Murraysrightplum Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 On paper at least it seems that the players we have brought in are better than those leaving, with the exception of up front where we have lost Stead and Davies, probably our 2 best strikers. If we can add another proven striker (Sharp for example) I think we would have a better squad on paper than last season. Whether they can play well as a team is another question... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Too early to say. We have signed a fair few unknowns who look like they may turn out to be belters, but for now it is far too early to comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myol'man Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Heaton gone Skuse gone Stead gone Davies gone + players releasd Fielding in Flint in + a few free's I'd say No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Wendall Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I'd say a more exciting side, better I don't know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted July 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Stead and Davies are a worry, but if you look at some of the dross we have got rid of the new players can't be worse can they?! (Foster, Tangs, etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YGBjammy Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 If this team was in the Championship we'd probably get relegated, so I guess the answers no. But relative to the league, it's a solid team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bissellredhead Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Wouldn't say better in terms of comparing players' potential ability individually, but would certainly say we have a more balanced squad with the players who play in a position we need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I think we have a better, hungry and more balanced squad, whether its enough to get promoted that remains to be seen but yes I think its better, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esmond Million's Bung Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 it's more about the squad being able to perform as a team and not a squad of dazed and confused/unmotivated individuals as per the last 4/5 years, time will tell but I would say better especially once a new striker arrives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 If this team was in the Championship we'd probably get relegated, so I guess the answers no. But relative to the league, it's a solid team. But would they finish miles adrift and give up without a fight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedZoneJim Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 More balanced and more promising. A lot of unknowns in there so can't make judgements on if it's a better squad yet but the potential seems to be there for it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Orns Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I'd say a more exciting side, better I don't know This - and that will do for me right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted July 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 More balanced and more promising. A lot of unknowns in there so can't make judgements on if it's a better squad yet but the potential seems to be there for it to be. Agree with that. Shame it took relegation before the club realised what the right direction to go was... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I think we've got more players with possible sell-on value in the future, which is a really good thing, but it's a young and unproven squad with a lot to learn. I'm a lot more excited by it than I have been for the last two or three years but we need to be patient with the players and accept it may take time for them to gel and that, being young players, they will make a lot of mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samo II Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Talk like this is probably best reserved for when they've actually played some games together. I remember Tinnion's 05/06 squad; a lot of people were pretty confident in the quality of that team during pre-season, yet when it came to the crunch we got destroyed. I'm pleased with our recruitment so far, having finally got a manager who seemingly focuses his effort and resources on sorting the problem areas first (defence/solid core), but that doesn't make the squad well balanced, even if it might make us harder to beat. Let's say we don't (though it is unlikely) get ANY other signings we are light up top, and no mistake. But I'd rather be in this scenario (looking for front-men) than last season, where we looked brittle even in our good early showings. So, not better necessarily, but certainly more promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedZoneJim Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I think we've got more players with possible sell-on value in the future, which is a really good thing, but it's a young and unproven squad with a lot to learn. I'm a lot more excited by it than I have been for the last two or three years but we need to be patient with the players and accept it may take time for them to gel and that, being young players, they will make a lot of mistakes. Or some of us could do what we usually do and write the young players off as not good enough if they make a couple of mistakes and then have a go at SL for not putting his hand in his pocket and demand we sign loan players as promotion is obviously the only thing that matters this season. I wonder which it will be? I hope to God it's your version LondonBristolian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I think we have strengthened in areas that have needed strengthening for several seasons, but unfortunately have found we need to build again in areas we thought we had solved, eg strikers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedZoneJim Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I think we have strengthened in areas that have needed strengthening for several seasons, but unfortunately have found we need to build again in areas we thought we had solved, eg strikers. We hadn't solved the strikers, none of them could play together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliftonCliff Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 The undeniable fact is that a significant number of the players who've left the squad have gone to Championship clubs: Heaton, Stead, Davies, Skuse, Anderson and even Nyatanga. There's six, off the top of my head, plus I'll be surprised if Albert doesn't join them, eventually. Seven's not that far short of an entire team. So, the question is why the hell did a side with players within it that a variety of other clubs' managers judge to be of Championship standard finish a country mile behind the rest of the field? The point, in relation to the question posed by the OP, is that there was massive underperformance last season, both collectively and individually, by players who should have been capable of much more. Where you lay the burden of reponsibility for this depends on your point of view and there has been endless debate about that on OTIB. But on paper - which is all we have to go on until we see the present group in action - you would have to say that we've lost an awful lot of quality and that the squad is now less strong than it was a year ago. Doesn't mean I'm negative about the outlook, by any means, and in any case SOD has had very limited control over who leaves and who stays, but London Bristolian is right: there is now less experience on top of the loss of quality and success, if it comes, is likely to take time. I worry about the excited tone of some posts and what it says about the level of expectation that's building up. We need to be realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son of Fred Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 On paper at least it seems that the players we have brought in are better than those leaving, with the exception of up front where we have lost Stead and Davies, probably our 2 best strikers. If we can add another proven striker (Sharp for example) I think we would have a better squad on paper than last season. Whether they can play well as a team is another question......not of higher quality but certainly hungrier....the first month for us is a very tough start and we may quickly see just what the spirit is within the squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 We hadn't solved the strikers, none of them could play together! True, but we at least had a fair number of them to keep trying to get the right combo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 williams and wynter are the unknowns of the 6 first teamers we have signed, JeT and Fielding both proven championship players both of whom I'm suprised we managed to drop a level, Flint and Wagstaff both proven League one players both with teams at the correct end of the table, thats why I'm optimistic, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Fair points CliftonCliff, add Gerkin to that list too and your Championship team is almost there. I'm wondering how many will feature regularly though, there are Championship players and backup Championship players, which will these be? But you are right with these amount of Championship quality we seemed to go down too easily. As for us, we seem to be investing in players who will have value in the future, either financially or will be still young and well able for if/when we make it back up to the Championship again, we do need the right blend for the 'here and now' though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samo II Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 The undeniable fact is that a significant number of the players who've left the squad have gone to Championship clubs: Heaton, Stead, Davies, Skuse, Anderson and even Nyatanga. There's six, off the top of my head, plus I'll be surprised if Albert doesn't join them, eventually. Seven's not that far short of an entire team. So, the question is why the hell did a side with players within it that a variety of other clubs' managers judge to be of Championship standard finish a country mile behind the rest of the field? The point, in relation to the question posed by the OP, is that there was massive underperformance last season, both collectively and individually, by players who should have been capable of much more. Where you lay the burden of reponsibility for this depends on your point of view and there has been endless debate about that on OTIB. But on paper - which is all we have to go on until we see the present group in action - you would have to say that we've lost an awful lot of quality and that the squad is now less strong than it was a year ago. Doesn't mean I'm negative about the outlook, by any means, and in any case SOD has had very limited control over who leaves and who stays, but London Bristolian is right: there is now less experience on top of the loss of quality and success, if it comes, is likely to take time. I worry about the excited tone of some posts and what it says about the level of expectation that's building up. We need to be realistic. Cannot fault much of that. A point to add would be that teams of players with negligible quality individually have got out of this league previously/stayed in the championship before so, for me, it isn't just about the individuals but the way they are utilised. The level of individual quality might be lower, but if they function better as a unit that may matter less. But, agree with the thrust; long way to go before we know if this approach pays off. Someone mentioned judging at Christmas; even that might be a bit soon. We've been pretty arse for a few years; that's not something solved overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted July 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Interestingly we were woeful in preseason last year with the so called championship quality players. This preseason, ok we are struggling for goals but the performances have been encouraging so comparing the 2 preseasons (the only thing we can do at the moment) I think we are better off. Whether that is the players, the manager or both we will see over the coming season. One thing that's for sure I haven't been as excited for a season since we went into the championship and considering we have just been relegated, that must say something. P.S. agree we need to give them time to gel as a team! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 We have got a better squad than last season because we have strengthened the central defence, central midfield and probably have a slightly better goalkeeper. In wide positions we're no worse, only up front have we fallen back and we haven't finished business yet. Since our central defence was so disproportionately weak I think we're a long way better off and were we still in the Championship with this squad we'd do a lot better than we did last season. However, winning promotion from league one is a lot harder than avoiding relegation in the Championship so I think it will be a tough season where we are in the top half and at best flirting with the playoffs. The season after, when we've cleared out more dead wood and added a few more players will be where my expectations are a bit higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjd Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 First time I have been down for the first game of the season for a couple of years,due to sercumstances, and fill optimistic about it but then again as someone said earlier about the tin man season I was the same then ,and look what happen. But feel we have a good defence and midfield this season ,this is going on reports from people who have been to a few friendly s .just need a goal scorer . But I am going to say a 1 - 0 win to us. Coyr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliftonCliff Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Agree entirely with the "horses for courses" arguments made in response to my post. It's about putting together a group of players (within the well-publicised constraints) who can get a specific job done, which is what SOD's trying to do. What you need to get out of L1 and what you need to stay in the Championship are not necessarily the same. Also, absolutely take Nibor's points about the defence: if we'd had Flint last season, that alone might have kept us in with a chance. The bottom line for me is that while the players we've lost may have had more in terms of pure footballing talent, it would be difficult for this new group not to show a bit more in the way of resilience and determination. A team, as we all know, is more than the sum of its constituent parts. If this lot gel, we will not be badly off, though I believe a realistic hope is that we will be competitive and in the top ten for most of the season, and therefore within sniffing distance of the last play-off place, rather than promotion candidates. There may be more business done yet, of course, but as things stand I'd say Wolves, Sheff Utd, Peterborough and Brentford, among others, look better placed. One good thing about this, I suppose, is that all eyes won't be on us and Wolves will be the side everyone will want to beat, which helps to keep the pressure off a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Probably not individual for individual but overall as a unit there may not be a huge difference. More importantly S'OD seems to be getting something out of Kilkenny which could maybe help on creativity front and crucially Flint MAY be that big commanding Centre back we so badly lacked last year, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheddarReds Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 We're really 'sorting out' the team and club at the moment. Getting the team to work as a unit and planning for the future. The team we have now is, as many have said, more balanced but better? for me it's too early to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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