‘Bord games’ might prove costly

[The Bohemian]

Yet again we start a season weaker than we finished the previous one. Selles will take most of the heat but like Hecky and Wilder before him he has been let down by appalling leadership from the CEO and owners.

If COH had even half a clue what they were doing, they would have recognised the need to start well, having divided the fan base by sacking Wilder. Instead, we sell two of our best players without replacements being ready. In 2023 Hecky started the Premier League season with a midfield comprising of Bash, Norwood and Osbourne. Today our two centre backs consisted of one who has been in shocking form following two years out with injury and a young lad with no experience above League One. Not surprisingly they cost us the game. That said, Selles’ starting shape gave them very little protection and exposed another area we are desperately short in.

It wasn’t all bad. Some of our build up play was electric and on another day we’d have scored two or three. That’s not to say we deserved to win. We didn’t. We’ve been spanked and we’re now on the back foot requiring four or five capable of starting in order to challenge around the top again.

What worries me most is the owners’ apparent hubris verging on arrogance. Wilder departed because he wasn’t prepared to pick the ‘AI players’. His priority, rightly, was winning football games not appeasing James Bord. Meanwhile Bettis tells us how ‘immensely proud’ he is of the stadium changes that nobody noticed!

We’ve taken a punt on replacing one of our best managers ever with a relative novice and gone all in on a new recruitment model. It could still work out but it was a huge gamble that we didn’t have to take.

 

[b1ade4life]

Yet again we start a season weaker than we finished the previous one. Selles will take most of the heat but like Hecky and Wilder before him he has been let down by appalling leadership from the CEO and owners.

If COH had even half a clue what they were doing, they would have recognised the need to start well, having divided the fan base by sacking Wilder. Instead, we sell two of our best players without replacements being ready. In 2023 Hecky started the Premier League season with a midfield comprising of Bash, Norwood and Osbourne. Today our two centre backs consisted of one who has been in shocking form following two years out with injury and a young lad with no experience above League One. Not surprisingly they cost us the game. That said, Selles’ starting shape gave them very little protection and exposed another area we are desperately short in.

It wasn’t all bad. Some of our build up play was electric and on another day we’d have scored two or three. That’s not to say we deserved to win. We didn’t. We’ve been spanked and we’re now on the back foot requiring four or five capable of starting in order to challenge around the top again.

What worries me most is the owners’ apparent hubris verging on arrogance. Wilder departed because he wasn’t prepared to pick the ‘AI players’. His priority, rightly, was winning football games not appeasing James Bord. Meanwhile Bettis tells us how ‘immensely proud’ he is of the stadium changes that nobody noticed!

We’ve taken a punt on replacing one of our best managers ever with a relative novice and gone all in on a new recruitment model. It could still work out but it was a huge gamble that we didn’t have to take.

Agree

 

[SwissBlade]

Yet again we start a season weaker than we finished the previous one. Selles will take most of the heat but like Hecky and Wilder before him he has been let down by appalling leadership from the CEO and owners.

If COH had even half a clue what they were doing, they would have recognised the need to start well, having divided the fan base by sacking Wilder. Instead, we sell two of our best players without replacements being ready. In 2023 Hecky started the Premier League season with a midfield comprising of Bash, Norwood and Osbourne. Today our two centre backs consisted of one who has been in shocking form following two years out with injury and a young lad with no experience above League One. Not surprisingly they cost us the game. That said, Selles’ starting shape gave them very little protection and exposed another area we are desperately short in.

It wasn’t all bad. Some of our build up play was electric and on another day we’d have scored two or three. That’s not to say we deserved to win. We didn’t. We’ve been spanked and we’re now on the back foot requiring four or five capable of starting in order to challenge around the top again.

What worries me most is the owners’ apparent hubris verging on arrogance. Wilder departed because he wasn’t prepared to pick the ‘AI players’. His priority, rightly, was winning football games not appeasing James Bord. Meanwhile Bettis tells us how ‘immensely proud’ he is of the stadium changes that nobody noticed!

We’ve taken a punt on replacing one of our best managers ever with a relative novice and gone all in on a new recruitment model. It could still work out but it was a huge gamble that we didn’t have to take.

On today’s showing Selles, like Slav and Hecky in that PL season has been hung out to dry. Some on here will say that there’s still time, we’ll recruit and spend some of the money which we’ve recouped and this may end up to be true.

But we have reached the first game of the season completely under prepared. We didn’t look fit, we didn’t look sharp and we had players playing a system that they didn’t know how to play.

Last season was a far more chaotic summer with the takeover but we got to the first game in good shape to compete.

Today, whilst just being the opener and there is a long way to go, was a worry. It’s far from panic stations but considering we faced a side that we comprehensively demolished in the play offs over two games, we looked leagues apart.

My expectations were low for today, I hoped we’d have some fight but feared a drubbing in the worst case. Selles will shoulder some responsibility for putting a side out like that and making the changes he did, but the owners have left him with a severely weakened squad to start the first game…

 

[DeanLearner'sCat]

Wilder departed because he wasn’t prepared to pick the ‘AI players’. His priority, rightly, was winning football games not appeasing James Bord.

Selles didn't pick any of the AI players either.

 

[Bladeinleeds]

realistically you can’t slate the recruitment we have barely done any of it.

They have shat themselves at the first offers in and sold without getting replacements in. 100% agree with Selles needing to get off to a good start but they have shafted the Man.

6 loans went back on big wages
Anel, Moore, Grnic and Souza have gone and none have been replaced. All big earners
We’ve not bough in the wingers he needs for this system to work.

The actual recruitment seems ‘ok’ so far

Ukaki looks like he could be an option
Barry I think looks decent
Soumare - could be decent. Obviously starting behind the 8 ball with no preseason
Bindon - didn’t look amazing today but you’d presume knows what the manger wants and was highly rated enough to be purchased by a team in Europe. So can’t knock the logic behind the decision

It’s just they haven’t got in the RB, experienced CB, MF, FW we desperately need.


No idea why you’d buy a club without the ability to fund it or the ambition to do owt though. Sellers has been set up for failure by these decisions

There’s time to rectify the situation but playing like that we are nowhere near a play off side. Let’s hope it’s a wake up call for all Involved. We need to be assertive instead of passive and seemingly without a plan

• Board need to get the money out
• Bettis needs to get the phone out
• Someone needs to get the balls out and get some players over the line.
• Selles needs to shape up and adjust while he still doesn’t have the players. Or the season will be over and he’ll have lost the crowd and be out before Slav was.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

The fuck up with the foreign player slots is remarkably amateurish given that they clearly intended to shop abroad this summer

In Sellés they've picked a compliant yes man who is totally unproven and a complete departure from what we had - which, like it or not, earned us 92 points. A very strange time to turn things upside down and start from scratch. If Sellés was in fact the best we could do that is extremely worrying because it suggests either no money or unreasonable owner interference..... or both

They've fucked up this transfer window and everything about their approach suggests 'project' rather than promotion - a self indulgent experiment by arrogant football illiterates. And if they don't want us to think that then maybe they should communicate beyond the bare minimum

 

[Eskimo]

The fuck up with the foreign player slots is remarkably amateurish given that they clearly intended to shop abroad this summer

In Sellés they've picked a compliant yes man who is totally unproven and a complete departure from what we had - which, like it or not, earned us 92 points. A very strange time to turn things upside down and start from scratch. If Sellés was in fact the best we could do that is extremely worrying because it suggests either no money or unreasonable owner interference..... or both

They've fucked up this transfer window and everything about their approach suggests 'project' rather than promotion - a self indulgent experiment by arrogant football illiterates. And if they don't want us to think that then maybe they should communicate beyond the bare minimum

Excellent post

 

[robbiez666]

Today, whilst just being the opener and there is a long way to go, was a worry. It’s far from panic stations but considering we faced a side that we comprehensively demolished in the play offs over two games, we looked leagues apart.

Its worth remembering that it was fairly even before the sending off. They're a good team with what seems like a good new manager whose tactics were spot on.

 

[The Bohemian]

Selles didn't pick any of the AI players either.

Hopefully he, like any other vertebrate manager, only took the job with full control over team selection.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

So infuriating that we’re in this position time and time again.
Every season we’re left scrabbling around for players after the season has started.
Waiting until the end of August for the so called “better players” to be available.
Why don’t we ever get our business done early?
We could lose 3 league games in that time, yet again the manager has been thrown under the bus.

 

[Bladesman]

So infuriating that we’re in this position time and time again.
Every season we’re left scrabbling around for players after the season has started.
Waiting until the end of August for the so called “better players” to be available.
Why don’t we ever get our business done early?
We could lose 3 league games in that time, yet again the manager has been thrown under the bus.

It’s something we do as a club.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Why do people expect to do business early? Name one transfer window we have?

Clearly the board as per previous boards don't have huge money to spend which is fine.

But selling players before they are replaced was one trait I'd hoped the new regime wouldn't do.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

So infuriating that we’re in this position time and time again.
Every season we’re left scrabbling around for players after the season has started.
Waiting until the end of August for the so called “better players” to be available.
Why don’t we ever get our business done early?
We could lose 3 league games in that time, yet again the manager has been thrown under the bus.

I said this on one of the other threads last week & basically got slated by some .. they’ve been very quiet on here since 7.30 pm yesterday

 

[AnstonBlade1]

I said this on one of the other threads last week & basically got slated by some .. they’ve been very quiet on here since 7.30 pm yesterday

Everything I’ve stated there are facts, there’s nothing to slate.
I think some people have been blinded by us scoring a few in pre season.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Everything I’ve stated there are facts, there’s nothing to slate.

In total agreement

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

So infuriating that we’re in this position time and time again.
Every season we’re left scrabbling around for players after the season has started.
Waiting until the end of August for the so called “better players” to be available.
Why don’t we ever get our business done early?
We could lose 3 league games in that time, yet again the manager has been thrown under the bus.

The common denominator is Stephen Bettis

Through a period of 2 different owners and 4 different managers, it's been the same story - and he's been the main man at the club as far as I'm aware

 

[Blade58]

Selles didn't pick any of the AI players either.

I’m not convinced by this AI stuff. Yes, it has its uses, but I’m not convinced our scouting network couldn’t have identified the type and quality of player we’ve brought in under this Bord system

Our scouting network haven’t done a bad job over the years

Could it hinder us as much as help us? I’m not sure?

 

[Cheeky Blade]

The common denominator is Stephen Bettis

Through a period of 2 different owners and 4 different managers, it's been the same story - and he's been the main man at the club as far as I'm aware

Yes but previously the Snek was reactive not proactive…now he’s not even reacting to outgoings.

 

[Blademan89]

On today’s showing Selles, like Slav and Hecky in that PL season has been hung out to dry. Some on here will say that there’s still time, we’ll recruit and spend some of the money which we’ve recouped and this may end up to be true.

But we have reached the first game of the season completely under prepared. We didn’t look fit, we didn’t look sharp and we had players playing a system that they didn’t know how to play.

Last season was a far more chaotic summer with the takeover but we got to the first game in good shape to compete.

Today, whilst just being the opener and there is a long way to go, was a worry. It’s far from panic stations but considering we faced a side that we comprehensively demolished in the play offs over two games, we looked leagues apart.

My expectations were low for today, I hoped we’d have some fight but feared a drubbing in the worst case. Selles will shoulder some responsibility for putting a side out like that and making the changes he did, but the owners have left him with a severely weakened squad to start the first game…

80% of the league seems to have strengthened but we have weakened our team yet again. From what was a solid top 6 champ team, we have dismantled and replaced with unknown random players and academy players. Criminal yet again to be starting season much weaker than we finished.

This current team & style, would get absolutely battered by last seasons wilders team.

 

[SwissBlade]

80% of the league seems to have strengthened but we have weakened our team yet again. From what was a solid top 6 champ team, we have dismantled and replaced with unknown random players and academy players. Criminal yet again to be starting season much weaker than we finished.

This current team & style, would get absolutely battered by last seasons wilders team.

I think that was always going to happen to an extent. Reducing the wages and becoming more sustainable for missing out on the premier league means that we have to reduce steadily…we weren’t going to offer improved deals to Anel and Souza. But we should still have a strong squad and we currently don’t.

 

[ATL Recs]

Why do people expect to do business early? Name one transfer window we have?

Clearly the board as per previous boards don't have huge money to spend which is fine.

But selling players before they are replaced was one trait I'd hoped the new regime wouldn't do.

Yes but they stalled on Robinson going to Wrexham

 

[Tarqs]

80% of the league seems to have strengthened but we have weakened our team yet again. From what was a solid top 6 champ team, we have dismantled and replaced with unknown random players and academy players. Criminal yet again to be starting season much weaker than we finished.

This current team & style, would get absolutely battered by last seasons wilders team.

Last seasons wilder side didnt batter anyone until the season was over.

 

[Keen Blade]

The common denominator is Stephen Bettis

Through a period of 2 different owners and 4 different managers, it's been the same story - and he's been the main man at the club as far as I'm aware

We need a Director of Football.
I thought that's why they sacked Wilder.
So we could have a DoF & a head coach

 

[Keen Blade]

The common denominator is Stephen Bettis

Through a period of 2 different owners and 4 different managers, it's been the same story - and he's been the main man at the club as far as I'm aware

Betti's is NOT a football man , he's a feckin CEO/accountant who dabbles in football matters , very slowly and quite incompetently.
He's got a million responsibilities OTHER THAN the football side of things
He can't do everything.
So football stuff gets lower down his list.
I am utterly amazed that for US owners who say they want PL ...
They've FAILED TO BRING IN A DoF.

What on earth is going through their minds ?
Not much , it seems.