliasson and Diedhiou entering their final year might be a blessing in disguise....as I think they have value but aren’t our best players - in terms of Lee finding / re-finding the identity.

We’ll see.

I agree with a lot of that Dave.

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10 hours ago, NickJ said:

on his record of nonsense talking, excuses, blame shifting, and so on. 
Those traits are entirely down to him. 

In all seriousness even allowing for the perceived disproportionate criticism of Johnson, does he have the characteristics of a leader? 

As with us all,,placed under gradually increasing greater pressures the true character of the individual comes to the fore....

Some get angry,,irrational & lash out trying to get their point across - becoming masters of their own eventual downfall.( Cottrell )..

Others resort to pulling up the ladder,,shithousery & cowardice.........................................

 

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10 hours ago, dave36 said:

My feeling is that LJ makes too many decisions based on anything but ability, if you are “in” you start, just look at Pato and Weimann, both can be good, but get to start whether on form or not and that’s what this thread is about - it’s Johnson and his decisions, the back room that would have challenged him is gone and it’s left to a few players to voice their opinion in the dressing room, but the big man just sees that as a personal assault and the dissenters get dropped - he has never changed and I don’t believe he ever will, nor do the players and they know a hell of a lot more about the game than I do!

we deserve better and so do the players, so much potential absolutely wasted due to a coach that thinks personality and science wins games!

 

lets get back to basic and win games. COYR

There’s a huge number of assumptions here.  You start by say you have a feeling, then talk about everything as though it were fact.  The season has been complicated, but things aren’t necessarily as sinister as people would like to suggest.  The roots of the problems are the early season injuries and the way they forced the manager to make personnel and formation changes.  That has created tension between players who are coming back from injury and those who have had to step in.  So you have an unsettled squad.  The will is there to be successful, but I am sure that our position now would be different if we had had a back four of Hunt Kalas Baker Dasilva all season.  If you look back to our most successful seasons, one of the consistencies between them is the lack of injuries.  Why did the shape never change in the promotion season under Cotterill?  Because Ayling, Flint and Williams stayed fit all season...

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15 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I’ll keep repeating it, pick a system, recruit to that system.

Seems a simple and sensible mantra doesn't it? And yet we are where we are , 37 central midfielders vying for 2 spots, or 2/3 wingers fighting to get into a side that doesn't play with wingers !

15 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I can still see hope of reaching the play-offs, but I don’t see us winning promotion (hope we do), so I see a summer of redefining the objectives / strategy.

Our views part  ways there Dave, I really can't see us finding the form to make a real challenge sadly. As for the second bit, if we miss out on the PO's , I can't see LJ being here next season. Which could mean many changes, we will see ......... I'm often wrong.

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2 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

Seems a simple and sensible mantra doesn't it? And yet we are where we are , 37 central midfielders vying for 2 spots, or 2/3 wingers fighting to get into a side that doesn't play with wingers !

Our views part  ways there Dave, I really can't see us finding the form to make a real challenge sadly. As for the second bit, if we miss out on the PO's , I can't see LJ being here next season. Which could mean many changes, we will see ......... I'm often wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna take a turnaround, but I’d rather be where we are than say 5+ points behind 6th.  It is within our gift.  It is not just us having streaks this season, and if I thought 7th at this stage (with the squad we have) was “punching” and unsustainable, I’d probably be saying “just enjoy where we are”.

69223E8A-623B-4E3F-9FB7-1273BEB48A10.thumb.jpeg.0b74e399ea564cc7c2cf2587e3f4796d.jpeg

But.....if we can find a way to get results (even without performances to match), we only need one more win than Preston - assuming others beneath us don’t overtake us.  And we play Preston last game.  Johnson needs to find a formula, quickly, but it’s still on.  I’m not confident, but I’m not dismissive either.

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23 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna take a turnaround, but I’d rather be where we are than say 5+ points behind 6th.  It is within our gift.  It is not just us having streaks this season, and if I thought 7th at this stage (with the squad we have) was “punching” and unsustainable, I’d probably be saying “just enjoy where we are”.

69223E8A-623B-4E3F-9FB7-1273BEB48A10.thumb.jpeg.0b74e399ea564cc7c2cf2587e3f4796d.jpeg

But.....if we can find a way to get results (even without performances to match), we only need one more win than Preston - assuming others beneath us don’t overtake us.  And we play Preston last game.  Johnson needs to find a formula, quickly, but it’s still on.  I’m not confident, but I’m not dismissive either.

I know we still have a chance, where there's life there's hope and all that. I just said on another thread that because of the poor run, and worse form, Johnson has free reign to pick any team and formation. The Fam has been good, and Eliasson has XXX assists arguments mean nothing now, blank slate. The theory I put forward would be 3-5-1-1 or something like this.....

                         Bentley/Meanpaa
                     Kalas - Benkovic - Baker
Hunt                         Smith                       DaSilva

          Henriksen                   COD/Nagy/HNM

                                 Palmer

                                  Wells

Benkovic I think was brought in as that first ball winner, like Flint was, removes Fans importance in defence. Wells mobility gives Palmer the runner up top he needs. This is just my theory, and I'm not sure he will try it first at home,  but he (LJ) has the excuse to drop anyone and bring in anyone, without much comeback as no-one is in any real form.  I hope the Tombola comes up with the right numbers this time.

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