Are our players useless?

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

This is not a wind up. I’m genuinely interested in peoples honest and considered opinions on our players. 

 

Of our current squad, many came here with good or very good reputations at this level, having achieved good things at their previous clubs. Some were exciting additions

 

When you assess our squad against those in the bottom half of the table do you genuinely see us at a disadvantage? 

 

Have we signed players in decline?  Is it that players struggle at a club with our history, fan-base and expectations? Are we seen as a place to earn “easy money”? 

 

My honest opinion is we are less than the sum of our parts and should be doing better. What do you think?

[@owlstalk]

My honest opinion that I've said and repeated since this squad was put together is that this is the weakest squad we've ever assembled in the Championship, and that in years to come we'll look back affectionately on it as so, and laugh at the players we once signed this season.

It's on a par with the days of Gary Taylor Fletcher and Co.

And I'm not being emotional or exaggerating

It really is that bad

On paper, on the pitch, and on the results we've got as a result of assembling these people as our squad

That's not Garry Monk's fault either by the way.

Nor is it a case of bring a new manager, kick them up the backside and stride on - that simply won't happen either.

What we are seeing is a direct result of what we did with FFP etc - meaning we can't splash out and bring quality in

We're relying on hand me downs, clothes with holes in them, shoes with no soles, and defenders with one leg.

[Blue and white]

Just now, Lawrie’s Left Peg said:

This is not a wind up. I’m genuinely interested in peoples honest and considered opinions on our players. 

 

Of our current squad, many came here with good or very good reputations at this level, having achieved good things at their previous clubs. Some were exciting additions

 

When you assess our squad against those in the bottom half of the table do you genuinely see us at a disadvantage? 

 

Have we signed players in decline?  Is it that players struggle at a club with our history, fan-base and expectations? Are we seen as a place to earn “easy money”? 

 

My honest opinion is we are less than the sum of our parts and should be doing better. What do you think?

Our players are poor and a golden chance to rebuild the squad went begging at the end of last season.

We are at least 2 seasons away from the play offs but I still believe Pulis is the right man to change our fortunes.

[Guest LondonOwl313]

No they aren’t but our strikers are.. if we added Fletcher, Hooper and João to this squad and without the points deduction I’d say top 10. Can’t judge that much on today because the red card killed the game

[daleblue]

They'd all make better door stop's, 

err, apart from im in goal.

 

[northeastowl]

Yeah the majority of them are useless. 
 

We’ve literally got no “very good” players. 
 

Lees looked good when he had a solid team around him. 
 

Bannan looks good when things are going our way and we’ve got the ball all the time, under Pulis he will be a passenger. 
 

Iorfa can have good games but his pace makes him look better than he is. 
 

No one else worth talking about I don’t think. 

[WhiteOwl91]

1 minute ago, @owlstalk said:

My honest opinion that I've said and repeated since this squad was put together is that this is the weakest squad we've ever assembled in the Championship, and that in years to come we'll look back affectionately on it as so, and laugh at the players we once signed this season.

It's on a par with the days of Gary Taylor Fletcher and Co.

And I'm not being emotional or exaggerating

It really is that bad

On paper, on the pitch, and on the results we've got as a result of assembling these people as our squad

That's not Garry Monk's fault either by the way.

What we are seeing is a direct result of what we did with FFP etc - meaning we can't splash out and bring quality in

We're relying on hand me downs, clothes with holes in them, shoes with no soles, and defenders with one leg.

As much as I’ve battled on the Westwood front with you and will continue to do so no doubt, this is absolutely bang on. 
 

We’re gonna have a rough year or two, but we will get through it.

[TheEnchanter]

I expect us to be anonymous and poo in at least 10-15 games in the Championship. Most teams outside the top 6 are. It's a league where basically you can be poo in 1/3rd or more of your games and still be in with a shout of the play offs. However we struggle to play well, put our authority across, dictate tempo, scare the opposition with pressure for about 75% of our games. Some of which we still do win. As is the nature of the Championship. 

 

In short, our players quite often don't play well. But even saying that we should still be good enough to stay up. It's such a depressing league at present and without fans...it's turgid. 

[Weshallovercome]

I thought we recruited for L1 in mind, which could be 'fortunate' come the end of the season.

[WhiteOwl91]

Christ I wish we’d kept Fletcher. 

[@owlstalk]

Just now, WhiteOwl91 said:

As much as I’ve battled on the Westwood front with you and will continue to do so no doubt, this is absolutely bang on. 
 

We’re gonna have a rough year or two, but we will get through it.

 

 

Eventually - so long as we get our house in order, stop with the 'tricks' to get round the rules (whether we agree with them or not) 

 

(and of course get a decent keeper to replace the homes under the hammer old gimmer that we've got in our goal at the moment)

 

 

[@owlstalk]

1 minute ago, WhiteOwl91 said:

Christ I wish we’d kept Fletcher. 

We could have

He scarpered as fast as he could

[Deepcar_lights]

That cap today.

 

Horrorshow. And quite a fitting and symbolic image. 

 

Mind blown. 

[WhiteOwl91]

1 minute ago, @owlstalk said:

We could have

He scarpered as fast as he could

And I certainly don’t blame him! Obviously saw what was around the corner, or rather right in front of his nose!

[BRADDO]

This squad is very poor.  Many need moving on in January but half of them have just been signed in the summer. It won't be easy to turn this mess around. 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

5 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

My honest opinion that I've said and repeated since this squad was put together is that this is the weakest squad we've ever assembled in the Championship, and that in years to come we'll look back affectionately on it as so, and laugh at the players we once signed this season.

It's on a par with the days of Gary Taylor Fletcher and Co.

And I'm not being emotional or exaggerating

It really is that bad

On paper, on the pitch, and on the results we've got as a result of assembling these people as our squad

That's not Garry Monk's fault either by the way.

Nor is it a case of bring a new manager, kick them up the backside and stride on - that simply won't happen either.

What we are seeing is a direct result of what we did with FFP etc - meaning we can't splash out and bring quality in

We're relying on hand me downs, clothes with holes in them, shoes with no soles, and defenders with one leg.

Do you think we have got the best out of Reach, Rhodes, Moses, Luongo? For me they are players who were welcomed by the majority (including myself) but have disappointed. Also interested on your opinion on Brown and FDB given their “football upbringing”

[@owlstalk]

Just now, WhiteOwl91 said:

And I certainly don’t blame him! Obviously saw what was around the corner, or rather right in front of his nose!

 

 

FFP, hearings, point deductions, embargoes, players being banished, no recruitment of quality

I dont' blame him in the slightest for legging it

[TheEnchanter]

2 minutes ago, Weshallovercome said:

I thought we recruited for L1 in mind, which could be 'fortunate' come the end of the season.

 

I didn't think we had. I thought we'd been shrewd and clever with the budget and got rid of the higher earners and created more balance within the squad but lets be honest it's so devoid of confidence or quality. It's just 11 guys that give it a bit of a go but haven't got anywhere near a game plan each week. As soon as we hit a bit of adversity we fold, every time. If we go a goal down. If we get under a bit of pressure. If we get a red card. It's all over and we know it is as fans. They try but they are all on the whole pretty rubbish as a team. I'm sure plenty of them can play at higher levels, with better clubs. Maybe even excel at this level but they all look haggered to me. They look like they haven't gelled. There's no real interplay or linking of defence to midfield or the attack. They just go out and put a shift in. They can't keep the ball. They just lazily hoof it around. They lack discipline. We've had more reds in 6 games than the majority of the Championship teams achieved in 46 last season. 4th bottom will be like reaching the play offs for me. 

[james o connor]

Iorfa and luongo are decent championship players . Borner and lees are showing an upturn in form toward seeing them as  decent championship players . The rest are bottom six championship players or below , Including crap corners , backward passing bannan 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

8 minutes ago, Blue and white said:

Our players are poor and a golden chance to rebuild the squad went begging at the end of last season.

We are at least 2 seasons away from the play offs but I still believe Pulis is the right man to change our fortunes.

I agree that the vast majority of our players are performing poorly but to say that are poor players given what they did for their previous clubs is the mystery to me. Why is it we never seem to improve players ? Instead we seem to make them worse...