Is this the worst squad and time in our history?

[LBBlue]

It's not a squad of kids. Our youngest player in the starting line-up Saturday was 20.

Morris/Evans v Oxley
Clohessy v Bwomono
Gilbert v Ralph
Herd v Clifford
Barker v White
Mohsni v Hobson
Coughlan v Dieng
Prosser v Lennon
Easton v Demetriou
Grant v McCormack
K Ferdinand v K Taylor
Woodyard v Gard
Hall v Nathaniel-George
Simpson v Green/Sterling
Soares v Egbri
Corr v Akinola
Sturrock v Goodship
Crawford v Acquah

There's really not that much difference between 2010 squad and 2020 squad, the biggest differences being Barker v White, Grant v McCormack and Corr v Akinola - but we've seen the 2020 version for 1 league game between them anyway - and then the inexperienced duo of Mohsni and Hall who took several weeks to work their way into the line-up anyway. It's not impossible Nathaniel-George will develop into Ryan Hall. He seems to have the natural ability.

It's easy to forget that Sturrock's opening game was against Stockport who went out of the league that year. We needed a last gasp equaliser from sub Blair Sturrock to get a point from that game. We then followed it up in the league with defeats to Aldershot and then Port Vale at home when Prosser had a 'mare that some have never gotten over. After that game people were saying much the same thing as everyone is saying now.

We lost at home to Morecambe about a month into that season as well. People were not happy after that one. We also lost at home to Cheltenham later on in the season after we went 2 down in 5 minutes. People weren't happy after that one either.

This isn't going to be a classic season but there's a decent chance it isn't going to be as bad as a lot are catastrophising.

Keep the faith.

The team for the first win in the 4th League game on August 27 was Morris, Clohessy, Barker, Mohsni, Gilbert,Simpson, Grant, Easton,Hall, Corr, Sturrock. A team with balance.

This team would wipe the floor with the side that started on Saturday in terms of experience, grittiness, desire, attitude and ability. They might even have given Cheltenham a game.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

To be fair to Blair he might not have been great at finding the net but he did know how to hold the ball up and bring others into play, something we are severely lacking at the moment.

He knew how to see out a game as well, keep it near the corner flag and waste time. He was Sturrock senior’s trump card at Plymouth, Swindon and then here. Very underrated squad player.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

The team for the first win in the 4th League game on August 27 was Morris, Clohessy, Barker, Mohsni, Gilbert,Simpson, Grant, Easton,Hall, Corr, Sturrock. A team with balance.

This team would wipe the floor with the side that started on Saturday in terms of experience, grittiness, desire, attitude and ability. They might even have given Cheltenham a game.

In terms of experience there's not much in it

League starts (maybe +/- a few)

Morris 124
Clohessy 40
Gilbert 163
Barker 372
Mohsni 0
Simpson 22
Grant 80
Easton 307
Hall 0
Corr 47
B Sturrock 102

Total 1257


Oxley 227
Bwomono 75
Ralph 148
Hobson 6
Dieng 159
Lennon 58
Demetriou 323 + 51 caps for Cyprus
K Taylor 9
Goodship 30
Sterling 3
Acquah 5

Total 1043 + 51 international caps

Missing: White 380, McCormack 389

 

[Zeuss]

What worries me is that most zoners know what is needed in league 2,

Big ******* up front big ******* at the back, and the management team/chairman sign
premier league kids, who will not get you out of this mess.

I would rather have Theo (and don't tell me he was one of the bad apples) up front than either Goodship or Aquah ( and that's no disrespect to either)

You only have to look at his goal scoring record in this league, and we let him go

Somebody else a while back tried to claim Theo was league 2 standard,even though we all know he can’t control the ball and struggles to shoot straight,by presenting his minutes played,goals scored stats.
There is a very good reason why they seem so good.Most of his goals are scored very late in the game,usually when he has come on as sub with perhaps 15 mins or so,to go.The first goal in a game is all-important and can take a long time coming, Towards the end of the game is when most goals fly in as one team (or both:with 3 points for a win)throws caution to the wind with little to lose in their search for the equaliser (winner).
Somebody else tried to claim Trevor Fitzpatrick’s scoring record was better than Goodship’s ,ignoring the fact that Fitzpatrick too was frequently a substitute.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Somebody else a while back tried to claim Theo was league 2 standard,even though we all know he can’t control the ball and struggles to shoot straight,by presenting his minutes played,goals scored stats.
There is a very good reason why they seem so good.Most of his goals are scored very late in the game,usually when he has come on as sub with perhaps 15 mins or so,to go.The first goal in a game is all-important and can take a long time coming, Towards the end of the game is when most goals fly in as one team (or both:with 3 points for a win)throws caution to the wind with little to lose in their search for the equaliser (winner).
Somebody else tried to claim Trevor Fitzpatrick’s scoring record was better than Goodship’s ,ignoring the fact that Fitzpatrick too was frequently a substitute.

I hardly ignored Fitzpatrick's substitute appearances when I actually gave the stats as starts and sub appearances. For the record though exactly half of Fitzpatrick's goals were scored first half, including 3 "all-important" ones that put us 1-0 up inside 10 minutes.

Wouldn't it have been useful to be able to bring on Theo Robinson the other week against Exeter with us 2-1 up or if he had scored a third goal would it not have counted?

 

[southendkid]

Most of his goals are scored very late in the game,usually when he has come on as sub with perhaps 15 mins or so

I have no idea what you're on about here, I've checked all of Theo's goals at Swindon and Colchester and every single goal came from a match where he was named in the starting XI.

 

[Strykr]

It's not a squad of kids. Our youngest player in the starting line-up Saturday was 20.

Morris/Evans v Oxley
Clohessy v Bwomono
Gilbert v Ralph
Herd v Clifford
Barker v White
Mohsni v Hobson
Coughlan v Dieng
Prosser v Lennon
Easton v Demetriou
Grant v McCormack
K Ferdinand v K Taylor
Woodyard v Gard
Hall v Nathaniel-George
Simpson v Green/Sterling
Soares v Egbri
Corr v Akinola
Sturrock v Goodship
Crawford v Acquah

There's really not that much difference between 2010 squad and 2020 squad, the biggest differences being Barker v White, Grant v McCormack and Corr v Akinola - but we've seen the 2020 version for 1 league game between them anyway - and then the inexperienced duo of Mohsni and Hall who took several weeks to work their way into the line-up anyway. It's not impossible Nathaniel-George will develop into Ryan Hall. He seems to have the natural ability.

It's easy to forget that Sturrock's opening game was against Stockport who went out of the league that year. We needed a last gasp equaliser from sub Blair Sturrock to get a point from that game. We then followed it up in the league with defeats to Aldershot and then Port Vale at home when Prosser had a 'mare that some have never gotten over. After that game people were saying much the same thing as everyone is saying now.

We lost at home to Morecambe about a month into that season as well. People were not happy after that one. We also lost at home to Cheltenham later on in the season after we went 2 down in 5 minutes. People weren't happy after that one either.

This isn't going to be a classic season but there's a decent chance it isn't going to be as bad as a lot are catastrophising.

Keep the faith.

Stats wise perhaps is correct, but stats dont really apply here do they? This squad looks like a bunch of lightweight inexperienced kids who arent very good at football, sturrocks did not.

 

[Tony Allen]

The squad reflects the current financial situation so it is more a case of is this the worst financial hole we have been in. Answer Yes I should think

 

[Napster]

The squad reflects the current financial situation so it is more a case of is this the worst financial hole we have been in. Answer Yes I should think

Bobby Moore was under an embargo and he could only recruit Big Jim Stannard. We almost went under that season. Steve Phillips had the bailiffs come round his house which was owned by the club.