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Post by stevek192 on Jul 23, 2015 10:02:43 GMT
To be honest I find it VERY difficult to predict how our season will go.There are too many unknowns in our squad to really judge and you only have to talk to other people about the difference in League 2 to the Conference to know why it is difficult to predict. Some people reckon there is little difference between the two whilst others think there is a big gap. I fall somewhere between the two but will be really surprised if we finish above mid table with the squad we have at the present time. Cambridge were in a similar position to us last season and they have signed loads of players so obviously the ones they went up with were not good enough for the step up.The only advantage we have over them is that we went up with a pretty mean defence which could hold us in good stead.
Leadbitter reminds ne a lot of Michael Smith and this could be the season where he comes to the fore and has an outstanding season ,Lockyer can without doubt hold his own in League 2 as can Parkes. Not really sure about McCrystal because his weakness of lack of pace will probably be tested far more in this division and with him unlikely to be fit for the first game we will probably see either James Clarke or Lockyer partnering Parkes. i haven't seen enough of either player in that position to make a judgement but Clarke looks like he has a bit of pace and can pass a ball which I would say would give him the edge over Tom so IMO he could turn out to be a great signing. Lee Brown again is a proven force in this League.
My worry is very much in front of the back four where we have the following
Central Midfielders Mansell Lines Clarke Sinclair I think Sinclair will be OK at League 2 level but where will he fit in? He is not a winger and in the centre he likes to wonder a lot which could leave us lightweight in there because League 2 definitely contains much better midfields than we faced last season.
Chris Lines will probably be a luxury at this level and could be brilliant but just as easily leave us struggling to get the ball.
Mansell is a year older and may struggle to complete as many games as last year and is he good enough to step up and really have to take hold of the midfield in games and cover to allow whoever is with him to go forward. I'm not sure , I like Mansells battling qualities but will it be enough?
Clarke has failed to convince me in two years that he is either Conference or League 2 standard. To me there is something there (his goals show this) but there has been little if no improvement since he first came in to the team.I think this is a make or break season for him and I am not sure which way that will go but hope he improves and proves me wrong.
Then we come to the wings where I was really hopeful we were going to make two signings even if Bodin signs but to date we have Montana who I have the feeling will be excellent and Gosling who again was indifferent last season and so there is a big question mark as to whether he can step up. I was disappointed we did not sign Myrie Williams who definitely has proven quality but this disappointment is probably fuelled more by the fact that DC has not yet signed another winger but more worryingly gives no indicaction of future PERMANENT signings. Broom has impressed but his use in the bigger friendlies has been very limited so possibly the best we can hope is that he breaks into the squad this season.
Up front number wise we seem to be strong Easter, Taylor,Harrison,Blissett,Bodin (if he signs) and Lucas but do we have the quality? I have the feeling that our season will very much depend on how these fare but the fact that we have not scored a goal either against an Arsenal Under 21 side or Reading (lacking quite a few of their better players) is worrying. There are question marks about each of our forwards and I would be much happier if we had signed another striker. Only Easter is proven at this level but there are question marks over how many games he will play. As for the rest who knows?
The key point now could be how many loanees and or signings we have before the first game. I would hope for at least another winger and would not be disappointed to see Dawson arrive back as permanent and a strong Central midfielder ( Connor Clifford comes to mind) and an additional striker proven at this level.
Bodin is very much another relative unknown who promised a lot but has delivered relatively little. I am not convinced he is or has ever been a winger and his goalscoring record has never been impressive but he could be another player who DC brings the best out of if he can fit him in the budget.
The big problem that I see is that our budget is no longer one of the best for this division and many will be pleased with this based on the past 8 or so seasons HOWEVER my point is that a budget is only as good as the Manager using it and IMO DC is a very good Manager who has pretty well been totally starved of the sort of budget that was given to Ward, McGhee, Buckle and Trollope. Just because the previous Managers squandered it does not mean that the Budget was wrong. DC is capable of taking us out of this division,he is not an experienced Manager at this level but I have every faith in his ability to do it if he is given the tools to do it. At the present time I am far from convinced that our silent Board have anything on their minds other than the Appeal.
DC will not waste the cash-The Board will!!!
So to conclude, I am as far away from knowing how we will fare as when i started this but i very much hope that a lot of the unknowns will prove their worth and if that happens then we could be in for a very good season. Too much the other way and it could be another dodgy season in League 2. This is just my opinions and it will be great to hear others views.
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Post by Gas Go Marching In on Jul 23, 2015 10:15:05 GMT
To be honest I find it VERY difficult to predict how our season will go.There are too many unknowns in our squad to really judge and you only have to talk to other people about the difference in League 2 to the Conference to know why it is difficult to predict. Some people reckon there is little difference between the two whilst others think there is a big gap. I fall somewhere between the two but will be really surprised if we finish above mid table with the squad we have at the present time. Cambridge were in a similar position to us last season and they have signed loads of players so obviously the ones they went up with were not good enough for the step up.The only advantage we have over them is that we went up with a pretty mean defence which could hold us in good stead. Leadbitter reminds ne a lot of Michael Smith and this could be the season where he comes to the fore and has an outstanding season ,Lockyer can without doubt hold his own in League 2 as can Parkes. Not really sure about McCrystal because his weakness of lack of pace will probably be tested far more in this division and with him unlikely to be fit for the first game we will probably see either James Clarke or Lockyer partnering Parkes. i haven't seen enough of either player in that position to make a judgement but Clarke looks like he has a bit of pace and can pass a ball which I would say would give him the edge over Tom so IMO he could turn out to be a great signing. Lee Brown again is a proven force in this League. My worry is very much in front of the back four where we have the following Central Midfielders Mansell Lines Clarke Sinclair I think Sinclair will be OK at League 2 level but where will he fit in? He is not a winger and in the centre he likes to wonder a lot which could leave us lightweight in there because League 2 definitely contains much better midfields than we faced last season. Chris Lines will probably be a luxury at this level and could be brilliant but just as easily leave us struggling to get the ball. Mansell is a year older and may struggle to complete as many games as last year and is he good enough to step up and really have to take hold of the midfield in games and cover to allow whoever is with him to go forward. I'm not sure , I like Mansells battling qualities but will it be enough? Clarke has failed to convince me in two years that he is either Conference or League 2 standard. To me there is something there (his goals show this) but there has been little if no improvement since he first came in to the team.I think this is a make or break season for him and I am not sure which way that will go but hope he improves and proves me wrong. Then we come to the wings where I was really hopeful we were going to make two signings even if Bodin signs but to date we have Montana who I have the feeling will be excellent and Gosling who again was indifferent last season and so there is a big question mark as to whether he can step up. I was disappointed we did not sign Myrie Williams who definitely has proven quality but this disappointment is probably fuelled more by the fact that DC has not yet signed another winger but more worryingly gives no indicaction of future PERMANENT signings. Broom has impressed but his use in the bigger friendlies has been very limited so possibly the best we can hope is that he breaks into the squad this season. Up front number wise we seem to be strong Easter, Taylor,Harrison,Blissett,Bodin (if he signs) and Lucas but do we have the quality? I have the feeling that our season will very much depend on how these fare but the fact that we have not scored a goal either against an Arsenal Under 21 side or Reading (lacking quite a few of their better players) is worrying. There are question marks about each of our forwards and I would be much happier if we had signed another striker. Only Easter is proven at this level but there are question marks over how many games he will play. As for the rest who knows? The key point now could be how many loanees and or signings we have before the first game. I would hope for at least another winger and would not be disappointed to see Dawson arrive back as permanent and a strong Central midfielder ( Connor Clifford comes to mind) and an additional striker proven at this level. Bodin is very much another relative unknown who promised a lot but has delivered relatively little. I am not convinced he is or has ever been a winger and his goalscoring record has never been impressive but he could be another player who DC brings the best out of if he can fit him in the budget. The big problem that I see is that our budget is no longer one of the best for this division and many will be pleased with this based on the past 8 or so seasons HOWEVER my point is that a budget is only as good as the Manager using it and IMO DC is a very good Manager who has pretty well been totally starved of the sort of budget that was given to Ward, McGhee, Buckle and Trollope. Just because the previous Managers squandered it does not mean that the Budget was wrong. DC is capable of taking us out of this division,he is not an experienced Manager at this level but I have every faith in his ability to do it if he is given the tools to do it. At the present time I am far from convinced that our silent Board have anything on their minds other than the Appeal. DC will not waste the cash-The Board will!!! So to conclude, I am as far away from knowing how we will fare as when i started this but i very much hope that a lot of the unknowns will prove their worth and if that happens then we could be in for a very good season. Too much the other way and it could be another dodgy season in League 2. This is just my opinions and it will be great to hear others views. I share your concerns Steve. Like you, I trust DC to utilise the budget well. However, the budget is no competitive enough IMO. I feel a bit mugged off. At the end of last season you have Higgs coming out saying we'll be giving it a go next season. All us mugs go out and buy our season tickets only to be disappointed again. DC said he wanted to bring in 5 new players. Since then Monky and Balanta left and we have only signed Lines, Montano and Clarke. The latter 2 wouldn't have cost a great deal. We won't be signing a new midfielder. DC said that last week. Unless Lines gets injured then he hasn't got the luxury of bringing in someone else in the middle. It is unlike me to be as negative as this Pre season and I actually believe DC can get us near the playoffs even now but the board certainly aren't making his job easy. DC is an ambitious bloke, I just hope we can match his ambition.
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Post by rocknrollaayatollah on Jul 23, 2015 10:22:07 GMT
To be honest I find it VERY difficult to predict how our season will go.There are too many unknowns in our squad to really judge and you only have to talk to other people about the difference in League 2 to the Conference to know why it is difficult to predict. Some people reckon there is little difference between the two whilst others think there is a big gap. I fall somewhere between the two but will be really surprised if we finish above mid table with the squad we have at the present time. Cambridge were in a similar position to us last season and they have signed loads of players so obviously the ones they went up with were not good enough for the step up.The only advantage we have over them is that we went up with a pretty mean defence which could hold us in good stead. Leadbitter reminds ne a lot of Michael Smith and this could be the season where he comes to the fore and has an outstanding season ,Lockyer can without doubt hold his own in League 2 as can Parkes. Not really sure about McCrystal because his weakness of lack of pace will probably be tested far more in this division and with him unlikely to be fit for the first game we will probably see either James Clarke or Lockyer partnering Parkes. i haven't seen enough of either player in that position to make a judgement but Clarke looks like he has a bit of pace and can pass a ball which I would say would give him the edge over Tom so IMO he could turn out to be a great signing. Lee Brown again is a proven force in this League. My worry is very much in front of the back four where we have the following Central Midfielders Mansell Lines Clarke Sinclair I think Sinclair will be OK at League 2 level but where will he fit in? He is not a winger and in the centre he likes to wonder a lot which could leave us lightweight in there because League 2 definitely contains much better midfields than we faced last season. Chris Lines will probably be a luxury at this level and could be brilliant but just as easily leave us struggling to get the ball. Mansell is a year older and may struggle to complete as many games as last year and is he good enough to step up and really have to take hold of the midfield in games and cover to allow whoever is with him to go forward. I'm not sure , I like Mansells battling qualities but will it be enough? Clarke has failed to convince me in two years that he is either Conference or League 2 standard. To me there is something there (his goals show this) but there has been little if no improvement since he first came in to the team.I think this is a make or break season for him and I am not sure which way that will go but hope he improves and proves me wrong. Then we come to the wings where I was really hopeful we were going to make two signings even if Bodin signs but to date we have Montana who I have the feeling will be excellent and Gosling who again was indifferent last season and so there is a big question mark as to whether he can step up. I was disappointed we did not sign Myrie Williams who definitely has proven quality but this disappointment is probably fuelled more by the fact that DC has not yet signed another winger but more worryingly gives no indicaction of future PERMANENT signings. Broom has impressed but his use in the bigger friendlies has been very limited so possibly the best we can hope is that he breaks into the squad this season. Up front number wise we seem to be strong Easter, Taylor,Harrison,Blissett,Bodin (if he signs) and Lucas but do we have the quality? I have the feeling that our season will very much depend on how these fare but the fact that we have not scored a goal either against an Arsenal Under 21 side or Reading (lacking quite a few of their better players) is worrying. There are question marks about each of our forwards and I would be much happier if we had signed another striker. Only Easter is proven at this level but there are question marks over how many games he will play. As for the rest who knows? The key point now could be how many loanees and or signings we have before the first game. I would hope for at least another winger and would not be disappointed to see Dawson arrive back as permanent and a strong Central midfielder ( Connor Clifford comes to mind) and an additional striker proven at this level. Bodin is very much another relative unknown who promised a lot but has delivered relatively little. I am not convinced he is or has ever been a winger and his goalscoring record has never been impressive but he could be another player who DC brings the best out of if he can fit him in the budget. The big problem that I see is that our budget is no longer one of the best for this division and many will be pleased with this based on the past 8 or so seasons HOWEVER my point is that a budget is only as good as the Manager using it and IMO DC is a very good Manager who has pretty well been totally starved of the sort of budget that was given to Ward, McGhee, Buckle and Trollope. Just because the previous Managers squandered it does not mean that the Budget was wrong. DC is capable of taking us out of this division,he is not an experienced Manager at this level but I have every faith in his ability to do it if he is given the tools to do it. At the present time I am far from convinced that our silent Board have anything on their minds other than the Appeal. DC will not waste the cash-The Board will!!! So to conclude, I am as far away from knowing how we will fare as when i started this but i very much hope that a lot of the unknowns will prove their worth and if that happens then we could be in for a very good season. Too much the other way and it could be another dodgy season in League 2. This is just my opinions and it will be great to hear others views. In my opinion Lines and Sinclair should be our first-choice CM's. Their style's are so different they should compliment eachother. Mansell and Clarke should be able to play their part. Is a 5th CM really a priority?
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Post by Gas Go Marching In on Jul 23, 2015 10:30:24 GMT
To be honest I find it VERY difficult to predict how our season will go.There are too many unknowns in our squad to really judge and you only have to talk to other people about the difference in League 2 to the Conference to know why it is difficult to predict. Some people reckon there is little difference between the two whilst others think there is a big gap. I fall somewhere between the two but will be really surprised if we finish above mid table with the squad we have at the present time. Cambridge were in a similar position to us last season and they have signed loads of players so obviously the ones they went up with were not good enough for the step up.The only advantage we have over them is that we went up with a pretty mean defence which could hold us in good stead. Leadbitter reminds ne a lot of Michael Smith and this could be the season where he comes to the fore and has an outstanding season ,Lockyer can without doubt hold his own in League 2 as can Parkes. Not really sure about McCrystal because his weakness of lack of pace will probably be tested far more in this division and with him unlikely to be fit for the first game we will probably see either James Clarke or Lockyer partnering Parkes. i haven't seen enough of either player in that position to make a judgement but Clarke looks like he has a bit of pace and can pass a ball which I would say would give him the edge over Tom so IMO he could turn out to be a great signing. Lee Brown again is a proven force in this League. My worry is very much in front of the back four where we have the following Central Midfielders Mansell Lines Clarke Sinclair I think Sinclair will be OK at League 2 level but where will he fit in? He is not a winger and in the centre he likes to wonder a lot which could leave us lightweight in there because League 2 definitely contains much better midfields than we faced last season. Chris Lines will probably be a luxury at this level and could be brilliant but just as easily leave us struggling to get the ball. Mansell is a year older and may struggle to complete as many games as last year and is he good enough to step up and really have to take hold of the midfield in games and cover to allow whoever is with him to go forward. I'm not sure , I like Mansells battling qualities but will it be enough? Clarke has failed to convince me in two years that he is either Conference or League 2 standard. To me there is something there (his goals show this) but there has been little if no improvement since he first came in to the team.I think this is a make or break season for him and I am not sure which way that will go but hope he improves and proves me wrong. Then we come to the wings where I was really hopeful we were going to make two signings even if Bodin signs but to date we have Montana who I have the feeling will be excellent and Gosling who again was indifferent last season and so there is a big question mark as to whether he can step up. I was disappointed we did not sign Myrie Williams who definitely has proven quality but this disappointment is probably fuelled more by the fact that DC has not yet signed another winger but more worryingly gives no indicaction of future PERMANENT signings. Broom has impressed but his use in the bigger friendlies has been very limited so possibly the best we can hope is that he breaks into the squad this season. Up front number wise we seem to be strong Easter, Taylor,Harrison,Blissett,Bodin (if he signs) and Lucas but do we have the quality? I have the feeling that our season will very much depend on how these fare but the fact that we have not scored a goal either against an Arsenal Under 21 side or Reading (lacking quite a few of their better players) is worrying. There are question marks about each of our forwards and I would be much happier if we had signed another striker. Only Easter is proven at this level but there are question marks over how many games he will play. As for the rest who knows? The key point now could be how many loanees and or signings we have before the first game. I would hope for at least another winger and would not be disappointed to see Dawson arrive back as permanent and a strong Central midfielder ( Connor Clifford comes to mind) and an additional striker proven at this level. Bodin is very much another relative unknown who promised a lot but has delivered relatively little. I am not convinced he is or has ever been a winger and his goalscoring record has never been impressive but he could be another player who DC brings the best out of if he can fit him in the budget. The big problem that I see is that our budget is no longer one of the best for this division and many will be pleased with this based on the past 8 or so seasons HOWEVER my point is that a budget is only as good as the Manager using it and IMO DC is a very good Manager who has pretty well been totally starved of the sort of budget that was given to Ward, McGhee, Buckle and Trollope. Just because the previous Managers squandered it does not mean that the Budget was wrong. DC is capable of taking us out of this division,he is not an experienced Manager at this level but I have every faith in his ability to do it if he is given the tools to do it. At the present time I am far from convinced that our silent Board have anything on their minds other than the Appeal. DC will not waste the cash-The Board will!!! So to conclude, I am as far away from knowing how we will fare as when i started this but i very much hope that a lot of the unknowns will prove their worth and if that happens then we could be in for a very good season. Too much the other way and it could be another dodgy season in League 2. This is just my opinions and it will be great to hear others views. In my opinion Lines and Sinclair should be our first-choice CM's. Their style's are so different they should compliment eachother. Mansell and Clarke should be able to play their part. Is a 5th CM really a priority? It's not a priority but if Lines gets injured then it certainly will be. As none of the others are creative midfielders IMO.
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Post by rocknrollaayatollah on Jul 23, 2015 10:42:10 GMT
In my opinion Lines and Sinclair should be our first-choice CM's. Their style's are so different they should compliment eachother. Mansell and Clarke should be able to play their part. Is a 5th CM really a priority? It's not a priority but if Lines gets injured then it certainly will be. As none of the others are creative midfielders IMO. DC seemed to be pretty sharp on the loan front last season. I'm hopeful if Lines does get injured he'll be quick off the mark.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 10:46:15 GMT
tl;dr but what I am hoping for this season is a bit like the last. That we have a strong work ethic, team togetherness and no billy big bollox players.
So many times over the years we've come up against 'small' clubs like Crawley who didnt have any stand out players, but a team full of grafters who played for each other, and would pìss all over us not necessarily with ability but work ethic.
Ive spent a decade watching Rovers get overrun in midfield, until last season, albeit conference level.
I feel DC has brought that to Rovers. Many games last season weren't pretty, but we looked so comfortable the majority of the time. We can keep that winning mentality.
I'm hoping this season we do a Shrewsbury. Go about our business quietly, professionally. No billy big bollox manager, no billy big bollox players. League 1 is the level to really start improving quality in the team IMO.
soz for the waffle stevo
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Post by mjhgas on Jul 23, 2015 10:49:05 GMT
The air of despondency descends!
The momentum from last season on the pitch needs to continue! Fans, management & players mustn't let the disappointment of the Sainsburys defeat affect the new season!
Hoping we'll be ok for mid-table! Anything else will be a bonus!
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Post by Forestgas7 on Jul 23, 2015 10:52:51 GMT
Montano could b a very key player very quick and direct. Still need another winger asap
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Post by baggins on Jul 23, 2015 10:54:34 GMT
Reckon we'll be fine. Looking forward to it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 11:01:32 GMT
The air of despondency descends! The momentum from last season on the pitch needs to continue! Fans, management & players mustn't let the disappointment of the Sainsburys defeat affect the new season! Hoping we'll be ok for mid-table! Anything else will be a bonus! TBF the air of despondency never really ascended with a few fans. Even after a promotion(only our 5th? ever) they still moaned, that's just the way some people are built. If we would have won the legal battle they would have found something to moan about, DC signed a new contract yesterday - Yep, they found something to moan about that too. It's engrained in their DNA. We have paid way to much in wages in the past ( everyone agrees with that) this season were doing the oposite it seems, guess what? Yep, they moan about how little were dishing out in wages.
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Post by Antonio Fargas on Jul 23, 2015 11:05:12 GMT
The air of despondency descends! The momentum from last season on the pitch needs to continue! Fans, management & players mustn't let the disappointment of the Sainsburys defeat affect the new season! Hoping we'll be ok for mid-table! Anything else will be a bonus! TBF the air of despondency never really ascended with a few fans. Even after a promotion(only our 5th? ever) they still moaned, that's just the way some people are built. If we would have won the legal battle they would have found something to moan about, DC signed a new contract yesterday - Yep, they found something to moan about that too. It's engrained in their DNA. We have paid way to much in wages in the past ( everyone agrees with that) this season were doing the oposite it seems, guess what? Yep, they moan about how little were dishing out in wages. And you managed to find three things to moan about.
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Post by Gas Go Marching In on Jul 23, 2015 11:24:34 GMT
The air of despondency descends! The momentum from last season on the pitch needs to continue! Fans, management & players mustn't let the disappointment of the Sainsburys defeat affect the new season! Hoping we'll be ok for mid-table! Anything else will be a bonus! TBF the air of despondency never really ascended with a few fans. Even after a promotion(only our 5th? ever) they still moaned, that's just the way some people are built. If we would have won the legal battle they would have found something to moan about, DC signed a new contract yesterday - Yep, they found something to moan about that too. It's engrained in their DNA. We have paid way to much in wages in the past ( everyone agrees with that) this season were doing the oposite it seems, guess what? Yep, they moan about how little were dishing out in wages. Well I'm kind of moaning and I am far from your typical moaner who moans about everything to do with the club. So that's your theory right out of the window. Higgs said we would be giving it a go next season. DC said he wanted 5 new players. Since then 2 have left and 2 have come in. 3 if you count lines but Montano and Clarke wouldn't be on a great deal. We need to carry this momentum forward. DC is holding the club together at the moment. I just hope the board can match his ambition.
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Post by WeAreTheGas on Jul 23, 2015 11:27:43 GMT
As the squad stands I think we'll do OK, but possibly need 1 or 2 more quality additions to turn us into a top 7 side IMO.
Goalkeepers: Think Mildenhall will be first choice and he should be fine for L2. Probably not one of the top GK's in the league, but I think he'll improve on last season and return to his form of two seasons ago.
Defence: Has been the strongest area of our team for a few seasons now, and was the cornerstone of our promotion last season. Leadbitter will kick on this season IMO, and the early reports on J.Clarke look good.
Midfield: Montano will be a quality addition IMO, but think our wings are still the weakest area of our squad. Lines is a class player at this level, but if he gets injured then I worry for us. Mansell was brilliant for us last season, but would like to see him in a few L2 matches before judging how he'll fare for us this season. Think Sinclair will be able to make the step up, but a Sinclair-Lines partnership in midfield would get destroyed IMO.
Strikers: A lot may depend on the fitness of Easter at to how many goals we get from our strikers this season. If he's fully fit and can stay fit, there's no reason he shouldn't score goals at this level. Taylor will need to be a bit more clinical than he was last season if he's to get 15+ goals again, but his all-round play is brilliant. Harrison will hopefully kick on from his form at the end of last season and push on again. Have a sneaky feeling that Blissett will be a different player this season after a pre-season under DC - but expecting him to be 4th choice.
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Post by baggins on Jul 23, 2015 11:33:49 GMT
TBF the air of despondency never really ascended with a few fans. Even after a promotion(only our 5th? ever) they still moaned, that's just the way some people are built. If we would have won the legal battle they would have found something to moan about, DC signed a new contract yesterday - Yep, they found something to moan about that too. It's engrained in their DNA. We have paid way to much in wages in the past ( everyone agrees with that) this season were doing the oposite it seems, guess what? Yep, they moan about how little were dishing out in wages. Well I'm kind of moaning and I am far from your typical moaner who moans about everything to do with the club. So that's your theory right out of the window. Higgs said we would be giving it a go next season. DC said he wanted 5 new players. Since then 2 have left and 2 have come in. 3 if you count lines but Montano and Clarke wouldn't be on a great deal. We need to carry this momentum forward. DC is holding the club together at the moment. I just hope the board can match his ambition. Sounds like you're moaning.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 11:36:22 GMT
As before every season.......We'll finish in the top two. A play-off spot will be a disappointment, but not that much of one.
I just hope we don't have too many games moved due to International call-up's !
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Post by RD on Jul 23, 2015 11:40:24 GMT
As it stands, comfortably top half.
With some more additions, a playoff spot.
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Post by stevek192 on Jul 23, 2015 11:48:32 GMT
Wasn't meant as an air of despondency rather as a where I see we are now which is IMO very much in the balance and difficult to judge because there are so many unknowns about our individual players as regards experience at this level.If individuals come out mainly on the positive side then with our Team spirit and Team ethics we can be top 10. If most of the unknowns prove to be not able to play well at this standard then we will struggle to reach mid table. It does worry me that DC came out saying he wanted 4-5 players and we have only signed three having lost three Balanta, Monkhouse and Trotman.
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Post by Gas Go Marching In on Jul 23, 2015 11:52:38 GMT
Wasn't meant as an air of despondency rather as a where I see we are now which is IMO very much in the balance and difficult to judge because there are so many unknowns about our individual players as regards experience at this level.If individuals come out mainly on the positive side then with our Team spirit and Team ethics we can be top 10. If most of the unknowns prove to be not able to play well at this standard then we will struggle to reach mid table. It does worry me that DC came out saying he wanted 4-5 players and we have only signed three having lost three Balanta, Monkhouse and Trotman. I forgot about Trotman. If you discount Lines then we actually have a player less than last year.
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Post by Thegasaregoingup on Jul 23, 2015 11:56:32 GMT
Agree with most of what you say Stevek192, however, I thought the way DC managed signings throughout the season was spot on. One of our biggest failings was Buckles wholesale changes which turned out to be a disaster. I believe DC will assess the players he has within the first 10 games, realise who is not going to make it and adjust accordingly. I still believe we will finish in the top 7 and can't wait for the season to start.
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Post by 2nd May 1990 on Jul 23, 2015 12:03:38 GMT
Squad analysis:
GK: Mildy, Puddy - the same as end of last season
Defence: Brown, Lockyer, Leadbitter, Clarke, Parkes, McChrystal (also Lyttle and Greenslade) - slight improvement on end of last season with addition of Clarke
Central Midfield - Mansell, Clarke, Lines, Sinclair - Sinclair fit gives us more options than at the end of last season.
Wide midfield/wings - Montano, Gosling - Dawson, Monkhouse, Balanta replaced by only Montano. Badly needs strengthening. With the squad as it stands it wouldn't be surprising to see Sinclair, Lockyer or Leadbitter deployed out wide, but although they are options, they are not long term answers in these positions.
Strikers - Ellis, Taylor, Bliss, Easter, Lucas - Easter gives us more options and experience than at the end of last season.
Clearly need at least one wide midfielder/winger. Otherwise not bad, with the returning Sincs and Easter a big plus. Ideally I'd like to see another defensive midfielder added, someone with a bit of pace.
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