I still think we are weaker than last season

[elyowl1]

Compared to this point in time last season we are far stronger, expecting a few more signings to come in and fill out the squad. 

By the close of the transfer window I've no doubt the team we put out will be equally as strong as the one that finished last season. 

[Owlabroad2001]

I’ve been thinking about this thread for a couple of days so I thought I’d analyze.

 

Goalkeepers

 

BPF    Out.                  Stockdale IN

Wildsmith Out.         Dawson IN Loan return 

 

On the face of it we appear weaker but actually I don’t think we are. Wildsmith is extremely poor and by all accounts Dawson had a great season at Exeter last year so seems to have improved. As much as I liked BPF, he was prone to errors. On the other hand, Stockdale was officially the best goalkeeper statistically in the division.

 

RWB

 

None IN.                   Mendez-Laing.     Out

 

NML is a loss but he was still only second fiddle to Jack Hunt so not major at all.

 

LWB

 

James IN.                  Shodipo.      Out

 

Much stronger in this position. We actually have a player who knows Moore and can challenge Johnson for the position. Good business 

 

CB

 

Ihiekwe.    IN.              Hutch.  Out 

Heneghan IN.              Dunkley Out

Famewo.   IN.              Gibson.  Out

                                       Dean.   Out

                                       Storey.    Out

 

While we definitely have less players in this position, are we actually worse off? Heneghan has better stats than Dunkley and Ihiekwe had a miles better season than 32 year old Hutch and was named in team of the season. Famewo has more experience than Gibson and is physically miles bigger and stronger. Yes, Dean’s experience is a loss but Storey went off the boil in the last ten games and was overrated anyway.

 

Midfield

 

Vaulks.     In.                Luongo. Out

A. Hunt.  Loan return

 

I love Mass. Great player but massively injury prone. Vaulks has done it constantly at a higher level. Probably has more in his locker too.

 

Strikers

 

Smith.    In.                   Kamberi.     Out

                                        Berahino.   Out

                                         TJJ.           Out

 

In numbers we are worse off but Smith scored more than all those three put together. Could do with another but not overly worried.

 

Therfore:

 

Keeper: Improved slightly

Wing backs: Improved slightly 

CB: Slightly Worse (mainly due to a lack of numbers)

Midfield: Similar 

Strikers: Improved 

 

When looking at this I think it’s clear that we HAVE improved the squad. One more centre back and striker and we will be miles stronger than last season.

[RUMBELOWS91]

1 hour ago, Owlabroad2001 said:

I’ve been thinking about this thread for a couple of days so I thought I’d analyze.

 

Goalkeepers

 

BPF    Out.                  Stockdale IN

Wildsmith Out.         Dawson IN Loan return 

 

On the face of it we appear weaker but actually I don’t think we are. Wildsmith is extremely poor and by all accounts Dawson had a great season at Exeter last year so seems to have improved. As much as I liked BPF, he was prone to errors. On the other hand, Stockdale was officially the best goalkeeper statistically in the division.

 

RWB

 

None IN.                   Mendez-Laing.     Out

 

NML is a loss but he was still only second fiddle to Jack Hunt so not major at all.

 

LWB

 

James IN.                  Shodipo.      Out

 

Much stronger in this position. We actually have a player who knows Moore and can challenge Johnson for the position. Good business 

 

CB

 

Ihiekwe.    IN.              Hutch.  Out 

Heneghan IN.              Dunkley Out

Famewo.   IN.              Gibson.  Out

                                       Dean.   Out

                                       Storey.    Out

 

While we definitely have less players in this position, are we actually worse off? Heneghan has better stats than Dunkley and Ihiekwe had a miles better season than 32 year old Hutch and was named in team of the season. Famewo has more experience than Gibson and is physically miles bigger and stronger. Yes, Dean’s experience is a loss but Storey went off the boil in the last ten games and was overrated anyway.

 

Midfield

 

Vaulks.     In.                Luongo. Out

A. Hunt.  Loan return

 

I love Mass. Great player but massively injury prone. Vaulks has done it constantly at a higher level. Probably has more in his locker too.

 

Strikers

 

Smith.    In.                   Kamberi.     Out

                                        Berahino.   Out

                                         TJJ.           Out

 

In numbers we are worse off but Smith scored more than all those three put together. Could do with another but not overly worried.

 

Therfore:

 

Keeper: Improved slightly

Wing backs: Improved slightly 

CB: Slightly Worse (mainly due to a lack of numbers)

Midfield: Similar 

Strikers: Improved 

 

When looking at this I think it’s clear that we HAVE improved the squad. One more centre back and striker and we will be miles stronger than last season.

hmmm, not sure I agree with this.

 

GK - BPF was a great shot stopper and had good handling- just made a few poor decisions that stood out.

 

Stockdale is nearly 37. That's old - even for a GK. I hope he has a decent season left in him.

 

Don't know enough about the ones we've brought in, but Hutch, Storey and Gibson were all very good for this level. They'll take some replacing.

 

Does James improves the first XI? Doubt he is in front of Johnson who was one of our better players last season.

 

Midfield- when fit Luongo was superb last season. Vaulks will do well to improve us there - maybe he can add something Luongo didn't have?

 

Up front, our best form coincided with Berahino playing well and having a run in the side, linking the play well and chipping in with goals. Smith is a different kind of player entirely- I just hope that works for us.

 

Jury is out for me.

 

[Ethel The Tree]

24 minutes ago, RUMBELOWS91 said:

Jury is out for me.

 

Jury hasn't been presented with all the evidence yet   

 

I think we'll all be in a better position to assess this current squad when we're about 12 games into the new season

And even then, things can change dramatically given form, injuries etc

I feel more optimistic than I did this time last year so maybe that's affecting my judgement

[Bluesteel.]

The issue when looking at that list of cbs that have left is that most of them had injuries last season and it is that which cost us. It also includes those brought in during the January window so I suspect we don’t need to replace like for like numbers wise unless we have another injury crisis.

 

the GK situation depends on how Dawson performs, if he reverts to his former self then whilst he will be ok in league one we have an issue for the future to address.

 

The biggest loss is Luongo and I think it’s gone under the radar with Vaulks coming in but he was the lynch pin for any good form in the last 3 seasons. We couldn’t rely on him forever and he looked a bit tired but we will miss him unless someone like Adeniran steps up consistently.

[JOCOWl]

1 hour ago, RUMBELOWS91 said:

hmmm, not sure I agree with this.

 

GK - BPF was a great shot stopper and had good handling- just made a few poor decisions that stood out.

 

Stockdale is nearly 37. That's old - even for a GK. I hope he has a decent season left in him.

 

Don't know enough about the ones we've brought in, but Hutch, Storey and Gibson were all very good for this level. They'll take some replacing.

 

Does James improves the first XI? Doubt he is in front of Johnson who was one of our better players last season.

 

Midfield- when fit Luongo was superb last season. Vaulks will do well to improve us there - maybe he can add something Luongo didn't have?

 

Up front, our best form coincided with Berahino playing well and having a run in the side, linking the play well and chipping in with goals. Smith is a different kind of player entirely- I just hope that works for us.

 

Jury is out for me.

 

I'm with you on this... Not as optimistic as most, but let's hope we're wrong and we smash it! 

[Owlabroad2001]

3 hours ago, RUMBELOWS91 said:

hmmm, not sure I agree with this.

 

GK - BPF was a great shot stopper and had good handling- just made a few poor decisions that stood out.

 

Stockdale is nearly 37. That's old - even for a GK. I hope he has a decent season left in him.

 

Don't know enough about the ones we've brought in, but Hutch, Storey and Gibson were all very good for this level. They'll take some replacing.

 

Does James improves the first XI? Doubt he is in front of Johnson who was one of our better players last season.

 

Midfield- when fit Luongo was superb last season. Vaulks will do well to improve us there - maybe he can add something Luongo didn't have?

 

Up front, our best form coincided with Berahino playing well and having a run in the side, linking the play well and chipping in with goals. Smith is a different kind of player entirely- I just hope that works for us.

 

Jury is out for me.

 

You do make some decent points. I do believe if we can add an experienced centre back (Dean) and a quick striker (Wilks) then I will be proved right.

[Big Jack]

Cant see where we are weaker.

Only Luongo left who is a decent player but we cant really afford to rely on players who will highly likely to spend half the season injured.

 

[Barnsleyowl1996]

We are slightly better off imo . If we can just get 2/3 more in who are good quality with pace then I’m happy and confident we have a top 2 side

[Tamworthowl]

8 hours ago, Owlabroad2001 said:

I’ve been thinking about this thread for a couple of days so I thought I’d analyze.

 

Goalkeepers

 

BPF    Out.                  Stockdale IN

Wildsmith Out.         Dawson IN Loan return 

 

On the face of it we appear weaker but actually I don’t think we are. Wildsmith is extremely poor and by all accounts Dawson had a great season at Exeter last year so seems to have improved. As much as I liked BPF, he was prone to errors. On the other hand, Stockdale was officially the best goalkeeper statistically in the division.

 

RWB

 

None IN.                   Mendez-Laing.     Out

 

NML is a loss but he was still only second fiddle to Jack Hunt so not major at all.

 

LWB

 

James IN.                  Shodipo.      Out

 

Much stronger in this position. We actually have a player who knows Moore and can challenge Johnson for the position. Good business 

 

CB

 

Ihiekwe.    IN.              Hutch.  Out 

Heneghan IN.              Dunkley Out

Famewo.   IN.              Gibson.  Out

                                       Dean.   Out

                                       Storey.    Out

 

While we definitely have less players in this position, are we actually worse off? Heneghan has better stats than Dunkley and Ihiekwe had a miles better season than 32 year old Hutch and was named in team of the season. Famewo has more experience than Gibson and is physically miles bigger and stronger. Yes, Dean’s experience is a loss but Storey went off the boil in the last ten games and was overrated anyway.

 

Midfield

 

Vaulks.     In.                Luongo. Out

A. Hunt.  Loan return

 

I love Mass. Great player but massively injury prone. Vaulks has done it constantly at a higher level. Probably has more in his locker too.

 

Strikers

 

Smith.    In.                   Kamberi.     Out

                                        Berahino.   Out

                                         TJJ.           Out

 

In numbers we are worse off but Smith scored more than all those three put together. Could do with another but not overly worried.

 

Therfore:

 

Keeper: Improved slightly

Wing backs: Improved slightly 

CB: Slightly Worse (mainly due to a lack of numbers)

Midfield: Similar 

Strikers: Improved 

 

When looking at this I think it’s clear that we HAVE improved the squad. One more centre back and striker and we will be miles stronger than last season.

You’ve missed out the departure of Brennan.

So purely on numbers, we are three down in centre defence and two up top.
 

But some of those arrived in January. Compared to the start (or just after) of last season we need another defender (Dean?) and another forward (Wilks?). Get those two additions sorted, then we’ll have enough for various formations. Any more signing will create the squad depth for Plans C and D.

[Bigblueowl]

Ffs. 

[Owlabroad2001]

13 hours ago, Tamworthowl said:

You’ve missed out the departure of Brennan.

So purely on numbers, we are three down in centre defence and two up top.
 

But some of those arrived in January. Compared to the start (or just after) of last season we need another defender (Dean?) and another forward (Wilks?). Get those two additions sorted, then we’ll have enough for various formations. Any more signing will create the squad depth for Plans C and D.

Good point about Brennan.

[Steelman]

Not that impressed at all so far. Smith is only a decent signing if we play to his strengths, but with our long history of ruining strikers I won't hold my breath. Fear that he's going to be another Winnall or Rhodes. 

 

Also, too many in their 30s, when what we need are young hungry players that want to develop and can actually stay fit for 30+ games per season. We haven't signed any like that atm.

 

However, I'll wait and see. If the next 2 or three are decent young prospects that are ready to go straight into the side it will be a decent summer of transfers.

[Ethel The Tree]

On 08/07/2022 at 11:13, Nero said:

75 mins gone. 1 nil down.

Who do we bring on to change the game?

 

We're talking Plan B here, and we don't necessarily have to wait until the last 15mins to implement it

 

Who do we bring on?  A winger

Preferably on the right with a full back behind him - Palmer?

 

Last season it would have been NML, who struggled to make the start XI anyway

This season I would go for FDB, only first he'd have to learn the position on the training pitch

 

He's played most of his 45 apps (25 starts) in central midfield but I happen to think his greatest strength is with the ball

at his feet and running at, past or through defenders

Isn't that what NML does?  Take on the full back and either cut into the box or get to the goal line and cut it back?

I reckon FDB is made for that role - as long as he understands what's expected of him

 

He's wasted in midfield - getting a foot in, playing a short pass or giving the ball to Baz

He might break through himself occasionally but one solitary goal in those 45 apps suggests he might do better elsewhere

 

Of course, I have to wonder why no-one on our coaching staff has thought of this?   

 

[Nero]

26 minutes ago, Ethel The Tree said:

 

We're talking Plan B here, and we don't necessarily have to wait until the last 15mins to implement it

 

Who do we bring on?  A winger

Preferably on the right with a full back behind him - Palmer?

 

Last season it would have been NML, who struggled to make the start XI anyway

This season I would go for FDB, only first he'd have to learn the position on the training pitch

 

He's played most of his 45 apps (25 starts) in central midfield but I happen to think his greatest strength is with the ball

at his feet and running at, past or through defenders

Isn't that what NML does?  Take on the full back and either cut into the box or get to the goal line and cut it back?

I reckon FDB is made for that role - as long as he understands what's expected of him

 

He's wasted in midfield - getting a foot in, playing a short pass or giving the ball to Baz

He might break through himself occasionally but one solitary goal in those 45 apps suggests he might do better elsewhere

 

Of course, I have to wonder why no-one on our coaching staff has thought of this?   

 

I would be happy to see FDB out wide, as Dennis was played too. It helps younger players as there is less responsibility. But I think it would be a defensive rather than attacking option. I dont think I have ever seen him cross a ball - and doing it on the run is a real skill. So 1 nil up - its a yes but I still think that we haven't yet added the quality in wide areas or even as Elliot might provide from central to panic a team who are beating us. 

[We are all Wednesday]

On 07/07/2022 at 19:46, paulrs said:

It’s true that in the sum total of the season, Corbeanu, Shodipo and Kamberi plus NML and Sow, contributed very little. 

Don‘t think you can put Corbeanu and NML in that category - without them I think it would have been touch and go if we made the play-offs. Short memories that don‘t remember that they provided a sizeable extra spark between them.

[victorturner]

On 09/07/2022 at 13:33, OwlsfaninNorway said:

No sh!t Sherlock. We've lost is it 6 of our own players and 7 loanees since last season and only recruited about half so far. Still a lot that can be done before the window closes.

I was astonished (to have someone point out to me) that Yorkshire Live say 14 players have left. I think we can disregard all the hopes that we were building on last year’s near success. It looks like a fresh start with probably lower average wages  for the recruits except the the two Rotherham guys and Vaulks who presumably are well paid.