Pick Good Name Later

A wins a win. 3 points and up to 15th. Competed well first half and didn’t look out of place against a team that will be in the lower reaches come May. But what was that second half. That simply isn’t sustainable. The message was clearly ‘shut up shop and sit back’ - Horrendous. Against any half decent team, we’d have been picked apart. That’s no strategy for survival. For all of the criticism he gets, I thought Ayew was very good today. Held the ball. Drew fouls. Made good runs. Created space. If there’s a willingness to accept that this is the role he plays in the team, he’s effective. I’m just not sure that should be a standout trait for a winger/10. And when he ends up with 20 odd PL appearances and 0 goals and 0 assists, it’s a poor argument to say ‘he’s industrious’ Relief springs to mind, but it’s difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel.

As it stands though, and again, highlighting this is opinion aside, he is achieving what’s been asked. No?

Playing devils advocate here. And opinion aside. As it stands, is he not fulfilling the ask of the role?

He wasn’t as awful today as some are making out. Tough debut, admittedly. Room to grow. He needs time, and games, but we shouldn’t be writing him off. The writing was on the wall today when Doucoure outpaced him on a 10yd sprint when he was 5yds behind. He didn’t look quick. There is a player in there somewhere though.

Watching the NLD earlier and watching how Arteta closed out the game defending a single goal lead. Made changes, but kept the same shape, structure and players playing in their proper positions. Admittedly sat back with 5 to play but never looked in any danger of conceding. The narrative of bringing on defensive reinforcements to see out games when you’ve had a structure and formation that’s served you well for 85+ minutes and got you to the scoreline makes little sense. Throw in a couple of individuals that have had zero game time, will clearly be off the pace and are playing hopelessly out of position you must ask yourself, why? What logic concludes this is a good plan? Cooper - Take a note on what your piers are doing. Learn and ffs, be better. Be a lot better.

How do you defend this? Inept at best. to go from having good control (credit where credit is due) to conceding a game with this ‘game management’ I believe we have a squad good enough to survive. That said, our undoing will not be our ability, but the chap entrusted with ensuring our safety. I struggle to see how this is defensible.

Agreed. And whilst Ayew and BDR aren’t going to get us off our seats. They’ve represented success at clubs that we are wanting to emulate this season. Clubs which the main goal has been survival. Not saying for a moment the strategy is a guaranteed success. That will be down to Cooper and how he reads the broader picture and recognises the need for a blended approach. This, for me, is the question mark and not our approach of bringing in experience to the squad.

Linking in a couple of threads here. I don’t believe we’ve had the worst transfer window. We’ve acquired better players than we currently have at our disposal. Skipp is an upgrade. Okali will absorb the reliance on a questionable CB partnership. Buonanotte offers a layer of creativity that has been missing. El Khannouss, again, will add creative depth. Ayew, for all of the question marks has been there and done it, season after season for a team that calling a spade a spade, is an outfit we want to look to emulate this season. Edouard, I believe will provide a goal threat. My overriding question mark from the first three matches. What’s our identity? What are we trying to achieve in the 90 minutes? We have a squad that should have the capability to survive, and better yet, win games. I question the intent and understanding of Cooper to ensure this happens. Sometimes, it’s better you act quickly and address something before it becomes untenable. Rodgers case in point. I worry under Cooper. Has he got a game plan?

I hear the argument. Surely doing this with the security of Premier league safety is the way to do this though? It’ll become significantly more difficult either in the Championsip or falling into the ‘yo-yo’ bracket.

If he plays a part in us staying if the PL come the end of the season, quite frankly, I couldn’t give a f**k on his cost, wage, age, perception, lack of goal return, sexy signing or any other doubt. It’ll be worth it. We’re not in a position to build for the future. We have to live in the here and now. This is the reality. We need to get behind this it and trust in the recruitment process. We’re not the club we once were. We’re in an utter dog fight and this is the profile that is most fitting to where we realistically are.

Zero link to ourselves and may not be the correct thread. Kurt Zouma without a club after a move to the Saudi league fell through. Is this the type of free we should be considering? Captained WHU last season. Proven premier league quality and good experience. A mark up I would argue on our CB’s.

He’s not s**t really though is he? You, or I, would be s**t playing at this level. He’s crafting a career as a professional football which less than 1% of our population make it. Not only this, he’s played at a level which is the top level of elite sport in this country. He’s even represented his country. He may not be Philipp Lahm, Roberto Carlos or Ashley Cole, but he’s not s**t. I think a bit of perspective is needed here. 👍🏻

Released on a free from Inter yesterday. https://www.inter.it/en/news/inter-farewell-sensi-thank-you-stefano

Danny Röhl at Sheff Wednesday has done wonders. From where they were when appointed to bringing them to safety cannot be underestimated. Similar to Maresca in that he has a very good coaching pedigree (Leipzig, Bayern, German National team). Only 35 and seems to be in that club of young European managers coming through and doing well. I believe we wouldn’t go far wrong here.

The way he has gelled this squad together, playing a brand of football almost foreign to most players has been beyond most people’s expectations. For me, a bigger challenge exists. We have a squad that is short on PL players quality. I don’t buy in to the transitioning ‘with ease’ next season suggestion. I’m looking forward with cautious optimism how he builds for next seasons challenge. How he moulds the team. A huge challenge but one I believe he’s well placed to lead.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12997167/sheffield-wednesday-owner-dejphon-chansiri-calls-for-fans-to-raise-2m-to-save-the-club-from-three-window-transfer-ban Not sure of the best place to post but found the reading of this article eye opening. We’ve had our moans at the ownership. No more than last season. This however is a pretty bold statement to make.

I don’t disagree on your points re squad depth and young players. Re our form dropping off a cliff. I’d hope not, but it’s possible. I’m not sure this explains why Ipswich could be caught though?

A 17 point gap is insurmountable but if Ipswich win they’re within 2 points of us. Yet we can’t be caught but Ipswich maybe can? They’ve looked equally as impressive as us, if not more at times. Struggling with this.

It’s not a case of expecting perfect 10’s. It’s not having those 4 or 5/10 performances in you every 4 games at the top level. It’s a ‘nice’ view to not put a limit on a player. To hope for the top. I struggle to buy in to the type of articles cited. Flipping it, he’s not likely to come out and say he’s found his level. There’s value in your rhetoric on good management to support a player’s development. Not every player however has a ceiling as high as the elite.

Which is his achilles heel. He’s showed that he can have unbelievable games but demonstrates with too much regularity that lapse in judgment. Whether it be switching off, or rash challenges, or questionable decisions in crucial moments. I mentioned again in another thread something similar on Faes. A comment back referenced the fact he is a Belgium international. You could suggest this is more a reference to the lack of top quality choice at CB these days for Belgium rather than Faes being of that ilk. Similar, IMO, to that of Conor Coady. Let’s face it, if Faes didn’t have the lapses/judgment errors, he wouldn’t be playing for Leicester in the Championship.

It’s been an interesting watch with promoted teams in the last few seasons and strategies adopted. None more so than Forest and their s**t or bust approach last season in bringing in 20 odd new faces. Could argue that if a few more of the promoted teams would have adopted this approach, the dross that has been floating around at the bottom end of the PL in the last few seasons may now be plying their trade in a different league. Gotta be thinking if you’re in Sheff Utd/Burnley shoes when you’re looking at the likes of Bournemouth, Everton potentially with a 12 point deduction, Wolves, that you’ve missed a trick.

I was having one of these ‘silly’ and somewhat ‘childish’ debates (well, for a grown ass bloke anyway) with a forest fan at work on the quality of our respective squads. I think the ‘pull’ of Leicester being more of an established name will support the transition compared to that of the three promoted teams. I’m not of the belief we have a squad that by right is a top 10 squad. Even a top 12 squad going into the next season. Should we get promoted, next seasons PL is going to be stronger than this season. We go into it without a recognised 12/15 goal striker for the top level. A keeper that looks competent but untested. A centre back trio that will need replacing in its entirety. And wingers that will need to increase their output. Average PL teams (Brentford, Forest, WHU, Wolves etc) arguably have stronger squads than us currently. With this said, we have an identity of playing, a manager with competence, a midfield that half of the PL would appreciate and the experience to navigate the rigours of the league. Next season will be really tough. And IMO a fight to the end. Are we going to be in the same position as a Burnley/Sheff U/Luton - I don’t believe so. But that calibre of team in the PL next season won’t exist. Nice topic 👍🏻

They’re a striker away from being a ‘genuine’ threat to the automatic places. They have good movement, creativity and find space well. They lack composure in the final thought though. Read a lot of praise for their right winger. Tough to agree. For me he’s the typical mould of a good Championship standard winger. Direct, tricky but lacks end product. With end product we’re talking about him in a very different bracket entirely. It did highlight for me the gulf in class. Next season we should be facing a better version of that type of game every week. But with players that can take their chances. Faes slipping into his old rash habits was a worry and the shift in approach from Mads in the last 20 to long kicks due to the press imposed wasn’t an easy watch. Thought JJ outside of his goal had his strongest game of the season. Maybe it was due to the switch or he’s getting used to more game time. Nevertheless, good result against a different challenge. Roll on the weekend.

Vesty, Faes, Coady. JJ is clearly a more mobile option however at this level I don’t think is imperative. He’s clearly rusty and will take time. That said, should we go up, they will need replacing in their entirety. I don’t see them being fit for purpose in the PL. There’s clearly a gulf in quality between the two leagues. They sit in that black hole between the two. Fantastic resource in the Championship. Exposed in the Premiership.

Just not sure on who or why anyone would stump up £6/7mill for Iversen? Didn’t highlight himself in glory at the top level, champ clubs aren’t likely to spend that on a keeper and European clubs at the level he belongs have even less money.