clint van damme
Well-Known Member
without question!
without question!You're a reasoned mass-debator Clint, don't think it was aimed at you!
I think you're right, and I think the signing of extra midfielders hints he probably thought it was Bayliss that would go.
Obviously rushing it is not good, but there is a difference between that and leaving it until the last minute. As it happens we are going to be starting the first game of our season handicapped.
Let's see who he brings in, but I do feel nervous at the moment.
Okay lets say you are right he didn't expect McNuly to go...so he has only had 3 weeks to react. You could not block McNulty''s move for these reasons;
1. Going up two leagues on last year. Career progression.
2. 1.2 million fee of which McNulty gets a percentage.
3. His monthly wage turns into a weekly wage if not more.
4. Block that and you have a very unmotivated player. Plus it can disrupt the squad.
Difficulties:
1. Landing your target rather than just a body.
2. For Chaplin it is just a sideways move, with the hope of first team football, is he bothered whether it is Coventry or Portsmouth?
3. Every team is looking for a prolific striker and want to keep the ones they have.
4 How many are actually out there? Who have we missed out on?
5. You don't know how many people we have tried to sign? If a club publicised all there failed attempts to sign players you risk, "hang I was your 5th choice?"
6. One reason we are becoming attractive is players get a chance to play if they are good enough and if a decent offer comes in we don't stand in their way.
This year needs to be a year of consolidation. Stay in League 1 but with steady progress throughout the season.
There is a shirt up for grabs at the moment. We haven't fielded our best side yet. The transfer window hasn't closed yet...so Mark Robbins hasn't "failed" to replace anybody. It's a long season and the first 4-6 games are a lottery anyway while all teams settle down.
Pre season friendlies are about getting match fit and sharpness. You know as a player you won't get 90 minutes. So go out and bust a gut for 60 minutes. Show how much you want to be involved and want a shirt.
Robins hasn't named players. But he is right to criticise attitudes regardless of one team being a higher level than the other. 5-2 is irrelevant, it is how players have applied themselves to the task. How goals were conceded, out classed or basic errors?
He has given them a week to redeem themselves in training. Who wants the shirts? Last season has gone, players have to earn their reputations all over again. That is football folks.
It will require players to develop and adjust. It won't happen over night. Last season showed how knee jerk our fans can be and how wrong they can be over the course of a whole season.
Everybody is concerned about the striker situation and I don't think anyone is refusing to acknowledge it. People just recognise it's been challenging because of McNulty's forced move, is therefore not ideal, but not writing it off til the transfer window is over and we've played someone our level.It's not knee jerk to be worried about the striker situation. It is a real problem and so many people are closing their ears and refusing to acknowledge it.
For the millionth time I've not seen one poster say that McNulty doesn't need replacing.Okay lets say you are right he didn't expect McNuly to go...so he has only had 3 weeks to react. You could not block McNulty''s move for these reasons;
1. Going up two leagues on last year. Career progression.
2. 1.2 million fee of which McNulty gets a percentage.
3. His monthly wage turns into a weekly wage if not more.
4. Block that and you have a very unmotivated player. Plus it can disrupt the squad.
I never said we were wrong to sell him. I accepted that for the reasons you mentioned.
Difficulties:
1. Landing your target rather than just a body. Agree, which is why you don't rush it, but equally are not complacent. Leave it too late and you get Wright, Agyei etc.
2. For Chaplin it is just a sideways move, with the hope of first team football, is he bothered whether it is Coventry or Portsmouth? Probably not, but perhaps we should be thinking seriously whether we replace our top scorer so loosely in that case.
3. Every team is looking for a prolific striker and want to keep the ones they have. Yes that's right, but we have gotten promotion and now have a much weaker strike force. How does that maths work?
4 How many are actually out there? Who have we missed out on? Just one so far by the looks of it.
5. You don't know how many people we have tried to sign? If a club publicised all there failed attempts to sign players you risk, "hang I was your 5th choice?" Considering Robins has said he has 'a target' and we have signed many other players in other positions, I would argue Chaplin has not been his 5th choice.
6. One reason we are becoming attractive is players get a chance to play if they are good enough and if a decent offer comes in we don't stand in their way.
This year needs to be a year of consolidation. Stay in League 1 but with steady progress throughout the season. I think we need to carry momentum to be honest. The rest of the squad is good enough to challenge at the top, why mess that all up because we haven't sorted just one position on the pitch?
There is a shirt up for grabs at the moment. We haven't fielded our best side yet. The transfer window hasn't closed yet...so Mark Robbins hasn't "failed" to replace anybody. It's a long season and the first 4-6 games are a lottery anyway while all teams settle down. Disagree, every game is important. We got in the playoffs by 3 points. The first 6 games has 18 points up for grabs. That's a lot! There are no excuses for being unprepared.
Pre season friendlies are about getting match fit and sharpness. You know as a player you won't get 90 minutes. So go out and bust a gut for 60 minutes. Show how much you want to be involved and want a shirt.
Robins hasn't named players. But he is right to criticise attitudes regardless of one team being a higher level than the other. 5-2 is irrelevant, it is how players have applied themselves to the task. How goals were conceded, out classed or basic errors? Agree, they need to give 100%. They shouldn't be scapegoats though and the more the season goes on and if we struggle to score goals, the more we will see players start giving up, and the more we will see the manager criticise them.
He has given them a week to redeem themselves in training. Who wants the shirts? Last season has gone, players have to earn their reputations all over again. That is football folks.
It will require players to develop and adjust. It won't happen over night. Last season showed how knee jerk our fans can be and how wrong they can be over the course of a whole season. It's not knee jerk to be worried about the striker situation. It is a real problem and so many people are closing their ears and refusing to acknowledge it.
think we need to carry momentum to be honest. The rest of the squad is good enough to challenge at the top, why mess that all up because we haven't sorted just one position on the pitch?
Disagree, every game is important. We got in the playoffs by 3 points. The first 6 games has 18 points up for grabs. That's a lot! There are no excuses for being unprepared.
Agree, they need to give 100%. They shouldn't be scapegoats
It's not knee jerk to be worried about the striker situation. It is a real problem and so many people are closing their ears and refusing to acknowledge it.
Everybody is concerned about the striker situation and I don't think anyone is refusing to acknowledge it. People just recognise it's been challenging because of McNulty's forced move, is therefore not ideal, but not writing it off til the transfer window is over and we've played someone our level.
Ponticelli lacks an all round game, Biamou is in unknown territory, needs to improve by similar margins again this season and can't start the season with a 10 game goal-less streak, JCH needs to show that he's the striker vs Brighton, not the one who spent the last 6 weeks of the season on his arse, and everyone believes we need to replace McNulty with someone to play off Biamou and JCH. For me though I don't think a 4-2-3-1 of Ogogo/Kelly/Doyle behind Jones/Andreu/Allassani/Bayliss/Shipley behind JCH or Biamou is as disastrous as you're making out. It might not be promotion levels but I think it will still be solid L1. I would definitely want at least 1 more striker though and on a permanent too - one of the best parts of last season was not shitting myself that our key player would be going back in January.
If we finish the season challenging for play offs it's as good as we have been as a team since we were relegated from the Championship which is 7 seasons already.
I agree that we need the out and out goalscorer type that McNulty was/is. However, in the second half yestetday with Andreu, Allassani, Bayliss and Mason running at the Albion defence, we looked likely to score. Biamou, I felt, wasn’t quite on his game (cue guffaws from some on here) while still being far more effective than JCH. He wasn’t far away and you could see an understanding there in the making with Andreu. Some very clever flicks and lay offs which didn’t quite come off yesterday but which will in the future.Add Jones and a goalscorer to that mixture and I think we look a potent force.I'm not having a go at Max, it isn't his fault. Can you seriously and honestly come on here and say he is good enough to lead the line in League One though? He has improved a lot but it is absolute madness to suggest him starting as our lone striker.
We are in a higher league with a weaker strike force. You can play the 'you should apologise if he scores a hatrick' game all you want, the reality is our situation is not very good.
You mention Agyei and Wright yet your kind of mentality is what led to those signings! The get somebody in quick or we're doomed, forget scouting just take a chance.
pretty much echos my thoughts but what I would add is that I am really surprised Ponticelli hasn't gone on loan.
I wonder if Robins is waiting until the striker situation is resolved. The lad needs to be playing regularly in order to progress IMHO.
Good point.
It's a straw man, the point isn't "quick get anyone" it's "we should've done the scouting required by now".
How do you know we haven't already?How much longer can we actually wait for Chaplin and Pompey? The window closes on the 9th. If we haven’t been given the green light by Tuesday we need to move on IMO and pursue our second or third choice target as ideally we want someone in for the opening game
How do you know we haven't already?
Robins is still trying to sign two or three new players before next weekend, with the priority Portsmouth striker Conor Chaplin.
“I am just waiting for the right ones.”
Shouldn't we expect any of our players to leave?but not if you thought McNulty was staying.
The situation isn't ideal to say the least but in my opinion we've generally gone about our business far more professionally than in recent years but we can't expect everything to be plain sailing.
Let's see what Robins has up his sleeve.
I suspect Rod is looking for a way outHaving listened to Robins post match interview, it's not just about signing new players. He said something like: after today, some players will not be coming with us, they won't be making the journey with us, (unless they pull their finger out). I've got a lot of work to do before Saturday.
This is just speculation, but my interpretation of that statement is that he will try to offload McDonald, and possibly O'Brien too, this week. In addition, when Kelly and Westbrooke return to match fitness, I wouldn't be surprised to see Maycock go out on loan. And once he's signed a striker, I suspect Ponticelli will be loaned out too.
If that's correct, Thompson has already effectively replaced McDonald in the squad and Robins will try to sign a keeper, as well as at least one striker this week.
Having listened to Robins post match interview, it's not just about signing new players. He said something like: after today, some players will not be coming with us, they won't be making the journey with us, (unless they pull their finger out). I've got a lot of work to do before Saturday.
This is just speculation, but my interpretation of that statement is that he will try to offload McDonald, and possibly O'Brien too, this week. In addition, when Kelly and Westbrooke return to match fitness, I wouldn't be surprised to see Maycock go out on loan. And once he's signed a striker, I suspect Ponticelli will be loaned out too.
If that's correct, Thompson has already effectively replaced McDonald in the squad and Robins will try to sign a keeper, as well as at least one striker this week.
I suspect Rod is looking for a way out
He certainly didn't live up to his concrete label
Is Thompson good enough to be included in the first team picture yet? Plus, if McDonald departs, surely we'll need a player of his ilk to replace him. Isn't Thompson a like for like to Willis in regards to how he plays in the athletic CB mould.
What's McDonald's ilk? He isn't one thing nor another really, can certainly see why he was released from Northampton.
What's McDonald's ilk? He isn't one thing nor another really, can certainly see why he was released from Northampton.
A unit of a CB.
A unit in what way? He isn't overly big and strong or quick.
A unit of a CB.
For the millionth time I've not seen one poster say that McNulty doesn't need replacing.
The difference is there your camp believing he needs replacing or we'll finish with a negative points tally or the other camp believing he needs replacing but only with the right player. You mention Agyei and Wright yet your kind of mentality is what led to those signings! The get somebody in quick or we're doomed, forget scouting just take a chance.
You've already written Biamou off before a ball has been kicked, yet you're supposed to be the rational one!
Davies is a unit, McDonald was bullied by bigger strikers. The best examples being v Cambridge and Luton.
McDonald is 6"3 and hardly weak? His decision making (at times) and ability on the ball however is what lets him down, his strength and aggressiveness is what made him stand out in the first half of the season?
Davies isn't the biggest though as he stands at around 6"1.
Admittedly McDonald didn't fair well against Cambridge or Luton but in all fairness to him both Cambridge and Luton have some of the strongest strikers in the league. In fact Uche Ikpeazu was probably one of the strongest strikers in the FL before his recent move to Hearts this summer so lets be honest most defenders would probably find some difficulty in not being bullied by such a striker.
His drop in form during the second half of the season shocked me and if I'm honest I can't point to a direct reason but the lack of size and strength was never his issue IMO. He's not the strongest out there, which was proven by his vulnerability when faced with a stronger striker as you've pointed out, but that doesn't necessarily qualify him as weak. He wasn't labeled as Iron Rod for no reason!
He wasn't strong or aggressive unless I am missing something.
His style was meant to be the footballing brain rather than the brute, he was good because he read the game well.
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