City Squad - 20/21 Depth Chart

[Davefevs]

 

[BcfcDuncs]

Keep forgetting about Adelakun, think his city career is no more? 

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, BcfcDuncs said:

Keep forgetting about Adelakun, think his city career is no more? 

I’m sure this will get many updates over the coming transfer window.

[Judda]

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

 

Shows a more balanced squad than I thought...

[Davefevs]

12 minutes ago, Judda said:

Shows a more balanced squad than I thought...

On Forever BC pod last night I finished off with something along the lines of - it’s amazing how knowing the type of system a manager will play makes looking at the strength of the squad a lot easier.

[SBB]

To me that says, possibly offload Eliasson, O’Dowda, Adelakun and look to strengthen with wing backs. Wingers and true wide men seem a bit redundant. 

 

[Mendip City]

56 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

On Forever BC pod last night I finished off with something along the lines of - it’s amazing how knowing the type of system a manager will play makes looking at the strength of the squad a lot easier.

It’s also easy to see how 433 and 442 didn’t work. In reality we only had Eliasson as an effective wide player. 
 

The squad’s been best suited to 3 at the back for years now. 
 

One observation, I think Watkins can/has played as a central striker, I might be wrong. I imagine he’ll be on his way but I think there’s a useful player in there. 

[Red Skin]

I fear Eliasson will leave.  I feel Diedhiou needs to move on.

I might be in the minority but I am quite excited to see how our new coaching team could improve some of the squad.

 

[Davefevs]

19 minutes ago, Mendip City said:

It’s also easy to see how 433 and 442 didn’t work. In reality we only had Eliasson as an effective wide player. 
 

The squad’s been best suited to 3 at the back for years now. 
 

One observation, I think Watkins can/has played as a central striker, I might be wrong. I imagine he’ll be on his way but I think there’s a useful player in there. 

Thanks, he can indeed, will add in.

[WolfOfWestStreet]

Looks dreadful. Especially in midfield, serious upgrades required but I just can't see us spending the money.

[Mendip City]

17 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Thanks, he can indeed, will add in.

I was more questioning my only memory of him.... The Lesser Spotted Marley.  LJ seemed to produce him out of nowhere for a 5 game run once a season! 

[Mendip City]

55 minutes ago, SBB said:

To me that says, possibly offload Eliasson, O’Dowda, Adelakun and look to strengthen with wing backs. Wingers and true wide men seem a bit redundant. 

 

I think that’s eliasson’s problem, he didn’t really fit in.... he’s a proper old fashioned winger. The game is full of wide-ish midfielders and wide attackers. He’s not really either. 
He’s probably be best converted into a really attacking wingback - in the way Cotts used to play wingbacks.
I really hope DH can get us playing that way.... entertainment.... remember entertainment??? 

[rednotblue]

I think Eliasson could be used in a free role as the second striker. That i think could and would help the wing backs as he would drift wide.

[westonred]

6 hours ago, WolfOfWestStreet said:

Looks dreadful. Especially in midfield, serious upgrades required but I just can't see us spending the money.

And i can't see Holden attracting / convincing the quality players to sign like a Hughton would but we've made our bed and have to live with it

[Thornbury Red]

would be interesting to overlay championship appearances, I wonder if we need some experienced heads in the group and particularly in certain areas

[Dolman_Stand]

9 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

For me I think we need to move on Adelakun, Watkins, Maenpaa, Williams, J.Smith and Morrell and assuming Eliasson and DIedhiou leave of their own accord reinvest in a new CB, CDM, WInger and Striker, possibly a couple of loans in the full-back area's to provide cover if Pring is going out on loan too. This sheet does highlight the sheer number of midfield players we have at our disposal partcularly in the No.10-type role.

 

 

[DaveInSA]

@Davefevs, I do like a good depth chart to go with my box entries, fine margins and inches of difference.

I said it in another thread. We need a CM and right back.

[Numero Uno]

9 hours ago, Judda said:

Shows a more balanced squad than I thought...

Doesn’t to me. It shows me that we have stockpiled too many average players in the middle of the park. We are probably hamstrung by contracts at the moment but for me less would be more if we could replace numbers with quality.

[Numero Uno]

10 minutes ago, DaveInSA said:

@Davefevs, I do like a good depth chart to go with my box entries, fine margins and inches of difference.

I said it in another thread. We need a CM and right back.

You missed the POMO.......

[RedRock]

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

Read and weep.

Struth. We’ve created a monster.

All those midfield players and not one could you say he will be the mainstay in the centre of the park, not one who you could guarantee 7/10 performances for 42 matches, not one leader, not even one who can head a ball or get ‘stuck in’. The previous regime should hang their collective heads in shame, from top to bottom.

Can’t even see one partnership between players there either. Who does Wells link with? Baker/Kalas don’t complement each other, who seamlessly covers the wing -backs?

Next 5 weeks are going to be critical. Dean has part-responsibility for this mess, a case now of ‘sort it’ pal. 

.

 

[Unan]

Elliason, COD, Adelakun out, replace with a strong RWB & possibly an experienced CM. 352 sorted?

[Steve Watts]

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

Interesting.....thanks for this....just one question thought....Kalas at right back?  Has he ever played there?  Should that have been Taylor Moor there?

It does show that we have lots of "jack of all trade" types....maybe we need to buy a few more "masters of one" to compliment.

[The Fat Controller]

18 minutes ago, Steve Watts said:

Interesting.....thanks for this....just one question thought....Kalas at right back?  Has he ever played there?  Should that have been Taylor Moor there?

It does show that we have lots of "jack of all trade" types....maybe we need to buy a few more "masters of one" to compliment.

Kalas played at right back frequently for Middlesbrough and Vitesse. Going back a while though.

He also played there for us against Leeds, didn't he?

I think it would have to be a strange set of circumstances that leads us to playing him there again though. 

[MATT BCFC]

We need some experience and quality at CB, RB and CM I think. If Fam leaves need another striker as well. 

[GrahamC]

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

 

Really interesting, thanks Dave.

Just a few (obvious) points, all of those saying we should offload this player & that one, with the exception of Maenpaa (who may have already gone, for all we know) & Williams, who is also coming to the end of his contract, none of this is within our gift & in a Covid influenced transfer market it is going to prove very tough to move on those we don’t want.

Secondly, if Holden is looking to play 3/5/2 then we have a lot of wide players (even excluding Eliasson) who are going to struggle to fit in. The likes of O’Dowda, Adelakun, Jonny Smith & possibly Watkins (though he can do a job as a back up striker) look to be surplus.

Lastly, the midfield looks horribly unbalanced in terms of experience to me, Massengo at 19 has actually started more Championship games (23) than the rest of the squad has put together, though I do accept Nagy also has around 50 Serie A appearances under his belt. It is inconceivable to me that having lost Pack, Brownhill, Henriksen & Smith that we don’t add an experienced central midfielder, as any combination of Nagy, Morrell, Massengo & Walsh simply isn’t strong or experienced enough to compete.

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, Thornbury Red said:

would be interesting to overlay championship appearances, I wonder if we need some experienced heads in the group and particularly in certain areas

I’ll try and do that.  I’ll take it from transfermarkt, so it will be total apps (starts and subs).

56 minutes ago, RedRock said:

Read and weep.

Struth. We’ve created a monster.

All those midfield players and not one could you say he will be the mainstay in the centre of the park, not one who you could guarantee 7/10 performances for 42 matches, not one leader, not even one who can head a ball or get ‘stuck in’. The previous regime should hang their collective heads in shame, from top to bottom.

Can’t even see one partnership between players there either. Who does Wells link with? Baker/Kalas don’t complement each other, who seamlessly covers the wing -backs?

Next 5 weeks are going to be critical. Dean has part-responsibility for this mess, a case now of ‘sort it’ pal. 

.

 

I understand your sentiment.  I don’t think it’s quite that bad, but definitely too many “clubs in the bag” from the previous regime.  My primary objective for this summer’s recruitment is “buy better than you have already”.  If you could find the right CM to compliment the plethora we have, then one good 1st team starter improves the whole squad.  There does look to be obvious areas to focus on, agreed.

My secondary objective is to shift those “clubs in the bag”.  Won’t be easy, and may have to balance the reduced transfer fee versus a years wages.

30 minutes ago, sinenomine said:

Kalas played at right back frequently for Middlesbrough and Vitesse. Going back a while though.

He also played there for us against Leeds, didn't he?

I think it would have to be a strange set of circumstances that leads us to playing him there again though. 

Yes, played pretty much there for Boro, and one of the reasons he cane here was because he wanted to play CB.

7 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Really interesting, thanks Dave.

Just a few (obvious) points, all of those saying we should offload this player & that one, with the exception of Maenpaa (who may have already gone, for all we know) & Williams, who is also coming to the end of his contract, none of this is within our gift & in a Covid influenced transfer market it is going to prove very tough to move on those we don’t want.

Secondly, if Holden is looking to play 3/5/2 then we have a lot of wide players (even excluding Eliasson) who are going to struggle to fit in. The likes of O’Dowda, Adelakun, Jonny Smith & possibly Watkins (though he can do a job as a back up striker) look to be surplus.

Lastly, the midfield looks horribly unbalanced in terms of experience to me, Massengo at 19 has actually started more Championship games (23) than the rest of the squad has put together, though I do accept Nagy also has around 50 Serie A appearances under his belt. It is inconceivable to me that having lost Pack, Brownhill, Henriksen & Smith that we don’t add an experienced central midfielder, as any combination of Nagy, Morrell, Massengo & Walsh simply isn’t strong or experienced enough to compete.

Similar comments to @RedRock.

For sake of a discussion, had Henriksen been match fit, not flogged and possibly fallen out with LJ, do you think we might be thinking about getting him back.  I think he had a bit of everything.  And in a free transfer too.  

[BLRed]

I accept the experience argument but there is something to be said for the young, energetic And enthusiastic whereby they have no fear and in turn, you get the performances from them. I think we are underestimating the likes of Walsh, morrell and even massengo. The former two we have Barely seen play but look what they achieved at their loan clubs and morrell with his international performances to cap it off. Experience isn’t everything so long as the players have the talent and are guided the right way with a stable formation, way of playing, and a good environment to thrive.

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, BOSRed said:

I accept the experience argument but there is something to be said for the young, energetic And enthusiastic whereby they have no fear and in turn, you get the performances from them. I think we are underestimating the likes of Walsh, morrell and even massengo. The former two we have Barely seen play but look what they achieved at their loan clubs and morrell with his international performances to cap it off. Experience isn’t everything so long as the players have the talent and are guided the right way with a stable formation, way of playing, and a good environment to thrive.

Very true. Bar Alby and Wade, the 14/15 team was very young in the main...but they were talented.  I doubt all our young guns will hit the heights this season, but some will (I hope).  We also need players like Kalas at 27 to return to form too.  Pato at 29 stepped up after coming back from loan.  Sometimes it’s been the more experienced players who’ve not achieved the standards we expect.

[Port Said Red]

11 hours ago, BcfcDuncs said:

Keep forgetting about Adelakun, think his city career is no more? 

Hopefully it will be a clean slate for all and they started yesterday on an even footing.

One of the criticisms of LJ was his apparent ability to have players in and out of favour, I don’t get the impression that this will be the case now.

The question is whether we keep the wingers as an option to change formation, or we stick with a rigid 3 5 2.

If it’s the latter, then can the coaches get Eliasson into a role within that for example? 
O’Dowda obviously plays more centrally for ROI but we have other options for that role. 
It’s an interesting conundrum. 

[Sturny]

I really hope we get the Jamie Paterson we had towards the end of the season. There's a class player in there. 3-4 goals was it?

Moore was good for us at the start. I don't remember why we loaned him out