'We need more characters'

[Ivorguy]

So says our manager.

Is he writing a novel?

what we need is more Championship quality players, and a coaching staff to match.  Not rocket science

Anyway City have never relished 'characters' since the days of Ernie Peacock - Gosh, I wonder what he would make of the present bunch.  Please don't answer, you could be banned!

[Londoner]

We don't need more championship quality players.....we have a whole stack of them.

What we need is a consistent formation and first xi.

[Ivorguy]

3 minutes ago, Londoner said:

We don't need more championship quality players.....we have a whole stack of them.

What we need is a consistent formation and first xi.

But surely the reason we have not had a consistent formation or first XI is precisely because most are simply not Championship standard and LJ has been desperately re-ordering the deckchairs on The Titanic

[spudski]

6 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

So says our manager.

Is he writing a novel?

what we need is more Championship quality players, and a coaching staff to match.  Not rocket science

Anyway City have never relished 'characters' since the days of Ernie Peacock - Gosh, I wonder what he would make of the present bunch.  Please don't answer, you could be banned!

I was wondering whether this was a clue as to who we have coming in...plus it mentioned the window being open before the Reading game. It seemed strangely written otherwise. Can only read between the lines on this one...or reading too much into it.

[Londoner]

4 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

But surely the reason we have not had a consistent formation or first XI is precisely because most are simply not Championship standard and LJ has been desperately re-ordering the deckchairs on The Titanic

No its because we have a manager who doesn't understand what he's doing .

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

8 minutes ago, spudski said:

I was wondering whether this was a clue as to who we have coming in...plus it mentioned the window being open before the Reading game. It seemed strangely written otherwise. Can only read between the lines on this one...or reading too much into it.

Somebody on another thread suggested we have two allbut  'signed up' already

Still think our (any) business will be loans in the main

[spudski]

4 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Somebody on another thread suggested we have two allbut  'signed up' already

Still think our (any) business will be loans in the main

And this is where I think we'll be ok mate...it's all about building this squad and transfer windows imo...if there were no transfer windows and we could bring in players at any time, then we would be absolutely fine. Transfer windows create so many problems...it screws up so many things.

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 minutes ago, spudski said:

And this is where I think we'll be ok mate...it's all about building this squad and transfer windows imo...if there were no transfer windows and we could bring in players at any time, then we would be absolutely fine. Transfer windows create so many problems...it screws up so many things.

See my long post in another (Johnson Out ?) thread

We will have had, following the plan , SIX transfer windows to 'transform' our Lg One Title squad into a competitive Champ Squad ( That's assuming we actually accomplish that) 

Six ??

Really ??

[Nomad]

He also said that he could pick a tall team in his interview. He probably can as he tells a tall story. What he cannot do is pick a winning team.

[Major Isewater]

18 minutes ago, Londoner said:

No its because we have a manager who doesn't understand what he's doing .

 

He is Head Coach . How do you know what he does and does n't understand ?

I would say he is perfectly coherent in his interviews , clear as a bell , but we don't know what goes on behind the scènes or what constraints he is under .

If our performances were as good as his media appearances we would already be promoted , the guy is bang on the money with almost everything he says .

[Olé]

I read this last night several times and continue to have absolutely no idea what it means. 

What is a character? Someone with a personality? Someone who plays with personality?

What are the current players doing or not doing to negate them from being "characters"?

I agree as a team we play in such a way as to not express any character or quick instinct.

I'd naively thought that the right instructions should allow anyone to express themselves?

[Guest]

We have had quite a few of these "characters" in the past and there may be a couple in our present squad; A Dicks promo winning team were all characters and new exactly what was required when they crossed that white line, They also gave everything for every second and new where everyone was on the pitch and fought for each other and our club.

We haven't a team just a squad of players atm that are chopped and changed for all sorts of silly reasons by a manager who dosent know who his first eleven are or where to play them.

We seem to be frightened of errors and clueless just like our manager, hopefully there will be 3 worse squads at the end of the season.

[GodEmperor Palpatine]

6 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

He is Head Coach . How do you know what he does and does n't understand ?

I would say he is perfectly coherent in his interviews , clear as a bell , but we don't know what goes on behind the scènes or what constraints he is under .

If our performances were as good as his media appearances we would already be promoted , the guy is bang on the money with almost everything he says .

You do know this is Londoner right? He knows everything, I fully expect him to be winging his CV to SL and MA as soon as LJ has gone.

 I agree 100% with your post btw

[GodEmperor Palpatine]

7 minutes ago, Olé said:

I read this last night several times and continue to have absolutely no idea what it means. 

What is a character? Someone with a personality? Someone who plays with personality?

What are the current players doing or not doing to negate them from being "characters"?

I agree as a team we play in such a way as to not express any character or quick instinct.

I'd naively thought that the right instructions should allow anyone to express themselves?

An actual leader with some charisma? We do lack leaders on the pitch

[spudski]

6 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

See my long post in another (Johnson Out ?) thread

We will have had, following the plan , SIX transfer windows to 'transform' our Lg One Title squad into a competitive Champ Squad ( That's assuming we actually accomplish that) 

Six ??

Really ??

Six months to turn a team from a League 1 outfit to a decent Champ side...not long is it in reality mate. And that's if players that fit the bill, are actually available, within budget or want to come here. Then you are going to get injuries, lose of form or players that don't perform to their best...

Tbh...I think LJ has been let down by some of our players. I get that some aren't good enough and give 100% like Mark Little...but some imo, are definitely showing a lack of drive and desire to bust a gut....some of our willingness to track a man back is lazy beyond contempt imo.

[spudski]

9 minutes ago, Olé said:

I read this last night several times and continue to have absolutely no idea what it means. 

What is a character? Someone with a personality? Someone who plays with personality?

What are the current players doing or not doing to negate them from being "characters"?

I agree as a team we play in such a way as to not express any character or quick instinct.

I'd naively thought that the right instructions should allow anyone to express themselves?

Joey Barton :laugh:

[Bar BS3]

15 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

See my long post in another (Johnson Out ?) thread

We will have had, following the plan , SIX transfer windows to 'transform' our Lg One Title squad into a competitive Champ Squad ( That's assuming we actually accomplish that) 

Six ??

Really ??

Won't this be the 4th window, just about to open..? And only LJ's second..? 

[Red Skin]

Growing up there was a bloke on my estate who had a pet duck. He used to take the duck out for a walk every day - no lead needed - the duck just followed him.  I know what you are thinking, what about picking up the inevitable parcel of do do that the duck served up.  Not a problem, as health and safety hadn't been invented then.  

Anyway, the bloke was deaf and you had to make sure he never saw you laughing about anything as he used to think it was about him and would want to fight you.  He was a character.

[pongo88]

If there are no "characters" in the team, whose fault is it?  LJ had approx 4 months at the club last season, which was enough time to assess the squad. Why didn't he sign some characters in the summer, instead of the "players for the future" who can't get into the team. 

[JoeAman08]

13 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

Won't this be the 4th window, just about to open..? And only LJ's second..? 

Yes and you could argue we wasted the first and the second was damage control because we didn't use the first to the max. It's LJ and co's second window. Need the time to build the squad. They maybe bought a few too many for the future when we could've used one or two more for the first XI but that's life and that's football. You never get anything perfect. 

[Mendip City]

19 minutes ago, Olé said:

I read this last night several times and continue to have absolutely no idea what it means. 

What is a character? Someone with a personality? Someone who plays with personality?

What are the current players doing or not doing to negate them from being "characters"?

I agree as a team we play in such a way as to not express any character or quick instinct.

I'd naively thought that the right instructions should allow anyone to express themselves?

It's a sad admission from LJ, he's saying that he has just signed players for positions not to build a team and squad of personalities. 

He's turned us into a squad of nice people. You need a blend which has to include strong characters, physical players, players who will role their sleeves up, encourage their colleagues, do the dirty work, be positive when the chips are down. 

I'll say we have that.... Wilbraham!  

Anyone else? 

We've lots of players who are good, when the going is good. 

Can anyone remember one of our centre backs putting in a nasty challenge? Letting the opposition know that they're about?? For me Baker has been a big loss and wasn't replaced like for like. 

[bristolcitysweden]

We got a couple of poor characters who are shit and should be sacked

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

28 minutes ago, Olé said:

I read this last night several times and continue to have absolutely no idea what it means. 

What is a character? Someone with a personality? Someone who plays with personality?

What are the current players doing or not doing to negate them from being "characters"?

I agree as a team we play in such a way as to not express any character or quick instinct.

I'd naively thought that the right instructions should allow anyone to express themselves?

It used to be a long haired piss head, who liked shagging. Or Gazza.

[Wolf Island]

Irony of this is that the existing characters in the club are increasingly marginalised and shut out by LJ as he and MA just want yes men. 

[Charliesboots]

19 minutes ago, Red Army Faction said:

Growing up there was a bloke on my estate who had a pet duck. He used to take the duck out for a walk every day - no lead needed - the duck just followed him.  I know what you are thinking, what about picking up the inevitable parcel of do do that the duck served up.  Not a problem, as health and safety hadn't been invented then.  

Anyway, the bloke was deaf and you had to make sure he never saw you laughing about anything as he used to think it was about him and would want to fight you.  He was a character.

You quack me up....

[robin_unreliant]

31 minutes ago, billywedlock said:

Maybe this can help. 

Hughton is, though, what Brighton needed. A savvy Championship-literate coach to lead them away from a continental passing game that ceased to be effective during a poor recruiting phase. 

Few others have as much success in the Championship

Hughton and the chief executive, Paul Barber, reversed that trend, primarily by buying Jamie Murphy, Uwe Hunemeier, Tomer Hemed, Liam Rosenior, Niki Maenpaa and Gaetan Bong. The shift towards more realistic and efficient Championship football has worked wonders. Hughton takes up the story: “We knew it was going to be a big recruitment summer. We lost nine players, and knew we had to bring in nine, which is really too many. But of course I’d had since January with the recruitment staff to process what we wanted. 

“What did help was that maybe the first four we brought in were the goalkeeper, Maenpaa; Rosenior, Hemed and Bong. All good, experienced players. Every player that came in after that, [saw] these players had set a real good example and a real good standard for them to come into. 

“If we’re looking at the secrets of doing well in this division – firstly, it is an incredibly demanding division. If I look at the 16 games we’ve had this season we haven’t had a comfortable game, even against teams in that bottom area. Bristol City, Rotherham, Preston. You absolutely have to have a blend in your squad of players that are Championship hardened. If you looked at all three teams that went up last season – Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich – they all had a lot of quality. So you’ve got to have quality and you’ve got to have team identity.” 

Managers are wary of linking improvements to criticism of what went before, but Hughton is content to discuss the shift away from a largely Spanish formula. “There’s no doubt the way of playing has changed. With previous managers, most formations would have been a 4-3-3, which was very much possession-based football. 

Solly March is a local lad

“Where I’ve benefited is that the players I’ve inherited from that era are good footballers, comfortable on the ball: Gordon Greer, Lewis Dunk, Bruno Saltor, Inigo Calderon. Players that have come through that system are not going to change because they’re good enough players on the ball. I’ve changed the formation. I’ve gone to a form of 4-4-2. And I just felt I wanted to be able to get the ball forward a little quicker. Still be a possession-based team, but as much as possible try to have more of that possession in the opposition half.” 

The striker Hemed, Hughton says, “has given us the nice balance of a player who wants to work hard but can also give us some of the physicality you need in this division”. Harper is being sheltered from hype, but Hughton will say: “If he can live up to the ability he’s showed it could be a wonderful one for the club.”

That sums up nicely for me where LJ has it wrong and someone like Hughton knows what is needed. City are exactly the 'before' he describes above. Trouble is that I think that is what LJ was aiming for. A possession-based, nice passing team. We can all see what Hughton says - that won't work in this league. Oh for a manager with his practical approach rather than one who talks tactics but doesn't seem to understand what works.

[BobBobSuperBob]

49 minutes ago, spudski said:

Six months to turn a team from a League 1 outfit to a decent Champ side...not long is it in reality mate. And that's if players that fit the bill, are actually available, within budget or want to come here. Then you are going to get injuries, lose of form or players that don't perform to their best...

Tbh...I think LJ has been let down by some of our players. I get that some aren't good enough and give 100% like Mark Little...but some imo, are definitely showing a lack of drive and desire to bust a gut....some of our willingness to track a man back is lazy beyond contempt imo.

Six transfer windows Spud not months !!

[BobBobSuperBob]

54 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

Won't this be the 4th window, just about to open..? And only LJ's second..? 

Yes , and sort of yes !!

What I meant Six ( If Lee has three more) since our League 1 title to turn that Squad into a competitive Championship Squad !!

(I explain better / more in my post in the other thread)

LJ has had the summer and I can't believe  he wasn't spoken to around Jan last year

Im confused as to how many windows we want to make the changes - is LJ still claiming another three ?

[RedLionLad]

1 hour ago, Emperor Palpatine said:

You do know this is Londoner right? He knows everything, I fully expect him to be winging his CV to SL and MA as soon as LJ has gone.

 I agree 100% with your post btw

Like for like.

[spudski]

12 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Six transfer windows Spud not months !!

How long are transfer windows fella ;-) each one approx. a month or so. And tbh, the confines of those windows becomes even smaller, as lots of 'deals' get finalised at the very last minute. We've had players lined up, and it's fallen through last minute, because other deals haven't gone through. This is the point I've been trying to make...transfers, as you know, aren't like shopping in Tescos, which some forum members seem to think so.

Look at the Kodijia situation...he wanted to leave last minute. Engval was brought in for the future... not his replacement. We got screwed over by JK wanting to leave last minute. We didn't have time to negotiate for the right player, or they weren't available at that moment in time. This is why transfer windows can kill or cure a club...regardless of negotiations, a lot of it comes down to a lot of luck in all the cogs working and falling in to place. We can't just go and buy who we want, so this is how it is for a club like us.

It's bloody hard work getting the right players that fit within budget, into a club, at the right times. And I get the impression some fans think it's a piece of piss.