Originally Posted by
AucklandRover
I really don't know where to begin.
Champs, your selections actually seem to be built on the basis that Mowbray is not only useless, but a hindrance to doing well (your comments on Mulgrew, for example). That doesn't give us much common ground for agreement, but I'll have a go.
My general starting-point for our players would be their inconsistency. Armstrong and Bell are the two worst culprits, but they are not alone. Even Travis has had two poor games since he game in. I never know what to expect from any given player.
In detail:
Raya - there are clear indications that he has lost confidence since the injury. He is an excellent shot-stopper, but he does not help his defenders out enough by being decisive. I like keepers to come off the line more, even if that leads to an occasional howler. He may well get back to his best in the break, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Fisher challenging. I think Leutwiler deserves a go now, actually, but Mowbray clearly doesn't rate him. We might well be in the market in this area.
Nyambe - I still think he will come good. It doesn't help him to be playing in a defence that has lost confidence. He is a quiet lad, anyway, and it sometimes helps to have a touch of arrogance. I think he has the physical presence and footballing ability to improve. His positioning is the main issue.
Bell - so up-and-down (even within a game), it's hard to tell. He doesn't actually look like a full-back to me. Could he take over from Conway instead?
Williams - not at his best this season. Temporary blip, or just not good enough for the Championship? Left-back is definitely one position we might see some transfer-action in, although I gather Hart has been doing well at Rochdale.
Lenihan - we have missed him badly. I don't agree with this argument that he is not a "proper" centre-half.
Rodwell - I was dubious about his signing because of what happened at Sunderland, but TM has been very complimentary about his attitude, so I don't know where this rumour about him fomenting dressing-room unrest has come from. (Do you have any actual evidence for it, Champs?) All the same, I think he will probably leave. Otherwise, I suspect a new contract would have been offered by now. He looks classy on the ball, but we are more in need of a Faz at present!
Mulgrew - sad to say, he might be in decline. Of course, he could move forward, because it is hard to replace his dead-ball skills, but is he a realistic choice for midfield, given his lack of pace?
So a new centre-back in the summer? Probably, but there is an alternative, of course: any one (or two) from Wharton, Grayson, Magloire, Platt, Charley Doyle and Carter.
Smallwood and Evans - good servants, but - again - inconsistent. Travis coming through has made it even more likely that one or both will leave.
Travis - an obvious "keeper", although I think he has been a bit over-hyped. His passing has been little better than the previous two mentioned.
Davenport - I have high hopes that he and Travis can do a good job together, if TM continues to go for two "holding" players.
Bennett - still the "soul" of the team. Too versatile for his own good. (He could even fill the second defensive central midfielder spot in the short term). No way should he be released.
Reed - I don't think we'll keep him.
Conway - probably time to say goodbye. He hardly ever lets us down, but he doesn't present the same attacking threat he used to.
Rothwell - let me make a general point first. Mowbray likes to employ three attackers, which is why he has ALSO opted for the two holding players in most games. I think Rothwell would be best as a central creative player in midfield, but that is tricky in Mowbray's preferred system. The other thing is, on the evidence so far, Rothwell's passing is mediocre. Still, he deserves more chances.
Chapman and Gladwin - without them, we have had no genuine winger. Fingers crossed where Chapman is concerned. Players of his type are always a gamble. Gladwin? I have no idea!
Brereton - fingers AND toes crossed here. The big splash-out was uncharacteristic of TM (and Waggott). Next season will show us either a heartening slice of justification (and a big "Yah-Boo" from Mowbray), or the acknowledgement of a massive flop. Too early to draw conclusions yet, though.
For a moment, let's put Brereton, Armstrong, Butterworth, Samuel (and before them, Palmer and Antonsson) in one basket. What do they have in common? They all want to play in Dack's "No. 10" position. This has been a major dilemma for TM. As I said, he likes three attackers, but it has been almost impossible to drop Dack or Graham. Therefore, whoever has been given that third spot has had to play as a "wide attacker" or semi-winger. It hasn't suited most of them at all - certainly not Brereton. Armstrong has looked good there in one match; anonymous in the next. This problem has been increased by the need to have Bennett on the field too, and it isn't going to disappear. What about if Chapman and/or Rothwell start? That would surely require a different formation altogether.
Armstrong - frustrating but could be a match-winner in a team on the front foot. That's not where we are at the moment, though, and he certainly doesn't play much part in this "defending from the front" theory!
Dack - I fear we may lose him. He's hardly the most level-headed person, and I suspect his agent will already be touting. Is he PL standard? I have seen too many flops to be certain, but he does have an X-factor.
Graham - anyone's guess. There comes a moment when players of his type go downhill quite fast, though. The problem is, replacements as good as him are hard to find. I think he has been our most consistent player.
Nuttall - I suspect he's not quite good enough for the Championship. Might be a real star lower down, however.
Butterworth - a ready-made replacement for Dack? I'd love to think so. Time will tell.
Other youngsters? It's beginning to look as if Hardcastle, Mols and Rankin-Costello won't make it in midfield, but the slightly younger batch of Buckley, Evans, Vale, Paton and Lyons all appear to be excellent prospects in that area.
Up front, Mansell may not come through either, despite his earlier promise. Same with Jack Doyle and Thompson in defence.
So what might a realistic team half-way through next season look like?
(A.N. Other1)
Nyambe Lenihan A.N. Other2 A.N Other3
(Chapman/Bennett) Travis Davenport (Bell/A.N. Other4)
(Armstrong/Butterworth/Brereton/Samuel)
Graham.
In reality, I haven't got a clue, of course, but I do suspect that Rodwell, Mulgrew, Williams, Reed, Smallwood, Conway, Evans, Gladwin, Dack and Nuttall might have left. (I would personally retain Williams, but he looks doomed. I'd still like to see Gladwin in action too, before condemning him).
There it is. Idle speculation, most of it, but at least it would only require the acquisition of three or four new players (and the introduction of several youngsters, obviously). I certainly can't see Venky's agreeing to ten signings!
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