Is it eight first team players missing at the moment? Val would be struggling himself with this many players missing. I'm reserving judgement until mid-November. I get the frustration some supporters are feeling but I don't understand all the 'clueless' and 'out of his depth' comments when our Match Day squad has League One written all over it.
And Big Vic would? You're right he could have done. But Styles was also playing ok. It's easy to suggest he wanted to bring height in to the team for set pieces and not be outmuscled in the middle, don't you think?
Im not saying vic would but we have scored 5 goals in 6 games and look absolutely toothless upfront, woodrow,freiser and odour don't win headers. I just hope the 2 belgiums hit the ground running. I never had or have had a problem with coaches playing halme in the middle for that reason but moon? Come on hardly played much senior football and bang him in center midfield. I like you optimism I really do but from what I've seen so far its very worrying some mind numbing football hopefully with some more winnable games on paper coming up we should have more points by October.
Talk about clutching at straws. Do you think it the more likely that; A - The board told Schopp the he will have a set budget for playing staff, and that they will be recruiting young, hungry talent from at home and abroad. (You know, like the board have said since they took over the club.) Or; B - For some inexplicable reason, they made promises to Schopp that they haven't made to any Head Coach since they took over.... Which is the more likely? My hypothesis? Or the latter which in some way vindicates Schopp? Why do some on here nit-pick at fairly well established facts to try and make some abstruse point and yet, at the same time, make no actual counter-argument whatsoever?
It's not just the quantity it's the quality of players that have been absent too. For example, Morris and Anderson had a massive impact last season. I think Benson also looks a very talented player, so losing him just before kick off was a big blow. He has to be given more time.
It's not optimism really. Not to suggest that we'll be a far better team when we actually have real first team players on the bench rather than eight missing through injury/fitness/suspension. That's not to criticise the players in the squad too much. Their development (and I include Oduor in this) should be to complement a fully fit squad or stepping in now and again to make the bench and come on. The expectation or reliance on them as a collective group at the moment is too difficult at Championship level. By the way, you don't need to win headers if you don't aimlessly punt the ball at someone's head. All I'm saying is that there's pros and cons to starting Oduor or Vic, yet some are using it as evidence that the Head Coach hasn't got a clue what he's doing. I'll ask again, surely you see what I'm getting at?
We've lost Mowatt. We've then lost the replacement for Mowatt. At the same time as losing our most capped Championship CB and arguably our talisman striker. Add to this that Dike didn't return and two replacements had the visa issues. It's been a bit of a nightmare to be honest.
I'd be surprised if they said no way are you going to be allowed any players you want. After all, Struber got the experience he asked for. Ime, if an employer wants you they'll promise you things that then don't always come to fruition..
To do that, he would've had to bring Ben Williams on, and people would've been slagging Schopp off for bringing him on.
I think if you have a player who can win headers it gives you another options when the style we play isn't working.
I don't think moon a player who has hardly made any 1st team appearances and is a natural center back was the answer.
Just like a prospective employee promising to bring x, y and z to the role and that they are the best thing since sliced bread. At the end of the day, Schopp is out of his depth, we can't get them all right.
In your opinion he's out of his depth. Personally I'm prepared to give him a bit longer before denouncing him
On a more positive note I'd guess that around 7 or 8 of tomorrow's starting 11 were a massive part of last season's team with Halme, Vic, Moon, involved to a lesser extent too. Time for Schopp and the boys to stick their chests out and show some balls
Collins Sibbick Helik Brittain Styles Woodrow Frieser Palmer The problem is that all of them (other than Helik) would be in the Starting XI or be on the bench almost on rotation, with Madds, Dike and Mowatt complementing them almost like the spine of the team. The options coming in or on for them were of equal quality so it never disrupted our rhythm. Now we're relying on them to fire for 90 minutes every game which is a totally different expectation. Agree though. Stand up and be counted and show what we're made of.
That's fair enough, I just hope the board can see the coming catastrophe before we're down by late January after such an amazing season last year, I just think it's a real shame, I don't want the guy to fail but from everything I have seen, I can only see this going one way unless he is replaced.
Ok, going by the Bournemouth commentary team when Williams went off from that tackle .... I cant offer my side because it wasn't easy to see as Bournemouth just steamrolled us. But according to their commentators... Styles went to left back, we went to 4 at the back and Toby to right back.. That's 2 out if position straight away Toby has admitted himself in the legends suite he isn't a RB and I'm not sure Styles being a LB (wing back in the 4 in midfield definitely, but he's not a left back) Was hard to see what was happening tbf, cos we were all over the shop
But two of our squad players who could play left back weren’t in the squad. So maybe we should have persisted with the setup we had, but then the knives would have been out for doing nothing. Every discussion on this points to the same eventual outcome/reason. Our squad is threadbare when we have eight first teamers missing.
