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Post by socrates on Apr 21, 2024 11:49:59 GMT
For me we have gone from different extremes with nearly every manager. GC did a brilliant jobs with a limited budget to improve things. Wasn't the loan wages for Smith and Victor less than conference wages as they were "work experience"? If only he was allowed to sign the two player he wanted. One now an international with European experience and from the description, pretty sure it was Adkins from Mansfield. Joey was given a massive budget and some of his signings have been hit or miss but we are still paying for players who have not yet come good. Garner was given a similar remit as now - bring in young hungry players with the potential to improve but the squad was too top heavy with youngsters. Hopefully Taylor and Friend can make sure we get an even balance this time. Looking at our midfield yesterday they play looking up, but with no one able to hold the ball up, or run on to through balls apart from Sinclair we just can't break teams down. Let's hope there is another Barry Hayles out there somewhere! Yeah we’re crying out for pace and movement. If we had that then our current midfield would be good enough albeit quite injury prone.
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Post by socrates on Apr 21, 2024 0:46:59 GMT
Martin is very lucky to only get a relatively short ban, that was appalling. The end of the season can't come soon enough - with the best attacking option being Brown on his own up front. Thankfully we're safe and not where we were when we were relying on Chris Beardsley as the lone striker and hoping Matt Harrold would get fit again. Taylor needs 3 decent league 1 level forwards (assuming Martin is the fourth) and they don't come cheap, plus paying up Brown's contract will cost. Otherwise it will be another long season. Recruitment has to be spot on this time after last summer. In the past the ones that have done well for us have come cheap. Our most successful strikers generally weren’t rated that highly when they came to the club. Lambert Collins Taylor Bruno Saunders Hayles Just for example , most of those were frees or very cheap. Peterborough seem to be doing exactly what we did in the 90s and early 00’s and that’s down to good recruitment. Hopefully the club are sorting it now so we can get some good players in with potential to be top league 1 players.
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Post by socrates on Apr 20, 2024 18:37:43 GMT
If it is true and Martin did headbut him with enough force to cause concussion, he should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should be fined heavily by the club. If I was the manager I'd have to think very hard before offering him an extension to his contract if that's how he conducts himself. Sorry but this is the last straw for me with Martin. Would not extend his contract. Thanks for keep us up. Bye. Look at how a very poorly supported Peterborough can build a strong fast attacking team. Make that our benchmark. I agree regarding building a strong fast attacking team. Regarding Martin I’m surprised he’s done that because off the pitch he comes across as a nice genuine bloke and an intelligent one at that. But that is twice now he’s head butted a player off of the ball and that is unacceptable. Tbh I’d like to think that we’ll bring in at least one striker preferably two that will be more mobile and younger than him next season anyway. He did hit prolific form this season but that’s the first time in his career that that has happened so I don’t think we should be going in to next season with him as our main striker anyway. We need to somehow ship Marquis out is he out of contract ? And get two new strikers in to replace him and Collins. As much as I like Sinclair I think we’d benefit from a quicker more direct younger player down that side also. As you say Pace and Power is so important and Barton built an injury prone aging squad with a slow patient build up in mind. Taylor can’t be blamed for that but if he doesn’t address it in the summer then it’ll be another bottom half finish I’m afraid.
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Post by socrates on Apr 20, 2024 17:19:31 GMT
Glad I’ve seen the back of the mem for a while , water poor season. Won’t be keeping an eye on the Wigan game so have a good summer all !! I’ll be glad of a break but this season hasn’t been as bad as some will make out. We’ve stayed in the league and had some good results along the way. Our problem has been we can’t score goals and have generally had quite an inexperienced defence. People forget seasons like those we’ve been relegated out of league one or worse league two, or seasons like when Garner threw away a 3rd place position and was only stopped from further capitulation by Covid bringing play to an end. Compared to those this season has not been bad at all. Sign an experienced striker (who could possibly fill this role?), one or two up and coming hopefulls and extend Martin and some experienced heads alongside players like Taylor and Connolly and we’ll come back in August excited for the season ahead. The lack of strikers is a massive problem I agree but that’s obvious isn’t it. It’s the lack of pace in the side which hardly ever gets brought up on here or on the terraces that I find confusing. We literally don’t have one player who is rapid. Thomas is our quickest and I wouldn’t call him that quick, when he beats his man it’s usually skill and movement more than down to pace. Our only two strikers are very similar Marquis is a very poor man’s Martin and Sinclair is still a decent player but lost that incredible pace he once had. The lack of pace makes us predictable and slow which is what Barton built us like and so far Taylor hasn’t been able to really address it. I really hope he feels the way I do about this as if we don’t inject some quickness in to the squad in the summer we ain’t going to get anywhere near the top 6 next season.
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Post by socrates on Apr 20, 2024 14:53:29 GMT
I can’t think of a player in our squad less suitable to play as a lone striker than Brown. Lazy , weak, doesn’t read the game, hasn’t got any kind of shithousery attributes, we might as well have played the tea lady up front in that first 45 minutes.
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Post by socrates on Apr 19, 2024 11:44:22 GMT
Rossiter - if we can get positive news from the club doctors, I would risk a 1 year contract with our extension option. Hopefully he would show a little loyalty as we have paid him through the last couple of years, and not jump for a slightly better/longer offer elsewhere. Cant blame him if he did though, it is his livelihood after all. JCH - think it is very unlikely. Would we then let Martin go? Really dont want us paying for both of them, need money spent on speedy front men. Martin is top of the Goals Scored >75 minutes table (7) and could be brilliant to bring on for the last 20 in games once a strong speedy number 9 has ran the oppo defences ragged! If Rossiter can get through these next two games without breaking down then I agree a one year deal would be worth the risk. He’s such a good player.
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Post by socrates on Apr 17, 2024 10:54:55 GMT
I think we just need a couple more strikers ( Marquis to leave ) and a couple of wide men , preferably all with pace as that’s what we lack so badly. In midfield if Finley goes which I think he will then a midfield general / captain type to replace him and a centre half like Wilson but without the injury history. We’re not a million miles off in terms of ability but we’ve lacked pace and goal scorers all season. Barton built a side suited to a slow possession based game and at this level unless you have the absolute best squad simply won’t work , I’ve been saying it all season, we need pace and power too. I’d get Aguilara baggot and vale back again if possible too. Taylor had done ok but it’s impossible to really judge him until he’s had the summer to build his team.
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Post by socrates on Apr 17, 2024 7:14:52 GMT
Can we get behind our new manager now and stop this fickle knee jerk rubbish that’s the question. I’ve got to say I was surprised so many wanted him out after he’s steadied the ship pretty well in what has been a very turbulent season. We could still finish in the top half so let’s get behind him and the squad, help them to a decent finish, watch England win the Euros and look forward to next season.
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Post by socrates on Apr 17, 2024 6:42:41 GMT
Evans ball in the build up to the goal was sublime. Great movement by Thomas and Martin too. Fully deserved the win. Played Gas.
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Post by socrates on Apr 16, 2024 8:55:32 GMT
I heard him say that he picked his best team on Saturday but took that as that he’s been giving players a chance to prove themselves before he writes up his keep / get rid list.
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Post by socrates on Apr 16, 2024 8:19:42 GMT
With MT saying he has been selecting a team for someone else, could "they" actually be us ie the fans? Most want Jed Ward, some want Hoole and Gordon to play, I would like Shaw, Hall, Lawrence and Greenslade to feature at least in 10 minute cameos. Maybe some are not ready. If he has been experimenting, it is the perfect time to do it. The season has been over for ages, but the pressure on the manager for results and performances never stop. I bet he has learned a lot about our squad, fans and set up though. I didn’t hear him say he’s been selecting the team for someone else did he really say that ?
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Post by socrates on Apr 16, 2024 6:32:59 GMT
We’ve been so unpredictable this season it’s hard to call. We were awful up there earlier in the season. I’d take a good performance and any kind of result tbh.
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Post by socrates on Apr 15, 2024 15:53:36 GMT
The best teams in league 1 mix it up. But one thing that stands out to me at league 1 and 2 level is how much pace matters. If you haven’t got at least a couple of strikers or wingers or attacking mids in the squad running at people scaring the life out of defenders and get them running back towards their own goal then it’s unlikely you make top 6. All defenders hate playing against pace but in the owner leagues they S£it themselves. And not just the lower leagues socrates. On Saturday I went to the AFCB v Man U match and AFCB usually play out from the back. Suddenly they were getting the ball out wide to full backs or wide players as quickly as possible straight from the keeper and Man U couldn’t deal with it. Their full backs gave the AFCB players so much space to run into it was untrue. Quick 1-2s saw them by-pass the Man U midfield and defenders. Should have been 4-1 up at HT not just 2-1. And of course Man U got the pen and scraped a 2-2. My point being that AFCB saw the amount of space at the back that they just got the ball forward asap for their quick players to run at Man U. Should have won handsomely. Whatever, Ten Haag was out thought by Iraola. As to us, it’s why Luke Thomas running at defences is one of our strongest plays. If the opposition press forward they are vulnerable to him running at them. Another player or more with pace would be an area to strengthen in the window. UTG! Agreed , Thomas checks back inside a lot because the opposition cut off his lanes of attack which isn’t his fault it’s because the opposition know that usually he’s the only player likely to be running at them. If we’ve got more than one capable of doing it then every space can’t be filled all over the pitch. Couldn’t make the game Saturday but watching bits of highlights it looked like we were putting through balls for Thomas and Sinclair to run on to rather than playing to feet and it probably made a lot of difference I’d imagine ?
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Post by socrates on Apr 15, 2024 9:33:08 GMT
The best teams in league 1 mix it up. But one thing that stands out to me at league 1 and 2 level is how much pace matters. If you haven’t got at least a couple of strikers or wingers or attacking mids in the squad running at people scaring the life out of defenders and get them running back towards their own goal then it’s unlikely you make top 6. All defenders hate playing against pace but in the owner leagues they S£it themselves.
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Post by socrates on Apr 13, 2024 23:24:05 GMT
Been banned according to his posts on the other forum. Good. Petulant manchild, sick of seeing his posts and he adds nothing other than to irritate us.
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Post by socrates on Apr 13, 2024 23:18:22 GMT
Yet he’s taken on someone else’s players and improved them. Barton built a side over almost 3 years and couldn’t achieve a higher finish than 17th last season and we were 17th when he was sacked. The clueless one comes on it takes an eternity for the board to allow him to bring in his own staff , we sell one of our best attacking players and the useless one still improves us. Give the bloke a chance ffs.
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Post by socrates on Apr 13, 2024 16:11:46 GMT
Very much needed win. Good job all round. Not a fan of the way Taylor has managed this squad but fair play to him organizing this lot to a victory in what must have been a very difficult week. Better than Barton , took over in difficult circumstances to say the least and had led us to mid table. The bloke deserves a chance.
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Post by socrates on Apr 13, 2024 15:58:51 GMT
We’ll done marshy 3-1 UTG Marshy in to build the squad for next season .
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Post by socrates on Apr 13, 2024 15:31:09 GMT
Live league table puts us above Barton with all the sh** and injuries he’s had to put up with also. I’ve been on the fence in this thread so far leaning towards back not sack. Back. Otherwise we might have well kept Barton or Mangan.
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Post by socrates on Apr 12, 2024 22:48:22 GMT
That was a god awful league 2 side you’re right but I see this squad as an aging unbalanced league 1 side with zero pace and a lack of leadership and goalscorers. They’re different but both had many weaknesses. There are leaders in Evans, Hunt, Wilson, Finley, Sinclair and Martin, goal scorers in Sinclair, Evans, Martin and LT, pace in LT and Vaughan (assuming he's still at the club?). Whilst the squad might not be play off contenders they are good enough to compete with the likes of Reading, if they were managed by somebody who can motivate them. I’m not so sure those players you’ve named are leaders. Just because a player is experienced it doesn’t make him a leader. As for Thomas being a goalscorer the 5 he had this season is the most he’s ever scored in a season , Evans doesn’t score many and our top goalscorer even admitted himself the other day that he’s never been prolific until that run between September and January. You say Thomas and Vaughn are quick but are they ? I wouldn’t say Thomas is particularly quick although he’s skilful and Vaughn hasn’t had the ball longer than 2 seconds in any game before he’s muscled off of the ball anyway. Crap squad, injury prone and lacking in leadership, pace , determination and goal scorers.
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