Reality check mid table at best squad

I thought I was paying Park a complement, his nonce with regards football/Bradford City ?.

 

Wasn’t Jimmy Saville a nonce?

 

If you asked me in January whether this squad was good enough I would've said yes. Why? Because our strike force would've consisted of Doyle, Donaldson, Vaughan, Oteh and McCartan.

If you ask me now, then I'm leaning to no. Why? Because our strike force is now Donaldson, Novak, Guthrie and McCartan.

Now a squad is not simply defined by its strike force. But its strike force can most certainly be the difference between a mid table squad and a promotion calibre squad. The first thing people look at in a squad is the strikers. Because it's your strikers who can win you games of football on their own.

Take for example the history makers squad. As good as it was, we were indebted to the partnership and goals of Wells and Hanson. Replace those two with substandard players and we don't go up. Why? Because collectively that team didnt create enough chances or score enough goals from other areas to go up. Hanson and wells turned that squad from a solid, committed squad into a force to be reckoned with and gave us a real purpose and threat.

Now the relevance to this squad? Well, you suddenly take out Vaughan, who in my mind was doing a good job, considering what he was working under, and replace him with dross like Novak and Guthrie and suddenly the quality of your squad takes a hammer blow.

Guthrie, albeit we haven't seen enough yet, looks lazy, slow and a bit of a donkey. Novak played well for half an hour against grimsby and has been anonymous since. Couple this with an ageing donaldson and an inconsistent McCartan and you haven't got a prayer.

Aside from the strikers, we do have plenty of other dross. Anderson, Devine, Taylor, Henley, Mellor are all top tier garbage. DMH and Connolly are full of pace and enthusiasm but have no end product. Ismail has quality but is never fit. That's a lot of players who you could easily cast aside and not miss.

But we do have some good players. Wood, Cooke, Reeves, Devitt, O'Donnell are good players at least for this level. I'd even throw Paudie in there even though he's had a nightmare time of late, he still has quality. It's not conducive for any player to be coming in and out of the team like he does every week.

O'Connor and BRE? I know the jury is out a little at the moment on these two but I personally don't mind either. However, they lack a proper leader to play alongside them. Play any of those three alongside a Rory McArdle or Andrew Davies and you see different players.

Which leads me onto my final point. This side has no backbone. No strong spine to build on, thanks to edin ripping it out. You look at Pep at Man City who inherited a squad containing Kompany, Silva, Aguero, Fernandinho among others and he used that as a platform to build off. We don't have that, and it is the first thing that needs addressing in the summer. A leader at the back, a leader in midfield, and a leader upfront.

And one last thing. I don't think people should underestimate the negative consequence that having 5/6 months of Bowyer's negativity drilled into the players can have, regardless of their ability. Some people, me included, hoped that Stuart coming in and giving them freedom to enjoy themselves again would be a quick process. I don't think it will be sadly and fear the damage has already been done.

 

You've used 'backbone' here in more of a structural sense, but one could also use it the other way, and refer to the desire and ability to gain points from losing positions, and to maintain winning ones. We had some of it earlier in the season, but that too seems to have gone. And as for the Bowyeration of the squad, that came on top of a really depressing relegation. So the new manager, whoever he would be, would have to cure two hangovers and not just one -- and without a transfer window to help.

As for being a mid-table side, I suppose the way we've started and ended matches strengthens that opinion. If I've totted things up correctly, then we're pretty much even with our opponents in terms of early and late goals. We've scored in the opening 15 minutes in 3 matches, but our opponents have done that in 5. We certainly don't start off by putting down any markers. We've been much better scoring late, doing so in the last 15 minutes in 11 matches, and in 9 of those matches the late goal(s) got us a win or a draw. But, our opponents have scored late goals in 10 matches, with the late goal(s) giving them a win or draw in 7. So we've shown an ability to both finish strongly, and to crumble.

And then, of course, there's matches like today's, when we get the crumbling in early! It's very frustrating.

RCB

 

I think your last paragraph sums up the crux of the problem really well.

 

I think you are misspelling, the words are footballing nouse.

 

This has to be one of the best if not the best assessment post of our current situation. Excellent post.

 

I blame spell checker, park obviously knew what I was implying as he replied in a civil manner.

 

Top post and assessment

 

Yes auto correct has a lot to answer for.

 

Yes it questions the poor running of the club especially around the January window. We were told money was there to strengthen the squad - yet we appear to have weakened it and saved money? Recruitment of strikers is always difficult in that the come with higher demands and clubs are more reluctant to release them - but City go ahead regardless
You have also to ask why the business was done so late in the window ans why we then had to scrape around for replacements. Oteh for example why was it not planned he might be recalled given QPR circumstances with Wells.
Mr Rhodes has previous on January transfers with the Windass saga and us not having effective replacements.
Then to cap it they sack the manager after the window shuts!!

 

I agree about January transfer windows. Despite all the guff and bluff about being ready and finance available etc., we never get it right. We always seem to not only be on the back foot, but a bit like our midfield yards behind and never first to the ball!! I am not cynical by nature but on this occasion I think they knew Bowyer was on his way, and waited for it to end so the next manager was left with very average squad. I also think the board had given up on promotion this season,

 

Cracking post.

 

Goo post mate.

I'll start with McCall I just thought he would have watched DVD's of us this season before he came in. Nothing much is changing. He has picked near enough the same squad and players like Devitt are not even in the squad.

We don't press from the front and start games slowly. Reeves is still passing sideways. Akpan is being Akpan. The wingers are hardly beating a man.

At the back we have become a joke. AOC is an embarrassment to football at this minute and costing us a goal a game.

Unfortunately, we just don't have the players to play how McCall wants. We need a need keeper, RB, 2 x CB's, 2 x CM, LW, RW and 2 new forwards. Wonder if Rhodes has told Rupp this?

McCall and Black still have to coach the players though. Can't be making excuses because it's been poor so far under McCall.

Rhodes should have sacked Bowyer long time before he did. Left it too late, then to sign Guthrie was just wasting money. Novak and Guthrie signed until the end of next season is a crime!

McCall needs time but we need to see improvement. Give youth a chance, let players go - make a statement! Do something! Hard I know but if Devitt is a problem say or if something is in his contract tell us.

Letting Doyle and Vaughan go was Rhodes waving the white flag and i don't care what anyone tells me!

This season is over! Enjoy shopping on a Saturday!

 

Agree with your post I to thought the squad was good enough for promotion and maybe a odd signing in the Christmas transfer period to push on.
The point about Guthrie not seen enough I saw in the 15 minutes he came on as sub not good enough.

 

Why would SmC provide better results with this squad than Gary Bowyer? I don't get it, he's a better fit for us and the mood has improved but it wasn't an underachieving squad, it is what it is.

 

Reluctantly agree with you @Dennis, who in their right mind puts akpan and reeves together with an untried young winger and a raw mottley henry and wonder why the midfield gets over run with the other team getting 10-20 attempts against our shaky defence.
Plus the ball is not re-cycled quickly enough for the two wingers to run and cross for our eager but slow forwards.
It is like no research was done on this squad at all.
McCall will get a reduced budget but he will have to compete with other L2 teams to bring in his type of player*

*Hopefully the type of player that can get fit and stay fit.