Who would you keep?

northstandmark said:
At this moment while it's easy to be emotional and throw out this player and that, the real issue for the club to solve is it's strategic direction. We have a mish-mash of players, the squad is unbalanced with too many in some areas and not enough in others. We don't have a long or even medium term manager just a series of coaches. We've no real playing style. We've no partnerships or understanding between players.

Whatever happens this season now happens. The wheels are in motion and there's no changing now. If we make the playoffs great, if we don’t we don’t.

Now is the time for Max, Blake, Hughes to sit down and put in place a proper plan.

What type of manager do we want. What playing style are we looking for.
Who in this squad fits that model. Who doesn't fit it.
Where can we raise money from the squad, where will we need to accept losses.
What kind of player pool are we able to shop in, that depends on Max.
Even if it's bargain bucket, what players out there can we identify that fit the plan. Start putting feelers out for summer recruitment. Better to have cheaper and limited players that fit into a good structure, then expensive players who look utterly lost.

With a proper plan and structure, some of these players would no doubt come good. Some of them are probably beyond saving here and need to move on. But it's hard to say exactly who is who from behind the keyboard.

I certainly have my thoughts that Rico and Lerma are not the answer at this level. I suspect Brooks and Lewis Cook would attract decent offers that the club may wish to use for reinvestment. Smith looks like he's struggling to get up and down these days which is sad to see.

Unless we fix the direction from the top, we’ll become one of many clubs at this level who go through managers and players like their pairs of socks and never get anywhere.
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Quite right. NOW ( and not in the summer, by which time it will already be too late ) Blake and Hughes really need to earn their money. They need to come up with a strategy to stop Max's investment going down the toilet. As you say, they have to identify a new manager, a style of play, which players to keep, which players to move on and which players to bring in. This needs to be happening NOW but somehow I suspect they might start sometime in the summer, when they get back off their holidays, you know, when they have a whole three weeks to sort all of this **************** out.

I'm not at all optimistic but Max really needs these two to step up and safeguard his investment for the medium term ! If they can't do the things you mention, then frankly Max needs to fire them and get somebody with the appropriate skills in !
 
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Druss_the_Legend said:
Keep it simple and let the players learn their partnerships through consistency. Not changing every single match.

Stacy CCV Cook Smith
Stan Pearson Cook Danjuma
Long Surruidge

If they lose, let them keep playing. Make others earn their place in the side. If injured replace like for like.
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It's not rocket science is it ? Most problems on the pitch arise when managers start trying to show what clever smartarses they are and then more often than not the players no longer have a Scooby what they are supposed to be doing out there. Just do the basics right, play a settled side with a settled footballing philosophy and try to improve them a bit at a time with the odd tweak here and there.
I'd even argue that this should be enough to keep a team in the PL but certainly at our level, with the players we have at our disposal, the performances should be plenty good enough to keep us in the promotion hunt next season.

To all managers past, present and future :
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.
 
I agree that we need a clear out in the summer and several new, hungry signings that want to get promotion with this club.

We're not a Premier League club anymore and won't be next season so we need to but players who know the Championship and can get us up (like Pearson etc) and not take too many risks (buying a 20 y/o from the French 2nd Division etc).

Players I'd keep:

Travers
*other 'keeper needed*

Stacey
*other right-back needed*

S. Cook (C)
Carter-Vickers
*two new centre-backs needed*

Zemura
*new left-back needed*

L. Cook
Lerma
Pearson
Kilkenny
*two new centre-mids needed*

Stanislas
Danjuma
Anthony
*two new wingers needed*

Solanke
Surridge
*new striker needed*

I realise that all of this won't happen because of our obvious lack of finances but if we can get rid of players like Brooks, Billing, Rico etc then we should be able to get some good money.

These are just my opinions. Don't get me wrong I love Begovic and Wilshere but I can't see them wanting to stay with us next season. Their wage would also be an issue.

In terms of new signings:

GK: Dillon Phillips - looked great against us last night and 2nd most saves in the league last season. Probably unrealistic though

RB: James Tavernier - Again, maybe unrealistic as Rangers have won the league and will be playing Champions League football.

RB: Nathan Byrne: Former Cherry who looked good against us both times this season playing for Derby.

CB: *insert ideas here*

LB: Joe Bryan - This would depend on Fulham's season and whether or not they keep him.

CM: Conor Hourihane - Failed to get him in January, all depends on Villa and Swansea.

Winger: Harry Wilson - Will probably get hate for this but he got 7 Prem goals for us and, as he showed last night and with Derby, is a very good player in this league.

ST: *insert ideas here*

Oh yeah, and a new manger, but god knows who that'll be...

DISCLAIMER: I realise that this is a long post, I started writing and couldn't stop :) These are just my opinions which will most probably get hate but...

Uppa' Chez :utc:
 
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northstandmark said:
At this moment while it's easy to be emotional and throw out this player and that, the real issue for the club to solve is it's strategic direction. We have a mish-mash of players, the squad is unbalanced with too many in some areas and not enough in others. We don't have a long or even medium term manager just a series of coaches. We've no real playing style. We've no partnerships or understanding between players.

Whatever happens this season now happens. The wheels are in motion and there's no changing now. If we make the playoffs great, if we don’t we don’t.

Now is the time for Max, Blake, Hughes to sit down and put in place a proper plan.

What type of manager do we want. What playing style are we looking for.
Who in this squad fits that model. Who doesn't fit it.
Where can we raise money from the squad, where will we need to accept losses.
What kind of player pool are we able to shop in, that depends on Max.
Even if it's bargain bucket, what players out there can we identify that fit the plan. Start putting feelers out for summer recruitment. Better to have cheaper and limited players that fit into a good structure, then expensive players who look utterly lost.

With a proper plan and structure, some of these players would no doubt come good. Some of them are probably beyond saving here and need to move on. But it's hard to say exactly who is who from behind the keyboard.

I certainly have my thoughts that Rico and Lerma are not the answer at this level. I suspect Brooks and Lewis Cook would attract decent offers that the club may wish to use for reinvestment. Smith looks like he's struggling to get up and down these days which is sad to see.

Unless we fix the direction from the top, we’ll become one of many clubs at this level who go through managers and players like their pairs of socks and never get anywhere.
Click to expand...
Agree with all of this. Problem is the board have no idea of what type of player we need because we don't know what type of football we will be playing next season, all because they don't know who the manager is going to be. This board has no plan and have f#cked the club and it's supporters royally.
 
AFCBmattjamr said:
Kilkenny was meant to be our next big thing. What the hell happened??
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My guess would be that his development has stagnated due to lack of real world match practice. It's what we do with our talented youngsters, don't you know ?

Personally I think there is more chance of playing an inexperienced youngster into form than some of our "favourites" who time and again play poorly but are never dropped. At least the youngsters have the POTENTIAL to improve with more game time, whereas the core match day players show time and again that there is little scope for further improvement.

Just another aspect of AFCB football management wisdom I fail to understand.

We will continue to lose our best youngsters if we don't give them opportunities to reach their full potential.
 
Druss_the_Legend said:
Keep it simple and let the players learn their partnerships through consistency. Not changing every single match.

Stacy CCV Cook Smith
Stan Pearson Cook Danjuma
Long Surruidge

If they lose, let them keep playing. Make others earn their place in the side. If injured replace like for like.
Click to expand...
I’d go 4-3-3, drop Long and put in Wilshire as a number 10. We need some midfield creativity.
 
Up front is the real problem.

Clarke-Harris is getting better and better at Posh - but I can imagine Brentford might have an agreement in place if they don't go up and have to sell Toney.
 
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