(That long since we've had any, couldn't find the thread)

Alan Nixon: "Top Liverpool starlet Cameron Branagan will Ben allowed out on loan in Jan.

Bolton lead the race for the 20 year old midfielder"

Edited December 11, 20169 yr by Ratwhite

25 minutes ago, FrancisFogarty said:

After our share in the development of Trafford I was surprised we couldn’t get another keeper on loan to develop. Then I remembered that we got shut of the best keeper coach we’ve had in Matt Gilks.

Same with Bradley.  I’d have hoped we had a decent enough relationship with Liverpool to be offered a young’un for a season.

Agreed i wonder why we had to get rid of Gilks when Evatt  went seems we have money to burn, yet when you question this you get others saying you get rid of the whole management team when you change the manager.

Surely those days have gone????

14 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

I agree, I never had a problem with Coleman who I thought after a shaky start did a decent job. Obviously SS wanted his own in but it hasn’t turned out too well.

Thing about criticism of keepers is that they are only as good as the defence in front of them. We need to sort the back four (three, five) out first.

Tinkering with the back line is always going to put pressure on the keeper.

3 minutes ago, FrancisFogarty said:

Thing about criticism of keepers is that they are only as good as the defence in front of them. We need to sort the back four (three, five) out first.

Tinkering with the back line is always going to put pressure on the keeper.

Exactly that and the way Rico and co pissed about in front of Coleman was never taken into account when he struggled. All that play it out from the back stuff was alien to him but other than that I thought he was ok. Just a thought but seeing as our Pie Eater friends are struggling, what about a cheeky bid for Sam Tickle?

7 minutes ago, FrancisFogarty said:

Thing about criticism of keepers is that they are only as good as the defence in front of them. We need to sort the back four (three, five) out first.

Tinkering with the back line is always going to put pressure on the keeper.

Equally, a strong keeper gives the defence confidence. Command the box, claim crosses etc.

27 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Equally, a strong keeper gives the defence confidence. Command the box, claim crosses etc.

Definitely.

The goals that TSL has let in are nothing to do with whether he's playing behind Baresi and Maldini, or Reiss Greenidge, they are just saves/catches that a keeper is expected to make, and coming out to the halfway line is another factor he can't blame on the defence, although he's welcome to blame that on SS if that's what he's being asked to do.

28 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Equally, a strong keeper gives the defence confidence. Command the box, claim crosses etc.

I’m in this camp. The keeper gives confidence to the defence, not the other way around.

in fact, I’m sure some confident keepers consider playing behind a weak defence as an opportunity to shine.

Now, where do we find one of those confident and able keepers?

29 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Equally, a strong keeper gives the defence confidence. Command the box, claim crosses etc.

Like Mr Gilks.

Santos was very dodgy at first and relied heavily on Alex Baptiste. I think Gilks got his gloves back on at this time and shouted Santos into a decent defender, and Jones as well.

I am using a seventy odd year old brain for this so I’m prepared to be shot down in flames.

There's worse defences than ours in this division with better keepers.

1 hour ago, FrancisFogarty said:

After our share in the development of Trafford I was surprised we couldn’t get another keeper on loan to develop. Then I remembered that we got shut of the best keeper coach we’ve had in Matt Gilks.

Same with Bradley.  I’d have hoped we had a decent enough relationship with Liverpool to be offered a young’un for a season.

Tbf Liverpool gave us another full-back & Citeh gave us a winger & iirc a Midfielder. They were not obviously successful. 

1 hour ago, FrancisFogarty said:

Thing about criticism of keepers is that they are only as good as the defence in front of them. We need to sort the back four (three, five) out first.

Tinkering with the back line is always going to put pressure on the keeper.

That's a large part of the equation. The other part is a goalie who just isn't good enough 

23 hours ago, Whitesince63 said:

I’d ... revert to wing backs and 3 in central defence

The art of wanting what we've actually watched ourselves fail in is interesting.

Blackpool after that Yenghi who had Santos on toast apparently.

I'd have a look at him he's a unit.

On 09/01/2026 at 16:24, Wanderlust said:

I don’t understand all this pie in the sky chat about who we should be signing and who should be leaving.
Schumacher has already signed 11 players and all the signs are that there will be no further investment, so I’m expecting very little incoming unless we get big money for those we sell - and that seems unlikely. If we can scrape together a million or so by culling the squad we may get one, possibly two decent players in.

Whatever happens, I just can’t buy into the idea that we can spend our way to promotion - our challenge will surely be founded on the manager finding a way of getting the best out of our squad, even if he has to rethink his system to achieve it.

The well is obviously not dry as we have invested in the Irish lad this Winter. Vic and Forrester have been shipped out and we have received nominal fees for them both. Looks like there will be further outgoings this week with Cogley looking like the next out.....Seems others like Randall, Morley and Mcatee could follow this month. SS has said the Squad is too big so i expect three or four more out and perhaps two in before the window ends.

As for the system i think the penny dropped on Saturday with SS when he withdrew Gale. I have a feeling we wont see two wingers away again this season and we may start with two up top 

Whatever league we start next season it will be a re-build in the summer

1 hour ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

The art of wanting what we've actually watched ourselves fail in is interesting.

Different players now. 

Who knows.

Current set up isn't working neither.

Guess we'll see soon enough.

4 hours ago, FrancisFogarty said:

Thing about criticism of keepers is that they are only as good as the defence in front of them. We need to sort the back four (three, five) out first.

Tinkering with the back line is always going to put pressure on the keeper.

 

3 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Equally, a strong keeper gives the defence confidence. Command the box, claim crosses etc.

Traf had the benefit of Santos controlling the box, when put behind Burnley's comedy defenders in the prem he struggled, his season in the champ he had strong defenders again and shone.

Bringing through a young keeper needs a commanding defender to control things, we don't have that so need an experienced goalie.

6 hours ago, gonzo said:

There's worse defences than ours in this division with better keepers.

Our defence aint bad (apart from Forino, just my view)

Its up top we're wank

3 hours ago, gonzo said:

Blackpool after that Yenghi who had Santos on toast apparently.

I'd have a look at him he's a unit.

He bullied the fuck out of him that night. Seemed his presence went with it

3 hours ago, frank_spencer said:

 

Traf had the benefit of Santos controlling the box, when put behind Burnley's comedy defenders in the prem he struggled, his season in the champ he had strong defenders again and shone.

Bringing through a young keeper needs a commanding defender to control things, we don't have that so need an experienced goalie.

He struggled a bit because the whole team wasn't up to it. Getting beaten most weeks does no one's confidence any good- see our lot.

Then got a move back to City.

33 minutes ago, deeane Koontz said:

He bullied the fuck out of him that night. Seemed his presence went with it

I think I'd pass in all honesty, hasn't scored a goal for Aberdeen and barely featured in the league, just a few bit part efforts in Conference League. 

Jack Bonham keeper from stoke by all accounts 

they’re bringing Bazuna in as back up to Johannsen so need him gone 

“big shit stiff idiot” is the analysis from the potters I know 

55 minutes ago, Ratwhite said:

Our defence aint bad (apart from Forino, just my view)

Its up top we're wank

I think our problem is that we come up against teams with strong athletic midfielders with big engines like Dempsey so we put a lot of players there to battle for the ball leaving our striker isolated and barring a wonder pass isn’t likely to get a run on goal from a through ball. So we play it wide to the inverted wingers whose tendency to cut inside slows the attack giving the opposition midfielders time to drop into their defensive positions and barring a wonder cross our striker and midfielders who have now pushed up get nothing to feed off so we either waste it or recycle it and again we’re facing a packed defence. Any slow build up and we’re facing a packed defence. Any free kicks or corners were facing a packed defence. So we push onto them and risk quick counterattacks which usually happens after someone is too slow getting their shot off and they are tackled or blocked.

In essence, our opponents challenge us to produce quality we haven’t showed enough of, often enough.

If opponents are going to default to their defensive lines, we need strikers with outstanding pace and/or strength to play through the middle plus early quality balls into the box for the striker and arriving midfielders to run onto plus quicker transition into attack plus everyone able to finish and shoot quickly and ideally powerfully.

What we don’t need are players who hold up the play giving defenders time to reset, overelaborate possession based passing and movement as if we could walk the ball in like a world class team might, players taking extra touches to set up shots instead of hitting first time, players like Randall with weak shots and wingers who cut in and curl it over the bar or wide.

Strikers who can dominate league 1 defenders or have next level pace and finishing are like gold dust so I’m holding out much hope for that but wingers who cross early with their natural foot is doable -  just swap ACD and Gale. As is shooting and finishing practice for everyone by which I mean learning how to get shots off first time with power and accuracy and less faffing about to set up a weak curler aimed at the top bins which might look good if it comes off but it seldom does for these players.

We might get lucky in the transfer market but there are things we can improve in the system and on the training ground which IMO are more important.

 

41 minutes ago, barrycowdrill said:

Jack Bonham keeper from stoke by all accounts 

they’re bringing Bazuna in as back up to Johannsen so need him gone 

“big shit stiff idiot” is the analysis from the potters I know 

Presume it'd be a "better the  devil you know" type of signing, presume he played for SS at Stoke.

12 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Presume it'd be a "better the  devil you know" type of signing, presume he played for SS at Stoke.

Either way, someone’s not happy and assume will be off whether that’s a player or SS decision.. 

Also being reported Dave Harrington Fleetwood Town keeper.

We don't need yet another lower league goalkeeper with no experience at all at a higher level ffs.    Invest in some quality !!