The wheels on the bus start to go round and round again. We get journeymen with one year contracts and have a bad start, then slowly improve when the loan market opens.
It is worse this year than last Heman. At no stage last season did I think we fell apart completely - especially at home - like we did against MKD or Fulham. Boro perhaps but we had 10 men for an hour, and maybe Bournemouth in the cup. The difference is that MKD and Fulham are no great shakes. How can any half decent manager sign a dozen players, leave half of them out of the side behind those left from last season and say we need a few more? I don't expect him to publicly say 'I have bought a few pups' but isn't that the reality?
Yes of course it is smiler but every manager buys lots of players that don't fit in every season. In my book he hasn't done anything unusually wrong in this regard.
We don't have a strong youth policy because we can't afford it. Only a handful of clubs can and 99% of those go elsewhere.
That's one reason I don't undermine him. His record is astounding and he loves football and has been ver y committed, which is high on the list for us fans.
This "every manager buys loads of players" thing isn't true, is it?
We've had nearly 90 signings in a little over three years ago. We were the most active club in the division this close season (only Wednesday have now fetched more in), just as we were last season. And the season before that.
We can argue the merits of the approach. But we can't pretend it's common practice.
Respectfully disagree Ian, but it is all about opinions. How we try and play is one thing but who we sign is another. Halford, Collins, White, Ledesma, Buxton. These are not gambles on unknowns. They have all been around. Constantly signing and shipping out players until you find a formula that works isn't management - it's trial and error. Anyone can do that. Yes, he has done great for us so far, of course he has. That speaks for itself. But at the moment he is in a hole that he has dug for himself by spending what he did have on some poor players some of whom he seems to be implying were mistakes and he can't make his mind up how he wants us to play and who plays best where. Baffling signing of Roos hasn't helped. I agree he deserves a bit more time based on what he has done so far, but at the minute we are a mess. I think that he knows it too when he talks about 'having a rethink' five games in. They are my opinions, but I respect yours and others.
No, No, No!!!
The scattergun approach does not work! There's an argument that it has worked in the past but especially last season the three teams below us were SO abysmal we managed to survive. THIS season I'd argue that we're just as bad if not worse than Blackpool were last year.
I'm expecting two or three "experienced" players to be loaned in + one or two "exciting prospects" as in the past, one, maybe two will work, we may even win a match, & then the SE lovers will say everything in the garden's lovely again.
Workrate & team spirit has served us well under Evans in the past but even that has gone, please Tony, get rid & get a FOOTBALL rather than hoofball manager in before we need snookers!!!!
I think we are saying the same thing Brad. Perhaps we were typing simultaneously. The only difference between us seems to be that you seem to want SE to go now whereas I would give him a little more time to sort it - but only a little bit, and only based on sentiment which I accept doesn't often play much of a part in football.
Smiler...in order to fall apart we have to be together in the first place. The single biggest issue I see is that we have 11 players in the same side but not as a team. I see that the best thing they can do during the international break is for them to all go out on the razz and either have a big fight or a big group sing song at the lap dance club.
when the internet millers won worldnet we didn't have the best team. We didn't have a top 5 team in fact. What we had was the absolute best team spirit in the competition and we made a point of doing everything together. They need to gel off the field before they can gel on it. We were running on empty in the final but the lads who were not on the pitch put just as much effort into cheering the players on as those who were on it.
This "every manager buys loads of players" thing isn't true, is it? We've had nearly 90 signings in a little over three years ago. We were the most active club in the division this close season (only Wednesday have now fetched more in), just as we were last season. And the season before that. We can argue the merits of the approach. But we can't pretend it's common practice.
I am not saying every manager signs loads in the same way SE has but I did say every manager bar steve evans has twice the squad ( approx) to pick from and the (lots) thing is to point out that many teams this and last year have indeed signed lots but my main point is that they don't carry the same risk as at other teams.
It's also true that the big clubs carry a squad in reserve that would be in our first team. That not an exaggerated comment. Just look at the pool we fish in.
I think the other Pont is va lid too. For ever signing a small club makes a big club can make 2-3.
When you add the pound land we have to shop in to the risk it's an enormous task. Given we cant even afford a mid table player to take a risk on then it's impossible to be certain of the quality at the moment we sign them. Risk is inevitable n but we don't have the money for the insurance policy.
I could list 10 players in 15 championship clubs who cost more than anything we have but won't get a look in.
I'm sure we could list much more than that in the premier league and some incredible marquee signings that have been total flops. We know this is true , which is why I can't be too critical of our club.
-- Edited by ian on Monday 31st of August 2015 02:59:24 PM
I think that's just excusing him, tbh, Ian.
It's odd, isn't it, that all these other clubs, with these huge squads, all used fewer players than us last season, by some distance. Most clubs have 20/25 players who actually play. The rest are usually development or youth players (you know, the sort we don't have or ship out) who'll come through in future seasons (like ours never do).
You're right about quality costing money, and cheaper players connoting more risk. But our hit rate of success to failure is up there with Derbyshire's chances to goal ratio. And yet we're constantly told how much scouting we do, how long we take to assess character etc. Like smiler says, this focussed, targeted approach looks an awful lot of the time like trial and error.
To be fair David the scattergun trial and error approach managed to work last yeAr. But then again, Ben Pringle summed it up perfectly when he said Fulham know what to expect. A sub standard side who give their all. Except our team gave nothing like their all.
We need desperately to adapt a trench warfare mentality not a 'we're doomed captain' mentality.
Start by ditching the sub standard captain and make them earn the shirt. I seriously cannot wait for Captain Kirk to come onto the pitch and demonstrate what passion is.
