Bladesman
The Great Grumbleduke
Everybody settle down, Wilder's just running up the odds for a top 10 finish then he'll play Burke and Sharp up top. Billy for golden boot.
Imagine the cash you would win on that bet.
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Everybody settle down, Wilder's just running up the odds for a top 10 finish then he'll play Burke and Sharp up top. Billy for golden boot.
The most telling thing for me was the "break" we had because of COVID. We are playing now how we played when we first came back.I don't believe that we've become a bad side over night.
I do believe though, that the signs were there last season in that we were never freely scoring. At this level, if you carry less of a threat, you're there to be picked off.
More pressingly, I'm worried about how we aren't "at it" at the moment, Wilder's self-proclaimed essential ingredient, that swashbuckling character. If the WBs aren't as energetic or are pinned in, and if the outside centre halves sit back more, we simply don't get going and the defense and midfield look separated from the forwards, who in turn look more and more isolated and we invite pressure from the opposition and possession against us.
Where that leaves us, is as a fairly decent possession side, who could be slightly solid defensively, although whom realistically will be likely weaker than last year given the loss of Henderson and now the significant loss of O'Connell. If you're slightly less solid and resolute and still not scoring, it doesn't bode well.
The three league games we've had so far, I still... still believe are not a barometer of how well prepared we are or are not. Wolves was over before it begun, against a side whom I expect to finish top 5, such is their spending. Villa was a training exercise for 10 men and even then, for the majority, we weren't threatened and were incredibly solid. Then Leeds, we're having to adapt to being without Egan and O'Connell - that is hugely significant, and yet we were still in it. Solid, yet unspectacular. We deserved a point.
What those games do show, is the need for depth. We don't have what others do, even with 5 signings. Then, in terms of style we seem devoid of our spark, devoid of our energy, devoid of creativity and devoid of goals. There are glimpses of hope in Burke's early impressions, Berge's srong start, but more is needed. We need Norwood's composure and Fleck's dynamism. We need a creative midfieldee and a forward who will bring renewed energy to the front line, as it's too long to wait for Moose and too much of a gamble to do so. Our current forwards, for their industry do not compliment one another well enough.
We also need to think about replacing O'Connell and creating a new, settled back line. Not with spending but with either Ampadu in the side and Enda at LWB or Enda in the role and Lowe at LWB. With Egan and now O'Connell, we simply haven't had any early luck, or a chance to be a settled side and try to play OUR game.
I understand the need to not gamble a sense financial infrastructure or the future of the club, but as things stand we seemingly do not have enough. The prince needs to spend... at the very least £20-30, for Sharp to get the Peronis in.
The most telling thing for me was the "break" we had because of COVID. We are playing now how we played when we first came back.
I'm putting aside the medical-management fuck-up of not getting JOC in for his knee op on the 27th of March, as he would likely have been back by now; and also the failure to spend money in the areas which actually needed spending (losing Hendo was a blow, but i think Ramsdale is a decent replacement, albeit not QUITE as good).
The big thing that has struck me is that I think the lack of fans has had a massive impact on us. It feels to me as though we are a team that feeds far more heavily off our fans and the noise and the atmosphere than maybe anyone else in the league. If we had fans back in the Lane i'd expect results to take an uptick fairly rapidly.
Let's see...a few interesting ones here...Imagine the cash you would win on that bet.
I don't believe that we've become a bad side over night.
I'd be quite happy with Brewster on loan for a season.So you're saying that if we only had Jags as cover in defence, it wouldn't make any difference to us? Who cares if he's a loan player? By your reckoning then, Henderson our on loan keeper didn't make us stronger on the pitch either. That's just daft. I get what you're saying, it's frustrating to not see much progress in the starting 11 and specially up top. But I don't think you can say that bringing in some good cover in defence is a bad move, specially now JOC is out all season.
In fact you could argue, with JOC injury, we're weaker on the pitch.
Poor recruitment this summer is my opinion.
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