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shmmeee

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
JSL said:
All this talk about dropping Torp to bring Sheaf back is causing me concern. Torp has come to life since Sheaf has been out and doesnt deserve to be dropped. I also don't see both Sheaf and Grimes in the same team. We only need one or the other.

Whats more concerning is that i see it being difficult to justify Sheaf getting back in the team. Results and performances have improved without him.
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By this logic they’ve improved without Wright and EMC too.
 
torchomatic

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
JSL said:
All this talk about dropping Torp to bring Sheaf back is causing me concern. Torp has come to life since Sheaf has been out and doesnt deserve to be dropped. I also don't see both Sheaf and Grimes in the same team. We only need one or the other.

Whats more concerning is that i see it being difficult to justify Sheaf getting back in the team. Results and performances have improved without him.
Click to expand...

I think Grimes is the player I wish Sheaf would be but isn't.
 
torchomatic

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
Surprise reaction from Chicken McGraw. The poster who never posts. Ben Sheaf's mum or girlfriend?
 
torchomatic

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
Chicken Mcgraw said:
The last 5 seasons
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Haha. I think you know what I meant. So please elaborate. What makes Sheaf a better player?

This season Grimes - up until Saturday - played every minute of every game for Swansea City. He has played a thousand minutes more football this season than Sheaf. That's the kind of consistency Sheaf lacks. I actually don't mind Sheaf at all, but he is no good to us on the treatment table, which is my main issue with him. I think the arrival of Grimes could spell the end of his CCFC career.
 
Chicken Mcgraw

Chicken Mcgraw

Well-Known Member
torchomatic said:
Haha. I think you know what I meant. So please elaborate. What makes Sheaf a better player?

This season Grimes - up until Saturday - played every minute of every game for Swansea City. He has played a thousand minutes more football this season than Sheaf. That's the kind of consistency Sheaf lacks. I actually don't mind Sheaf at all, but he is no good to us on the treatment table, which is my main issue with him. I think the arrival of Grimes could spell the end of his CCFC career.
Click to expand...

What makes Sheaf a better player than Grimes? Well aside from the fact his team has finished above Grimes’ over the last 3 seasons (would have been 4 if Grimes didn’t jump) let’s take a look.

We’ll start with what I consider to be Sheaf’s most underrated attributes. His defensive work. Sheaf is a lot more mobile than Grimes for a start. He will be involved in duels all over the pitch and is excellent in forcing turnovers. He has the mobility to prevent counter attacks wherever he finds himself on the pitch. Grimes at Swansea out of possession would generally hold position and not involve himself in the press. In possession he would remain in the back 3 much to the dismay of Swansea fans. I don’t feel he’s of much use there personally.

Grimes’ defensive work here is something I’m very interested in. He’s perfectly competent in the sense that he’ll tackle someone if they engage in a duel with him, but he’s very passive and won’t actively look to turnover the ball like Sheaf would.

In terms of offensive attributes, Grimes’ best asset is his ability to dictate tempo. An ability that cannot be quantified. He is very risk averse but very controlled and I hope, will not have that stupid pass in him that Sheaf tends to. He can expertly manipulate the opposition press and gain his team access into the opposition half with ease but not necessarily at pace.

Sheaf however whilst he has often been used to pick up the ball from the defenders, will also seek to join in attacks. Often he can play line breaking passes and will often use turns or quick feet to take a defender out of the game. You’ll regularly see him play one two’s and seek to progress into advanced positions which Grimes rarely did for Swansea.

I feel this graph shows perfectly how Sheaf can impact our attacking game compared to Grimes.

1738767180671.png

Another point would be Sheaf’s ability to play in different roles. Grimes has always played a very specific role for a team that plays a very specific way. Sheaf however, we have seen him play all manner of different roles next to very different types of players. From Kelly to Hamer to Allen. He’s performed fantastically as our deepest midfielder, as a box to box player, basically in any midfield role we’ve needed him to do. I don’t feel we have ever set up in a way that best suits him for a sustained period, certainly not to the extent Swansea did for Grimes. Grimes will have to show he can adapt to a different philosophy unless we plan on being Swansea 2.0 like we were in Lampard’s first game.

The criticisms of Sheaf are mostly his availability. He is definitely injured too often that is for certain. However his current injury was a result of being overplayed and not allowed to recover from his previous injury. He played every minute over the Christmas period and broke down. It was obvious to everyone except Lampard it was going to happen. He should’ve been treated better. If Allen continues playing the minutes he has, it will happen to him too.

Another criticism is his leadership. Well Grimes is certainly not a leader. He’s captained a side in total regression over the last 5 years and any Swansea fan will tell you he isn’t captain material. Jumping from a sinking ship halfway though a season to make a sideways move pretty much tells you all you need to know about his ‘leadership’. I see Grimes as a similar leader to Sheaf, not vocal but can lead by example by their consistency on the pitch and in training. Not as a captain.

Lastly ‘Sheaf slows the game down’. Wait until those that say that see Grimes! I feel (this isn’t aimed at you) a lot of our fans have decided Grimes is one of the best midfielders in the division yet they don’t seem to understand why. He has a very specific skill set, he is nowhere near Sheaf defensively and offers little in the attacking third. He offers ball retention in deep areas and an ability to beat a press. How much that will help us remains to be seen. Our best runs of form have always came when we haven’t even attempted to beat a press!

You say you ‘don’t mind Sheaf’ but you’ve posted about him 16 times in 6 days. He’s not even playing!

All of my observations above are based on seeing Sheaf play every single game he has played in a Coventry shirt in person. My observations of Grimes have came in person whenever he has featured against us, or a few occasions I have watched Swansea on tv. However I have obtained a quick graph which you can interpret however you want:

1738772665734.png

All the raw data is on FBRef if you wish to look for yourself. I feel the data there shows Sheaf as the better defensive midfielder and the bigger contributor offensively. I’m excited to see Grimes’ positive attributes used in our favour.
 
torchomatic

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
Chicken Mcgraw said:
What makes Sheaf a better player than Grimes? Well aside from the fact his team has finished above Grimes’ over the last 3 seasons (would have been 4 if Grimes didn’t jump) let’s take a look.

We’ll start with what I consider to be Sheaf’s most underrated attributes. His defensive work. Sheaf is a lot more mobile than Grimes for a start. He will be involved in duels all over the pitch and is excellent in forcing turnovers. He has the mobility to prevent counter attacks wherever he finds himself on the pitch. Grimes at Swansea out of possession would generally hold position and not involve himself in the press. In possession he would remain in the back 3 much to the dismay of Swansea fans. I don’t feel he’s of much use there personally.

Grimes’ defensive work here is something I’m very interested in. He’s perfectly competent in the sense that he’ll tackle someone if they engage in a duel with him, but he’s very passive and won’t actively look to turnover the ball like Sheaf would.

In terms of offensive attributes, Grimes’ best asset is his ability to dictate tempo. An ability that cannot be quantified. He is very risk averse but very controlled and I hope, will not have that stupid pass in him that Sheaf tends to. He can expertly manipulate the opposition press and gain his team access into the opposition half with ease but not necessarily at pace.

Sheaf however whilst he has often been used to pick up the ball from the defenders, will also seek to join in attacks. Often he can play line breaking passes and will often use turns or quick feet to take a defender out of the game. You’ll regularly see him play one two’s and seek to progress into advanced positions which Grimes rarely did for Swansea.

I feel this graph shows perfectly how Sheaf can impact our attacking game compared to Grimes.

View attachment 41281

Another point would be Sheaf’s ability to play in different roles. Grimes has always played a very specific role for a team that plays a very specific way. Sheaf however, we have seen him play all manner of different roles next to very different types of players. From Kelly to Hamer to Allen. He’s performed fantastically as our deepest midfielder, as a box to box player, basically in any midfield role we’ve needed him to do. I don’t feel we have ever set up in a way that best suits him for a sustained period, certainly not to the extent Swansea did for Grimes. Grimes will have to show he can adapt to a different philosophy unless we plan on being Swansea 2.0 like we were in Lampard’s first game.

The criticisms of Sheaf are mostly his availability. He is definitely injured too often that is for certain. However his current injury was a result of being overplayed and not allowed to recover from his previous injury. He played every minute over the Christmas period and broke down. It was obvious to everyone except Lampard it was going to happen. He should’ve been treated better. If Allen continues playing the minutes he has, it will happen to him too.

Another criticism is his leadership. Well Grimes is certainly not a leader. He’s captained a side in total regression over the last 5 years and any Swansea fan will tell you he isn’t captain material. Jumping from a sinking ship halfway though a season to make a sideways move pretty much tells you all you need to know about his ‘leadership’. I see Grimes as a similar leader to Sheaf, not vocal but can lead by example by their consistency on the pitch and in training. Not as a captain.

Lastly ‘Sheaf slows the game down’. Wait until those that say that see Grimes! I feel (this isn’t aimed at you) a lot of our fans have decided Grimes is one of the best midfielders in the division yet they don’t seem to understand why. He has a very specific skill set, he is nowhere near Sheaf defensively and offers little in the attacking third. He offers ball retention in deep areas and an ability to beat a press. How much that will help us remains to be seen. Our best runs of form have always came when we haven’t even attempted to beat a press!

You say you ‘don’t mind Sheaf’ but you’ve posted about him 16 times in 6 days. He’s not even playing!

All of my observations above are based on seeing Sheaf play every single game he has played in a Coventry shirt in person. My observations of Grimes have came in person whenever he has featured against us, or a few occasions I have watched Swansea on tv. However I have obtained a quick graph which you can interpret however you want:

View attachment 41282

All the raw data is on FBRef if you wish to look for yourself. I feel the data there shows Sheaf as the better defensive midfielder and the bigger contributor offensively. I’m excited to see Grimes’ positive attributes used in our favour.
Click to expand...

Nice one. That told me!
 
Chicken Mcgraw

Chicken Mcgraw

Well-Known Member
In the summer, for us to have any chance at the playoffs, our team needs to look something like this:

GK
MVE CB Kitching LB
Sheaf Grimes
RW Rudoni Wright
ST

Dovin
RB
Thomas
Lati
Bidwell
Eccles
Allen
Torp
CAM
Sakamoto
Mason Clark
Simms

The keepers, Binks, Dasilva, Asante and Bassette all free to leave.

That’s 7 signings whilst retaining all our star players. Will be almost impossible but it’s what’s required. I have read a few times that we aren’t competing with Leeds we are competing to finish 6th, but to gain promotion you will have to beat either a Burnley, Sheffield or Sunderland. We are miles off that.
 
Ccfcisparks

Ccfcisparks

Well-Known Member
Chicken Mcgraw said:
In the summer, for us to have any chance at the playoffs, our team needs to look something like this:

GK
MVE CB Kitching LB
Sheaf Grimes
RW Rudoni Wright
ST

Dovin
RB
Thomas
Lati
Bidwell
Eccles
Allen
Torp
CAM
Sakamoto
Mason Clark
Simms

The keepers, Binks, Dasilva, Asante and Bassette all free to leave.

That’s 7 signings whilst retaining all our star players. Will be almost impossible but it’s what’s required. I have read a few times that we aren’t competing with Leeds we are competing to finish 6th, but to gain promotion you will have to beat either a Burnley, Sheffield or Sunderland. We are miles off that.
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Think Dovin is pretty good to be fair.
 
mmttww

mmttww

Well-Known Member
Chicken Mcgraw said:
The keepers... and Bassette all free to leave.
Click to expand...

Tell me you're WUM without telling me.

Dovin and Bassette will probably make us a fortune and / or play big parts in the club's future. This incarnation is probably your best attempt at getting attention consistently - constant downvoting with emojis is a new tactic - but you've lost focus with this one, fella!
 
Chicken Mcgraw

Chicken Mcgraw

Well-Known Member
mmttww said:
Tell me you're WUM without telling me.

Dovin and Bassette will probably make us a fortune and / or play big parts in the club's future. This incarnation is probably your best attempt at getting attention consistently - constant downvoting with emojis is a new tactic - but you've lost focus with this one, fella!
Click to expand...

I said I’m keeping Dovin. The keepers is referring to Collins and Wilson. Dovin will be a great keeper in the future.

Bassette I’m happy to loan out and retain for now.
 
H

Hincha

Well-Known Member
Our best 11 in my mind is:

Easier Games:
Dovin
MvE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Grimes
Sheaf Rudoni
Saka Simms Wright

Tougher Games:
Dovin
MvE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Grimes Sheaf
Torp
Rudoni Simms Wright

- Sheaf has to start if fit but expect him to be rotated way more. Have Allen/Eccles/(Torp/Saka) to come on for him.
- Think Saka struggles away from home and think Rudoni can hold the ball better.
- EMC to be used as impact sub on 60' every game. Comes in for Simms/Wright. I don't want to see him anywhere but LW.
- When trying to see out games can switch to the 5-4-1 with just one substitute (Lati on for any midfielder/attacker)
 
N

napolimp

Well-Known Member
Would people consider selling Simms in the summer for an arbitrary figure of £8 mil, and then play Wright in the middle of a 3 with BTA/Bassette as back up?
 
shmmeee

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
napolimp said:
Would people consider selling Simms in the summer for an arbitrary figure of £8 mil, and then play Wright in the middle of a 3 with BTA/Bassette as back up?
Click to expand...

Id sell them both and BTA and get some forwards in who can control a ball TBH
 
Chicken Mcgraw

Chicken Mcgraw

Well-Known Member
skybluecam said:
What the fuck are you smoking, Dovin has made 1 error
Click to expand...

Bristol City away - parries an easy free kick, they score from the corner in which he makes no attempt to claim the ball in the six yard box or save the shot.

QPR away - howler

Leeds home - howler

Leeds away - beaten easily by gnonto from range in the centre of the goal
IMG_0543.png

Leeds away - fails to stop shot at near post for the second goal

Leeds away - fails to stop grass cutter that hits his hands but still goes in

Swansea home - beaten near post

Stoke away - megged at near post

Those are just off the top of my head
 
The Philosopher

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
I agree pretty much with this, and the reasoning given is actually pretty sound.

But….

Dovin is a great stopper and will be a great keeper in time.

For now, Ben Wilson does have, to my mind, the edge. He’s far more vocal in organising the defence and takes command of the area better. When he gets the ball he’s far more in tune with breakaway play and as an ex midfielder isn’t too bad at passing and avoiding giving passes to defenders which invite the press. Dovin might be a more athletic stopper but for all round team play Wilson edges it.

Plus he’s a character.


Hincha said:
Our best 11 in my mind is:

Easier Games:
Dovin
MvE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Grimes
Sheaf Rudoni
Saka Simms Wright

Tougher Games:
Dovin
MvE Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Grimes Sheaf
Torp
Rudoni Simms Wright

- Sheaf has to start if fit but expect him to be rotated way more. Have Allen/Eccles/(Torp/Saka) to come on for him.
- Think Saka struggles away from home and think Rudoni can hold the ball better.
- EMC to be used as impact sub on 60' every game. Comes in for Simms/Wright. I don't want to see him anywhere but LW.
- When trying to see out games can switch to the 5-4-1 with just one substitute (Lati on for any midfielder/attacker)
Click to expand...
 
Ccfcisparks

Ccfcisparks

Well-Known Member
The Philosopher said:
I agree pretty much with this, and the reasoning given is actually pretty sound.

But….

Dovin is a great stopper and will be a great keeper in time.

For now, Ben Wilson does have, to my mind, the edge. He’s far more vocal in organising the defence and takes command of the area better. When he gets the ball he’s far more in tune with breakaway play and as an ex midfielder isn’t too bad at passing and avoiding giving passes to defenders which invite the press. Dovin might be a more athletic stopper but for all round team play Wilson edges it.

Plus he’s a character.
Click to expand...
Yep we’ve found the worst post of 2025 already
 
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