The realities of poor recruitment

[robbiez666]

Swansea and Bristol City were two very different games.

We started the season rating to go. Had a first half where we had more touches in their box than we've ever had and were thrilling at times. We all know the outcome but most weren't unhappy at halftime.

Yesterday, we looked devoid of energy and ideas. Looked like we weren't enjoying being out there. Created hardly anything and looked like we were running on sand. You only had to look at our bench to see how unprepared we are for the season.

This is the result of years of bad recruitment.

We have 4 players who can play centre midfielder but half of them are injured most games. Which means someone like Peck has to play all the time when his minutes needed to be managed better at the start of the season. We saw the impact in overplaying players last season.

And because we have 4 players who can play there it makes recruitment difficult, both in terms of balancing a wage bill and the happiness of players when everyone is fit. It means the formation and style of football we can play is constrained. You can't play pressing football on a hot day when there's no one to bring off the bench.

We have injured players on long contracts. Backup players on long contracts. We've got young players in desperate need of a loan and we can't afford to send them out.

In been critical of Selles but our terrible recruitment planning has meant that in just a week we've gone from trying to play the way he wants to play on the opening day to a bodged approach trying to get something with the players we have available.

What we need in the next two weeks is to have a plan and execute it well. A plan to bring in the players we need, both on loan and permanently, and the right mix of age and experience. We need a plan for the young players who've been forced to play although not ready. A plan to manage the minutes of first team players to allow them to perform at their best while on the pitch.

I want us to play the kind of football we did in the first half against Bristol City, but with both the squad to deal with the defensive side and enough bodies to allow players to give everything.

I think we need to do a lot of business in the next fortnight to allow that to happen. Both ins and outs. I can't see it myself. Having no midweek game will help a lot though.

 

[dexter101]

Swansea and Bristol City were two very different games.

We started the season rating to go. Had a first half where we had more touches in their box than we've ever had and were thrilling at times. We all know the outcome but most weren't unhappy at halftime.

Yesterday, we looked devoid of energy and ideas. Looked like we weren't enjoying being out there. Created hardly anything and looked like we were running on sand. You only had to look at our bench to see how unprepared we are for the season.

This is the result of years of bad recruitment.

We have 4 players who can play centre midfielder but half of them are injured most games. Which means someone like Peck has to play all the time when his minutes needed to be managed better at the start of the season. We saw the impact in overplaying players last season.

And because we have 4 players who can play there it makes recruitment difficult, both in terms of balancing a wage bill and the happiness of players when everyone is fit. It means the formation and style of football we can play is constrained. You can't play pressing football on a hot day when there's no one to bring off the bench.

We have injured players on long contracts. Backup players on long contracts. We've got young players in desperate need of a loan and we can't afford to send them out.

In been critical of Selles but our terrible recruitment planning has meant that in just a week we've gone from trying to play the way he wants to play on the opening day to a bodged approach trying to get something with the players we have available.

What we need in the next two weeks is to have a plan and execute it well. A plan to bring in the players we need, both on loan and permanently, and the right mix of age and experience. We need a plan for the young players who've been forced to play although not ready. A plan to manage the minutes of first team players to allow them to perform at their best while on the pitch.

I want us to play the kind of football we did in the first half against Bristol City, but with both the squad to deal with the defensive side and enough bodies to allow players to give everything.

I think we need to do a lot of business in the next fortnight to allow that to happen. Both ins and outs I can't see it myself.

I think you have hit it on the head here.

We have a strange squad in that we have real quality across the starting 11 but we have this backed up by academy graduates who are good, but they need to be able to be rested and not relied on week in, week out.

I'm frustrated we haven't seen more incomings, I just hope the board actually are about to pull something out of the bag. I don't need them communicating with fans and telling them on a weekly basis what they are doing. Actions speak louder than words. 14 days and counting to see it

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

You're so very right, OP. But I have zero faith that we will do anything like the level of recruitment needed to get the numbers, quality and experience we needed. No faith at all.

 

[Wards]

More players with the ability to maintain energy levels for 90 minutes would go a long way. They don't necessarily have to be brilliant footballers either, but we need to have more players who can cover more ground more effectively.

 

[BladeInIreland]

Tbf i thought this might take 2 or 3 windows to get right and I could get on board with this long term plan to change the club BUT we have signed a bunch of loan players, don't go up again some of the top players will go and loans returned. We will start again rather than building a squad.

 

[Newbury Blade]

Tbf i thought this might take 2 or 3 windows to get right and I could get on board with this long term plan to change the club BUT we have signed a bunch of loan players, don't go up again some of the top players will go and loans returned. We will start again rather than building a squad.

Agree with most of this but 3 loan players, the best of whom is loan to buy, is not a “bunch”. 5 last season, 6 at one point, was a bunch.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

The reality is as per our history, if you sell players and don't adequately replace them we are a poorer team.

Yet most have been brainwashed to accept the GBOB on each sale and accepted "it's not that easy" to get players in.

 

[Kenilworth]

I was very unhappy after 4 mins v Brizzle - stupid free kick edge of box by Hamer when you know Twine is on the opposition. I called it immediately, before the FK hit the top bins.
I was horrified during the first half at how open we were at the back so despite us going hell for leather at top of the pitch our back doors were an open invitation for a shafting and that’s exactly how it panned out.

Selles then goes one up top at Swans and more defensive, which is understandable. What it suggests to me is that he hasn’t got a clue.

Wier and Jokecanoffish all over it, this.

He’s talked about chaos - that’s right, it’s chaos but not in a good way. I see no patterns of play so. I option a for a pass without having to thread a needle, which invariably means giving the ball away.

 

[Champagneblade]

What we have is amateurs playing as if they were professionals.

I wonder if the Businessmen in charge jump into their outer ventures without understanding the subject matter or without having experienced professionals to guide them?

 

[Revolution]

What we have is amateurs playing as if they were professionals.

I wonder if the Businessmen in charge jump into their outer ventures without understanding the subject matter or without having experienced professionals to guide them?

Yes they do sometimes. This is a hallmark of private equity and venture capital. People who have no experience thinking they know better.

 

[BladeInIreland]

Agree with most of this but 3 loan players, the best of whom is loan to buy, is not a “bunch”. 5 last season, 6 at one point, was a bunch.

3 at the moment, based on rumours and previous we will have 5 again.

 

[mickhep]

We've too many Div 1 players in the team at present, you can carry one possibly two but four to five as it is at present.
The results speak for themselves.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

We have downgraded CONSIDERABLY in most positions, across the park, in terms of proven/experienced or steady performers.

RB: Gilchrist, Seriki and Hamza > Seriki and Curtis.
CB: Anel, Souttar, Robinson and Holding > Bindon, Robinson, RND and Sasnauskas.
CM: Peck, Blaster, Souza, Hamza > Peck (loss of form, to be expected), Blaster (out), Soumare.

RW: JRS, Brewster, Brooks, BBD > Brooks, Ukaki.
LW: Hamer, BBD > Barry, One.

CF: Campbell, Moore, Cannon > Campbell, Cannon.

Now, clearly last season's tactics were very limited and weren't good enough or attacking enough. Clearly there were valid reasons for players moving on and clearly some didn't shine as much as expected. BUT that is a shit load of proven, experienced Championship players to lose, steady Eddies who would hold a gameplan in place. Replaced well, hardly at all, and if so, with far less experienced players in the Championship and EFL at all. We were already not good enough, a playoff final defeat illustrates that. But we were A LOT stronger then than we are now.