Are our players useless?

[areNOTwhatTHEYseem]

We're less than the sum of our parts because the parts were assembled with no coherent plan or system in place.

 

In defence, we have some decent centre-backs, but some suit a two whilst others suit a three. We have Palmer and Odubajo as right-backs, and no recognised left-back to speak of...so van Aken gets a game there because he's left-footed.

 

Bannan remains our most naturally talented midfielder, but he no longer has the teammates around him to help him excel as we had in Carvalhal's first couple of seasons, so he struggles to impose himself on the game quite often these days. Luongo is our best defensive midfielder, but as soon as he's injured, we have to turn to Pelupessy, who offers only a fraction of his skillset. Brown is a good player, but I'm not sure where he fits alongside the others.

 

Out wide (assuming we're playing with wide midfielders again now), we have Reach, who's been shifted all over the pitch in recent years and has suffered as a result, and Harris, who offers pace and commitment, but no real quality. If either of them are out, then we have to move a full-back forwards or give Kachunga a run out on the flank.

 

Up front, we appear to need a target-man, but only have Paterson who fits the mould, and even then it's a pretty loose fit - he has some attributes, but he's no Fletcher with his back to goal, is he? Beyond that, we have Windass, who seems more of an attacking midfielder / number 10, and Rhodes, who looks like he belongs in another team entirely much of the time, but we have to ask him to run around and close down opposition defenders as there's nobody else to throw on up there.

 

In a nutshell: we have a Frankenstein's monster of a squad, made up of the dying embers of a once-strong team and topped up with cheap signings and loan players, none of whom seem to fit into a coherent whole.

 

How some of our fans ever thought we might be challenging for the top six this season, I have no idea!

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by areNOTwhatTHEYseem

[meggoisgod]

Very poor players, no leaders, no strength and no game plan

 

But it's ok as they keep telling us their is lots of quality in the squad

 

Borner and lluongo need to be the spine..the rest meh

[McRightSide]

We have some decent players, mostly average ones and some they are well off the pace

 

Our squad has terrible balance to it. Monk was obviously working with sensible financial restrictions but to leave the squad in this state is pitiful. He picked a formation and recruited against it. No thought given to what else we might need.

 

Not sure if any other team in the league has zero.capable left backs.

 

Given the weakness of the squad I kind of feel like Pulis is probably the best kind of manager for us this season. 
 

Sadly today, I actually think we’d have got at least a point if we hadn’t been a man down for most of the game.

[@owlstalk]

Just now, Lawrie’s Left Peg said:

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”

 

 

I think Reach had a great spell at one point didn't he - smashing goals in from fifty miles out and whipping in amazing crosses from the left

Rhodes - never has kicked on

Moses - I don't understand what he is what he does, or why he's here

Luongo - Was very up and down until his last run of really amazing performances. Before that he was a bit 'meh' and frustrating to watch

 

Brown - No point getting excited by him. he's the latest Hutchinson. He'll have a good game or two then be out for eight weeks - we can't put together a squad based on that kind of record

 

FDB - Still needs to show what he can do. We get glimpses but then nothing

 

That's my take on it - my own personal thoughts - I might be 100% totally completely wrong but its what I see and how I personally call it

[matthefish2002]

Our squad in lower mid table.

Add to that we have not got hardly any goal threat.

Pulis is a decent manager but you cant polish a turd.

Staying up is a decent season with these players.

[meggoisgod]

Just now, McRightSide said:

We have some decent players, mostly average ones and some they are well off the pace

 

Our squad has terrible balance to it. Monk was obviously working with sensible financial restrictions but to leave the squad in this state is pitiful. He picked a formation and recruited against it. No thought given to what else we might need.

 

Not sure if any other team in the league has zero.capable left backs.

 

Given the weakness of the squad I kind of feel like Pulis is probably the best kind of manager for us this season. 
 

Sadly today, I actually think we’d have got at least a point if we hadn’t been a man down for most of the game.

To be fair weve not had a decent left back since Pudils first season

[legendaryswan]

5 minutes ago, Weshallovercome said:

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

That lot will really struggle in league one,theres some decent sides and players in that division and we cant score goals,which wont change a division below

[mcmigo]

I said at the start of the season , our issues are relatively simple.

 

We play defensive football but have defenders and goalkeepers who make mistakes. Mistakes happen for lots of reasons, but our defence plays on a knife edge due to the fact one goal conceded is usually a killer as we can’t score.

 

Our goalscoring is hindered by terrible set play attacking, and no pace.  
 

we could improve by finding a couple of cheap but quick footballers, like Helan and JJ were, to help us. We could improve by getting much better at set plays.

 

 

 

 

[TheEnchanter]

The goalscoring and striker position is most worrying for me. When we went down in 2010 we at least had Tudgay. He was a very decent striker and play maker and was in good form. Put him in this side and I'd feel better. Windass, Paterson, Rhodes and Kahcunga are all so anonymous. It's quite scary. 

[Lawrie’s Left Peg]

10 minutes ago, LondonOwl313 said:

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

Thanks. This makes sense to me as none of the strikers we signed were prolific or first choice at their previous clubs except Rhodes who it can be argued was already in decline. Marriots recent record at Peterborough and Derby suggests we should’ve expected more

[Jim]

2 minutes ago, Lawrie’s Left Peg said:

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”

 

We’ve never played to Rhodes’ strengths. Reach is overrated IMO. Odubajo has been an awful signing and Luongo as good as he is, hasn’t been available enough.

 

I don’t think the environment is right for FDB at the moment and Brown is just injury prone.

 

In truth there is not a lot for Pulis to work with at the moment but I have confidence in him to make us more effective before long.

[Morepork]

1 minute ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

We're less than the sum of our parts because the parts were assembled with no coherent plan or system in place.

 

In defence, we have some decent centre-backs, but some suit a two whilst others suit a three. We have Palmer and Odubajo as right-backs, and no recognised left-back to speak of...so van Aken gets a game there because he's left-footed.

 

Bannan remains our most naturally talented midfielder, but he no longer has the teammates around him to help him excel as we had in Carvalhal's first couple of seasons, so he struggles to impose himself on the game quite often these days. Luongo is our best defensive midfielder, but as soon as he's injured, we have to turn to Pelupessy, who offers only a fraction of his skillset. Brown is a good player, but I'm not sure where he fits alongside the others.

 

Out wide (assuming we're playing with wide midfielders again now), we have Reach, who's been shifted all over the pitch in recent years and has suffered as a result, and Harris, who offers pace and commitment, but no real quality. If either of them are out, then we have to move a full-back forwards or give Kachunga a run out on the flank.

 

Up front, we appear to need a target-man, but only have Paterson who fits the mould, and even then it's a pretty loose fit - he has some attributes, but he's no Fletcher with his back to goal, is he? Beyond that, we have Windass, who seems more of an attacking midfielder / number 10, and Rhodes, who looks like he belongs in another team entirely much of the time, but we have to ask him to run around and close down opposition defenders as there's nobody else to throw on up there.

 

In a nutshell: we have a Frankenstein's monster of a squad, made up of the dying embers of a once-strong team and topped up with cheap signings and loan players, none of whom seem to fit into a coherent system.

 

6 Paragraphs that concisely sum up our squad status.

 

I'd be amazed if the new manager had not already reached this conclusion before he pulled up in the Hillsborough car park.

[McRightSide]

2 minutes ago, meggoisgod said:

To be fair weve not had a decent left back since Pudils first season

Fox was decent enough

[Kopparberg]

We’re playing against some average players in this league and still come off second best. 

[meggoisgod]

Just now, McRightSide said:

Fox was decent enough

Reyt

[ANDY]

It says it all when we think that if we’d kept big Dave...... he’d be our best player... by a country mile.  

[davetherivelinowl]

16 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.

 

[morganowl]

11 minutes ago, WhiteOwl91 said:

Christ I wish we’d kept Fletcher. 

which fletcher? gary taylor? . remember steven fletcher came off after 2 mins thats the kind of player we dont want. 

[@owlstalk]

Just now, ANDY said:

It says it all when we think that if we’d kept big Dave...... he’d be our best player... by a country mile.  

 

 

He actually would

[TheEnchanter]

Would people rather have Rhodes, Paterson, Windass, Kachunga or Tudgay, Varney, Clarke, Jeffers who achieved 26 goals between them in 2009/10 relegation season. Because I don't see the ones we currently have managing to get 23 more goals on top of the 3 they already have.