Blackpool THE MATCH

So you've decided after all of seven matches that the recruits are no good?

Did you tell us at the time that the likes of O'Connor etc were rubbish - I remember someone (not me) comparing him to McArdle (who did occasionally have a bad game you know) but these boards were largely happy with the recruitment except up front

Clearly you never were

 

Sorry I'll give you Wright as of course he started. Reeves, Chicksen, Akpan, Scannell and Robinson are all better alternatives than O'Brien

You can't ignore Reeves, he's a senior pro at the club, expected to come back - we can't just get another in as though we're buying batteries

 

We didn't assemble a TEAM.

We lack:

a target man option
a hard tackling midfielder
two quality full backs with experience
a real captain and leader

That's pretty impressive considering we had a clean slate and reasonable resources.

I'm not quite sure how we've managed it, but we've signed double figure new players of whom too many are too similar to each other and/or weak characters.

 

We did actually have one until last week.

 

I think after seven matches I'm going to do what I said three months ago and judge after Xmas. That's even more valid given how poor the previous manager was (and yes that was Rahic's fault)

None of the squad you seem sorry to have now lost, pulled any trees of any description in the last few months of last season. I actually think a clean sweep is a good idea and expected us to be mid-table up to Xmas and then kick on

We'll see

 

Collins?

 

We will see, mate, and fair enough on reserving judgement - but, equally, don't forget the evidence on the table already is equally valid as anything we see in two months time.

What I'm saying is, we ARE seeing, already.

It might improve, it might not.

But the start is what it is.

 

Smart JB but don't think Michael has captained a rubber duck on a duck pond

 

We’ll see you then

 

Target man option - Agree, but the Wyke farce, which wasn't the clubs fault was largely responsible for that

I thought Akpan was supposed to be the hard tackling midfielder and dare I say Reeves at his best can do this as well. But I'll partially agree

Agree about the LB. I think both RB's are quality but lacking confidence. So that's a half agree

We have such a potential captain, i.e. O' Connor or McGowan. One of the things that made me doubt the previous manager was how anyone could be so stupid to make Wright the captain

 

There have been a few transfers we've made money on and we have had many HUGE paydays in the last 4-5 years in the cup and the league.
Granted in the last couple of years we have sacrificed good players to reduce the wage bill (at the cost of either keeping (or selling) top class players) and not got a return.
It just appears that we have a great fan base; and we used to have a great squad under L&R.
Now we have chairmen worth hundreds of millions and the squad is nowhere near as good.
I'll be the first to be cheering if Hopkin can develop this squad to top 6 material.
Today was disappointing but there are positives (not least the fans).
No good will come from vitriol, xenophobia or protestations, but a nudge in the right direction to R&R to invest would not go amiss.

 

Hmmm? agree with the rest of your posting though.

 

I'll be happy if he just keeps us up.

 

I always wait to see how players work together as a team, i don't judge on where they have been before. People who are happy at a signing just because he comes from the Scottish Premiership of the championship know nothing about recruiting players to fit a team strategy. I can only judge on what i've seen so far, i don't have the power to see in to the future, what i've seen so far worries me. no clear strategy on player recruitment, no clear strategy on the recruitment of coaches and fitness staff, no clear strategy on recruitment of backroom staff that have left the club. The pre season was an utter shambles, a game not being played due to worries about an artificial pitch, the list goes on.
I've been again today for my sins, i saw nothing to suggest that because of the failings of what i have previously mentioned that this team won't be in a relegation fight come near the end of the season. At the moment we are that bad. Injuries haven't helped and cannot be used a stick to bash the owner with, but lack of competent back room staff to deal with training can.
Can Hopkin turn this around? Who knows? With what he has at his disposal i'm not sure, our central midfield next week could rely on two pretty much untried lads from the Huddersfield Academy. They probably can't look any worse tham the experienced players they might replace. Not looking forward to Saturday, if Cullen plays he could have a field day.

 

Names in a hat and pulled out.

 

Why do lots of fans think we should be spending loads now, when we never did under the previous regime?

This regime actually has spent more (admittedly not difficult) but it's never acknowledged. Is that dreadful?

So we have 6 dreadful footy months and that's all down to the dreadful leadership of the club? We've not even let the summer recruits settle in before we're baying for Rahic's head once again!!!

What did you think of the previous regime - particularly that wonderful February 2010 to September 2011 spell?

 

Why are you counting income which was made under the last owners? Surely that's irrelevant. They spent that money before they left.

 

As in they're as rubbish at defending as we are yet we slate our league one level defenders for not being able to defend yet ignore that dross.

 

What was the Wyke farce?

 

Yes. Charlton's a toughie, but I honestly will be happy with a sequence like this D, D, W, L, D, W, L, D, D, W, L, W , i.e. slow but sure improvement

By all account we should have been 3-0 up and it would surely then be game over and the lads more confident

Plymouth last season, showed that you can be dreadful and turn it around with the same players in almost an instance

Let's be honest we became wonderfully spoilt for five and a half years. So it's a terrible 2018 - let's just hope for some improvement