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Post by alanwycombe on Aug 4, 2024 11:44:49 GMT
Nardi looks a good keeper BUT we don't have the players to piss around passing at the back. Why we persist with that I don't know. Decent defence...won't leak too many goals if we don't force errors on ourselves. Midfield needs time to gel. Andersen and Chair the main outlets going forward. Celar needs time but I've got a good feeling about him doing the business. Not sure I’d put too much faith in Andersen. Not much influence on what is going on around him. Squad player. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2024 13:43:26 GMT
Acton: got to defend Smyth just a tiny bit. Yes his final ball was shit. It’s always shit. But on this particular match he was the only player who took Brighton on. Celar? Was he actually there? Koli? Two nice touches first half but don’t think touched the ball second half before being hooked? Smyth is a League One player but Chair aside so are all our other attacking options. At least he tries. Stanley: now you have seen the Brighton game I hope you see more my point from the Reading shit show about the sheer scale of our problem in attack. Does anyone seriously think this team is capable of scoring a goal - or even creating a few chances - against WBA? We have failed to score a single goal in any of our competitive pre season friendlies - the problem is structural. Harry: don’t understand why anyone would criticise us playing better teams. Good to test yourself. The problem has been these matches have exposed how bereft we are going forward. Championship defences are no mugs and I can’t see this attack getting much change out of most of those either. Am not attacking the current management as they have a hugely difficult job - but hope these friendlies have been a reality check. God knows with our budgets whether we can bring in anyone even half way decent. At least these matches might silence the criticism of Chair, because despite our very solid defence, without him offensively we are barely League 1 let alone bottom half Championship. Definitely not me criticising choice of opponents. My thoughts are that they were chosen because, it seems, we're going to allow teams to have more possession next season and playing against Premier League sides who thrive in such circumstances was the perfect opportunity to expose our players to such tactics. We are incredibly weak up front and it seems unlikely we will improve substantially enough to consider changing that: the signing of another potential Jan Malakar didn't get my juices flowing. The emphasis this year will be keeping things tight. |
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Post by hal9thou on Aug 4, 2024 13:55:25 GMT
Varane in so that covers holding, think they've been after a defensive mf who is comfortable on the ball
But the ten shirt is the really tough call. If we can sort that out I'd be happy as we are. Aint holding my breath on that one.
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Post by Hertfordshire Ranger on Aug 5, 2024 9:16:39 GMT
Interesting comments all round but with 4 weeks of the window left I am not panicking and cannot see many others in a panic - just people stating their concerns about where we are weak or need to strengthen. My big disappointment is having to start the season without Chair. We have new and young players in the squad and no doubt they will take time to gel but the games come thick and fast up to the first international break so they do not have much time. Varane and Celar I am sure can do what is needed but with a short pre-season they will have to adapt to the pace of the Championship before we see the best of them. I see negative comments being passed about Celar after only playing 60 minutes for us yesterday - give the guy a chance and a bit of support. I would prefer to lose to Brighton then beat WBA rather than the other way round so we will see. There seems to be a consensus on certain things that are a worry but I can see 2 maybe mutually related trains of thought being put forward. Certainly a big concern is the lack of goals (although we did hit 11 in Spain). But the 2 trains of thought seem to be firstly that we do not have strikers who can score regular goals, the second is that we do not have the creative players to get the ball forward in the right areas for the strikers to score. Personally At the moment I think it is a bit of both but hope that Celar and one of the younger players like Kolli plus Frey will start hitting the net if they get the right service. Obviously Hayden is a big loss but facing facts compared to what else we had he was a class act - which is why he has been playing in the PL and on 35k a week wages. Unless something strange happens I cannot see us having any chance of getting him back and finding someone equivalent we can afford on a free or low transfer fee is grasping at straws. Willock left a big gap (on the days he was up for it) so I think we have learnt a lesson there but again finding a cheap equal is not easy. So that brings me again to my pet hate. The season starts next week and the window closes on September 1st after the usual last minute scramble and some panic transfers. How can supporters feel really positive or negative either way in that situation. A couple of good signings and we will dreaming of top 6 or 8. A couple of late sales such as JCS and Chair with no time to replace and we probably will be thinking bottom half The more I read and watch video clips of Varane, the more I start to think that Hayden will not be joining. Similar players, one with a potential sell-on fee, the other with high wages, and unless we get some windfall money, we cannot afford both. We have not replaced Willock, but no doubt we will. If Paal or Clarke-Salter are sold, the money may well go towards a Willock replacement, rather than like for like. Hence, we are now being linked with loans. But your frustration about the timing of the window is a shared one. Three weeks after the opening game, we finally discover ours and everyone else's squad. Interest in the better Championship players only likely to crystalize in the final week of a 13-week window. Pressure to reduce the price, as the selling club starts to panic. The deadline date is determined as much by the European close dates as anything else. But I doubt anything will change. |
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Post by Stanley75 on Aug 5, 2024 9:30:34 GMT
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Post by jfrabbit on Aug 5, 2024 14:28:30 GMT
Three games in a row now without scoring a goal.
A little bit alarming despite two of those games being against decent opposition, but it's probably best it happens now and gives the club the chance to get another forward in.
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