Where would we be IF... (1 Viewer)

Where would he play Andreu?

I can only guess he would be doing what Bayliss does now.

Jones would presumably be on the right.

Nick said:

Where would he play Andreu?

I can only guess he would be doing what Bayliss does now.

Jones would presumably be on the right.

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I actually don’t know how we’d best line up with a fully fit squad?

4231...but no JCH/Mcnulty at same time
O’Brian

Stokes
McDonald
Willis
Grimmer

Doyle
Bayliss (or would you play Kelly instead)

Reid
Andreu
Jones

McNulty/JCH

Or 442

O’Brian

Stokes
McDonald
Willis
Grimmer

Reid
Doyle
Andreu
Jones

JCH
McNulty


We could try pull one over on the ref and play 4-2-3-2. That’d be my preference I think

PVA said:

...JCH signed in the summer and both Jones and Andreu didn't suffer season ending injuries?

I reckon we'd be top of the league. Those three are a class above in this league and it's been a huge blow to get so little out of Jones and Andreu.

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We wouldn't be top of the league.



We would be top of the league and have secured promotion before Cov rugby did.

mmmmm ... Players have to be able to work together - even some of the the best players cant work together - Englands team a prime example think Gerard and Lampard so shoehorning those 4 into one team might be tricky - Harris and Sparky are very different - Sparky can definitely create !

Mcbean said:

mmmmm ... Players have to be able to work together - even some of the the best players cant work together - Englands team a prime example think Gerard and Lampard so shoehorning those 4 into one team might be tricky - Harris and Sparky are very different - Sparky can definitely create !

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You can't compare Gerrard and Lampard with Clarke-Harris and McNulty, you fool!

The first pair aren't fit to lick JCH's and Sparky's boots.

Eleventeenth

Fair play to Squeaky for adapting our tactics for once. He intended to start the season playing 4-2-3-1 but losing Andreu and Jones meant we didn't have the personnel so he switched to 4-4-2 and bought in JCH to compliment McNulty.

Had Jones not got injured, and we 'found' Bayliss a bit earlier, JCH from day 1 when McNulty couldn't hit a barge pole, then I think we could have walked this league. But football isn't always like that is it? Some other scenario would have played it's part. What truly matters is 46 games and a capable squad which is where we are now.

Liquid Gold said:

Fair play to Squeaky for adapting our tactics for once. He intended to start the season playing 4-2-3-1 but losing Andreu and Jones meant we didn't have the personnel so he switched to 4-4-2 and bought in JCH to compliment McNulty.

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And he has finally returned Bayliss to the middle, something we have been crying out for, for some time now.

If we hadn’t have had the injuries Bayliss wouldn’t have played at all.

Unbelievable as a quirk of fate we have opened the door to potentially the best young player we’ve had in years.


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PVA said:

Bayliss is very, very good, but a level below Maddison IMO.

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Gosh really?? I think with the ball he is sensational

I posted in the Bayliss thread about the Maddison/Bayliss comparison.

I’ve seen a lot of Maddison/Bayliss comparisons with some saying Bayliss is better at his age than Maddison was.

Maddison was playing in the league above and in a struggling team. For me, he only showed glimpses there and there over a 90 minute game. A lot of his touches were class though and you could tell he was going to play at a good level eventually.

Bayliss can control and impact a game better IMO. He’s also got a good build to cope with the mans game whereas Maddison looked like a teenager still and was targeted because of that.

It’ll be interesting to see where Bayliss is in 2 years.

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Fergusons_Beard said:

If we hadn’t have had the injuries Bayliss wouldn’t have played at all.

Unbelievable as a quirk of fate we have opened the door to potentially the best young player we’ve had in years.


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Some way to go before he can be compared to Wilson but will make Andreu work hard for his place next year for sure.

Brighton Sky Blue said:

Some way to go before he can be compared to Wilson but will make Andreu work hard for his place next year for sure.

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Brighton Sky Blue said:

Some way to go before he can be compared to Wilson but will make Andreu work hard for his place next year for sure.

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Do you think he’ll be here next season? The chances are slim I would have thought, a Premier League or Championship club will come in for him.

As someone said previously if us fans can see he’s a good player and destined for better things then he’s not going to be here for too long with scouts attending every game he plays in

SlowerThanPlatt said:

Do you think he’ll be here next season? The chances are slim I would have thought, a Premier League or Championship club will come in for him.

As someone said previously if us fans can see he’s a good player and destined for better things then he’s not going to be here for too long with scouts attending every game he plays in

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If promoted, there's a good chance he would stay, keeping in mind he'll have had just half a season of first team games. If we're still in this league no chance.

Brighton Sky Blue said:

If promoted, there's a good chance he would stay, keeping in mind he'll have had just half a season of first team games. If we're still in this league no chance.

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I agree If we get promotion it gives 'some chance '.
Then it comes down to numbers coupled to us commiting to building a side focused around him.
£2K -£3K over four years could twist his Arm enough with plenty of time to take the profit further down the line .
That would show ambition to him but might be seen from some quarters as over estimating him.

I agree with OP possibly we possibly may have been higher. Fact is we will never know. We may not have discovered Shipley or Bayliss either if they had been fit.

One thing I might add is that JCH has so far been a good signing and added that extra dimension.
But I’m not sure McNulty will be as effective as a goalscorer himself with JCH as he was with Biamou.

Not taking anything away from anyone.McNulty is not as effective from open play as he was with Biamou. Slight change in dynamics of front two partnership. Not knocking it at all though. It’s good to have that back up. But overall there’s no doubt JCH deserves his place in starting line up.

With Jones alone, I think we’d be in a far better place. He’s the difference between playoffs and automatics, missing out on playoffs and getting playoffs. Lincoln’s manager called him the best in the league, and I don’t think he’s too far off! Ridiculously, he’s still been involved in 25% of our goals - the guy has been injured for nearly 20 games!

Bayliss is the closest thing to him, and as good as he is, and as good as he could be. Jones was ‘the man’ for us this season - 5 goals and 6 assists in 19.

I believe had Andreu not got injured, Bayliss would probably still be in the U23s. Bayliss was given his opportunity because of the injuries and he’s taken it so well and played himself into the starting 11. Like Bigirimana did when he broke into the team in the Championship.

As for JCH, I think he’s scoring 15 goals (in all comps) pretty easily if he was with us from game 1. To think he was a 3rd choice option shows the strides we’re making in recruitment under TW and Robins.

If everyone was fit right now, I think we play 4-4-2:

Burge
Grimmer Willis McDonald Haynes/Stokes
Jones Bayliss Doyle Andreu
McNulty Clarke-Harris

Looking at that team on paper, I think we’ve got so much more goal scoring potential. If we lose Bayliss, I think Andreu starts CM and we’d probably need to sign a winger or two. Robins did well this summer, and I expect us to build an even stronger squad for next season, regardless of what league we’re playing in.

Not sure but our form has mproved since JCH replaced max in the first team .
Bayliss must stay central and Reid is a big player to have available to us , I would also like to have seen Reid here from the off but that wasn’t to be

Londonccfcfan said:

I agree with OP possibly we possibly may have been higher. Fact is we will never know. We may not have discovered Shipley or Bayliss either if they had been fit.

One thing I might add is that JCH has so far been a good signing and added that extra dimension.
But I’m not sure McNulty will be as effective as a goalscorer himself with JCH as he was with Biamou.

Not taking anything away from anyone.McNulty is not as effective from open play as he was with Biamou. Slight change in dynamics of front two partnership. Not knocking it at all though. It’s good to have that back up. But overall there’s no doubt JCH deserves his place in starting line up.

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I don't think you can be so sure that is the case. Firstly, JCH has only made 9 appearances, and made his first start v Brighton and the games the JCH and McNulty axis has played in hasn't exactly been easy; Brighton, Mansfield and Wycombe all away and Luton too. From what I've seen, I think JCH and McNulty have formed a good partnership and the best evidence we've seen is JCH's goal v Barnet. I can't remember a goal where Biamou and McNulty linked up like that (it's been a long time). McNulty also made a hell of a lot of his own goals with some really good efforts outside the box. Don't get me wrong, Biamou and McNulty had a decent dynamic, e.g. McNulty's Cheltenham + Cambridge goals, but to say McNulty won't score as many playing alongside JCH is a bit of a stretch considering the opposition we've played and the amount of games played. McNulty went on an unreal goal scoring streak, yet, Biamou only has 3 direct assists, and JCH demonstrated his link up play yesterday getting an assist for Bayliss' goal. Comparatively, we failed to score Exeter and Accrington with Biamou and McNulty upfront (for context). In big games, we relied on McNulty too much and I think he was in need of a strike partner who can take the slack off him goal scoring wise. Robins saw that after the Exeter game where he finally conceded we needed a 'number 9'. It is only natural McNulty has cooled a bit after such a hot middle third of the season.