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Thread: WBA - away - match thread

  1. #11
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    Clearly eye of the beholder, Champs. I thought Bennett had a decent game.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by AucklandRover View Post
    Clearly eye of the beholder, Champs. I thought Bennett had a decent game.
    I thought he got the run around. But the problem is he isn't a RB. And of course Bennett isn't a RB.
    He is just getting no cover at all.
    Armstrong offers so little. He isn't a winger. He isn't a goal threat. He doesn't create anything and just exposes such a poor player who simply isn't a RB. So it's not EB's fault. He is getting no help whatsoever. And we are playing the wrong system for the players we have. Highlighted most weeks when Bennett is terribly exposed. That's mainly down to Armstrong. But the liability is club captain, so will just carry on playing despite form or ability.

    It's tough to see what kind of a start we have had.
    We played Charlton who are bang in-form, and lost. But played poorly. And had Mulgrew playing, who was another liability. At least we did something about him.
    We played Fulham away, played better and lost. Beat Boro and Hull. We where unable to break Cardiff down.
    And lost to WBA. But defended woefully. We gifted them all 3 goals. Its hard to tell if we are doing well, or poorly, as we don't know how good/poor other sides are. It could well be that we have only got points vrs pretty poor sides. Or only lost to two of the better sides of the league, and just an in-form team. Time will tell on that.

    I am really unimpressed with that keeper. Cunningham made an error, but he was mainly at fault. He stood on his line looking gormless. But all 3 goals should have been prevented.
    That said, we got gifted our first, the 2nd was scrappy. And I saw nothing wrong with Dack's equaliser. It was a game I expected little from. Last season I did think we would go and get points at these sorts of places. I don't this year. I'm not really seeing any kind of improvement. We are still fragile in defence. But that's because our system is not working. We aren't using players correctly. And when you play players out of position (Mulgrew, Bennett etc) this is what happens.

    Injuries are catching up with us. This lad from City will be back with City by xmas. Players who turn up injured and stay injured are no good for us. We have way too many of these.
    Where is Davenport? Where is Tosin?
    Why doesn't Rankin Costello get a chance? I think we need to have a little more faith in our won players, than developing crocks from Man City. Who don't play football matches.

  3. #13
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    Champs - I really don't get what you say about Bennett there. I thought he was the best of our back four on the day. He handled the player on his flank really well. The threat was mostly on the other side.
    As for the general picture, it's very mixed, but isn't that true for many teams so far? There is a five-point gap between 6th and 21st. (We are three points away from a play-off spot!!)
    We certainly haven't found the best combination up front yet, but there are lots of options, so it's not surprising.
    My view on Armstrong is that he should be picked in the games where we are almost certainly going to be on the front foot, but not in ones where defensive help is going to be called for.
    To be fair, he would probably be most effective in Dack's position, but that opportunity is not going to arise very often.
    I still think a team more like the one I suggested in Post #2 would be more effective in games against the best clubs. In the meantime, though, if we ARE going to have three forward players, I'd rather see Rothwell given a chance. Whoever it is, Dack must get it out of his head that he is a midfielder. He needs to stick much closer to the No. 9, because that's when he's most effective.
    For the moment, Buckley and Rankin-Costello provide a conundrum. To be most effective, Buckley would replace Johnson, and Rankin-Costello, I suppose, would be in for Downing. Those are big calls - especially as Downing has been our best passer so far.
    Between now and the end of October, we have:
    Millwall (H)
    Reading (A)
    Luton (H)
    Forest (H)
    QPR (A)
    Huddersfield (H)
    Birmingham (A)
    PNE (A)

    I think those two months could determine what happens to TM. I reckon it would be reasonable to expect 15 points from those eight games.
    That would put us on 22 after 14 matches - on course for 72 points. (Eighth place last season). To be honest, that seems a bit high from what we've seen so far, but I believe we CAN get to 65+.

  4. #14
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    I can only see 12 points from the above fixtures.
    Millwall is a bit of a must win for confidence,in fact September itself needs to have a minimum of 7 points.
    October provides one or two tricky games.
    Preston away
    QPR away
    Forest home
    They are not the easiest.

  5. #15
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    Robin - I think 12 would be acceptable. Below that, and I suspect the knives will be out!

  6. #16
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    I'm not losing any sleep over losing to WBA. They are a decent side and will be up there. I was hoping we could push on this season. May be we will improve over the season? I think we will. But at this point last season I always fancied we'd go and get something from a place like that, or Fulham. I don't this season. I think we will wilt. Which is to be expected. With players like Bennett & Armstrong that's what you will get.
    I don't see us going down. But we most certainly aren't going anywhere.

    The issue is, with a pretty decent side, we should be looking to push on. I've been thinking for a while that TM will move on at the end of this season. Maybe that's why Downing came here? I do want TM to be involved. But upstairs.
    Tactically? I think he's so out of ideas with this side.

  7. #17
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    It's easy to forget the make-up and quality of other teams. Have a look at this list from Transfermarkt. It shows the value in millions of pounds of all the Championship clubs' squads, as at September 2nd (with their current League position first):

    6 Fulham – 128.78
    24 Stoke – 95.57
    3 Leeds – 83.82
    23 Huddersfield – 78.98
    4 WBA – 73.83
    13 Cardiff - 73.52
    10 Forest – 67.37
    18 Middlesbrough – 53.73
    5 Bristol City – 51.69
    19 Derby – 47.22
    14 Brentford – 44.46
    1 Swansea 44.14
    16 Reading – 43.42
    11 Wednesday – 40.83
    20 Hull – 39.94
    17 ROVERS – 35.20
    9 Birmingham – 32.94
    8 QPR – 27.92
    7 PNE – 25.94
    22 Wigan - 18.73
    12 Millwall – 17.89
    15 Luton – 15.27
    2 Charlton – 12.92
    21 Barnsley – 7.82

    I think that's quite an eye-opener.
    Last edited by AucklandRover; 03-09-2019 at 07:56 PM.

  8. #18
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    Not sure what that proves? Other than Stoke & Hudd's have thrown away millions on utter garbage. They could spend the same again abd still go nowhere. This divisuin is littered with 2nd rate managers, and 2nd rate foigballers. This is a crap division Auks. The quality is woeful at times.
    The Champ clubs are a billion ££ in debt. Which is embarrasing, especially the same week Bury went out of business.

    I generally don't pay much attention to stats. They can show pretty much anything. Does it take into account net profit? Ie selling players? I notice the 2 that walked this division last year didn't actually spent anything, between them. Making a mockery of the whole thing.

  9. #19
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    Well, I think it should give a very rough idea of the relative quality of the squads. That obviously doesn't always relate to success, by any means, but I reckon those who say we should definitely be challenging for the top six - because we have one of the best squads - get a bit of a reality-check here. I suspect that sometimes fans make an assumption about a club because of history, but there we have Reading with a group of players worth more than ours.
    One advantage for us is that we have a particularly good group of youngsters on the brink. I doubt that many clubs have that sort of quality coming though. That is just a guess, however, and that's one point I'm trying to make. It's easy to over-estimate your own players because they're the ones you always concentrate on.
    In the end, I always come back to my philosophy of not drawing too many conclusions from one game, or even a series of games - and the same with individual players. At least half of the Championship clubs last year had roller-coaster seasons, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the same again.
    I am hoping things begin to click for us in the next month, and I genuinely don't think we are that far away. Any team that puts two or three wins together will shoot up the table.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by AucklandRover View Post
    Well, I think it should give a very rough idea of the relative quality of the squads. That obviously doesn't always relate to success, by any means, but I reckon those who say we should definitely be challenging for the top six - because we have one of the best squads - get a bit of a reality-check here. I suspect that sometimes fans make an assumption about a club because of history, but there we have Reading with a group of players worth more than ours.
    One advantage for us is that we have a particularly good group of youngsters on the brink. I doubt that many clubs have that sort of quality coming though. That is just a guess, however, and that's one point I'm trying to make. It's easy to over-estimate your own players because they're the ones you always concentrate on.
    In the end, I always come back to my philosophy of not drawing too many conclusions from one game, or even a series of games - and the same with individual players. At least half of the Championship clubs last year had roller-coaster seasons, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the same again.
    I am hoping things begin to click for us in the next month, and I genuinely don't think we are that far away. Any team that puts two or three wins together will shoot up the table.

    I'm not sure it tells me that? It tells me that almost all the Champ clubs are terribly run football clubs, amassing debt and stockpiling poor quality players at inflated prices. The sides who spend big down here like Derby and Forest generally don't go anywhere. And season after season they throw more money at the problem, and end up moving further away. How on earth can Derby not be cheating by signing Rooney on such astronomical wages? EFL doesn't dare punish clubs like Derby, but come down extremely hard on Bury FC. This whole league is bent actually, and I am finding it harder to be involved with it all in all honesty, with the current situation at Bury, it all feels wrong.
    Yes Auks, we do have a good set of young players. Hardly any will actually make it. Barley anyone gets any game time, in favour of old has-beens like Elliott Bennett, or DG. Who just stunt the growth of any young lad hoping to break in. Its not like we are pulling up any tree's, we finished lower mid table last season. So I expected a majority of the older players to be moved on. The reality is, its mainly the experienced ones who play, knackered or not.
    It has its advantages, we only need one player every 4 or 5 seasons to come through, and the fortune spent of the academy is made back in a transfer fee, and sell him.
    I realise we have made some ok signings, and every signing is risky. And managers have poor signings alongside some good ones. But we haven't half wasted alot of money in recent times. In such a money saving era, what prompted that move for Brereton? For a club our size, and the money we have now, to spend all that on one player was crazy. And this whole league is full of duff signings and stupid prices paid, for basically crap second rate footballers. And like I say, personally I find it all very uncomfortable. Highlighted massively that my home town club no longer exists. I'd say the vast majority of Champ clubs should be out of business, and its wrong. This list above simply compounds that.
    The decent sides in this division who end up getting promoted, generally have a pretty average side. Spend no money, and while I get you have your opinion, and it won't change, imo.... its the manager at this level that makes the difference. Not expensive signings. A good manager will get a tune out of a half decent side. Like Norwich, Sheff Utd ...Leeds etc. Burnley before them ....Hudd's aswell .....almost every season.
    Spending money in this league means nothing for the most part. Of course there are exepetions.
    Last edited by champs95; 04-09-2019 at 10:57 AM.

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