robbiez666
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- Sep 18, 2009
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I keep hearing that we have the best squad in the league.
This seems to now be that our team should beat any other team.
When we were top of the league, many of our fans refused to credit the manager and just said "we have the best squad, we should be top of the league". Now we're on a bad run the manager apparently has to be sacked because "he did nothing to get us top of the league it was the squad".
It's 15 games in, we have 25 points and we're 4th (2 whole points off the top), and yet some fans want to change the manager.
but back to the squad. At the start of this season I thought we'd be either in the playoffs or just below. I get it, fans expectations change with form and we were exceeding my expectations. After a run of FIVE bad results, we're apparently relegation fodder. Maybe the reality is somewhere in-between?
Anyhow, the best squad in the league, a squad full of players who deserve to be playing in the EPL...
1. Foderingham - Had a great season last year but was our 2nd or 3rd choice when he signed on a free from Scotland
2. RND - He wasn't first choice LWB at the start of the season, for many. He's done really well at LCB and had a great run but its a quarter of a season
3. Bogle - Great talent, seems to be injured more than fit
4. Clark - who knows. Either a great player forced out by Newcastle money or a washed up has-been passed his best (according to Newcastle fans)
5. Egan - One day we shouldn't sell him for less that 15 million, the next he's a plodder who isn't good enough
6. Anel - Looks a talent. Only played like 10 games but looks very promising
7. Fleck - More Jimmy than John in recent seasons
8. Norwood - Wrong side of 30. Can dictate games, can go missing.
9. Berge - The greatest player in the league for some who every rarely plays like the best player in this team. Also, injured regularly.
10. Ndiaye - Quality. Still young and doesn't always make the right choices (and will improve with experience) but looks like our best player.
11. McBurnie - The bastard love child of a Wizard and old man Steptoe. Has a pedigree at this level but his time with us has not been a happy one
12. Davies - Decent reputation, not played that much recently
13. Basham - Apparently yesterday's man
14. Robinson - Another who seems to regularly be injured. Had a great spell last year but terrible before then
15. Baldock - Fairly reliable but with no end product
16. Lowe - Terrible for us, did well for Forest
17. Stevens - Injury prone and passed it
18. Osborn - Got an extra year to make up the numbers
19. Couilibally - Never played in English football.
20. McAtee - Hot talent at Man City but only played a handful of senior games
21. Khadra - Mixed reviews from Blackburn. Great on his day but goes missing otherwise
22. Sharp - Captain Billy, seems to have sadly come to be playing out his final year
23. Brewster - Cost 26 million and therefore a great player (who had one good half season at Swansea 3 years ago)
24. Jebbo - Had a good league 1 loan
25. Doyle - I knew I'd forget one. Did well for Cardiff last year without really catching the eye
26. Gordon - Looks out of his depth
27 - group of youth players who despite playing in the league 1 of the youth system are all better than what we have when we lose
Does that look like a great squad to you? Really?
It looks to me like a fairly average top half squad with a few bright sparks and a few players with a lot of potential who have yet to turn it consistently into ability.
It looks to me like a team in transition. From the players who took us up reaching the end of their careers and a youth team who aren't ready. Worryingly, with fewer players of our own every year.
Maybe, when we were top of the league that was a manager getting a team overperforming? Just maybe the manager deserves credit for that?
Maybe, now we're on this bad run it's a manager struggling to get an injury riddled team to perform?
Maybe, just maybe, managers should be judged over an extended period and not 5 games (or the 9 games before that)?
This seems to now be that our team should beat any other team.
When we were top of the league, many of our fans refused to credit the manager and just said "we have the best squad, we should be top of the league". Now we're on a bad run the manager apparently has to be sacked because "he did nothing to get us top of the league it was the squad".
It's 15 games in, we have 25 points and we're 4th (2 whole points off the top), and yet some fans want to change the manager.
but back to the squad. At the start of this season I thought we'd be either in the playoffs or just below. I get it, fans expectations change with form and we were exceeding my expectations. After a run of FIVE bad results, we're apparently relegation fodder. Maybe the reality is somewhere in-between?
Anyhow, the best squad in the league, a squad full of players who deserve to be playing in the EPL...
1. Foderingham - Had a great season last year but was our 2nd or 3rd choice when he signed on a free from Scotland
2. RND - He wasn't first choice LWB at the start of the season, for many. He's done really well at LCB and had a great run but its a quarter of a season
3. Bogle - Great talent, seems to be injured more than fit
4. Clark - who knows. Either a great player forced out by Newcastle money or a washed up has-been passed his best (according to Newcastle fans)
5. Egan - One day we shouldn't sell him for less that 15 million, the next he's a plodder who isn't good enough
6. Anel - Looks a talent. Only played like 10 games but looks very promising
7. Fleck - More Jimmy than John in recent seasons
8. Norwood - Wrong side of 30. Can dictate games, can go missing.
9. Berge - The greatest player in the league for some who every rarely plays like the best player in this team. Also, injured regularly.
10. Ndiaye - Quality. Still young and doesn't always make the right choices (and will improve with experience) but looks like our best player.
11. McBurnie - The bastard love child of a Wizard and old man Steptoe. Has a pedigree at this level but his time with us has not been a happy one
12. Davies - Decent reputation, not played that much recently
13. Basham - Apparently yesterday's man
14. Robinson - Another who seems to regularly be injured. Had a great spell last year but terrible before then
15. Baldock - Fairly reliable but with no end product
16. Lowe - Terrible for us, did well for Forest
17. Stevens - Injury prone and passed it
18. Osborn - Got an extra year to make up the numbers
19. Couilibally - Never played in English football.
20. McAtee - Hot talent at Man City but only played a handful of senior games
21. Khadra - Mixed reviews from Blackburn. Great on his day but goes missing otherwise
22. Sharp - Captain Billy, seems to have sadly come to be playing out his final year
23. Brewster - Cost 26 million and therefore a great player (who had one good half season at Swansea 3 years ago)
24. Jebbo - Had a good league 1 loan
25. Doyle - I knew I'd forget one. Did well for Cardiff last year without really catching the eye
26. Gordon - Looks out of his depth
27 - group of youth players who despite playing in the league 1 of the youth system are all better than what we have when we lose
Does that look like a great squad to you? Really?
It looks to me like a fairly average top half squad with a few bright sparks and a few players with a lot of potential who have yet to turn it consistently into ability.
It looks to me like a team in transition. From the players who took us up reaching the end of their careers and a youth team who aren't ready. Worryingly, with fewer players of our own every year.
Maybe, when we were top of the league that was a manager getting a team overperforming? Just maybe the manager deserves credit for that?
Maybe, now we're on this bad run it's a manager struggling to get an injury riddled team to perform?
Maybe, just maybe, managers should be judged over an extended period and not 5 games (or the 9 games before that)?
