Fantasy Championship Team: Wilder + Hecky Eras

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Had a chat at the last game with the fella next to me, saying compared to our previous Championship seasons under Wilder & Hecky, how much much of the current team could be considered an upgrade or downgrade from seasons past? One way to be decisive is to pick a best XI from all those Championship seasons. Here's mine:

----------------Henderson
Baldock Basham Egan O'Connell Stevens
---------- Lundstram --Hamer
--------------Gibbs-White
------------Sharp -- Ndiyae

Subs:
Cooper
Ahmedozic
Bogle
Burrows
Berge
Fleck
McAtee
McGoldrick
Campbell

Almost made it: Mark Duffy, Oliver Norwood, Vini Souza, Ben Brereton- Diaz (if he can find that prem form again he makes the squad easily)
I left Soutter out given that he's a loanee that didn't complete a full season.

So from a squad of 20 I've got 2 current players in the first XI and 3 make the bench. Am I being harsh on the current squad? Seems like we'd need a total overhaul if we went up, question is if the new owners can finance it?

What would your best XI be from those seasons?

 

[mattbianco1]

Henderson > Foderingham and Souza > Lundstram and I'd probably agree.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Henderson > Foderingham and Souza > Lundstram and I'd probably agree.

Totally forgot about Hendo! I'd have to bench Cooper for Hendo. Bye Bye Wes!
I guess I have some bias towards Lunsdtram given that he performed well in the Prem also, Souza did not.

 

[Silent Blade]

Totally forgot about Hendo! I'd have to bench Cooper for Hendo. Bye Bye Wes!
I guess I have some bias towards Lunsdtram given that he performed well in the Prem also, Souza did not.

Fleck was better than Lundstram

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Fleck was better than Lundstram

The issue is that Hamer and Fleck together would be a diminutive midfield. Tried to make it the best XI that you'd realistically field.

Also wow.. we've been pretty poor in the wide attacking positions for years haven't we?

 

[S64 Blade]

-----------------Henderson----------------
--------Bash------Egan-----JOC-----------
Baldock-----------------------------Stevens
-------------Norwood--Fleck---------------
--------------------Duffy---------------------
-------------Ndiaye-----Sharp-------------

Bench

• Cooper
• Bogle
• Ahmedhodzic
• Burrows
• Souza
• Berge
• Hamer
• MGW
• McGoldrick

 

[Silent Blade]

The issue is that Hamer and Fleck together would be a diminutive midfield. Tried to make it the best XI that you'd realistically field.

Also wow.. we've been pretty poor in the wide attacking positions for years haven't we?

We used wing backs from 2016 until last season apart from when Slav was our manager

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

We used wing backs from 2016 until last season apart from when Slav was our manager

Indeed we did. My personal issue with that is that we had no genuine quality alternative to Stevens for much of that time, so there were games we were forced to persist with a system where we were short in the key wing back area. Perhaps if we'd had some wide attacking options we'd have become far less predictable in how we we were going to set up every game. Our predictability was our undoing in 20/21.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

In my head I have been comparing this Wilder 2.0 side v the Hecky Promotion side and I think only Ndiaye gets in.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

In my head I have been comparing this Wilder 2.0 side v the Hecky Promotion side and I think only Ndiaye gets in.

Huh? Berge, McAttee, Baldock, Basham, Egan, Doyle, Norwood (just prior to losing it) and McBurnie all waltz into the current team.

It's actually a more interesting debate excluding Wilder 1.0 as it was so good its not even fair, so fair play for bringing that up.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Huh? Berge, McAttee, Baldock, Basham, Egan, Doyle, Norwood (just prior to losing it) and McBurnie all waltz into the current team.

It's actually a more interesting debate excluding Wilder 1.0 as it was so good its not even fair, so fair play for bringing that up.

Mcburnie gets in Egan over Souttar? Not by that stage imo. Baldock and Bogle probably a upgrade on Gilchrist/seriki but Norwood wasnt at his peak and mcatee and Doyle didn't really get going until the final 1/3 ( let's hope this means a chance someone like Davies becomes a key part of promotion rather than a minor figure!)

Big fan of berge but doing think he "bosses" like Souza even if they had slightly different roles.

I was posting half distracted tbf

 

[Gimli]

In my head I have been comparing this Wilder 2.0 side v the Hecky Promotion side and I think only Ndiaye gets in.

Gibbs-White definitely gets in! Berge I’d have in over Lundstram too.

GK: Henderson
(Cooper close 2nd)

Back 3: Basham Egan O’Connell
(Nobody else really comes close to this)

WBs: Baldock Stevens
(Again no real contenders, Bogle I guess could be a decent shout but not as good as George, Burrows another shout but not been here long enough to get in for me)

CM: Hamer Berge
(Difficult choices here, no Fleck or Norwood is harsh but the two I’ve picked I think just edge it for quality, yes I know the magical midfield of 18-19 and then the first Prem season but I’m sticking with this!)

AM: Gibbs-White
(Decided against the Wilder flat 3 in the middle given that he really did that in the Prem so in the ‘Duffy’ role is not actually Duffy which again could be considered harsh but I’ve gone for MGW who is arguably the best player in the entire team)

ST: Ndiaye McGoldrick
(Sharp is the sore-thumb stand out that didn’t make it in, which when you look at his figures is actually ridiculous to leave him out but this is my fantasy team so I’m picking my favourites)
(I also loved Sharp before the pile on begins)

Bench:
Cooper
Bogle
Ahmedhodzic
Fleck
Norwood
McAtee
Duffy
Sharp
McBurnie

 

[Balham]

Mcburnie gets in Egan over Souttar? Not by that stage imo. Baldock and Bogle probably a upgrade on Gilchrist/seriki but Norwood wasnt at his peak and mcatee and Doyle didn't really get going until the final 1/3 ( let's hope this means a chance someone like Davies becomes a key part of promotion rather than a minor figure!)

Big fan of berge but doing think he "bosses" like Souza even if they had slightly different roles.

I was posting half distracted tbf

Berge and Souza would be an outstanding midfield partnership.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Gibbs-White definitely gets in! Berge I’d have in over Lundstram too.

This will blow your mind but we had the bulk of the premier league side + Ndiaye and MGW and didn't go up that year.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Gibbs-White definitely gets in! Berge I’d have in over Lundstram too.

GK: Henderson
(Cooper close 2nd)

Back 3: Basham Egan O’Connell
(Nobody else really comes close to this)

WBs: Baldock Stevens
(Again no real contenders, Bogle I guess could be a decent shout but not as good as George, Burrows another shout but not been here long enough to get in for me)

CM: Hamer Berge
(Difficult choices here, no Fleck or Norwood is harsh but the two I’ve picked I think just edge it for quality, yes I know the magical midfield of 18-19 and then the first Prem season but I’m sticking with this!)

AM: Gibbs-White
(Decided against the Wilder flat 3 in the middle given that he really did that in the Prem so in the ‘Duffy’ role is not actually Duffy which again could be considered harsh but I’ve gone for MGW who is arguably the best player in the entire team)

ST: Ndiaye McGoldrick
(Sharp is the sore-thumb stand out that didn’t make it in, which when you look at his figures is actually ridiculous to leave him out but this is my fantasy team so I’m picking my favourites)
(I also loved Sharp before the pile on begins)

Bench:
Cooper
Bogle
Ahmedhodzic
Fleck
Norwood
McAtee
Duffy
Sharp
McBurnie

I like it, but feel Berge isn't tough or defensive enough. To me it seems like having Hamer, Berge and Gibbs-White it's great in attack but too shit in defence. Need to drop one.

 

[Gimli]

This will blow your mind but we had the bulk of the premier league side + Ndiaye and MGW and didn't go up that year.

Fair point. I blame Brewster - isn’t that the thing to do these days?

I like it, but feel Berge isn't tough or defensive enough. To me it seems like having Hamer, Berge and Gibbs-White it's great in attack but too shit in defence. Need to drop one.

This is absolutely fair and almost certainly true, although it is in front of the greatest back 5/6(including keeper) a team has ever assembled in the history of the game!

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Fair point. I blame Brewster - isn’t that the thing to do these days?


This is absolutely fair and almost certainly true, although it is in front of the greatest back 5/6(including keeper) a team has ever assembled in the history of the game!

It's a fair poin re the back when you think we had Norwood, Fleck and Berge together none of them were overly defensive. It was a true box to box midfield, sometimes lacking in true creative spark but steady as a unit both in attack and defence until Norwood and Flecks started to go. Not sure Berge, Hamer and Gibbs-White would be as effective as a unit though?

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

This will blow your mind but we had the bulk of the premier league side + Ndiaye and MGW and didn't go up that year.

Ndiaye wasn't the finished article that season (aged 21/22), it was the following season he really got into his stride. Stevens well past his best. Hourihane and Osborne were regulars in midifeld.. two names I'm happy to forget. Plus don't forget Kop Hero McBurnie's sterling contribution that season. We made a decent fist of it but more changes were needed.

 

[loyalblade95]

Ndiaye wasn't the finished article that season (aged 21/22), it was the following season he really got into his stride. Stevens well past his best. Hourihane and Osborne were regulars in midifeld.. two names I'm happy to forget. Plus don't forget Kop Hero McBurnie's sterling contribution that season. We made a decent fist of it but more changes were needed.

The fact that Hecky got us into the playoffs that season was quite remarkable (there were some seriously good sides that season, Fulham and Forest being the best), given the state of the squad at the time as well as a poor start under Slav.

Hourihane was well past his best by the time we signed him, we were meant to sign some winger from Barca on loan (Costello?) before the move fell through on summer Deadline Day.

Seriki played RWB against Forest in the league and he looked completely out of his depth, Osborn played a few games at RWB as Bogle and Baldock both missed multiple matches with injury.

Mcburnie didn't score a single league goal did he?, Mousset got a few goals that season before Hecky got rid of him for good. Brewster scored a few then missed half the season with injury, same with Mcgoldrick.

Looking back on it, 21/22 was one massive overachievement considering how broken our squad was.