Strength of the squad

[Philb125]

26 minutes ago, gurujuan said:

Unfortunately, if the rumours are to be believed, we won’t know our squad strength until the end of the window 

Think that Jos will stick with the system we have been using, and probably hopes that we WILL be active in the transfer market Why else would we play a system that requires the type of players we are desperately short of? Numbers wise, the strength of the squad is in the midfield area

Think it depends if Jos, a well seasoned professional agrees with us fans. 

 

He may deem the players we have perfectly adequate. As with the Hunt interview where he says it’s a position we have cover. 

 

It may be players you / I / we don’t rate but he does. 

 

May be youngsters coming through. 

 

May be players we dont expect to play in certain roles. 

 

I know one thing, he’s got my vote of confidence! 

[Lichfield alien]

11 hours ago, S36 OWL said:

We still badly lack pace and power .

For about the 10th season the spin 

[Philb125]

1 minute ago, Lichfield alien said:

For about the 10th season the spin 

Yet two of last three seasons we finished top six. Amazing really what slow weak players can achieve. 

[pazowl55]

Don't get all this must have pace or we can't achieve nothing nonsense.

 

We had loads of pace in the Antonio and JJ days. Didn't do us much good did it.

[gurujuan]

11 minutes ago, Philb125 said:

Think it depends if Jos, a well seasoned professional agrees with us fans. 

 

He may deem the players we have perfectly adequate. As with the Hunt interview where he says it’s a position we have cover. 

 

It may be players you / I / we don’t rate but he does. 

 

May be youngsters coming through. 

 

May be players we dont expect to play in certain roles. 

 

I know one thing, he’s got my vote of confidence! 

I would have to agree, if his stated aim of just wanting to finish higher than where we finished last time around, then yes, we certainly have the players to do that 

It’s also true that we could see youngsters emerging from the pack He has already identified young Hunt, as someone who has a real future None of the players who have subsequently left, either out of necessity, or by design, really weaken us 

More could leave, but of those who’ve been linked with moves away, again it wouldn’t weaken us, in my opinion anyway

[Philb125]

13 minutes ago, pazowl55 said:

Don't get all this must have pace or we can't achieve nothing nonsense.

 

We had loads of pace in the Antonio and JJ days. Didn't do us much good did it.

We’ve not got slower since finishing 4th or 6th. I think it’s just buzz word bingo! We need pace, we need power.... I’m sure they’re both great attributes but you can be successful without them too. 

 

Like you say some very ordinary players that have power and pace and some quite sensational players that don’t appear to have either. 

 

I’d like to hope any coach that knows anything about football is able to play to the squads strengths and look to exploit other squads weaknesses. We seem to live in a world where you buy the answer and import missing attributes rather than designing a strategy to maximize your qualities and coaching to enhance weaknesses. 

[pazowl55]

12 minutes ago, Philb125 said:

We’ve not got slower since finishing 4th or 6th. I think it’s just buzz word bingo! We need pace, we need power.... I’m sure they’re both great attributes but you can be successful without them too. 

 

Like you say some very ordinary players that have power and pace and some quite sensational players that don’t appear to have either. 

 

I’d like to hope any coach that knows anything about football is able to play to the squads strengths and look to exploit other squads weaknesses. We seem to live in a world where you buy the answer and import missing attributes rather than designing a strategy to maximize your qualities and coaching to enhance weaknesses. 

To me it looks like Jos has his way to play. 3 at the back. And he will make the players fit into that rather then the other way round.

[devonshire_owl]

1 hour ago, dani_armo said:

It's worrying that it's a weaker side than the last few years yet people are still paying top dollar for everything. 

How is it weaker? Jack Hunt, Glenn Loovens and Ross Wallace gone. Two of which were past it. 

 

With the returning players from injury, and Jos' clear desire to look after players fitness, I think we are at our strongest since 2015/16.

[pgmetcalf]

I reckon Hutch is the strongest squad player 

[beloved_aunt]

 

12 hours ago, S36 OWL said:

 

This my worry. we have seen it time and time again in last few seasons , none more so than the play off final where Hull`s midfield steam rollered us . Its ok having the Fessi`s and Bannans ,but you need some muscle in there too ,and some pace to break at speed. We are so pedestrian where we go forward.  

 

A front three of Matias - Joao - Forestieri would hardly be slow. 

[theowlsman]

We've got a tremendous squad of players. Seriously good for a Championship promotion campaign.

 

Need to be fit, organised, focused, and determined to succeed though. Hopefully Jos gets them ready and raring to go.

 

Carlos managed the squad poorly on the whole, failing to understand his best team, formation, or to keep players focused and motivated.

 

Much more confident of a better campaign this time around.

Edited July 19, 2018 by theowlsman

[beloved_aunt]

46 minutes ago, pazowl55 said:

To me it looks like Jos has his way to play. 3 at the back. And he will make the players fit into that rather then the other way round.

 

He's a pragmatist.  He inherited an unblanced squad with lots of players who want to play centrally and with a shaky defence and has correctly determined that a back three covers for defensive deficiencies and allows more players to be in their natural positions. Good management really. 

[beloved_aunt]

Just now, theowlsman said:

Carlos managed the squad poorly on the whole, failing to understand his best team, formation, or to keep players focused and motivated.

 

Was so frustrating that most of the fan base had clearly been crying out for us to switch to a 3-5-2 throughout the first half of last season as it was obviously the best formation for the squad we had at our disposal and he refused to try it even once.  Then went to Swansea and started playing 3-5-2 every week! 

[S36 OWL]

2 hours ago, dani_armo said:

It's worrying that it's a weaker side than the last few years yet people are still paying top dollar for everything. 

 

We are paying for our poor recruitment policy of the last two years. Big contracts and massive wages handed out to injury prone old players. This reckless spending has now caught up with us . I don't see anything changing until these contracts have run down . 

[Blatter]

12 hours ago, brando said:

big time,we will be overrun again and again ,as last season unless some battlers are brought in

Not necessarily. If you were at the last games of last season, especially the Norwich game our opponents struggled big time with the pace of Joao and Forestieri and dare I say it Matias. Nuhiu was a powerful presence and with Hutchinson we don’t lack  muscularity.

Just keep em fit.

 

[gurujuan]

2 minutes ago, S36 OWL said:

 

We are paying for our poor recruitment policy of the last two years. Big contracts and massive wages handed out to injury prone old players. This reckless spending has now caught up with us . I don't see anything changing until these contracts have run down . 

Too right, although I’m still optimistic that we’ll bring In a couple loanees before the season starts

[striker]

It's a comfortable mid table squad, defensively too weak and lacking creativity from wide areas  to compete for promotion.

 

[owls maniac]

2 hours ago, dani_armo said:

It's worrying that it's a weaker side than the last few years yet people are still paying top dollar for everything. 

We’re paying top dollar to keep the likes of Fessi and Bannan here. They will still be on big money. Ultimately we are picking up the tab for the last two year splurge. 

[Philb125]

1 minute ago, owls maniac said:

We’re paying top dollar to keep the likes of Fessi and Bannan here. They will still be on big money. Ultimately we are picking up the tab for the last two year splurge. 

I do wonder if some of our fans would prefer we asset strip back by selling Westwood, Lees, Bannan, Lee, Hooper, Jaoa, Fessi.... put kids in and half ticket costs. 

 

Our squad is vast and expensive, despite many opinions here as proved by Hunt and Rhodes departure many are salable assets. If we sold the above we’d probably have a net profit season, be relegated maybe but have low cost tickets and a few happy fans! 

[owls maniac]

9 minutes ago, Philb125 said:

I do wonder if some of our fans would prefer we asset strip back by selling Westwood, Lees, Bannan, Lee, Hooper, Jaoa, Fessi.... put kids in and half ticket costs. 

 

Our squad is vast and expensive, despite many opinions here as proved by Hunt and Rhodes departure many are salable assets. If we sold the above we’d probably have a net profit season, be relegated maybe but have low cost tickets and a few happy fans! 

Spot on. I appreciate the argument that the likes of Huddersfield had cheap tickets and went up- but they still recorded a loss of £11m. However, unlike us they won the gamble. 

 

Our wage budget this year, and the quality of the players, will still be in the upper echelons for this division. That has to be funded somehow and I expect DC will be picking up the lionshare of the bill. 

Edited July 19, 2018 by owls maniac