You claimed the average squad size is 20 senior players + a few young players/loans was the average sized squad for this league. Outside of the Sheffield Utd, Bristol and Prestons of this league you would find it difficult to find many teams who fit your criteria for average.
Looking at the squads of the sideways sammy preview ours is pretty much in line with the rest of the division
Our squad is 19 players now with the loss of Seaborne. I agree our squad isn't complete but the way you are talking about 17 players and 8 of them are kids you are making it out we need about another 10+ senior signing to have an average sized squad is crazy. 3 more senior signings, one defender, one midfielder and one striker would give us a squad size in line with most of the other teams in the league. And that isn't including players like G Thomas, Maddison, Urqhart haven't even got a squad number but could make an impact if they impress and Baker and Barton who could both still be here after the transfer window.
We'd have finished 9th without the deduction so yes, it was pretty fine. Melon
There were circumstances that led to that happening:
1) Clarke sold
2) Wilson injured
3) Points Deduction
4) Elvis tinkering with a winning system
5) Good 'on the face of it' loan signings turned out to be pants (or at least not fit into our system)
6) Playing Willis at left back
We were never ever going to get relegated last season. Season just slowed up as per.
Just for one second did you not think perhaps that's a tad tongue in cheek?
happy with 9th in League One ?
happy with 9th in League One ?
There were two games late on in the season where we played badly and quite possibly deserved to lose had we not won them both we very easily could have been relegated. We knew at the time we had to win those games because the fixtures after them were much tougher and it was (and it proved) hard to see where the points would come from. Fortunately we beat both Stevenage and Crewe and we could mostly relax, it's rubbish to say we were never going to get relegated, go back and read those 2 games match threads we very easily could have lost those 2 crucial games.
I slated Elvis prior to both these games as he set up in a horrifically defensive 5-3-2 (basically 5-1-3-1 with Wilson up top on his own). He did it because he knew they were must win (Fair play we did win them) but if we'd have set up like we had all season in a 4-4-2 and attacked both teams we would have battered them because both were shit. We weren't going to go down, because there were many teams a lot shitter than us.
we were lucky in those games and had we not been we'd quite possibly have gone down, it wouldn't have mattered that they were shittter than us, it wouldn't have mattered that really we should have had 10 more points. Those 2 games decided the season fortunately they went our way and the luck was with us, but we didn't deserve to win them, fortunately it doesn't matter who deserves to win games.
we were lucky in those games and had we not been we'd quite possibly have gone down, it wouldn't have mattered that they were shittter than us, it wouldn't have mattered that really we should have had 10 more points. Those 2 games decided the season fortunately they went our way and the luck was with us, but we didn't deserve to win them, fortunately it doesn't matter who deserves to win games.
Overall this squad is worse than last seasons, I really can't see a play off charge but we won't be getting relegated.
Is it though? Moussa, Clarke and Wilson were average players this time last year, who's to say Swanson, McQuoid and Tudgay can't replicate there form.
We've better defenders in Johnson and Pugh too
Think a play-off challenge is conceivable given what we know about this league. We, a team with a points deduction, hardly any experienced pros and no ground in Cov to play in, pissed all over it for a long period of time.
Whilst I'm positive about the new signings, we can't guarantee that they will replicate their form and Tudguy aside that they will provide the weight of goals that the 4 outgoing players scored. On paper our defence does look stronger.
And again it's the lack of strength in depth of the squad, like last season the first 11-13 are ok, there's very little behind that when we get some injuries.
And we're not back in Cov yet, and actually our form at Sixfields wasn't a problem last season as we had our best home record in years.
I'm not being negative I just don't think there's enough in that squad to mount a serious play off charge IMO, especially when we start getting injuries.
Is it though? Moussa, Clarke and Wilson were average players this time last year, who's to say Swanson, McQuoid and Tudgay can't replicate there form.
We've better defenders in Johnson and Pugh too
Think a play-off challenge is conceivable given what we know about this league. We, a team with a points deduction, hardly any experienced pros and no ground in Cov to play in, pissed all over it for a long period of time.
In defence we cannot but be stronger surely? We were so poor last year that it beggars belief. I still believe that Jordan Clarke was accountable for much of this.
In attack one has to believe we are now weaker. Tudgay may well be Clarke's equal - but there is nothing to suggest we have replaced Wilson and Moussa with equals - and it's still to be proven that we won't miss Baker.
Wasn't a problem at Sixfields thanks to Moussa, Clarke and Wilson's goals. Our defensive 'home' record was our worst in decades.
What are you on about? Clarke was one of the divisions top scorers this time last year, he just carried on his form.
He'd had a purple patch for the first time in a very average career, yes he carried it on but he could just have easily not, like he did when he went to Wolves and the goals dried up
That's not entirely true. His record in the championship is poor but if you just look at League one, he'd averaged 1 in 2 across all his loan spells this is league prior to signing for us, so was already on ratio a league one 20 goal a season striker.
We weren't really lucky though, we were shit but the opposition was shitter. Did Stevenage and Crewe deserve to win those two games then because they are such great teams?
In defence we cannot but be stronger surely? We were so poor last year that it beggars belief. I still
believe that Jordan Clarke was accountable for much of this.
In attack one has to believe we are now weaker. Tudgay may well be Clarke's equal - but there is nothing to suggest we have replaced Wilson and Moussa with equals - and it's still to be proven that we won't miss Baker.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?