Clough says get new players

[Jim Chimmerney]

Same result though.

Player sold
Money not reinvested
Worse team

They've learned nothing.

He was always going to leave, I don't know why fans say this is a negative against the club. For once, we didn't accept the 1st offer.

How do you know the money hasn't been re-invested ?

 

[blade too long]

we lost , yes badly , a game , it totally under mined everything we are building in 90 minutes , some say
in football history no team has lost a game badly in mid september and got promoted , youve convinced me

things could be worse


we could be totally deluded

 

[Balham Blade]

I think that there was also an expectation that Clough would be able to shift some of the senior players who aren't near the first team off the wage bill. That's not happened and that has exacerbated the problems we've had in central defence, where the player we identified as the best option to strengthen the side (Butler) has not worked out at all. We've also got far too many senior central midfielders at the club.

The squad currently is too big and is a prime example of quantity over quality. Ratings in brackets are how good I think they are by League One standards on an A-E scale.

Goalkeepers: Howard (B), Turner (C-), Long (C, on loan at Oxford), Willis (on loan at Bradford PA)

Defence: Alcock (B+), Collins (B-), McGahey (B), McEveley (B+), Butler (C, on loan at Walsall), Harris (B), Kennedy (C, injured)

Midfield: Doyle (B-), Wallace (B+, when fit), Basham (C-), McGinn (C), Cuvelier (B-, injured), Reed (B-), Dimaio (C), Scougall (B+)

Wingers: Murphy (A-, off form), Flynn (B+), Campbell-Ryce (B), Davies (B+), McFadzean (D, on loan at Burton)

Forwards: Higdon (C, unfit), Porter (C), Baxter (A-), McNulty (B), Di Girolamo (C)

The overall rating is probably a B or a B-. That is 5th-10th material but more worryingly, I've not seen anything from any of the summer signings (with the exception of Campbell-Ryce's performance against Rochdale) to suggest that they will have improved the side that much from last season - especially when you consider that most of the team from last season is still at the Lane.

Since last season, we've lost Maguire (A), Brandy (C), Taylor (D), McGinty (D), Hill (C), Miller (C) and Whitehouse (D). Not exactly game changing.

Oh and BTL - while I do generally enjoy pigbaiting it's probably not the best time to do it when they're sitting in 6th place having lost once all season.

 

[blade too long]

and arent they milking it
and how we say we were crap and lucky to win with a deflection on tuesday , but they are magnificent when they get a win 1-0 by the same deflected method

love them being in top 6 hope they get to a play off fnal and lose and we can dismiss it as a wasted season like they try and do

 

[judge]

Difference is if they get to the play offs they will win it

 

[BerksBlade]

A couple of things concern me about Clough's statement:
- What kind of message does it send out to our current players saying (in public) they're not as good as Brayford or Maguire? I wonder how Alcock (who has come in and done reasonably well) feels? Not good man-management to deride your players in public - players don't forget that type of comment.
- We always knew Brayford was unlikely to come back, and that Maguire might leave if a decent offer came in. Clough identified replacements and got them - and he's now saying they're not good enough. Well who's fault is that Nigel?
I don't understand what agenda Clough is trying to set by making these statements? As far as I'm aware he requested a budget for new players and he got it. The squad is already large (too large IMHO) and now we need more players? Are we going to offload some of the fringe players?

Interesting comments about about the "more expansive" playing style. Personally I prefer the "defend and counter-attack" style from last season as (i) we're far too pedestrian all over the pitch at the moment (ii) it seemed to get results.

 

[blader]

and arent they milking it
and how we say we were crap and lucky to win with a deflection on tuesday , but they are magnificent when they get a win 1-0 by the same deflected method

love them being in top 6 hope they get to a play off fnal and lose and we can dismiss it as a wasted season like they try and do

Oh ye, I'd love Wednesday to get to a playoff final, that'd just make my f*cking season

 

[Hague Blade]

I've enough on following Utd from 6500 miles away, let alone Wendy - but dare I say this Scottish lad they've signed seems to be doing better than our signings from North of the border.

Have they taken a punt, and got luckier than us, or was Stevie May out of our price range/not prepared to drop down/off our radar?

 

[yorkshirecoast]

I've enough on following Utd from 6500 miles away, let alone Wendy - but dare I say this Scottish lad they've signed seems to be doing better than our signings from North of the border.

Have they taken a punt, and got luckier than us, or was Stevie May out of our price range/not prepared to drop down/off our radar?

May should have been within our price range given the money we've brought in and the game changing investment - but at £800k he appears to be about 5 times the amount we are willing to spend on a player.

The pigs & Bristol City are both benefitting from paying the going rate for better quality.

 

[Woodwardfan]

How good to see Clough in buoyant mood again after the Orient win. That's what it takes to make him happy, all 13 of his players "at it" for the whole game.

Some times a bad defeat can be turned into a good thing. Let's hope it was the turning point for the season.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

How good to see Clough in buoyant mood again after the Orient win. That's what it takes to make him happy, all 13 of his players "at it" for the whole game.

Some times a bad defeat can be turned into a good thing. Let's hope it was the turning point for the season.

Swindon 5-2 the new Crewe 3-0?