Next season

[gurujuan]

38 minutes ago, WC1Owl said:

Heartening to see that posters on this thread think the team is nearly there.

 

Agree that we need another central defender (I'd say we need Sasso + one more for numbers - we were alarmingly down to the bare bones when Sasso was suspended).

 

RB seems more in need of shoring up than LB, where all of Pudil, Fox and Reach are decent, and keeping each other competitive.

 

Someone to come in and make the impact as a wide player that Buckley and McManaman haven't quite done.

 

And I'd love us to have one more magic dust player who can turn a game when nothing else is going right - we've looked a bit pedestrian without Fessi at times this season. Someone like Ben Brereton, but not him, because he'll go to a top half prem side.

 

 

Think we could address the lack of real pace relatively cheaply, by bringing in a Premier League loanee At most Premier League clubs, pace is a prerequisite. Chelsea, for example, have an abundance of prodigious young wingers who could do the job. The young lad on loan at Granada for example, though I forget his name He caused Malaga all sorts of problems when I watched him earlier. Lightning quick, and plenty of tricks.

[Bramhall Owl]

1 hour ago, torres said:

Someone to replace Hutchinson in Centre Midfield. 

 

I think keeping him as a centre back will keep him available for 90% of the season and will reduce his suspensions dramatically. In my opinion him and Lees could make an excellent partnership long term.

 

I would like a bit of pace upfront but the main thing we'd need and possible the only thing is consistency!!

 

 

I'm prepared to be shot down in flames here but I actually think that Sasso could do that job. He's shown consistently that he can play which is where Hutch lacks a little. yes, he's no beats but, like Jones, he reads the game well and would help us stop being bullied in midfield

[Guest wilyfox]

Centre-half, centre-mid, winger. regardless of which division we find ourselves in. 

[Bramhall Owl]

I'd love to see us go 433 with a midfield of Lee, Abdi and Hutch (but possibly Sasso per previous post if we're going to play Hutch alongside Lees) with a front 3 of FF plus 2 of the proper strikers

Edited April 11, 2017 by Bramhall Owl

[gurujuan]

37 minutes ago, Bramhall Owl said:

I'd love to see us go 433 with a midfield of Lee, Abdi and Hutch (but possible Sasso per previous post) with a front 3 of FF plus 2 of the proper strikers

 

Me too, but we have to assume that Carlos now favours a 4-4-2 system

[gurujuan]

45 minutes ago, gurujuan said:

 

Think we could address the lack of real pace relatively cheaply, by bringing in a Premier League loanee At most Premier League clubs, pace is a prerequisite. Chelsea, for example, have an abundance of prodigious young wingers who could do the job. The young lad on loan at Granada for example, though I forget his name He caused Malaga all sorts of problems when I watched him earlier. Lightning quick, and plenty of tricks.

 

Jeremie Boga, that was the young Chelsea winger A real handful, and so so quick

[Holmowl]

Simple from me.

 

A new manager. For this squad to have struggled so badly to even make the play-offs is just wrong.

 

The new manager can prune here and add there, but the squad is outstanding.

[Bramhall Owl]

11 minutes ago, gurujuan said:

 

Me too, but we have to assume that Carlos now favours a 4-4-2 system

Yes, it's a shame as that 3 would be a class above anything else in the Championship, irrespective of who comes down. We'd have all bases covered, Hutch being the hardman playing deep (allowing the full backs to continue to provide width), Lee doing all the running and getting beyond the front players and Abdi to open up defences with his craft and vision

[steelcityowlsfan]

Fosu Mensah, (Can play CB, DM or full-back), a winger with pace and delivery would be a good start

[MallorcaOwl]

We have the basis of a good squad, We need a CH to replace Louvens, and a RW. We should see the best of Jones and Abdi next season, not sure about Joa, don't think he has done much at Blacburn.

Edited April 11, 2017 by MallorcaOwl

[aeroswfc]

If we don't go up we need to find players that are Championship ready who have the potential to go up a level. 

 

If we do go up find Premier League ready players. 

[gurujuan]

37 minutes ago, aeroswfc said:

If we don't go up we need to find players that are Championship ready who have the potential to go up a level. 

 

If we do go up find Premier League ready players. 

 

Of course, another school of thought is, if you buy championship players, the likelihood is, you'll remain the championship

[Jazzybmzoo]

Agree with a lot of the above.  I love Carlos and think he has worked wonders over the past two seasons.  It is a little disappointing for us to be struggling to get 6th but let's hope the Newcastle result was the catalyst to our season. Our squad is unbelievably good (in my opinion in the top 2/3) and would prove attractive to any top flight manager if/when Carlos does leave us, which has got to be another positive should DC require a change.

 

However, I do think we're all taking the eye off the ball here and should really be more concerned about United's squad of 'unbeatables' and ways & means to stop their 'Roy of the Buffet', Billy Sharp next season (as they have proclaimed we will not be promoted). 

[gurujuan]

We have a large squad with some good players, some very good players. However, I do think that sometimes we do look at things through blue and white specs. Sure we have lots of options, and plenty of household names at this level, but sometimes we can be a bit condescending about opponents players, who we know little about. Fulham for example, have players who most of us no nothing about, but they have a very talented squad. For me, and we've gone over it in this thread, we are still short in a few key areas, and top heavy in others. Rebalancing the squad will be the main priority this summer

[Guest wilyfox]

54 minutes ago, gurujuan said:

We have a large squad with some good players, some very good players. However, I do think that sometimes we do look at things through blue and white specs. Sure we have lots of options, and plenty of household names at this level, but sometimes we can be a bit condescending about opponents players, who we know little about. Fulham for example, have players who most of us no nothing about, but they have a very talented squad. For me, and we've gone over it in this thread, we are still short in a few key areas, and top heavy in others. Rebalancing the squad will be the main priority this summer

 

Fulham still pose a real threat. For me, they have the best midfield in the division. Cairney, Johansen, Parker, and McDonald. Sessegnon is a star in the making. 

[Guest caliban]

4 hours ago, Bramhall Owl said:

I'm prepared to be shot down in flames here but I actually think that Sasso could do that job. He's shown consistently that he can play which is where Hutch lacks a little. yes, he's no beats but, like Jones, he reads the game well and would help us stop being bullied in midfield

I'd rather see Sasso in midfield than defence, his occasional alarming lapses are less likely to cost us a goal that way. I agree he could do a job there, but only as a squad player, certainly not 1st choice. 

[Mid Wicket]

1 hour ago, gurujuan said:

We have a large squad with some good players, some very good players. However, I do think that sometimes we do look at things through blue and white specs. Sure we have lots of options, and plenty of household names at this level, but sometimes we can be a bit condescending about opponents players, who we know little about. Fulham for example, have players who most of us no nothing about, but they have a very talented squad. For me, and we've gone over it in this thread, we are still short in a few key areas, and top heavy in others. Rebalancing the squad will be the main priority this summer

Agreed, we do not need that many players if we are still in this division. Just got to make sure the players we do bring in are ready to challenge and not be happy to be squad players.

[Almat]

4 hours ago, oh_weds_we_love_you said:

 

The stats would certainly back that up. Worth noting that either side of that duff season they jumped from 75 points (2012-13) and 72 points (2013-14) to 89 points (2015-16). Brighton have certainly shown that jump of c.15 points can be made, we just need to learn how they did it!

 

The manager they recruited is better than the one we recruited, basically. Sorry, but that's the (unpalatable for some) truth. No great shame in that as Hughton had a pretty impressive managerial CV before he went to Brighton. Of course, Hughton has been in his job 6 months longer than CC but, interestingly, both have had 2 pre-seasons in the job. 

 

I don't think the squad needs much more investing in it for next season and I don't think DC will be allowed to spend much given the FFP rules. It's new ideas we need more than anything. 

[Jim]

I think we'll be looking at more defensive players than attackers. I think we need at least one more centre half.

 

I'm not sure if we can get away with Hunt and Palmer again at right back for next season.

 

I think we'll go with the current left back options. With a proper rest I think Pudil will be back to his best next season.

 

We could do with a defensive midfielder but I wouldn't be surprised to see Melo given a chance and hopefully we'll see more from Abdi, Jones and Reach than we have this season?

 

We need one winger at least but I can't see us signing either McManaman or Buckley.

 

I think Fletcher will go if we don't go up which may see a reprieve for Nuhiu or Joao?

 

But in summary we don't have to do too much and I don't think we will.

[Almat]

Just now, Great Big Galaa said:

I think we'll be looking at more defensive players than attackers. I think we need at least one more centre half.

 

I'm not sure if we can get away with Hunt and Palmer again at right back for next season.

 

I think we'll go with the current left back options. With a proper rest I think Pudil will be back to his best next season.

 

We could do with a defensive midfielder but I wouldn't be surprised to see Melo given a chance and hopefully we'll see more from Abdi, Jones and Reach than we have this season?

 

We need one winger at least but I can't see us signing either McManaman or Buckley.

 

I think Fletcher will go if we don't go up which may see a reprieve for Nuhiu or Joao?

 

But in summary we don't have to do too much and I don't think we will.

 

Who is going to pay his wages, though? I think we are basically stuck with him until his contract expires at age 33/34. But his recent form has been very encouraging.