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Post by Centenary Gas on Feb 25, 2017 21:58:49 GMT
Today, and the last few games for me have highlighted what we need next season. It is a weird thing to say after the amount of goals going in at both ends until recently, but we are pretty sorted at the back, and painfully lacking in the final 1/3. This group has bundles of energy, commitment, and all the rest that will definately take you a long way.. for us 10th or so, but there comes a time when you need to inject some real quality. I have said that I believe promotion this year could be a disaster waiting to happen, and it's too early for us, but the discussion has led me to consider who is capable of making the step up. We have several players in the team with age on their side who certainly have the potential to make it in the Championship, but right now for most of them it is just potential. The likes of Lockyer, Brown, Leads, Bodin have all struggled at some time this season, and another season in league one will stand them in much better stead... but this isn't about whether it would be good to go up this year.
DC has made some fantastic signings (so far!) in the window, and seems to have really sorted out our back line. For the most part, I don't think we actually need to do much work on the transfer front there.
GK: Lumley - been fantastic since we had come in, and I would imagine we would have a decent chance of signing him in the summer. Would be great to have him as a youngish number 1 that we could potentially keep in the side for a few years. We would need to sign a sub GK... Mildy is too old and probably on a few bob, Puddy is.. well Puddy.
I don't hold out any real hope Sweeney can be signed, so I'm going to assume he is off at the end of the season.
Leadbitter Partington
Hartley Lockyer Burns
Brown Harris
This for me is pretty much all we need going forward. Personally I would release James Clarke, but if we do keep him then we wouldn't need anyone else. Harris looked good today, and if he continues that then I would keep him to battle LB for the left back spot. I do question whether Hartley is good enough for league one/top 6, maybe he is although I would prefer an experienced Championship player to take his spot.. but unlikely to happen.
Monty Lines Clarke Bodin Sinclair Broom (loan to league 2)
For me we should keep these 5, and add 3-4 midfielders to compete with them going forward. I do think the higher places teams have definately had a better ability to keep and spray the ball than our midfield, but they all deserve to battle for a place when new signings are made. I personally don't like Sincs starting as often he is used to block up part of the midfield, but his battling tendencies play an important role. Ollie Clarke would of been on the get rid list until a little while ago, but he has completely transformed. I do still wish he would make space and want the ball a lot more rather than trot about, as that is how the top teams in this league are controlling games.. but well done to him this season. Lines' age may be an issue, but it hasn't been yet. Monty can be frustrating, but he does help out with the defensive side and I would give him another year.
The strikers.... Personally I would have no problem getting rid of them all. None of them are good enough for the Championship, and may never will be.
Gaffney - I wish he would use his height up front rather than spending so much time on the left wing. Does give us some presence up front. I do fear for him as far as going any higher in the leagues, but I wouldn't have a problem with keeping him.
Harrison - Frustrating player who is very average in most areas of his game. Does not score enough and very inconsistent. Does better as an impact player from the bench (4 goal game excluded) and then is a let down often when he starts.
Luke James - Not good enough. Too lightweight, and if he does offer something we haven't seen, then our direct style of football doesn't allow him to show it. Offload. I would rather play Jamie Lucas and see if he can hack it. On the subject of Jamie Lucas, loan him to a league two club, and if he doesn't score double digits then he obviously isn't going to be able to hack it where we are aiming to be.
I imagine DC will keep EH and RG, which would mean we need 2-3 players up front. I would like to see us spend some money here, a Ricky Miller type signing, and potentially some experience with an older head who has Championship experience.
So... a sub GK, possibly 1 defender, 3-4 midfielders, and 3 strikers (minimum)
Anyone disagree?
The championship is a huge step up. If we want to go up and have any chance of staying up there, we need to get some real quality established in the team next year, with no room for sentiment.
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Post by DTGas on Feb 25, 2017 23:04:22 GMT
Agree with most of that.
Lumley would require a fee but I don't see any reason why we couldn't get him if that's what DC really wants.
I can't see us having any chance signing Sweeney permanently but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of maybe getting him back on a season long loan. He's helped massively in making that back line solid and if we can't get him, then we definitely need a left footed CB of similar quality. Hartley would make a decent squad player but we'll need better as first choice.
CM needs more numbers so I expect to see at least one quality addition to push OC and CL in that department.
A classy left winger would be high on my wish list. I like Monty but it's obvious that DC doesn't quite trust in him enough to hold down that position and although Sinclair/Moore can do a job there, it would be nice to have playmaking ability coming from both flanks.
The strike force needs a massive overhaul so I expect that to be the biggest talking points of the summer.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 0:07:41 GMT
I would recommend we dispose of training staff immediately. Clearly Gaffney, James and Harrison can't improve with training and work, so why not let the coaching staff go?
We've had 3 games since MT left which is time enough to assess all of these players. We need to offer no "gelling" time as James is REALLY similar to Matt Taylor....and these games have been against p**s poor relegation fodder so they should have scored buckets.
Once we've sent them packing we will have some new highly paid journeymen who are here mainly for the money. These are guaranteed to work hard and perform - no plan b required. No chance that we might get landed with players no better with big wages and bad attitudes , no chance whatsoever
Sarcasm aside, lets judge in May. Let's back our strikers. I see something in all of them, and while if this form continues we may need to consider changes, maybe one or more will impress us. After all, they all work their bollocks off. I like that. I therefore want to give them more of a chance and err towards seeing the best in them.
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Post by orgasmic on Feb 26, 2017 7:10:54 GMT
On what I've seen this season I would try and sign Lumley or find a new GK. Let James Clarke go and maybe Brown if his contract is coming up. I would try and re-sign Sweeney. Bring in LB and 1 CB with experience. I would let Moore and Monty go. I would try and bring in 4 midfielders. Bodin is the only player who scores regularly from midfield and is now marked out of games making our goal threat minimal. I would replace all strikers with proven goal scorers. I will continue to offer my full support to all players until they no longer play for Rovers, but hypothetically the above is what I would like to achieve. That said, proven goal scorers aren't cheap so I don't think it will happen that way at all so happy for DC to continue building the squad as he has done so far.
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Post by Topper Gas on Feb 26, 2017 7:11:30 GMT
I would recommend we dispose of training staff immediately. Clearly Gaffney, James and Harrison can't improve with training and work, so why not let the coaching staff go? We've had 3 games since MT left which is time enough to assess all of these players. We need to offer no "gelling" time as James is REALLY similar to Matt Taylor....and these games have been against p**s poor relegation fodder so they should have scored buckets. Once we've sent them packing we will have some new highly paid journeymen who are here mainly for the money. These are guaranteed to work hard and perform - no plan b required. No chance that we might get landed with players no better with big wages and bad attitudes , no chance whatsoever Sarcasm aside, lets judge in May. Let's back our strikers. I see something in all of them, and while if this form continues we may need to consider changes, maybe one or more will impress us. After all, they all work their bollocks off. I like that. I therefore want to give them more of a chance and err towards seeing the best in them. James has been here all season, how much time does he need to gell? Unfortunately no coaching staff will give EH a footballing brain! The choice is simple for DC if he wants us to be a top 6 side then he needs to bring in better strikers, possibly only Gaffney is good enough of the present strikers.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 8:09:56 GMT
I would recommend we dispose of training staff immediately. Clearly Gaffney, James and Harrison can't improve with training and work, so why not let the coaching staff go? We've had 3 games since MT left which is time enough to assess all of these players. We need to offer no "gelling" time as James is REALLY similar to Matt Taylor....and these games have been against p**s poor relegation fodder so they should have scored buckets. Once we've sent them packing we will have some new highly paid journeymen who are here mainly for the money. These are guaranteed to work hard and perform - no plan b required. No chance that we might get landed with players no better with big wages and bad attitudes , no chance whatsoever Sarcasm aside, lets judge in May. Let's back our strikers. I see something in all of them, and while if this form continues we may need to consider changes, maybe one or more will impress us. After all, they all work their bollocks off. I like that. I therefore want to give them more of a chance and err towards seeing the best in them. James has been here all season, how much time does he need to gell? Unfortunately no coaching staff will give EH a footballing brain! The choice is simple for DC if he wants us to be a top 6 side then he needs to bring in better strikers, possibly only Gaffney is good enough of the present strikers. Would I want to see Gaffney, Harrison or James up front next season... no. James - is the weakest striker I've seen in a rovers shirt and offers very little people might say he's only had a handful of games, but he also must not be doing something right in training when the snake was here LJ wasnt really making appearances was hardy used and now he's only being used out of desperation. Harrison just don't have the footballing brain at this level. Gaffney has had the odd good game but inconsistent look's like he's low on confidence is he the future of BRFC no. for the rest of the season I would bring back jermaine easter for me he has the footballing brain were missing up top and also to give Jamie lucas a go he couldn't do much worse than the curent strike force.
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Post by gasincider on Feb 26, 2017 8:40:08 GMT
Sorry, but Jamie Lucas is not the answer. Watched him more than James, and just doesn't cut it. We have a big transfer window coming up in the summer.
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Post by nsgas on Feb 26, 2017 9:04:30 GMT
Sorry, but Jamie Lucas is not the answer. Watched him more than James, and just doesn't cut it. We have a big transfer window coming up in the summer. I've never seen Jamie Lucas play but after yesterday's performance by Luke James, it is inconceivable that Lucas could be any less effective. Jamie's come up through our youth ranks and deserves a chance to show what he can do!
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Post by warehamgas on Feb 26, 2017 9:27:39 GMT
Sorry, but Jamie Lucas is not the answer. Watched him more than James, and just doesn't cut it. We have a big transfer window coming up in the summer. I've never seen Jamie Lucas play but after yesterday's performance by Luke James, it is inconceivable that Lucas could be any less effective. Jamie's come up through our youth ranks and deserves a chance to show what he can do! Think gasincider might be right. I'd like to see Lucas play as well but I guess DC has seen him in training and has decided he's not the answer esp after two years when he would have seen a lot of him. Different player than LJ, is he more like RG? DC Should take an earlier Summer holiday this year with no play-offs because he's going to be busy!! UTG!
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Post by warehamgas on Feb 26, 2017 9:30:01 GMT
Today, and the last few games for me have highlighted what we need next season. It is a weird thing to say after the amount of goals going in at both ends until recently, but we are pretty sorted at the back, and painfully lacking in the final 1/3. This group has bundles of energy, commitment, and all the rest that will definately take you a long way.. for us 10th or so, but there comes a time when you need to inject some real quality. I have said that I believe promotion this year could be a disaster waiting to happen, and it's too early for us, but the discussion has led me to consider who is capable of making the step up. We have several players in the team with age on their side who certainly have the potential to make it in the Championship, but right now for most of them it is just potential. The likes of Lockyer, Brown, Leads, Bodin have all struggled at some time this season, and another season in league one will stand them in much better stead... but this isn't about whether it would be good to go up this year. DC has made some fantastic signings (so far!) in the window, and seems to have really sorted out our back line. For the most part, I don't think we actually need to do much work on the transfer front there. GK: Lumley - been fantastic since we had come in, and I would imagine we would have a decent chance of signing him in the summer. Would be great to have him as a youngish number 1 that we could potentially keep in the side for a few years. We would need to sign a sub GK... Mildy is too old and probably on a few bob, Puddy is.. well Puddy. I don't hold out any real hope Sweeney can be signed, so I'm going to assume he is off at the end of the season. Leadbitter Partington Hartley Lockyer Burns Brown Harris This for me is pretty much all we need going forward. Personally I would release James Clarke, but if we do keep him then we wouldn't need anyone else. Harris looked good today, and if he continues that then I would keep him to battle LB for the left back spot. I do question whether Hartley is good enough for league one/top 6, maybe he is although I would prefer an experienced Championship player to take his spot.. but unlikely to happen. Monty Lines Clarke Bodin Sinclair Broom (loan to league 2) For me we should keep these 5, and add 3-4 midfielders to compete with them going forward. I do think the higher places teams have definately had a better ability to keep and spray the ball than our midfield, but they all deserve to battle for a place when new signings are made. I personally don't like Sincs starting as often he is used to block up part of the midfield, but his battling tendencies play an important role. Ollie Clarke would of been on the get rid list until a little while ago, but he has completely transformed. I do still wish he would make space and want the ball a lot more rather than trot about, as that is how the top teams in this league are controlling games.. but well done to him this season. Lines' age may be an issue, but it hasn't been yet. Monty can be frustrating, but he does help out with the defensive side and I would give him another year. The strikers.... Personally I would have no problem getting rid of them all. None of them are good enough for the Championship, and may never will be. Gaffney - I wish he would use his height up front rather than spending so much time on the left wing. Does give us some presence up front. I do fear for him as far as going any higher in the leagues, but I wouldn't have a problem with keeping him. Harrison - Frustrating player who is very average in most areas of his game. Does not score enough and very inconsistent. Does better as an impact player from the bench (4 goal game excluded) and then is a let down often when he starts. Luke James - Not good enough. Too lightweight, and if he does offer something we haven't seen, then our direct style of football doesn't allow him to show it. Offload. I would rather play Jamie Lucas and see if he can hack it. On the subject of Jamie Lucas, loan him to a league two club, and if he doesn't score double digits then he obviously isn't going to be able to hack it where we are aiming to be. I imagine DC will keep EH and RG, which would mean we need 2-3 players up front. I would like to see us spend some money here, a Ricky Miller type signing, and potentially some experience with an older head who has Championship experience. So... a sub GK, possibly 1 defender, 3-4 midfielders, and 3 strikers (minimum) Anyone disagree? The championship is a huge step up. If we want to go up and have any chance of staying up there, we need to get some real quality established in the team next year, with no room for sentiment. Agree centenary. Think it sums it up pretty much.
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Post by albaron on Feb 26, 2017 9:34:36 GMT
In a nutshell --- We need Three new strikers -- End of.
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Post by Gas-Ed on Feb 26, 2017 10:17:51 GMT
Broom won't get a league two club. I doubt any league two manager has even heard of the lad let alone take a punt on him. I would love us to spend a bit of money on a quality striker. He might be a snake, but his goals were a huge part of our success over the last 2 and half years.
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Post by jonnyref72 on Feb 26, 2017 10:45:55 GMT
Excellent original post fella. Agree with most of what your saying.
Defensively and midfield we are not far off. Maybe another centre mid will be needed to keep competition high. Lumley would be a good signing if possible. Sweeney clearly but a season loan is the best we could get there realistically.
As for the forwards which everyone is up in arms about. Listen clearly we need a number 10 no doubt. A player with a bit of pace who can play on the shoulder. I'm not going to slate James, he hasnt had much opportunity and I do see something in him. Atm looks inexperienced and in and around the box it shows. These type of forwards are hard to come by, if we could find one, that would make the difference no doubt. Gaffney and Ellis are number 9's and yes need to score some goals but are far from the worst. A "cureton" type striker (tho not him before someone starts lol) with experience..if we could find that and perhaps a young, hungry lad who can finish from good pedigree is what I would like. Would have Mcburnie back in a heartbeat. A year older has been in fine form for his under 23's and I'm confident he would get goals at this level.
One thing I do differ from is the not ready to go up, could be a disaster point of view. Why logically I get where you are coming from, football don't work like that. You take promotion anytime you can grasp it. Next season we do not need a team to compete in the championship, we need a squad capable of going from mid table to the top six. With a few additions I think we have every chance. When you achieve a promotion then you have to assess what you need to compete as we have done this season. Yes it would be a bigger jump and money would then needed to be spent. When we went up to that level under Francis we were nowhere near "ready" yet we competed. I accept it's alot harder these days as City have proved but we are in a better position as a club than the Twerton era also.
As I said great post though, well done pal 👍
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Post by gaelgas on Feb 26, 2017 14:32:23 GMT
Oh dear, near consensus probably upsets a lot of those who like to come on forums for a bit of what I'm sure they'd describe as 'banter' but I have to agree with the OP, I too would probably get rid of all of the front line, maybe keep Harrison (tin hat on) but we need two or three proven scorers at this level, maybe Tom Pope, currently at Bury, surely we could tempt him?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 14:36:06 GMT
Prefer Vaughan from Bury,but better not suggest another striker in cae Martin gets on his soap box again
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 14:45:26 GMT
Oh dear, near consensus probably upsets a lot of those who like to come on forums for a bit of what I'm sure they'd describe as 'banter' but I have to agree with the OP, I too would probably get rid of all of the front line, maybe keep Harrison (tin hat on) but we need two or three proven scorers at this level, maybe Tom Pope, currently at Bury, surely we could tempt him? I'm not sure about getting rid of the front line completely, because as we've seen its hard to replace 'squad' players with similar or better quality. We're not Sheffield United and it's not like we're moving into the new ground in August, a 'quality' 25 isn't going to happen I don't think. Ellis and Gaffney certainly have their qualities and I think should stay, glad James is being given a chance but based on what I've seen not sure he'll prosper here enough to sign him. Maybe needs a step down from L1. Two new forwards in the summer and I think the front line would be suitable, and there's still a bit of continuation there.
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Post by Topper Gas on Feb 26, 2017 15:24:34 GMT
I disagree unless Gaffers or Ellis suddenly show some form next season I can't see how DC can hope to progress next season if he keeps those two as our main centre forwards, one of them will have to be and be replaced with a more experienced player, DC will also need to replace Taylor and Easter but I doubt that will be difficult as they were probably two of our highest wage earners.
The question for DC is which of the two is likely to be the best in the long term, a month ago I'd have said Ellis, a month later Gaffers is offering more, it's just a pity he looks incapable of ever scoring!
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Post by mftc on Feb 26, 2017 16:17:38 GMT
In short we don't know. DC has changed the defence and will no doubt change the attack.
Don't expect any marque signings but perhaps another Bodin-esque trialist late in August and another Easter type experienced pro not wanted at a Championship club (ie if he plays 4 more games they have to offer him a new contract, so are looking to get rid) around Sep/Oct.
I expect Gaffers and Ellis to be here next season (and at least one to start). They are probably towards the low end of league One wages and it is going to a balancing act. I am sure DC and Wael will offer the top wages to try and get Sweeney and Lumley even if they are both season long loans.
Not so sure about Miller. There are some players who score for fun against lesser teams but just can't manage it at a higher level. Think I read somewhere he scored less than 4 goals in league football only a few years ago and he is hardly a kid. To put in perspective, Ellis was mostly a sub in the Conference. If he played every game and took all the pens that season he could have scored 30.
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Post by You can call me Al. on Feb 26, 2017 16:27:03 GMT
If the gentleman's agreement doesn't effect Matty Taylor, perhaps we can get him back.
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Post by pucklegas on Feb 26, 2017 16:49:52 GMT
If the gentleman's agreement doesn't effect Matty Taylor, perhaps we can get him back. Rather have Andy spring!
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