Post-Oxford squad assessment

Collins said that an assessment would be made after today's game, on which further transfer targets would be based.

Having only seen the Port Vale game in full, I'm not in the best position to judge as to what's needed. Obviously the last two matches have been hugely disappointing, but I genuinely don't subscribe to the theories that the entire team is **** and most of the players aren't good enough. After last season, that just can't be the case.

From what I saw against Vale, plus highlights of other games and from talking to people, plus having seen most of the team last season, I'm hoping that an experienced centre half is top of the shopping list. Defence, more than any other part of the field, relies on cohesion and organisation, something we had last season in abundance. Take out a solid defence, and the entire team ends up looking much worse than it actually is, as they're constantly worrying about conceding. The midfield can end up sitting too deep or being pulled out of shape, which causes problems at both ends of the field. Last season, Kitching had the freedom to roam forward when he wanted, knowing that his colleagues would be covering. This season we're not quite there, due to the upheaval.

Several times in the past we've had defenders who we knew were individually excellent, but just needed an experienced head next to them. Kevin Long was hugely beneficial to Marc Roberts' development. Paul McShane, Michael Solbauer, Arjan de Zeeuw, Mal Shotton, Mark Smith all came in when the defence was quite leaky and absolutely transformed the side with their presence. From what I've seen of Lopata he looks a tremendous prospect, and I'm pretty sure that the French lad must be far better than he showed today. We know how good Kitching is. Just one centre half who's been around the block is likely to transform the defence completely.

Midfield - we're missing Luca, but that's still no excuse looking at the ability there. Kane isn't a holding midfielder, but Styles is a full international. He should be the best midfielder in the league, so if he's not got any intention of showing it, we might as well cash in. However, I think that the midfield will start looking hugely better once the defence is sorted out.

Up front - again, some experience is needed. Someone who can hold the ball up, bring other players into the game, and who's adept at the dark arts. Letting Norwood go was nuts, nobody will ever convince me any different. But I'm guessing there must be other players available within our budget who would fit the bill, even if they have no resale value.

So, in conclusion, I still think we're only a couple of players short. Get in experienced replacements for Mads and Norwood, and I think we'll be absolutely fine. Hopefully Collins has come to similar conclusions.

 

We can debate this all night long. And we have done for years.
But I don't think we can trust our recruitment team to give the bloke what he asks for.

Just go back to the Johnson years ... nothing, absolutely nothing has changed other than the continued revolving door policy of selling anything of value and buying cheap and hoping for the best.

Johnson (paraphrasing somewhat)
I ask for a chair, and get given a leg (or summat like that anyway)

 

Duff pushed for the Norwood signing didn't he? If Neill Collins, an ex-central defender says he wants to add a 33 year old central defender to the squad for the younger lads to learn off and the said central defender won't break the bank, the powers that be would be absolutely mental not to give him what he needs.

 

Agree with everything you said, but it's not Collins who needs to come to similar conclusions is it.
It's Khaled and he's clueless.
We can all see what type of player we need and in what positions, but I genuinely don't think Khaled sees it.
There's no one in the recruitment side of the club who is an experienced football head.
That's the biggest problem currently.

 

The way I understood it, Collins is going to be meeting with the board to discuss the squad early next week. I would very much hope (and fully expect!) that Collins would be taking the lead with regards to the playing side of things.

 

Collins said at the meeting last night that age doesn’t necessarily mean experience. Some ‘younger’ players have more experience than ‘older’ players.

 

In fairness to Khaled - the recruitment team identify players based on attributes that the head coach says we need (not sure how that works when we sign players without a head coach in place), the head coach says what player he'd prefer out of that list and it's then I suspect Khaled has some input. Given the apparent empty piggy bank I suspect he utters the Barnsley war cry, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr much and we look elsewhere!

 

I agree that the priority to sign at least one experienced central defender. The new youngsters have potential, but there is a need for a bit of nous, as well as the ability to organise and coordinate the defence around you. Mads did this pretty well and Thomas was pretty vocal too. I had a trawl through Championship teams and came up with this list, whether available on loan, or permanent: Marc Roberts (is he injured? Hasn't started for Brum yet this season); Lees from Huddersfield (is he also injured?); someone mentioned Hjelde from Leeds, but he is still only 19, so wouldn't bring the nous with him); Clarke from Boro (still only 26, but a shed load of experience with successful teams - again, he doesn't seem to have played for a while, so might be injured, or in need of getting games to regain fitness - he's my best tout of these names); Batth from Sunderland (he is mentioned as looking for a move away, so might be the one most readily available); Cathcart from Watford (Ismael links might help, but he doesn't seem to have played for a while). The board need to look in the direction of experienced defenders who can organise a defence and have the nous. We have the cash from various deal and this sort of player is what we need at the back, which is definitely our priority area at the moment. No good waiting from McCarthy and Cundy to get fit. Thankfully, there will be weaker teams than us in this league, which is nowhere as competitive as last season, so I doubt we will be in a relegation battle, but the concept of only investing in cheap and untried youngster won't work, especially in organising a defence. The window closure is getting nearer! Need to be on the phone right now.

 

Id say 4 players short.

2 centre halves that are ready now not next year.

1 forward as a minimum. Possibly 1+ a loan while we loan out Marsh and Shaw.

1 player with pace who can replace Thomas.

Add 2 more if Styles and Kitching go and if Connells thing is for more than another 2 weeks a loan in to replace him.

 

That's the word I was looking for. Nous. Something we seem extremely short of, both in defence and up front, but especially in defence. Roberts and Batth are great shouts if they're fit.

 

I always said luke thomas pace would be a miss we have no one who can beat a man.

 

The only slight saving grace is that this time next weekend we are likely to be almost in the relegation zone and if that isn't enough to alert these idiots to the severity and urgency of the situation then i don't know what is.

 

We'll also be below Wigan who started on minus points if they beat us next week....... Shocking

 

Look at someone like the Oxford captain Elliott Moore who I've mentioned a few times we should be going for. In to his 4th season in the EFL, 26 years old and over 100 matches at this level. Cool, calm and collected at the back today and won everything in the air. The sort of player we used to go for in the days of Sammy The Snake and Hourihane.

Nowadays we look for guys who have never played a game in the EFL and hope get lucky by dropping on a good one.

 

"if" ......I like your optimism!

 

Don't want to be accused of being a total doom and gloomer.

Could be a cricket score at this rate though with how well they are going at the moment.

 

Oh that'll go down well with our board !
They don't like it up em you know.

 

I reckon we’re only a couple of centre backs, three midfielders and two strikers away from having a decent side and a chance of staying up...

I will not be holding my breath on us getting any decent permanent transfers in and expect loans to be the only incoming now. But after today Collins needs to be tearing a strip off most of the so called senior players.

Kitching has been awful since the Port Vale match. Mistake after mistake. If he wants out and Coventry are offering multiple millions, I’d consider selling him, because it’s hard to see where his head is at the moment. If he wants to stay, great, but he needs to put any move out of his mind and knuckle down with the basics. This defence is going to take a lot of sorting out.

Styles is playing like he doesn’t want to be here. Hopefully someone coughs up the money, because he’s not helping the cause. I’d rather play Chapman than someone who doesn’t want to be here.

Kane’s performance today was as disgraceful as his interview a couple of days ago. Throughout the interview he didn’t seem to want to be here and says we need better players. He wants to be careful what he wishes for, because we certainly need a better central midfielder than the one I watched today. I don’t understand the love for him. He has shown a lot of skill, but only in patches. More often than not he goes nowhere, loses the ball cheaply or gives the ball away. He’s into his last year. If we get offered a decent fee for him I’d get shut, unless he is prepared to pull his socks up.

Barnsley fans want to watch 11 players who will give maximum effort to win the game. If we get this and also add skill and flair we will back the team to the hilt. At the moment we have none of this. It isn’t good enough.

With the players we have we should be putting up much more a fight than we are. Wigan away next and I can only see one result there. We’re on the verge of something unique. A 7-0 opening day win to the relegation zone within 5 games. That is embarrassing.

 

I don't think we need anything more than a centre half and a forward with talent/experience.

However, even if we got those we'd still struggle because the tactics are wrong. Everyone plays 20 yards further forward than they should. It's not like it's a total mess, it just needs reigning in a bit.

 

He might be discussing more than the squad 9000 reds season ticket holder's can tell him and the board what is needed, an old head such as solbauer at the back, luca Connell back and firing on all cylinders and another old head similar to Norwood up front with cole