oldishowl Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 The other issue I see for us is fitness at the start of the season. Last season we just didn't look ready for the intensity of the early league games. I am not sure our pre season is tough enough or long enough. Also we just don't have enough athletes in the squad Early season players were rotated to rest them while others were dropping like flies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Toni Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 It's not a case of bedding in new players but having a system and sticking to it. Once we have that platform we can rock and roll regardless. Problem with Carlos was too much chopping and changing early on. Live by the sword and die by the sword my friend and stick to your guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmowl Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 1 hour ago, MuddyFunkster said: It's not a case of bedding in new players but having a system and sticking to it. Once we have that platform we can rock and roll regardless. Problem with Carlos was too much chopping and changing early on. Live by the sword and die by the sword my friend and stick to your guns. I think he has a very strong preference to play a system that doesn't actually produce enough goals or results. That system has Lee, Bannan and Hutch (or Lopez last year), and FF behind a striker. He uses it as long as he can, but then finally has to try a more balanced and slightly more attacking team. It works. We score. We win. But he doesn't ultimately trust it So resorts back to his preferred solid system. That, imo, is why he has always tinkered or rotated. He doesn't like the system that works better than his preferred approach, but his preferred approach doesn't gather points so he has to change, and so on, and so on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owl14 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 4 hours ago, Dutch McLovin said: Makes 100% sense.... however this is Carlos how will he drop Lee Hutch or Bannan ?? Answer - he won't. I can only say drop bannan, hutchinson is our anchor and can play good balls lee is our linker and is really mobile and gets in with a lot more goals and similar amount of assists bannan may just have to wait it out on the sidelines till injures come in unless he solidifies his place in the squad pre season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owl14 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 4 hours ago, Dutch McLovin said: Makes 100% sense.... however this is Carlos how will he drop Lee Hutch or Bannan ?? Answer - he won't. I can only say drop bannan, hutchinson is our anchor and can play good balls lee is our linker and is really mobile and gets in with a lot more goals and similar amount of assists bannan may just have to wait it out on the sidelines till injures come in unless he solidifies his place in the squad pre season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roscoe P. Coltrane Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 2 hours ago, oldishowl said: The other issue I see for us is fitness at the start of the season. Last season we just didn't look ready for the intensity of the early league games. I am not sure our pre season is tough enough or long enough. Also we just don't have enough athletes in the squad Early season players were rotated to rest them while others were dropping like flies. This jolly boys outing to Portugal gonads needs knocking on the head as well, doesn't seem to benefit the players at all IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBOwl Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 4 hours ago, cookeh said: You're a lot more confident than me, the first two months of the season look pretty painful on paper to me. In fact the league this season looks pretty horrible as a whole. Preston away isn't easy. We nicked a 94th minute equalizer to draw it last season. QPR aren't rubbish, tho you'd hope we could nick a 1-0 again. Sunderland are a massive unknown. Could be in chaos, but also some quality players at this level and enough money to bring in game changers. Fulham away is a tough point. Burton away seems like a bogey fixture for us. We then have forest, cardiff and brentford. 2 of whom are pulling out the stops to try and challenge and the other is always a tight game. Then the derby.. in which anything could happen despite our quality. Then Birmingham under 'arry and then Leeds. It's not an easy opening by any means. I hope we take at least 11 from the opening 6 games, but part of me fear we might be struggling to get 1 from the opening 12. With Reading, Middlesborough, Deby, Hull Villa and Norwich still to be played. Hoping for some signings that will give me confidence at the moment. We may as well not bother then! Inknow what you're saying but we need to go in to games with confidence to go and win them. Personally my predictions would be: Preston (a) - Draw QPR (h) - Win Sunderland (h) - Win Fulham (a) - Lose Burton (a) - Win Forest (h) - Win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookeh Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 16 hours ago, SBOwl said: I know what you're saying but we need to go in to games with confidence to go and win them. For sure, no point turning up if we think we're defeated. I think we can win all those games, but we could also lose each of them. Whoever goes up this season will have earned it, that's for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonanderson1971 Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 I personally would of preferred a new manager to work with the players we have.Last season CC could not find a blend ,When he did on the odd occasion we trounced sides.Majority of the time we were poor and I still don't know how we finished where we did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmchairOwl Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 When it comes to players like Forestieri, you have to tuck them in, read them a story, then gently kiss them on the forehead and tell them you love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto_Man Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 On 2017-6-27 at 14:16, Holmowl said: In each of the last two seasons we have been chasing the top sides from September due to very poor starts. 15/16 - 5 points from first six games 16/17 - 8 points from first six games That put us 8/10 points outside the top two and we never looked like bridging that gap. Here is how we played some key players in the first six games. Bannan CM x 4 LM x 1 RM x 1 Abdi CM x 2 LM x 3 Sub 1 Forestieri SS x 2 LW x 2 Sub x 1 Missed x 1 And look at Reach's first six matches LM x 2 LB x 3 Sub x 1 And this was our starting strikers for the first six matches Fletch FF Joao Hooper Fletch Hooper Fletch FF Joao Fletch Fletch (+Abdi deeper) You couldn't have a more unsettled start to a season. Partly through getting to know players, partly through injuries, and partly through the FF saga. This has to be avoided this coming season. We have made the same mistakes in each of the past two seasons, and this year we need a settled and balanced side from Preston away. Certainly no squeezing players in by playing them out of position. Unless we buy some clear-cut superstar must-pick front six player, I would pick the tried and tested players, and wait for any new blood to tear the starting spot away from them. We ended the league season with a very settles approach and a largely settled line-up. I would start there and wait for poor form or brilliant training to force a change. If we can take 12 points from the first six matches it puts us right in contention from the off. I think you've been a little bit disingenuous about the striker situation (and you've also missed a cup game which does have a bearing). In the first game he played Fletch and Fessi which was clearly his preferred pairing, but Fletch ended up with 10 stitches and was unavailable for the Norwich game (as was Fessi who hadn't travelled). Joao had played well in the cup game (sandwiched between Norwich and Villa) and scored, so clearly deserved his start and Hooper starts as next available. For the next game (Burton) Fletch is back available and starts, but Fessi's still out due what happened during in the build up to the Norwich game, harsh on Joao, but he had missed a sitter in the Norwich game. We get to the Leeds game after a bad defeat at Burton, by now Fessi's back so he reverts to his first choice pairing of Fletch and Fessi. We lose badly to Leeds so he moves Fessi to the wing and gives Joao another chance against Burton. Doesn't really work so he goes back to his original favourite front two of Fessi and Fletch again for the Wigan game and they both score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmowl Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 16 minutes ago, Otto_Man said: I think you've been a little bit disingenuous about the striker situation (and you've also missed a cup game which does have a bearing). In the first game he played Fletch and Fessi which was clearly his preferred pairing, but Fletch ended up with 10 stitches and was unavailable for the Norwich game (as was Fessi who hadn't travelled). Joao had played well in the cup game (sandwiched between Norwich and Villa) and scored, so clearly deserved his start and Hooper starts as next available. For the next game (Burton) Fletch is back available and starts, but Fessi's still out due what happened during in the build up to the Norwich game, harsh on Joao, but he had missed a sitter in the Norwich game. We get to the Leeds game after a bad defeat at Burton, by now Fessi's back so he reverts to his first choice pairing of Fletch and Fessi. We lose badly to Leeds so he moves Fessi to the wing and gives Joao another chance against Burton. Doesn't really work so he goes back to his original favourite front two of Fessi and Fletch again for the Wigan game and they both score. I wasn't being disingenuous. I was listing the starting strikers. I mentioned injuries, rotation and not knowing the players. Two seasons with many varied line-ups early season. We need fewer injuries and much more decisiveness for the coming season start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmowl Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 20 minutes ago, Otto_Man said: I think you've been a little bit disingenuous about the striker situation (and you've also missed a cup game which does have a bearing). In the first game he played Fletch and Fessi which was clearly his preferred pairing, but Fletch ended up with 10 stitches and was unavailable for the Norwich game (as was Fessi who hadn't travelled). Joao had played well in the cup game (sandwiched between Norwich and Villa) and scored, so clearly deserved his start and Hooper starts as next available. For the next game (Burton) Fletch is back available and starts, but Fessi's still out due what happened during in the build up to the Norwich game, harsh on Joao, but he had missed a sitter in the Norwich game. We get to the Leeds game after a bad defeat at Burton, by now Fessi's back so he reverts to his first choice pairing of Fletch and Fessi. We lose badly to Leeds so he moves Fessi to the wing and gives Joao another chance against Burton. Doesn't really work so he goes back to his original favourite front two of Fessi and Fletch again for the Wigan game and they both score. BTW Forestieri was playing LW when he scored v Wigan. Hooper and Fletch were up top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious George Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 Why do players only need bedding in in the summer. Deadline day signings fit straight in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wilyfox Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 I always bed new players in. Their wives hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious George Posted June 28, 2017 Share Posted June 28, 2017 2 minutes ago, wilyfox said: I always bed new players in. Their wives hate it. Internet stud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F. Spiksley Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 On 27/06/2017 at 19:03, Andoverowl said: This jolly boys outing to Portugal gonads needs knocking on the head as well, doesn't seem to benefit the players at all IMO. Why's that then? What would you suggest to help a squad of players "gel" off the pitch and "bed in" on it, a day trip to Cleethorpes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chow Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Hope we sign them sooner rather than later, we seem to be that club that signs them late on and they could have done with a pre season to get fit with them been surplus at the club we purchase them from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IstillhateSteveBould Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 10 hours ago, Holmowl said: BTW Forestieri was playing LW when he scored v Wigan. Hooper and Fletch were up top. No he wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IstillhateSteveBould Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 2 things hampered us at the start of last season. 1. The FF incident. Meant our best player wasn't firing. 2. Loovens injury not only meant we were missing our captain, but we couldn't field our best CB pairing and as a result, missed Hutch in midfield. It really is as simple as that. You can pinpoint the turning point of our season. It's so obvious if you look at the results and lineups. Fulham away in November. That was the first time we managed to field that trio of Lees/Loovens (as captain) and Hutch sat infront. We conceded a late equaliser but played well and should have won. A few days later Carlos told us FF was back to his best in training. No coincidence that we suddenly starting showing automatic promotion form. Won 10 of our next 15 games. If we can avoid those things this season, or at least sign adequate cover for CDM and CB, we'll be up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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