Quick Poll for next season

A poll is always a sample of the wider population.

 

Consistently upbeat.

 

I like the cut of your jib, sir.

 

The bookies make us second favourites...

 

The majority think we're going to do well, the poll on here is a good representation of that.

 

If the squad we have now is the squad we start the season with, then I'm happy with the attack/strikers and I think we'll score goals.
I suspect we'll have to score plenty, because we'll lose points defensively as the midfield is too attack-minded, we have a goalkeeper who I'm afraid in my view is unpredictable, and we need to spend on a quality defensive midfielder. Sorting out the latter two could make +/-15 points difference to our final tally.

 

Everybody seems to think we need a no nonsense midfield organiser because were piss weak in midfield.... everyone accept the board it would seem. I dont go along with promotion prediction yet, were way too soft in midfield and pinnilos and fryers give me the kittens.

 

He had a great second half of the season. His one and only assist came in it. Prolific.

 

We were piss poor last season and haven't brought any fresh blood in, think people might overestimating us at present.

 

Because that is the only way to define a midfielder’s performance level.

I mean, wasn’t he in the top 3 for player of the year? And I know you’ll come back with “well nobody performed that’s why we were relegated” but he was still in the top 3 so yeah, in my opinion, he had a decent second half to the season.

 

Shows how low the bar has been set if he is considered decent.

He's not a defensive/holding midfielder and he doesn't create chances. What is he actually supposed to bedoing?

 

I am far from an happy clapper and actually most of the time prefer posting about negatives simply because it's good for folks to know gripes as the feedback gives people a better idea. But I can't agree that this squad isn't good enough. It's littered with guys who have done it at this level, not a decade ago where they might now be down the pan, but from just a few years ago. I am sure they can all do it again. If they get us up I aren't sure I would want to give them another chance to try and succeed in the championship, but at this level we should already have enough to challenge for the title, which we never ever do.

 

Bradshaw - 34 goals in 70 games for Wallsall
Moore - 13 goals in 22 games for Rotherham
McGeehan - 22 goals in 65 games for Luton
Potts - 16 goals in 87 games for Blackpool
Moncur - 17 goals in 69 games for Colchester
McCarthy - Fans player of the year at Wallsall
All done well at league 1 level.

We're going up.

 

The following 11 of our 23 squad members have never played a game in League 1:

Jack Walton

Dimitri Cavare
Ezekiel Fryers
Ben Williams
Daniel Pinillos
Adam Jackson
Liam Lindasy
Ethan Pinnock

Jared Bird

Jacob Brown
Mamadou Thiam

As far as 'guys who have done it at this level' is concerned, there are two who have won promotion from League 1, both of them with us:

Adam Davies
2014-15 - Barnsley - Age 22 - Appearances 23 - Final position 11th
2015-16 - Barnsley - Age 23 - Appearances 38 - Final Position 6th (Promoted via play-offs)
Total - 61 Appearances

Lloyd Isgrove
2013-14 - Peterborough (Loan) - Age 21 - Appearances 8 - Goals 1 - Final Position 6th (Lost in play-offs)
2015-16 - Barnsley (Loan) - Age 22-23 - Appearances 27 - Goals 0 - Final Position 6th (Promoted via play-offs)
Total - Appearances 35 - Goals 1

Another has made the play-offs, but was also relegated

Tom Bradshaw
2012-13 - Shrewsbury - Age 20 - Appearances 21 - Goals 0 - Final Position 16th
2013-14 - Shrewsbury - Age 21 - Appearances 28 - Goals 7 - Final Position 23rd (Relegated)
2014-15 - Walsall - Age 22 - Appearances 29 - Goals 17 - Final Position 14th
2015-16 Walsall - Age 23 - Appearances 41 - Goals 17 - Final Position 3rd (Lost in play-offs)
Total - Appearances - 119 - Goals 41

We've got a few more who have been relegated from the division too:

Brad Potts
2012-13 - Carlisle - Age 18 - Appearances 27 - Goals 0 - Final Position 17th
2013-14 - Carlisle - Age 19 - Appearances 37 - Goals 2 - Final Position 22nd (Relegated)
2015-16 - Blackpool - Age 21 - Appearances 45 - Goals 6 - Final Position 22nd (Relegated)
Total - Appearances 109 - Goals 8 - The other 8 goals stated above were scored for Blackpool in League 2

George Moncur
2014-15 - Colchester - Age 21 - Appearances 41 - Goals 8 - Final Position 19th
2015-16 - Colchester - Age 22 - Appearances 45 - Goals 12 - Final Position 23rd (Relegated)
2016-17 - Peterborough (Loan) - Age 23 - Appearances 13 - Goals 2 - Left in January
Total - Appearances 99 - Goals 22

Kieffer Moore
2014-15 - Yeovil - Age 22 - Appearances 30 - Goals 3 - Final Position 24th (Relegated)
2017-18 - Rotherham (Loan) - Age 25 - Appearances 22 Goals 13 - Left at Christmas
Total - Appearances 52 - Goals 16

Ryan Hedges
2014-15 - Leyton Orient (Loan) - Age 19 - Appearances 18 - Goals 2 - Final Position 23rd (Relegated)

We've a couple more with one season's experience at this level:

Jason McCarthy
2016-17 - Walsall - Age 20-21 - Appearances 46 - Goals 5 - Final Position 14th

Alex Mowatt
2017-18 - Oxford (Loan) - Age 22-23 - Appearances 30 - Goals 2 - Final Position 16th

The final three have played in League 1, but not much.
Victor Adeboyejo made one sub appearance for Leyton Orient, Dylan Motley Henry two sub appearances for Bradford, And Cameron McGheean 3 starts and 10 sub appearances for Scunny. He's never scored in League 1, all the goals referred to above came in the conference or League 2.

I do think it's often overestimated how much experience our squad has in this division. If you consider the cameos by Abeboyejo and Motley Henry as neither here nor there, 13 of our 23 man squad don't have any experience of the League at all.

I also think it's often overestimated how well those who do have experience in this division have performed. 5 out of our 10 players who have played in this league have been relegated. Bradd Potts has been relegated twice! Plus a relegation with us to add to his collection.

Isgrove and Davies were promoted with us, Bradshaw's Walsall finished 3rd and McGeehan watched from the bench or the stands as Scunny made the play-offs, but the rest haven't managed a finish above 14th in League 1. Most of the time considerable worse.

Bradshaw had two good seasons, scoring 17 in each, but that's not quite the 25 I've read numerous times he will guarantee. He had two poor seasons too. He was young but he had a lot of experience prior to that in League 2.

Moncur had a couple of decent seasons from a goal scoring perspective, but his team were bloody awful conceding a phenomenal amount of goals. I wonder how many games he's won in his professional career? He didn't play for us in the first half of the 2016-17 season, when we were good. He was out on loan. When he came back we won just 2 games in the last 4 months. Last season we were relegated. He's had a season of relegation with Colchester and a 19th place finish. He must enter the pitch expecting to lose.

Moore is another that is going to guarantee 20+ goals. The fact that he's only ever scored 16 at this level, just 3 in a full season with Yeovil, doesn't seem to come into it. There's no doubt he hit a purple patch with Rotherham for three months, but he'll be 26 soon and the rest of his career is pretty awful to be honest.

We need some quality players. we need some winners, we need someone who can tackle, we need some players who don't get relegated or very nearly every season they play, and we need them very soon.

 

Flipping heck! I'm going to send my season pass back. Being the thick git I am, I never appreciated the absolutes that clearly define 2018/19 as an abject failure. We haven't got a cat in hell's chance in the new campaign. I'm going to stop at home and do the gardening, or learn flower arranging. I thought we were going to be successful. But it's proof again I know nothing about football. I'm going to stay away from Oakwell until the entire board has left, along with the new Head Coach and his staff & the entire squad of players.

 

Guffaw!!

 

Fickle bugger! Im my opinion you probably know nowt about gardening and flower arranging either.

 

I don't think being the Dodeth Titchmarsh talking to ya plants will suit you as a way to spend your Saturday afternoons

 

There's no room for optimism and positivity down at Oakwell now. I'm a dinosaur, so I'm going to crawl away and face my inevitable fate.

 

I'll have you know, sir, my two degrees are in origami and flower arranging!