New signings

But Perkins and Dawson are great players - surely they must showing for the ball and getting themselves in good positions??

 

They often did/do. But they're not great at running forward and taking a man on (which Drinkwater was). That's why we often ended up playing really nice little triangles between McNulty/Dawson/Foster etc.

 

They don't need to be able to take a man on. They just need to show for the ball, control and make a decent pass to another team mate.

 

They did two out of those three things. The problem was in front of half way they had no one to pass to which is why we missed Butterfield so much and ended up playing Wiseman into trouble so much. Hopefully Mellis does that this time and with extra options out wide (no Davies wide right, hopefully) we'll be reight.

 

I genuinely think it is a myth that defence gave the ball away a lot. Every time a pass was almost intercepted (but wasn't) everyone round me would start belly aching when in actual fact possession hadn't been given away. I tell you what, they don't give the ball away half as much as they did when we used to lump it 10 feet above Gray's head.

 

I think Mellis will end up being a better player than Butterfield. I don't think we'll see much improvement from Dawson and Perkins though.

 

True. From NYE when Buttercup got injured we lost the entire five man midfield of Buttercup, Vaz, Drinkwater, JOB and Perkins in no time at all.

 

I don't think much is needed, to be honest. The key thing is we lost all our threat going forward. Yeah, we need to defend better but I expect McNulty will be a better player next year and if we don't bring anyone in, hopefully Edwards comes in and does what Hill wanted him to do last year.

 

Ar, but they can't blame Andy Gray any more for not holding up a ball that's smashed into his head from 20 yards.

 

Doesn't help the fact that the full backs employed for the majority of the season were well ****.

 

This was true.

And I don't get the Dawson bashing from some on here, at all. He hardly played tbf to him, and at times he looked the part, especially Admin FC at home. Like Neil Redfearn that day. Maybe.

And I don't even bother arguing with those who knock Perkins anymore. I've come to the conclusion that those who do don't actually attend the games, or if they do, they're facing the wrong way. Although tbf, I often wished I'd not attended or faced the wrong way for much of last season. But Perkins wasn't in the team during that period, nor was Butterfield, Drinkwater, Vaz Te, O'Brien etc. Or Lionel Messi.

Hash browns and bacon, with a runny egg.

 

I reckon one of them will be Craig Dawson - played for Rochdale didn't he?

 

Would be a major coup if he pulled that off. He's at the Olympics anyway, so can't see it. And tbh, I reckon every club in our division would want him if given the opportunity.

 

more youth, when are we gonna sign players with some experience recipe for disaster.