A lack of strength in depth?

[Guest MattP]

A budget? He's spent Hardly anything we've shipped 13 players out! The money's there if he wants it he said he'd do it if he can gets who he wants, being so close to promotion we need to strengthen to stay there.

I doubt that, I'd imagine he had a target of cutting back rather than money to spend given our debt level and wage structure from the previous two years.

A club's bank balance doesn't just return to £0.00 when a new maanger comes in.

[dannythefox]

I doubt that, I'd imagine he had a target of cutting back rather than money to spend given our debt level and wage structure from the previous two years.

A club's bank balance doesn't just return to £0.00 when a new maanger comes in.

Oh right we'll just settle for playoffs then probably have a new manager next year and start all over again.

[Babylon]

A budget? He's spent Hardly anything we've shipped 13 players out! The money's there if he wants it he said he'd do it if he can gets who he wants, being so close to promotion we need to strengthen to stay there.

Hardly spent anything?

Morgan £1m

De Laet £1m

Drinkwater £1m

James £1m

Wood £1m+

Knockaert £??

Vardy £1m

Whitbread

Futacs

I'm not sure that's nothing, on top of having players like Wellens, Gally, Danns, Beckford draining the budget on Sven style contracts.

You forget FFP is on the horizon and we've needed to trim the fat a bit.

[Guest MattP]

Oh right we'll just settle for playoffs then probably have a new manager next year and start all over again.

I didn't realise we had decided to settle for the play offs. I certainly haven't, I think we have a squad capable of finishing second and two defeats doesn't change that opinion. This may surprise a lot of our fans but a lot of players don't want to come to a team to be the 'strength in depth sat on the bench'.

I suppose we could start throwing money at big name players to back up again, Pantsil, Johnson, Vitor, Bednar, anyone know if that's been tried or worked before?

[dannythefox]

I didn't realise we had decided to settle for the play offs. I certainly haven't, I think we have a squad capable of finishing second and two defeats doesn't change that opinion. This may surprise a lot of our fans but a lot of players don't want to come to a team to be the 'strength in depth sat on the bench'.

I suppose we could start throwing money at big name players to back up again, Pantsil, Johnson, Vitor, Bednar, anyone know if that's been tried or worked before?

The starting eleven is a very good team after that we are very very poor and that's a fact.

[Babylon]

The starting eleven is a very good team after that we are very very poor and that's a fact.

No it really isn't a fact at all.

[indierich06]

The starting eleven is a very good team after that we are very very poor and that's a fact.

I think you'll find most players who aren't in our first 11 would walk into other Championship teams. There are many teams in this league who would love players like King/James, Whitbread, Dyer, St Ledger, Gallagher, Waghorn... That's the reason we've never been short of takers when we've offered players out on loan.

For me, our bench is a strong one for the Championship, but we've been spoilt by having such a high quality first 11 that we expect any player coming in to replicate that quality. It's just not going to happen unfortunately. Pearson addressed the problem striker area in the January window and I think, barring any potentially serious injuries which would require us to dip into the loan market, our squad is good enough to achieve automatic promotion.

[Babylon]

The starting eleven is a very good team after that we are very very poor and that's a fact.

Lets look at our backup.

When fit you have Moore, SSL, Whitbread and Schlupp to cover the defence. Now they might not be world beaters, but that is perfectly adequate back up and I don't think any of them are "Very very poor".

In midfield the bench would usually contain Dyer and King. Now they might not be everyones cup of tea, but before James and Marshall came into the team both of those players were in our starting 11, and in a team that had been around the top/playoffs all season. They have also previously been part of a team getting into the playoffs here. Again I really don't see "very very poor".

The back up to those to you have Gallagher and Wellens. Now Wellens is probably on the death throws of his career and not the greatest, but he's really only been backup to the backup this year. Gallagher is more than capable of playing well, he's not the most consistent, but again for most of the year he's been back up to the back up.

Upfront we have Waghorn, Vardy and Futacs. Waghorn hit decent form before he had his op and picked up something like 3 man of the match awards. He's very capable of playing well for us and is fine back up in this league. Yes the other two have been struggling with their performances, there isn't much to argue with there!

We don't have many "very very poor" players, we some inconsistent players average champ players. In an IDEAL world you'd want perhaps another CM and a Striker. But it's not easy to find good consistent players who are willing to sit on a bench and not cause rifts!

[joanne66]

Hi there as a new visitor to your site this is a really relevant topic to all teams looking to reach the "promised land" if thats what it is. For any team gaining promotion unless you have the cash to change the majority of your promotion winning team or you want to try and stay up by adopting the Stoke anti football method it is going to be a hellish time. Its like a middle weight going up to heavyweight.

Being a follower of Championship football I have enjoyed watching your games and you have some great prospects in your team it will be finding the seasoned pros who have Prem experience and want to battle for you. Jose Bosingwa anyone.

Good luck to you, remember your keeper Conrad Logan as a great prospect when he came on loan to us a while back. Will never shift Kasper though.

Joanne66

http://www.thefootballzone.co.uk/

[dannythefox]

No it really isn't a fact at all.

Oh right so you think our bench is good enough? Your the only person that does if you do! We've got 13 good players at a push its not rockets science!

[indierich06]

Oh right so you think our bench is good enough? Your the only person that does if you do! We've got 13 good players at a push its not rockets science!

Schmeichel

De Laet

Morgan

Keane

Konchesky

Knockaert

King

James

Drinkwater

Dyer

Marshall

Nugent

Wood

Waghorn

Schlupp

Moore

St Ledger

Whitbread

Gallagher

I make that 19. All of those are more than good enough for the vast majority of teams in the Championship and you're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

[dannythefox]

Schmeichel

De Laet

Morgan

Keane

Konchesky

Knockaert

King

James

Drinkwater

Dyer

Marshall

Nugent

Wood

Waghorn

Schlupp

Moore

St Ledger

Whitbread

Gallagher

I make that 19. All of those are more than good enough for the vast majority of teams in the Championship and you're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

Gally and dyer are league one at best I'm afraid! So it you who's kidding yourself

[Babylon]

Oh right so you think our bench is good enough? Your the only person that does if you do! We've got 13 good players at a push its not rockets science!

I don't think they are "very very poor" no.

When fit the bench could contain Whitbread, Moore, Schlupp, SSL, Dyer, King, Waghorn, Gallagher, Vardy, Wellens, Futacs.

Some inconsistent, average champ players maybe. All very very poor, no.

The brilliant first 11 you say we have, well 10 of them played on Sat and 8 of them last night and the vast majority of them were garbage. The current band wagon seems to be not to scapegoat one player, but every single one of them not in the chosen 11.

As I said, in a perfect world I would perhaps want another CM and another Striker in to replace the last two on the list above.

[Babylon]

Gally and dyer are league one at best I'm afraid! So it you who's kidding yourself

Dyer who has been in the play offs with us before, was starting ahead of Marshall for the vast majority of the season in a team in the top six almost permanently. Yeah he's definitely league one.

Gallagher has also been in a play off team with us, he's also been in the team when it's been around midtable and above previous seasons.

The reason these two player are still here, is because they were some of our better players a few years back. And are capable of playing well. What they aren't is consistent, they could easily be playing football in the championship for other teams.

[Mark_w]

Gally and dyer are league one at best I'm afraid! So it you who's kidding yourself

Dyer did a very good job at the start of the year, he's inconsistent but I still think most Championship sides would want him. I think pretty much every side in the Championship apart from Cardiff would love to have him as back-up. Gallagher isn't that bad a player either and given the fact that he does at least score a decent number of goals, I'm sure quite a few Championship sides would take him. These players aren't bad Championship players, they were important players in a team that has been mid-table in the Championship for the last couple of years and finished in the play-offs the year before that. But because they're being compared to our current starting eleven, which is not far off being a Premier League side if you ask me, people have decided that they are awful players.

[indierich06]

Gally and dyer are league one at best I'm afraid! So it you who's kidding yourself

So if Dyer is 'League One at best' why has he played a useful role for a team, that has been top 6 all season?

And I still maintain there would be plenty of teams in the Championship that would be happy to have both players in their starting 11. Take the blinkers off and actually think about what you're saying in future.

[Babylon]

So if Dyer is 'League One at best' why has he played a useful role for a team, that has been top 6 all season?

And I still maintain there would be plenty of teams in the Championship that would be happy to have both players in their starting 11. Take the blinkers off and actually think about what you're saying in future.

It's currently en vouge to slate the backup players, personally I'm more concerned with how the 10 / 8 of the brilliant starting 11 we have played so badly at Posh and last night.

[Guest MattP]

Dyer is League One? He's spent the last three seasons playing fairly regular for a top half Championship side.

Do you actually remember League One? Players like Fryatt, Oakley and Mattock were among the best in the league. We are miles ahead of that now.

[crisp packet]

For me it is all down to holding up the ball!

Woods does this , Nugents touch has been a second touch tackle the past two games????

It really don't suit him playing back to goal....

Also we have played football all season , through the midfield with pace? Our back up players in advance positions have no pace???

We could do with another wide player and a fwd to hold the ball up as we just don't have this in our squad??

Wood has wetted the appetite of what we can do with a player of his type?

Another quick wide player as knocky or Marshall and Dyer never play a full 90 mins?

Will we get anyone ?? are we over reacting ????

We shall see.... But the last two performances if we take our CHANCES we get something out of the games????

[Babylon]

For me it is all down to holding up the ball!

Woods does this , Nugents touch has been a second touch tackle the past two games????

Exactly what I was thinking last night.

[Manwell Pablo]

I don't think they are "very very poor" no.

When fit the bench could contain Whitbread, Moore, Schlupp, SSL, Dyer, King, Waghorn, Gallagher, Vardy, Wellens, Futacs.

Some inconsistent, average champ players maybe. All very very poor, no.

The brilliant first 11 you say we have, well 10 of them played on Sat and 8 of them last night and the vast majority of them were garbage. The current band wagon seems to be not to scapegoat one player, but every single one of them not in the chosen 11.

As I said, in a perfect world I would perhaps want another CM and another Striker in to replace the last two on the list above.

There is a lack of adapatability throughout the squad. Other teams seem to manage injuries and suspensions better than us Huddersfield were missing players last night and still put in a half decnet away performance, whenever we try and mix it up we normally don't play well.

Worrying if we get three or four injuries at the same time.

I don't think it's nescc all to do with the talent or lack of of the players coming in as you have pointed out the existing members of the starting XI seem play much worse when Pearson tinkers.

Still not overly bothered we are out, I actually bet on it (I hardly ever bet) had Celtic won I'd be on a beach now

[dannythefox]

Lets see what happens but I really do think we need to bring in a couple of players.

[Babylon]

There is a lack of adapatability throughout the squad. Other teams seem to manage injuries and suspensions better than us Huddersfield were missing players last night and still put in a half decnet away performance, whenever we try and mix it up we normally don't play well.

Worrying if we get three or four injuries at the same time.

I don't think it's nescc all to do with the talent or lack of of the players coming in as you have pointed out the existing members of the starting XI seem play much worse when Pearson tinkers.

Still not overly bothered we are out, I actually bet on it (I hardly ever bet) had Celtic won I'd be on a beach now

Part of the problem for me is people are getting carried away with how good the first 11 is, they seem to have it in their minds that the 11 of Schmeichal, De Laet, Konch, Keane, Wes, DD, James, Knocky, Marshall, Nugent and Wood are amazing, and that if anyone infringes on that from the bench we go to shit and have no chance.

You look at several of our better performances this year home and away and that doesn't stack up. Huddersfield away the starting 11 was.

Schmeichel

Konchesky

Morgan

St Ledger

Moore

Drinkwater

King

Dyer

Vardy

Knockaert

Nugent

Against Ipswich it was

Schmeichel

Schlupp

Morgan

Whitbread

De Laet

Drinkwater

King

Dyer

Waghorn

Knockaert

Nugent

The highlighted players are what people now consider our shit backup and yet we put in two great standout performances. We're an inconsistent team with some inconsistent players no matter what team we put out. We're just a bit less inconsistent than every but Cardiff.

[Manwell Pablo]

Part of the problem for me is people are getting carried away with how good the first 11 is, they seem to have it in their minds that the 11 of Schmeichal, De Laet, Konch, Keane, Wes, DD, James, Knocky, Marshall, Nugent and Wood are amazing, and that if anyone infringes on that from the bench we go to shit and have no chance.

You look at several of our better performances this year home and away and that doesn't stack up. Huddersfield away the starting 11 was.

Schmeichel

Konchesky

Morgan

St Ledger

Moore

Drinkwater

King

Dyer

Vardy

Knockaert

Nugent

Against Ipswich it was

Schmeichel

Schlupp

Morgan

Whitbread

De Laet

Drinkwater

King

Dyer

Waghorn

Knockaert

Nugent

The highlighted players are what people now consider our shit backup and yet we put in two great standout performances. We're an inconsistent team with some inconsistent players no matter what team we put out. We're just a bit less inconsistent than every but Cardiff.

Well it's not as black and white as we will be crap if that eleven doesn't play I agree, we've managed the majority of the seaosn without Keane or James playing for one. And to say some of the players who've highlighted aren't up to task is ridiculous but then it's not unsual around here is it. TBF to the fickel brigade alot of them have been on Koncheskys back all season so I don't think even they think the starting XI is untouchable.

It's when a lot of changes are made at once it all seems to go to pot. For me.

[Babylon]

It's when a lot of changes are made at once it all seems to go to pot. For me.

Seems to if Knocky or Nuge are having an off day anyway... then again if they are having an off day the first 11 struggle often enough without even throwing in the even less consistent back up.