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Reply | Hypothetical
at 22:06 14 May 2024
Always play to win. You never know when we’ll need a favour ourselves. That said, nothing wrong with a bit gloating following defeat. |
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Reply | Realistic signings everyone would target?
at 15:30 14 May 2024
Goalkeeper (Walsh and another?)
Left back (Paal/Fox/Larkeche) - Seem ok.
Centre backs (JCS, Cook, Fox, Dunne). We're potentially light here, especially if JCS goes. Think ideally we'd sell JCS and bring in a cheaper alternative to cover and possibly bring in a development option as well to try and improve and make some money).
Right back (Cannon and Dunne). If Cannon can have a decent pre-season, ok options here but dependent on whether Dunne will be forced to fill in at centre back. As 2 right back options, it's not too bad.
Centre mid (Collback, Field, Dixon-B). Need some cover so Hayden would be decent signing as he can cover centre back too and means Dunne will not be required to fill in there. Can try and involve Dixon B a bit more next season as he's got potential.
Attacking wide players (Chair, Willock, Smyth, Kohli, Taylor Richards). Willock likely to go so we definitely need to replace there and I think Taylor Richards is finished with us. Not sure what's happening with Chair but think we need at least 2 attacking players with Kohli spending first half of season on loan with a view to integrating like we did with Eze for the second half of the season.
Strikers (Dykes, Frey, Armstrong). We need at least 1 striker (ideally to replace Dykes whose time is at an end), but that would be on the understanding at least 2 attack minded midfielders that score goals are arriving. I'm not obsessed with out-and-out strikers but that's dependent on at least 2 goalscoring midfielders joining us.
Bare minimum signings if JCS, Dykes and Willock leave: 6 (x1 goalkeeper, x1 defender, 2/3 attacking midfielders, 1/2 striker)
I think the bare minimum of 6 new signings (assuming Dykes, Willock and JCS leave) is required. I'd go for an experienced, cheap option for keeper, with a view to integrating Walsh and giving him his chance next season. Could save us some cash.
Defenders - decent cash for JCS, and I'd replace with a steady performer to play alongside Cook and ideally a long term development option with the extra funds we save.
Centre midfielder: Hayden.
Attacking midfielder: Would get in a decent loan from a premier league club and look to get a permanent in to replace Willock. Ideally it would be a player that can also do a false 9 when required.
Striker: Go big on budget for a replacement for Dykes, Frey and Armstrong being understudies with a possible loan to bolster numbers too.
Now the hard part...finding those players. |
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Reply | Players we should have kept
at 11:40 10 May 2024
Dougie Freedman? I think on the whole, players we've released haven't really come back to haunt us, which is good news. Wanchope obviously a standout but when you look at Millwall and telling Eze he could pack his bags....they're the sort of decisions which give you nightmares for many years. We've not had many of those. [Post edited 10 May 11:41]
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Reply | Dunne to Blackburn
at 21:54 7 May 2024
I was also one of those who couldn't understand the 'impossible to survive' line dished out by a fair few. I like Mari, but he's not the messiah, he's a decent manager whose done an excellent job for us. Ainsworth and before him Critchley, just seem to have made so many think nothing could be achieved with our squad, despite Warbs knocking on the play-offs for much of the season and Beale having us top of the league in October.
Clearly we're not a top 6 side at the moment - some obvious weaknesses in the team and serious lack of depth - but never felt we were one of the worst 3, and think Ainsworth was a major part of the problem. |
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Reply | Ramadan
at 12:36 7 May 2024
My instincts tell me it has to impact on your performance. A physically demanding job, were you're burning so much energy. The need to replenish your fluid levels and stuff, I just can't see how it wouldn't impact on your performance. So many players rehydrate at halftime - various products they take - which is not an option for Chair during Ramadan. In short, I'm not surprised by the upturn in performance post Ramadan. |
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Reply | Kakay Departs
at 17:05 6 May 2024
Right decision but good luck to him. Always committed, and gave it his all. Interested to see if he’ll find a league club, not going to be easy. |
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Reply | Ainsworth 'Titbit' via the Stevenage Forum
at 12:06 6 May 2024
So Les does the honourable thing and resigns, foregoing any severance package, Ainsworth continues taking a wage while taking a break from football… One nicknamed evil and blamed for the mess we’re in while the other seen as inheriting something which nobody could turn around. Marti has showed what can be achieved with this group and the recruitment wasn’t a total failure - Dickie player of year Bristol, JCS one of the standouts for us - both used as evidence last term of how poor Les was and of the poor players Ainsworth had at his disposal.
I can’t blame GA if he’s still taking a wage I just find it interesting how many people love a pile on when it comes to Les but same people struggle to do the same when it comes to statistically one of the worst managers we’ve ever had. |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 22:11 4 May 2024
Hayden has had injury problems which is why he’s not featured as much. I think performance wise, Hayden has made a bigger difference to us. I think Andersen has been the more inconsistent of the 2 from my perspective and I know Andersen is ours now but based on what I’ve seen of the 2, given the option, I’d take Hayden over him.
Should make clear I’m not anti Andersen, I do like him, just think from a very high bar, been a little disappointed with some of his performances but keen to see him after a decent pre-season. |
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Reply | Transfer rumours 2024
at 19:20 4 May 2024
You think Andersen has been a better signing than Hayden?? |
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Reply | Are we capable of going up next season.
at 11:40 1 May 2024
The answer is YES, but will all come down to how successful we are with our recruitment and given the amount of change that needs to happen, and the likely limited budget to do it, it's going to be very hard.
That said, we do have the right manager, we have some players that are good enough, a lot that aren't, so if we can inject some more quality into the team, and add depth to the squad, a top 6 challenge is doable. If you make it into the top 6, anything's possible. |
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Reply | Next season - 4 key players for us to keep
at 13:42 25 Apr 2024
Good post.
JCS I'm not sure on. Ordinarily, 2 years with us, showing what he can do, great time to sell at the end of that, but last season he was basically injured the whole time and this is the first full year we've had with him. With reasonable chances of getting some cash as part of the Eze deal, possibly getting something for Chair (court proceedings dependent) and Dykes fetching something, plus releasing a lot of players, we may not be in a situation where we need to sell JCS and we should have some funds to rebuild and JCS and Cook could form a key spine for us next season. That said, everyone has a price so if we were offered really good money, we should definitely deal, but I just think he won't regress like a Dickie did because playing wise, it's still early days in terms of games played and he'll still be marketable at the end of next season. I know recent experiences have damaged us in terms of not selling players at the optimum time, I'm just not sure this is the optimum time for JCS to leave. |
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Reply | Next season - 4 key players for us to keep
at 09:47 24 Apr 2024
Fair, but I'd add it's also the worst time in terms of risking serious injury which could ruin your plans for next season. In this relegation scrap, especially in the must win Preston game and Hull away, I thought Willock stepped up in terms of tracking back, going into tackles, really battling away to get us a result. Yes, could be just wanting to impress as part of his quest for more money elsewhere, but the slide tackles, not bottling 50/50s... I was more impressed with that then some of his technical skills which you'd imagine would be the sort of thing he'd want to turn on and show the scouts, not the ugly part of the game. |
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Reply | Andersen
at 19:25 21 Apr 2024
This. Not sure what game people were watching if they think he played well yesterday. Although agree about set pieces being better with him so maybe that’s what people are focusing on. |
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Reply | Andersen
at 10:06 21 Apr 2024
I’m not getting the Andersen praise I must say, think people are being way too easy on him and focusing on the fact he can trap a ball and play the odd decent pass as evidence of him being superior to others. The positives yesterday were a lot of his set piece delivery was good, which makes a welcome change for us. But I don’t buy this argument about looking for the harder pass or whatever and that’s why it doesn’t always come off. Yesterday he was picking the wrong pass a lot of the time, lost the ball a lot more than a player of his ability should, and chose the wrong option a fair few times.
I was a real fan of his in the early days but over the last few weeks I’ve been alarmed by his inability to pick the right pass and his decision making with the ball. He’s not good defensively so if he’s not on it from an attacking point of view I think we’re carrying him a bit and Smyth may be a better option. I can see some decent parts to his game, I’m not disputing that but he’s put in performances recently that someone like Willock would be slated for. |
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Reply | Preston Reflection
at 22:04 20 Apr 2024
Agree with all you said other than your comments about Andersen. I thought he was poor, again. Yes set pieces were fairly decent but for me that doesn’t make up for the amount of wasted passes and how easily he was beaten defensively. After such a promising start with us, I’ve not been impressed by him.
I thought JCS was on a mission today, he was immense and put his body on the line. Surprisingly I thought Willock also put in a shift and even flew into a couple of tackles - not the behaviour of someone that supposedly sacked it off months ago. One of the biggest criticisms you can level at Ainsworth, his failure to get anything out of Willock. [Post edited 20 Apr 22:18]
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Reply | Three is the cursed number as QPR fall in a hole at Hull - Report
at 19:36 14 Apr 2024
Good report. Funny how we see games but I felt a 4 for Willock was extremely harsh - while not vintage Willock, the commitment and effort level were there and for a player that supposedly sacked it off months ago that was good to see. He was fouled regularly and I thought he was our most likely option to get back in the game. Andersen is becoming a problem for me - such a promising start, now looking like a kid on trial. Smyth, despite the lack of composure in front of goal, would start ahead of him for me. Biggest problems remain both ends of the pitch - a quality keeper and striker and we’d look a very different team. |
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Reply | Tiger a chance on me but don't let me down Hull Vs QPR Match Thread
at 15:57 13 Apr 2024
What’s happened to Andersen? He’s playing like a triallist. The player that started so well when he joined, is looking a shadow of his former self. He just delivered one of the worst halves of football I remember from one of our attacking players in some time. Pretty much everything he did was poor. Hodge or Smyth surely deserve to start ahead of him at the mo? |
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Reply | England
at 23:11 26 Mar 2024
Foden is the real deal - a top player and will be in our starting 11. Grealish, I agree he’s overrated, a decent player but certainly wouldn’t make my starting 11. |
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Reply | England
at 21:54 26 Mar 2024
Defensively I worry about us, attacking wise I think there’s a lot to like. I thought we played alright tonight, with some of the new players looking decent. |
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