Often mentioned how good our squad is;

 

Keeper signed cheaply from a championship team but he is ok for this level. Bogdan ok back up.

 

No decent full backs

 

Centre halves. Mills average championship player same as Ream. Knight and Wheater too slow

 

Centre mid spearing and Medo ok but need creative players. Davies and Holden missing with injury

 

Wide players lee shadow of player he once was. Eagles I think ok but out of favour. Hall is rubbish.

 

Moritz good on the ball but a luxury I think could be good but have to build team around him.

 

Forwards the fact that mason has been bought in sums them up. N'Gog not interested. Beckford scores but offers nothing else. Craig Davies deserves more time on the pitch if just for the work rate.

 

The fact is that no one is thinking we will lose players in jan as people want to sign our players. We have a squad of average championship players the fact a few have played in the premiership does not alter that.

 

Dougie is working with financial constraints that would be the same for any replacement so you can not blame him for not signing better players. People talking about play offs and the quality of the squad are deluded. We will finish anywhere between 10th and 18th because that is how good the squad is.

 

I have missed players like pratley out of the above but we simply do not have any real class or pace in the team.

 

We are not shit but are also not very good.

I'm baffled as to why people claim we should be top 6/have the best squad in the league.

I'm baffled as to why people claim we should be top 6/have the best squad in the league.

 

 

Probably because our payroll will be one of the highest in the league

I'm baffled as to why people claim we should be top 6/have the best squad in the league.

  

Probably because our payroll will be one of the highest in the league

We know that the payroll situation is only a hangover from when we were a PL team, as when we were last there we basically signed average Championship players and gave them PL player wages.

 

I think our league position pretty much reflects the quality of the squad as it stands.

 

The difficult thing now for the next few years is to try and increase the quality, whilst reducing the wage bill by around 50% (I've plucked the 50% out of thin air, as I don't know by how much our average wage is above. It's other Championship clubs, but I reckon it's about that much)

I'm happy to field this one, Lonergan clearly good enough been our best player since we luckily lost Bogdan to injury otherwise the little boy lost would still be shipping 25 yard pea rollers in.

 

Baptiste one of the best players at Blackpool yet looks dreadful since DF took control he does not know whether he's coming or going DF has him bombing forward but plays 2 wide men who don't know the meaning of cover, often the full backs are given the ball by the flying wingers in the final 3rd of the pitch while the wingers go narrow and find themselves a marker.

 

Medo and Spearing 2 pressing agressive midfielders who like to get in the face of the opposition so what does Dougie tell them? sit back and let the opposition play if front of you until the opposition give it you back, guess what that rarely happens and these 2 ball winners are not allowed to do their job.

 

Beckford a striker who scores goals yes he also misses his fair share but keep faith with your best scorer and he will score 20 plus, the manager who's played with him and signed him then loses faith after 2-3 bad misses and puts up top a kid with no pace and no goal threat and to top it all plays him as a lone striker.

 

LCY is still a player playing at the top of his game but it's for his international team, because they let him do what he does naturally and he's not having to worry about our fullbacks over lapping him, the same on the other side Eagles was quality under Coyle in the premier league and now were saying he's not good enough to start week in week out at this level that's bollocks, again he's not worrying about the fullback bombing past him.

 

Creatively we have the best creative midfielder player in the league in Mark Davies yet he played in a holding role the other week, granted its early days I just hope he does not alienate Davies by playing the short term fix of Moritz.

 

Ngog needs a manager to squeeze the best out of him it might be an arm round the shoulder and I agree he's frustrating but I'd bet good money Allardyce or Redknapp would get a tune out of him especially at this level, seems DF has give up on him.

 

Every week a different formation a different team selection it's a shambles. And if all that is not bad enough the biggest balls up was not going cap in hand to West Brom for Dawson for the last few games of the season, that was either arrogance or stupidity on Freedman part and looks like he's tossed of our last year of parachute payment because he thinks he's the dogs bollocks of a manager when clearly he's a bollock waiting to be dropped.

Edited December 30, 201312 yr by Mounts Kipper

Only drawing with Blackpool was criminal.

Should never of played Hall and Davies should of played a part, if just to lift the crowd.

Have any players improved under Freeman? Can't think of any.

 

But we are stuck with him for quite a while longer.

 

No matter what the bizarre team selections.

 

So we might as well make the best of it.

Double post.

Edited December 30, 201312 yr by Mounts Kipper

I started to do a pen pic of our squad player by player but pressed the wrong button (iPhone wanker) and can't be arsed

 

But

 

The supposed pedigree in the squad SHOULD be quality.

 

There's no 2 ways about it player by player

 

Take out the names and offer that as a squad to any Manager in this league and you'd not have many that wouldn't swap. I'm talking 1 or 2

 

But they can't be seen as quality collectively with where we are

 

Yes some of them are OC flops, but we can't keep trotting that out. DF's remit is to get the most out of EVERYBODY, not just "his" players.

 

Douglas is underachieving with what he's got. Massively

 

Just because OC was a bad'un doesn't make DF an automatic good'un

 

Seriously could we possibly do any worse?? It's hard to believe so at the moment

 

It's an utter, utter shambles

Which of our players do people think any of the play off teams might want ?

 

Which of our players would get a mention in championship 11.

 

 

I like Lonergan but he came from Leeds reserves being 'better than bogdan' does not make you good enough.

 

Baptiste looked as uncomfortable at RB as he has at left back yesterday (bit harsh as he was up against a decent winger and got booked for a foul by knight).

 

The centre halves are nothing special.

 

Medo and spearing are decent

 

If we believe the squad is so good suppose can stop worrying about the debts as when we sell the players in jan we will be minted !

Ani, genuine question

Do you think the group of players we have now is worse than the one we had this time last year

 

I don't but what do you think

I'm happy to field this one, Lonergan clearly good enough been our best player since we luckily lost Bogdan to injury otherwise the little boy lost would still be shipping 25 yard pea rollers in.

 

Baptiste one of the best players at Blackpool yet looks dreadful since DF took control he does not know whether he's coming or going DF has him bombing forward but plays 2 wide men who don't know the meaning of cover, often the full backs are given the ball by the flying wingers in the final 3rd of the pitch while the wingers go narrow and find themselves a marker.

 

Medo and Spearing 2 pressing agressive midfielders who like to get in the face of the opposition so what does Dougie tell them? sit back and let the opposition play if front of you until the opposition give it you back, guess what that rarely happens and these 2 ball winners are not allowed to do their job.

 

Beckford a striker who scores goals yes he also misses his fair share but keep faith with your best scorer and he will score 20 plus, the manager who's played with him and signed him then loses faith after 2-3 bad misses and puts up top a kid with no pace and no goal threat and to top it all plays him as a lone striker.

 

LCY is still a player playing at the top of his game but it's for his international team, because they let him do what he does naturally and he's not having to worry about our fullbacks over lapping him, the same on the other side Eagles was quality under Coyle in the premier league and now were saying he's not good enough to start week in week out at this level that's bollocks, again he's not worrying about the fullback bombing past him.

 

Creatively we have the best creative midfielder player in the league in Mark Davies yet he played in a holding role the other week, granted its early days I just hope he does not alienate Davies by playing the short term fix of Moritz.

 

Ngog needs a manager to squeeze the best out of him it might be an arm round the shoulder and I agree he's frustrating but I'd bet good money Allardyce or Redknapp would get a tune out of him especially at this level, seems DF has give up on him.

 

Every week a different formation a different team selection it's a shambles. And if all that is not bad enough the biggest balls up was not going cap in hand to West Brom for Dawson for the last few games of the season, that was either arrogance or stupidity on Freedman part and looks like he's tossed of our last year of parachute payment because he thinks he's the dogs bollocks of a manager when clearly he's a bollock waiting to be dropped.

exactly this, with exception of Ngog.  he is no good

Ani, genuine question

Do you think the group of players we have now is worse than the one we had this time last year

 

I don't but what do you think

yes... I do

I think the squad is marginally better than this time last season.

 

Jules - I think the managers of at least the following 4/5 clubs would not swap with us without me even thinking about it properly. That said we should be doing better than 18th but I expect we will finish higher than 18th by the time we have done a season.

 

QPR - had a better squad than us 2 seasons ago and still do

Leicester - have built a really solid squad that is well suited to this league

Wigan - see QPR

Forest - Mackie, Lichaij and Hobbs were the signings of the summer in my opinion, again they have built a squad that suits this league (and have spent in doing so)

Reading - I think have a better balance to their squad and have more players that are used to success in this league perhaps, Drenthe seems a poor signing and they do seem to be underachieving on the whole

 

Personally I like Derby's squad too but agree most would probably not swap it for ours.

 

Then you have the likes of Watford, Brighton, Leeds who have built decent teams, all in all a very competitive league and one that we were never in a position to steam roller when we got relegated.

We didnt have a good enough squad last year. It hasnt improved. 3 teams have come down and will all challenge for play offs (no prem relegated team from 2012/13 finished in play off)

Other teams have improved.

 

Thats the reason we aint goin up

Ani, genuine question

Do you think the group of players we have now is worse than the one we had this time last year

 

I don't but what do you think

Hard to say really...keeper we had Lonergan and ginge last year

 

Left back I would prefer Alonso to players we now have.

Right back, I did not mind Ricketts.

Centre halves we were better with Dawson.

Midfield we now have medo, but mark Davies had been missing.

Wide players are same as (remember we signed a reserve player from millwall and people thought he was a massive improvement)

Upfront beckford is a funny one because he scores goals and not just tap ins but the rest of his game in terms of holding the ball up brining other players into the game is non existent. He could get 20 goals this season.

 

Eagles was playing well last year, mark Davies gas been missed so unfair to compare like for like in that sense. Tiernany injury has not helped. Add danns to the team and I start to come round as he can keep hold of the ball. Based on what I saw yesterday Nigel Pearson will not be after signing our players. Danns does not make their squad but we miss him from our first team. Yet people say our squad should piss these league.

 

I bet QPR think their squad is better than ours.

Hard to say really...keeper we had Lonergan and ginge last year

 

Left back I would prefer Alonso to players we now have.

Right back, I did not mind Ricketts.

Centre halves we were better with Dawson.

Midfield we now have medo, but mark Davies had been missing.

Wide players are same as (remember we signed a reserve player from millwall and people thought he was a massive improvement)

Upfront beckford is a funny one because he scores goals and not just tap ins but the rest of his game in terms of holding the ball up brining other players into the game is non existent. He could get 20 goals this season.

 

Eagles was playing well last year, mark Davies gas been missed so unfair to compare like for like in that sense. Tiernany injury has not helped. Add danns to the team and I start to come round as he can keep hold of the ball. Based on what I saw yesterday Nigel Pearson will not be after signing our players. Danns does not make their squad but we miss him from our first team. Yet people say our squad should piss these league.

 

I bet QPR think their squad is better than ours.

QPR think their squad is better than ours because it is

We didnt have a good enough squad last year. It hasnt improved. 3 teams have come down and will all challenge for play offs (no prem relegated team from 2012/13 finished in play off)

Other teams have improved.

Thats the reason we aint goin up

It won't be getting any easier in years to come either with the Parachute payments increasing from £48M over 4 years to £60M over 4 years from the coming season

I don't buy into this parachute thing. When you are desperate, you spunk money in an attempt to avoid relegation, like QPR did signing SWP etc. If this doesn't work, you end up here, with a fucking massive wage bill, with players other teams probably don't want. The parachute payments stop you going to the wall immediately. It's only the clubs with owner still pumping in money that stand a chance.

Dougie is working with financial constraints that would be the same for any replacement so you can not blame him for not signing better players.

 

 

How many teams in this league have had the luxury of spending £1.5 - £2M on a midfield player? Or the best part of £1M on a striker?

Hard to say really...keeper we had Lonergan and ginge last year

 

Left back I would prefer Alonso to players we now have.

Right back, I did not mind Ricketts.

Centre halves we were better with Dawson.

Midfield we now have medo, but mark Davies had been missing.

Wide players are same as (remember we signed a reserve player from millwall and people thought he was a massive improvement)

Upfront beckford is a funny one because he scores goals and not just tap ins but the rest of his game in terms of holding the ball up brining other players into the game is non existent. He could get 20 goals this season.

 

Eagles was playing well last year, mark Davies gas been missed so unfair to compare like for like in that sense. Tiernany injury has not helped. Add danns to the team and I start to come round as he can keep hold of the ball. Based on what I saw yesterday Nigel Pearson will not be after signing our players. Danns does not make their squad but we miss him from our first team. Yet people say our squad should piss these league.

 

I bet QPR think their squad is better than ours.

 

 

we didn't have dawson this time last year

 

that was pretty much my point

 

i think the rest of the team/squad is stronger than the one we had before last january - maybe not by reputation or salary but willing to play to their best

 

for that reason i still have reasonable confidence we're a player or two away from repeating what we did last season

 

not sure who the two are or if dougie can get them

 

i'm happy to wait and find out

How many teams in this league have had the luxury of spending £1.5 - £2M on a midfield player? Or the best part of £1M on a striker?

 

 

if i spent 500k on my house, it still wouldn't be as nice as the pad kevin davies has

 

its about where you're starting from

if i spent 500k on my house, it still wouldn't be as nice as the pad kevin davies has

 

its about where you're starting from

 

Where we were starting from was joint second favourites for promotion at the start of the season.

bookies in getting it wrong shocker

 

thats if they did or if its just some mythical line

 

traf, garp?

 

can we exclude skybet for the sake of some sense

Read it and weep:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2381809/CHAMPIONSHIP-2013-14-PREVIEW-Harry-Redknapp-expected-win-QPR-promotion.html

 

QPR 7/4 (6/1)
Reading 11/4 (8/1)
Bolton 11/4 (8/1)
Leicester 7/2 (11/1)
Nottingham Forest 7/2 (11/1)
Wigan 4/1 (12/1)
Watford 4/1 (12/1)
Brighton 5/1 (16/1)
Leeds 11/2 (16/1)
Ipswich 6/1 (18/1)
Blackburn 13/2 (20/1)
Bournemouth 7/1 (25/1)
Derby 7/1 (25/1)
Middlesbrough 9/1 (28/1)
Birmingham 9/1 (28/1)
Charlton 11/1 (33/1)
Sheffield Wednesday 12/1 (40/1)
Burnley 16/1 (50/1)
Huddersfield 16/1 (50/1)
Blackpool 18/1 (66/1)
Millwall 25/1 (80/1)
Barnsley 25/1 (80/1)
Doncaster 33/1 (100/1)
Yeovil 40/1 (125/1)