Our squad - good enough or not?

[Guest Mason9]

We need 2 center backs Johnsen + Morrison seem to have filled those players

1 striker now tudders has gone

1 winger as got no back up at all sedwick struggled all season JJ far to inconsistant Teale done well but need another with pace

1 big centre midfilder who can brake up play and have a presenced in middle

Prob need another full back in short term with injuries we have at minute

[Guest Sheff Owl]

How many excuses do we have to give some of this current squad last season some let the fans down big time and showed flip all.

This season we can see some of that sneaking in again, this squad needs a big cut, i'm sick of the same players giving the same poo , these players are NOT learning and when will they learn when they leave this club and realise that they maybe never play above League one again.

Why do we have to accept average performances from certain players? Irvine has/is getting a squad yet refuses to drop certain players why?

We can all see that certain players have let this club down big time yet continue to give half hearted performances yet Irvine seems to keep playing them, is it any wonder we are in 6th position and not higher?

For me some NEED to be shown the door.

[enigmamedusa]

How many excuses do we have to give some of this current squad last season some let the fans down big time and showed flip all.

This season we can see some of that sneaking in again, this squad needs a big cut, i'm sick of the same players giving the same poo , these players are NOT learning and when will they learn when they leave this club and realise that they maybe never play above League one again.

Why do we have to accept average performances from certain players? Irvine has/is getting a squad yet refuses to drop certain players why?

We can all see that certain players have let this club down big time yet continue to give half hearted performances yet Irvine seems to keep playing them, is it any wonder we are in 6th position and not higher?

For me some NEED to be shown the door.

So is Irvine doing everything he can with what he has then? Or is it a mixture of both

[camffiti]

There must be a generation of younger fans who have never seen an Owls 'squad'.

Imo this season we need better quality in some areas and quantity in others -

Right back - Quality

Centre back - Quantity

Centre midfield - Quality

Winger - Quantity....... If we're looking for strikers, then it looks like AI has decided JJ is a winger.

If we're back in the Championship next season I'd like to see Otsemobor, JJ, Purse & Potter shipped out and some others demoted to squad players.

[SiJ]

I think that certain players time is up.

Reminds me a bit of when we first went down to this god awful division.

We stuck with quite a few players who had failed us for a number of years, some who were even pretty decent like Quinn, Geary etc.

These, plus the utter poo , time was up and Turner pretty much cleared out the whole squad for 04/05, bringing in a whole new team in the process.

Guys like Spurr, Potter, and O'Connor need to be replaced/moved on.

[Guest Sheff Owl]

So is Irvine doing everything he can with what he has then? Or is it a mixture of both

I don't believe he is doing everything he can IMO

I mean we have a squad he won't use some of them, he refuses to drop certain players.

We all ask why does he keep playing XXXX when you can tell he is having a bad time time.

Why does he make changes with 10 minutes left when we ALL can see it needed changing at half time or 60 minutes(ie Heffernan 3 minutes???)

He made 9 new signings in the summer yet started some of the on the bench and went with the crap that took us down.

Preston fans told us he will stick with players no matter what and we are seeing that, players can be having a nightmare but continues with them/leaves them on the pitch.

[The Batman]

I think that certain players time is up.

Reminds me a bit of when we first went down to this god awful division.

We stuck with quite a few players who had failed us for a number of years, some who were even pretty decent like Quinn, Geary etc.

These, plus the utter poo , time was up and Turner pretty much cleared out the whole squad for 04/05, bringing in a whole new team in the process.

Guys like Spurr, Potter, and O'Connor need to be replaced/moved on.

Exactly.

Like you say some of the players released that season were talented players but for whatever reason they just weren't performing for us under different managers.

We're in a similar situation now where we have some rubbish +a few half decent players that came down with us that we need to move on. They need a change, we need a change.

I don't believe he is doing everything he can IMO

I mean we have a squad he won't use some of them, he refuses to drop certain players.

We all ask why does he keep playing XXXX when you can tell he is having a bad time time.

Why does he make changes with 10 minutes left when we ALL can see it needed changing at half time or 60 minutes(ie Heffernan 3 minutes???)

He made 9 new signings in the summer yet started some of the on the bench and went with the crap that took us down.

Preston fans told us he will stick with players no matter what and we are seeing that, players can be having a nightmare but continues with them/leaves them on the pitch.

Who do you think is being left out? You mention Heffernan but he's a back up striker behind Morrisin & Mellor in the pecking order. Who else?

[DJMortimer]

Who do you think is being left out? You mention Heffernan but he's a back up striker behind Morrisin & Mellor in the pecking order. Who else?

Earlier in the season we had not decided on the best pairing and were constantly swapping the strikers around. The only consistent thing was that Heffernan wasn't much involved. I doubt anyone would suggest he deserves to start ahead of Morrison and Mellor at the moment. Even the erratic Johnson was given greater priority in that position.

But it goes beyond just that. Why has he not played more in the cup competitions when Irvine has rotated the squad much more heavily? Why has he been taken off in all three of his starts so far? Why has he been an unused substitute no fewer than 15 times this season (including scorelines of 5-0, 4-1, 3-0 and 1-5 when there was little to consider from a tactical standpoint), why have many of his appearances come so late (such as our last game when we needed a goal) and why was he singled out for criticism at not scoring despite so few chances?

[The Batman]

Earlier in the season we had not decided on the best pairing and were constantly swapping the strikers around. The only consistent thing was that Heffernan wasn't much involved. I doubt anyone would suggest he deserves to start ahead of Morrison and Mellor at the moment. Even the erratic Johnson was given greater priority in that position.

But it goes beyond just that. Why has he not played more in the cup competitions when Irvine has rotated the squad much more heavily? Why has he been taken off in all three of his starts so far? Why has he been an unused substitute no fewer than 15 times this season (including scorelines of 5-0, 4-1, 3-0 and 1-5 when there was little to consider from a tactical standpoint), why have many of his appearances come so late (such as our last game when we needed a goal) and why was he singled out for criticism at not scoring despite so few chances?

TBH the only one who can answer that is Irvine. We don't see them in training all week, we don't know their fitness levels, attitude, frame of mind whatever.

When travelling to Hillsborough last month I met an ex-colleague of mine on the train (also an Owl), he also lives in Donny. He works with a fair few Rovers fans and he said they reckon Heffernan has a bad attitude. I've no idea if that is true though,1st time I've heard it.

Earlier in the season it seemed to be 1 + Tudgay, (who is still the player with the most shots on goal despite the fact he's left) and as you say Morrison & Mellor are in front of Heffernan. The JJ situation for me was simply about adding pace to the attack, like I said at the time I think Heffernan is a similar player to Morrison in terms of his style and I do think he'll get a chance if/when Morrison misses a game. Unless of course a new striker else comes in, then who knows?

[phoenixowl]

We've too many jack of all trades master of none, we need proper players in their right position's, a couple of utility men are ok but we have too many i.e Buxton FB or CB, Spurr FB or CB, Jones FB or LM, Johnson, RM or striker, Teale LM or RM, Hinds CB or FB. Situation further complicated by manager who regular plays players out of position i.e. Coke out wide, Miller out wide, Jones LB and RB, Spurr LB and RB, Sedgewick LM and RM. I am totally confused each week as to who will be playing where, the players, to be fair to them must be equally confused