Now we all have our breath back...

[Cliff Pavilion]

Now the dust has settled, and the transfer windows are closed, how do we assess the state of this squad?

My opinions as follows.

Keepers: Very happy

Defenders: Would have liked to have seen another centre-back come in to challenge Barrett and Clarke. Very pleased with Harding. It's nigh-on much the same defence that got us to the play-offs last season so can't moan too much.

Midfield: Actually pretty happy considering. Bailey (as Tilly said) was practically impossible to replace instantly, like for like, and we just have to live with that I'm afraid. When Macca is back we have Grant, Moussa or Sakonfa to partner him. And as Christophe and Sawyer have impressed, I fully expect one of them to be here until the end of the season too. Betsy is improving and will be more than useful. Scannel, Walker and currently Robson-Kanu are all good attacking options too.

Strikers: Barnard and Freedman is an outstanding first-choice front pair a back up of Walker, Revell and Furlong seems good to me too.

Overall I'm fairly happy. We are scoring goals (I think Brighton is the only league game we haven't notched) and as the midfield becomes more settled I am sure the overall defence will become stronger too. I predict a top half finish, missing out on the play offs. If Sawyer stays and matures quickly, maybe the play offs are a possibility.

 

[OldBlueLady]

A good summary, I definitely think midfield is looking significantly stronger, and Christophe has elements of Bailey's style without the recklessness which he sometimes showed. Sawyer is a fantastic find - don't know if Grant tipped us off or not, if so, he must be gutted to have effectively lost his place. I like Betsy as well, and Scannell hopefully is going to get a decent run soon. they just need to sort out the link up to the forwards and I'm sure goals will flow. Barney had a touch of the Freddy Eastwoods about him on Saturday at times, still would prefer him to be in the middle a bit more often. Freedman is going to be a big influence on him I think, and as you say Revell, Furlong, Walker and also Laurent are pretty good cover.

Which leaves the defence, I'm sorry to say I'm disappointed not to have secured the services of a decent defender to cover the middle. More than happy with Harding, definite touch of Stuart Pearce about him. Francis, Barrett and Clarke must have all breathed a sigh of relief in not really having got anyone in to challenge them. Grant at RB, might be worth a go unless Francis really picks up his defensive game. Sankofa isn't ready yet, I'd have been happier keeping Zoltan.

Goalies, Mildenhall seems more than adequate for what we need at this level if he's given the chance. Only saw Joyce at Canvey and wasn't overly impressed and haven't seen Masters, so can't really comment. Assume that one of them will have to play this weekend anyway.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Struggling to see the team creating enough goals to win games such as Doncaster (H) last season and I think this will cost us a playoffs spot. I'm willing to say that our back five has improved from what I have seen (excl Orient (H) and Port Vale (A)) but the lack of a perceptive midfielder has been the difference having been able to contrast with and without Bailey.

I've heard better reviews of Sawyer than what I've seen of him so potentially he could be pivotal. I think the Barnard/Freedman partnership's ability to create chances between them may also become pivotal to any chance of success. Midfield has to be sorted as first priority. Appreciate that you can't replace a player of Bailey's calibre at the drop of a hat because this isn't Football Manager but equally you can't throw youngsters in together and hope it works.

 

[Cliff Pavilion]

Appreciate that you can't replace a player of Bailey's calibre at the drop of a hat because this isn't Football Manager but equally you can't throw youngsters in together and hope it works.

But I suppose if you can't quickly replace a player like Bailey, what do you do? I think Tilly may have been clever in getting in a couple of highly promising loan players for a closer look before making one of them more permanent.

 

[MilkeySUFC]

Hmmm.

Keepers: Happy with Mildenhall (after the first few games). Hope he's not out too long. Haven't seen Joyce or Masters in action.

Defence: First choice is only okay. Francis isn't at the level he was last year yet. Harding is looking reasonable. Clarke & Barrett so-so. Back-up? Woefully lacking. With only Sankofa as cover for anywhere along the back line it's criminal - and if the Orient game is anything to go by, he's not an option for central defence. Neither is Barrett for left back and if Herd is not ready for the bench, what option is there when suspensions and injuries really bite?

Midfield: Looking better last few games but the return of the Mac can't come soon enough, IMHO. At this moment, I'd have Christophe to partner McCormack. Betsy looks to be getting better but can't understand Tilly shoe-horning Walker into the team. HRK is a better bet. Reasonable cover with Scannell, Sawyer, Moussa, Grant and possibly Walker.

Strikers: Barny & Freedman look good, intelligent players. No pace though. It may help when there's a little more forward momentum from central midfield (i.e. when Mac's back to full fitness). Good cover with a small battalion of strikers to cover.

Overall, I'm still worried we're too light in defence and, hopefully, we can get a settled central midfield partnership soon that can work well together.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Sorry but the defence is tripe and has been for 2 seasons now. People keep going on about the midfield being the problem in terms of defending but the back 4 have become complacent, safe in the knowledge they will play week in week out however bad they play. Even last season when we had a real quality midfield we still let in way too many goals. Macca coming back will not be a magic wand.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Sorry but the defence is tripe and has been for 2 seasons now. People keep going on about the midfield being the problem in terms of defending but the back 4 have become complacent, safe in the knowledge they will play week in week out however bad they play. Even last season when we had a real quality midfield we still let in way too many goals. Macca coming back will not be a magic wand.

Agree entirely. The back four picks itself at the moment and that cannot be a healthy situation to have as far as keeping people on their toes is concerned. I would have liked to have seen us get another centre back and maybe a Lewis Hunt type player who can play in a number if positions defensively. Harding is a real plus though and I'd like to see us get him for longer if possible.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Goalkeepers: Haven't seen Joyce so can't comment, but Mildenhall looks reasonable.

Defence: Still lacking the big, commanding CB we've been crying out for since Sodje left, but as long as Clarke and Barrett are here that's never going to happen. Competition needed at RB too.

Midfield: As soon as Sawyer and Christophe return to their respective clubs we're in the sh*t again. I see little to no point of a player coming in on a 1 month loan, by the time they've settled they're shipped off home again. Macca's return will solidify the middle, but he needs someone competent alongside him. Sawyer staying longer is imperative. Betsy looks a good addition and is a positive influence going forward.

Forwards: The only position I feel truly happy with, although the point of Furlong being here slightly myths me. Barnard, Freedman, Revell and Walker are a very complete front line and will scare most defences at this level.

 

[Jam_Man]

Whilst the defence does need more depth I think its sufficient if the rest of the team is playing with confidence, which it isnt.

We had the same discussions the first half of last season, yet those discussions disappeared after January once we started playing with belief.

Yes the defence would benefit from a Prior or Sodje but Im far more concerned about how little protection the defence gets than the defence itself.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Whilst the defence does need more depth I think its sufficient if the rest of the team is playing with confidence, which it isnt.

We had the same discussions the first half of last season, yet those discussions disappeared after January once we started playing with belief.

Yes the defence would benefit from a Prior or Sodje but Im far more concerned about how little protection the defence gets than the defence itself.

That's why I'm quite happy to see Christophe in the team as he does handle that side of things quite well, he moves to the dangers rather than Grant who just seemed to stand his ground in the middle and try and deal with things.

 

[Jam_Man]

That's why I'm quite happy to see Christophe in the team as he does handle that side of things quite well, he moves to the dangers rather than Grant who just seemed to stand his ground in the middle and try and deal with things.

Yes he might be useful and when Macca comes back will have more oomph in the middle. Wish he would stop shooting from 40 yars though.

Sawyer is a difficult one as whilst he plays well defensively I wasnt impressed. He was very often the wrong side of the Hereford midfield when they had posession which was leaving a man free a lot.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Now the dust has settled, and the transfer windows are closed, how do we assess the state of this squad?

My opinions as follows.

Keepers: Very happy

Defenders: Would have liked to have seen another centre-back come in to challenge Barrett and Clarke. Very pleased with Harding. It's nigh-on much the same defence that got us to the play-offs last season so can't moan too much.

Midfield: Actually pretty happy considering. Bailey (as Tilly said) was practically impossible to replace instantly, like for like, and we just have to live with that I'm afraid. When Macca is back we have Grant, Moussa or Sakonfa to partner him. And as Christophe and Sawyer have impressed, I fully expect one of them to be here until the end of the season too. Betsy is improving and will be more than useful. Scannel, Walker and currently Robson-Kanu are all good attacking options too.

Strikers: Barnard and Freedman is an outstanding first-choice front pair a back up of Walker, Revell and Furlong seems good to me too.
Overall I'm fairly happy. We are scoring goals (I think Brighton is the only league game we haven't notched) and as the midfield becomes more settled I am sure the overall defence will become stronger too. I predict a top half finish, missing out on the play offs. If Sawyer stays and matures quickly, maybe the play offs are a possibility.

Has Francis Laurent been given the heave ho already? Thought he looked quite good, from what I have seen!

 

[turkishm]

Sorry but the defence is tripe and has been for 2 seasons now. People keep going on about the midfield being the problem in terms of defending but the back 4 have become complacent, safe in the knowledge they will play week in week out however bad they play. Even last season when we had a real quality midfield we still let in way too many goals. Macca coming back will not be a magic wand.

Spot on, another season of 60 plus against,might see us in trouble,as i dont think this season we have the players to score 80 plus to ofset it.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Sorry but the defence is tripe and has been for 2 seasons now. People keep going on about the midfield being the problem in terms of defending but the back 4 have become complacent, safe in the knowledge they will play week in week out however bad they play. Even last season when we had a real quality midfield we still let in way too many goals. Macca coming back will not be a magic wand.

You know between getting in a decent dedicated left-back and Bailey leaving we conceded 20 goals in 21 games including the pants down incident at Doncaster. This ratio would put us as the 5th best defence in the league based on last season's goals conceded average.

What's more, I think it's reasonable to take out playoff games because these are two matches against the third best team in the league that every other team wouldn't have to face more than twice. Take that out of the picture and we would have the second best defensive stat compared with other teams. However, without massaging stats at all, I think the 5th place mentioned above illustrates that our defence was in fact better than our overall league position once we brought in Mulgrew.

Then Bailey leaves and we get an unlucky turn against Brighton and suddenly concede a gluttony of goals having not dominated possession in ANY game since (I'm pretty sure the last possession stat against Hereford showed 50-50).

But I suppose if you can't quickly replace a player like Bailey, what do you do? I think Tilly may have been clever in getting in a couple of highly promising loan players for a closer look before making one of them more permanent.

Get in a steady player who's been around the block a bit to give a platform for the rest of the team to play to their potential. Not necessarily permanent but at least until McCormack is back. I'm not suggesting this is easy but neither am I suggesting football management is generally but it's been tough on the young players giving them so much responsibility. I hope they'll learn from it and become much better players but words like hope aren't ideal in football.

 

[Reg Martin]

including the pants down incident at Doncaster.

is this really something you should be sharing on here?:)

 

[leeblue]

I think macca coming back will be a massive boost, seemingly underestimated by some on here, his all action determination, getting in amongst em, snarling, box to box mentality is just what we need at the mo, I thought christophe was good on saturday a no nonsense defensive mid, let him sit there and allow macca to cause havoc. I believe every point we get without macca is a brucey bonus, because we will get a lot more points wheh he is back. A note on betsy too, I thought the first half especially was his best display for us so far.

 

[TBV_Dan]

Don't forget, Antony Grant can play as a defender as well as a midfielder.

 

[cockles is back]

today is yor lucky day, I agree with what anyone has ever said ever
ooh we look a very very classey team people like a well oiled machine


oooh whites out

 

[cockles is back]

Don't forget, Antony Grant can play as a defender as well as a midfielder.

does he play as well as a defender as he does as a midfielder?

 

[EnglandShrimper]

Im sorry but Grant is Naff.