New Season, New Beginning

[JamesMcClean]

Maybe the phrase 'major changes' should have been 'several changes' and I was referring mostly to the playing staff and the coach, wasn't questioning the club as a whole.

Reason I said that was I was agreeing with Whitfield that making the top 6 next season will be harder not easier.
Anyone who thinks a couple of tweeks is all we need is mistaken IMO

Our goalkeeper kept us out of a relegation battle last season, unlikely we're going to have that advantage next season. If we continue to play the standard of football we're producing I think we'll struggle again.
And by the way we are too soft.

Our recruitment is also in question. Mind boggling contract extensions send out a worrying message.
Who exactly is this core to build on you refer to, I'm a bit sceptical on that.
I'm also sceptical about our ability to pass the ball, have a joined up way of playing. Its horrible to watch us constantly giving the ball away and to be brutally honest my patience has run out with it.

I'm still very angry about Saturday. That front 3 has failed to click every time this season bar once. Saturday was tailor made for Chalmers to run at their back 4 and pull them out of position. 442 would have given us an extra midfielder.

Maybe I'll feel different when I start to see who comes in.

The core I’m talking about is our back 4 for one. Yes Benji dug us out of a few holes last season but you saw clearly (especially once Connolly got the punt) that Siegrist actually had less and less to do in games as the weeks went by and especially in comparison to earlier in the season. We’ve got a decent back 4 now between Robson Edwards Reynolds Smith who have actually improved as a unit through playing consistently together. That is progress. Robson is likely the weakest element in it but Freeman will be returning from loan to provide competition there. But how we have improved defensively is an example of getting better by not chopping and chang8ng and being consistent.

Up front a lot depends on what happens with McNulty and Shankland (both stay, both go, one stays, one goes???) but assuming one is here next season then we definitely need something different beside them. But otherwise options would be there.

Midfield is the real issue - there is no width since the groin stroker (who let’s face it wasn’t good enough anyway) left and the attacking options aren’t there. As mentioned we’re reasonable enough for defensive midfielders but Harkes flatters to deceive and while I actually prefer Pawlett, his injury record is concerning. Remember though that although they wouldn’t be starters just yet, Mochrie and Glass will be back.

To be fair to Mellon, the fact that he is apparently lining up this Swedish winger would suggest that he sees where the issues are as well.

[stokearab]

Back from my 3 day self isolation.

If you look at our best team, in a system that suits them, we have:

Seigrest
Smith, Edwards, Reynolds, Robson
Butcher, Fuchs
Appere, Clark, Chalmers
Shankland

So what needs strengthened? Fuchs and Butcher are too similar (well apart from Fuchs being talented and Butcher being not so), so we need a central midfielder in there. Harkes isn't good enough, and Powers is probably away. So that is signing number one.

The attacking midfield/AMC/Number 10/Whatever you want to call it. At the moment Clark is at his best there but never gets to play. Pawlett isn't an upgrade either. Mochrie might be a good fit, alongwith Meekison as an option, but they need a first choice guy in there. So signing number two.

The two wingers, I went with Chalmers and Appere. Sporle is a good back up option on the left, with Appere his back ups would be Fortheringham. So probably one first choice winger would be signing number three.

Up front, if Shankland stays (and that's a big if) then he is number one choice. If McNulty comes in, then he has to be the other guy who plays when Shankland doesn't. And if Shankland is away, then obviously a first choice striker (Devante Cole on a free) needs to come in as signing number four.

Centre half. Connolly is the experienced back up, but Neilson & Smith need to be given games ahead of him. I wouldn't make any signings here, the future is bright.

Full backs. Freeman can cover at right back, as can Neilson. Robson has Sporle for cover, but I wouldn't mind some proper competition coming in as signing number five.

In goal it depends on Seigrest. If he stays, nothing has to change. If he goes, then a new keeper in and Newman goes out on loan for signing number six.

So four signings required and two more if Shankland and Benji leave. A bit more faith in youth (Cooney and Davidson are probably ready to get a chance at centre half too, along with Hutchison (we are stocked with really good young talent in that position), Glass, Mochrie, Meekison, Watson, Fotheringham) to be used as squad depth is also needed.

Good to see you back Back 🙂

[TerryTheTerror]

Butcher and Fuchs does work. In a 442 with wingers where their sole job is to win the ball back and give it to creative players... you know the rest...

I agree. I think folk too easily forget how soft as ****e we were without Butcher. I know he isn't everyone's cup of tea but every successful team needs someone like this to make the opposition know we won't be bullied.

[shedka]

I’m not sure we need major changes Stoke. Additions yes, but not major changes. One of the big issues for the Club from the night the Tim Two packed their bags is the sheer constant upheaval that’s gone on. In the dugout we’ve had MacNamara, Bowman, Mixu, Mixu’s assistant, Ray, Ray’s assistant, Csaba, Csaba’s assistant, Neilson and finally MM. On the playing front the level of turnover has been mental, properly scary.

Contrast with St Johnstone. They’ve still got the likes of May, O’Halloran, Murray Davidson, Wotherspoon , Liam Craig etc from winning the cup in 2014 and their manager was the assistant manager back then and is well ensconced in the Club. Our own successful periods have all coincided with periods of consistency from Jim’s days through to Sir Craig and Pedro (and running into the first period of Jackie). It took Craig Levein and then Peter Houston four years to take the Club on from relegation candidates to winning the cup and qualifying for Europe and then moving forward had established solid foundations which Jackie initially built on. For example, by the time we’d won the cup we’d had the likes of Jon Daly, Sean Dillon, Prince, Gomis, Conway, Dixon, Kenneth etc playing for a good 3-4 seasons. They’d developed by playing alongside each other and knowing how to work together in a system.

We have a core squad to build around. We have massively improved at the back from the start of the season with Reynolds and Edwards. That’s a good foundation to start with. We have decent holding midfielders in Fuchs and Butcher (although I’m not convinced we always have to play the two of them at once). What we need now is to start to move from being a stodgy, solid side and for that I think we need width (which could be here already with Logan Chalmers), a better attacking midfielder (sorry but Harkes is not the answer) and a target man and by that I mean a big target man to allow us to vary it up in attack a bit (I feel we’re a bit predictable up front currently).

At the end of the day though wholesale changes are not the answer. We’ve proved that ourselves in the past and St Johnstone are proving that right now. The important thing is direction - is it heading in the right way? Well let’s put it this way, it’s probably pointing a lot better than at any time in the last six years.

Good post, I mentioned the same recently

Exactly what we need to do, some good additions, lose some that won't improve its not keep the decent core there to keep continuity

[shedka]

I agree. I think folk too easily forget how soft as ****e we were without Butcher. I know he isn't everyone's cup of tea but every successful team needs someone like this to make the opposition know we won't be bullied.

Yes we have been on good form until the cup became the focus and Butcher played well and showed he is good enough. I like him with Fuchs, and like Harkes when he is playing like he did at Pittodrie, needs to show that more, be more confident

[stokearab]

Good to see you back Back 🙂

Agree with you about Devante Cole by the way. At least from what I've seen of him, maybe 3 or 4 matches.

[Whitfieldarab]

Butcher and Fuchs does work. In a 442 with wingers where their sole job is to win the ball back and give it to creative players... you know the rest...

Does work you say 🤔in a 442 with wingers and them 2 giving the ball to creative players you say 🤔........OK so when did that happen this season 🤔

Does work suggests that we already have these wingers and creative players 🤔........

[stokearab]

Yes we have been on good form until the cup became the focus and Butcher played well and showed he is good enough. I like him with Fuchs, and like Harkes when he is playing like he did at Pittodrie, needs to show that more, be more confident

If all the players played the way they played at Pittodrie and all the teams let us do it we'd finish 3rd. But unfortunately football doesn't work on ifs Shedka.

[BudMill90]

Does work you say ��in a 442 with wingers and them 2 giving the ball to creative players you say ��........OK so when did that happen this season ��

Does work suggests that we already have these wingers and creative players ��........

I had hoped you'd sense the sarcasm in my post, but anyway...

Ross County away 2-0 victory - Butcher and Fuchs played holding midfield roles with Sporle, Pawlett and McNulty playing in front of them. Butcher and Fuchs focused on winning the ball back and playing it to guys like Sporle and Pawlett who can run with the ball and create things (not too often, but sometimes).

Killie at home just before Xmas. 2-0 victory. Butcher and Fuchs played with McMullan and Bolton either side of them. Shanks and McNulty up top. Wingers.

Livi home 3-0 victory. Fuchs and Butcher played with Pawlett and Sporle either side of them and Louis up front with Shanks, we were 1-0 up within the first minute and it was one of our best performances of the season.

There are a couple of examples.

[tHeArAb]

Butcher and Fuchs does work. In a 442 with wingers where their sole job is to win the ball back and give it to creative players... you know the rest...

All fine & well saying that, but if we dont play a 442 formation then it's irrelevant.

For me, upgrades required on Robson, Smith, Reynolds, Harkes, Butcher, Pawlett, Clark and if we continue to play this system I might as well add Shankland & McNulty to that because they've been hopeless this season.