That time of year again

Sorry, its taken a while to make contact from East New Britain, PNG.
Don't you just love the positivity around football supporters at this time of year.
Even Tarn fans generate enough +ve vibes to replace a nuclear power station!
But what do you all really think about the new signings?
Where do you expect us to finish next year?
Already looking at the Christmas fixture list and thinking about what games I might manage to watch this next season.
Meanwhile I have enjoyed watching the local rugby league - The Gurias.

 

I haven't got any reservations about the new signings because our track record with the plan is really good.

As for where we'll finish? I don't know what to expect. We have neither the element of surprise or the momentum from the promotion.

Definitely need a goal threat.



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So where are the goals going to come from?
Will Bradshaw gain confidence and step up? or do we need more signings?

 

Our signings over the last couple of years or so have, on the whole, been superb, so even though I don't really know much about the players we've brought in, I have no reservations about them. However, with where we've strengthened at the back, I think it's nailed on we'll be selling Yiadom and Roberts, and as good as the new signings may be, it's going to take them time to get up to speed, so I think we'll be weaker at the back than last season.

We're packing the squad with attacking midfield players, so 4-5-1 looks inevitable. Last season we played 4-4-2 up to new year and 4-5-1 after (in general). Compare and contrast the results. Obviously, personnel has something to do with those results, but I think we're setting up the squad in a style that does us no favours. With the players we have we'd struggle to score goals with two up front, we've no chance with one.

The way we finished the season, certain relegation form, the fact that we've lost arguably our two best players since then in Scowen and Watkins, our strike force consisting of just Bradshaw and Payne, which isn't really good enough over a full season for League 2, and that the one midfielder on the books who can supposedly put in a tackle (although no one really has any idea how he'll perform) was out for the entirety of last season makes me believe that this could be one of the most difficult season's many of us have ever witnessed.

The squad isn't fit for purpose and it's actually nowhere near. We've sold far, far too many players and no club can hope to compete when they do that.

 

Thanks Jay. That's just the positive energy I was talking about!
But its good to have an honest more Tarn-like reply.
Over the past few years, we have been lucky (or professionally effective) at bringing on young players.
At some point we will discover how much of it was luck.
I fear you may be correct. Could be all over by the time I get to see them play at Christmas.
But then, how quickly we forget, you can be bottom at Christmas and still things happen.

 

Good to see / read you again Jay, I'd been wondering where you were.

You make a lot of valid points. My main worry, especially if Yiadom and Roberts are sold is that the sheer turnover of personnel could make bedding in for the new players in such a short space of time extremely difficult, even if they turn out to be as good as those they've replaced.

However, I do think some of the rest of the post is overly pessimistic. Recruitment clearly hasn't finished, and I'd be astounded if we went into the season with only Payne and Bradshaw as recognised strikers. As for the formation, 4-5-1 can take many forms. If used fluidly, with attacking midfielders rotating throughout the match to partner the main striker, it can be great to watch and resemble 4-4-2 in its shape. However, I fully admit that Bradshaw would probably struggle in such a system, and that player-wise we are not Spain c.2010-12. I'm sure Hecky is aware of this as well.

 

I have to say I agree with Jay, there has been too many players leave, while they recent buys look promising, to expect them all to step up at the same time is expecting a bit much. I think this level has just become too expensive.

 

Our prospects this season come down to some fairly simple facts. The first 27 games of last season yielded 41 points, which had we continued in the same vein, would have taken us to 70. The last 19 games brought just 17 points, which averaged out over a season would return 41. I've banged on about what happened after game 27 too much to need to make the point again, so what I'll say is this. We need to improve as a team from where we finished off last season. We have already lost Watkins and (probably) Scowen. To lose anyone else of note (mainly, Roberts, Yiadom or Davies) would (purely in my opinion) make our task impossible. We need to keep those players and hope that the new recruits will improve the squad. And at least two more good striking prospects are needed - I won't say proven, because we can't afford proven.

I have worried that we might "do a Rotherham" this season. But we have stability, and in particular the unerring ability of Paul Heckingbottom, whereas Rotherham made the disastrous appointment of Alan Stubbs to replace Colin, and then impressed Kenny Jackett so much he left after five games. But even Hecky cannot withstand the constant drain of talent from his squad. I like the potential and attitude of the new lads to have come in, but that striking situation needs addressing and the defence must now be kept intact - at all costs. After all, we are not so cash poor currently that we need to rake in more money.

I'm broadly optimistic, but we will know more at the end of August.

 

Greetings Y Goch. Great to hear from you again. Hope everything's well with you and yours.
Personally, I am looking forward to the coming season. We appear to have brought in exciting young and hungry players so far, with more to come, hopefully. The squad needs strengthening and Hecky seems to be doing a good job with that.
I think we'll be okay this season, although it might take a little while to fully get in our stride. No way do I think we'll be next season's Rotherham, nor am I daft enough to think we'll be next season's Newcastle!
Thank you for your emails, by the way. The whole family found them fascinating and entertaining.
All the best.

 

I agree with your analysis of last season and I agree that if nothing were done, we would be down by Christmas, especially having lost our loan players, Watkins and Scowen. However, Hecky said before the confirmed loss of Watkins and Scowen that we needed 10 players and I am encouraged that there seems to be a consensus around that figure. My problem is that I have no idea whether the players we have brought in are any good, and footage of their best bits, playing at a different level to the Championship does nothing to inspire me. They are also all very young, which is part of our long term strategy, but which will do nothing for team morale if it starts badly. I am assuming that we will fill all ten places in our team by August, and that no other players will depart, but even so, the first part of next season is going to be difficult. In team games, the sum of the parts has to be better than the individuals that comprise it. Most people call it gelling. No matter how good Hecky is, it is hard to get this to happen straight away and it is hard when recruiting so many not to make a mistake with a few. If we are above the bottom 4 by Christmas, then Hecky is a genius, but after that, I would expect some improvement and I do expect us to stay up. The fact that most of our signings are on 3 year contracts gives me more confidence about the season after next.

Most of my posts urge PATIENCE, and this one is no different. Hecky has enough achievements in the bank to hope that the fans will give him time if things do not go well straight away. I hope so, and I will certainly be reminding posters on here if things get difficult.

 

I don't think 1 upfront necessarily means less goal threat. It depends whether we get the players up and around him to support him.

I'd imagine we'll set up to hit teams on the counter attack the majority of the time, and if we have quick wingers and midfielders breaking forwards we could get plenty more goals than with two up front if they're isolated and we can't win the call back in midfield.

 

As we're surely not in desperate need of cash, I'd be telling Robbo and Yids that they're under contract, and simply can't be allowed to leave right now. Then reassess in January, and sell for cash if we're mid-table, or bite the bullet and possibly lose for free if we've still got plenty to play for at either end of the table.

 

If the bid turns the owners head they will be off.

I bet when we signed these new lads we told them that we could develop them which would lead to bigger things and we would not stand in their way.

 

Good morning Your Grace. I look forward to Ipswich: Minority Report!

 

I am expecting all the new players to have clauses in their contracts to allow them to leave if we receive bids over certain figures - the figure for each player will depend on what we paid and how much they think they can improve...

 

Agree with most of what has been said above.
I think the offers for Roberts & Yiadom have to be very good for us to let them go, both in terms of the money offered & the clubs themselves offering the players a chance to progress their careers. If not, then we should sit tight & hope to amass enough points by January, that we can lose them then & have someone in the wings to come in.

Think it will be a much harder season than last with the number of changes. Last season we largely avoided a drubbing when we were beat & that also must have helped confidence. A strong defence is critical, as is a goal threat. We look to have signed midfielders who can weigh in with plenty of goals & we have Moncur. I'm unconvinced by Bradshaw as a lone striker, so we need some other options there.

 

Recruitment is key... Not only get decent players in but to mould em into a team.. Will take a while, hopefully it wont cost us.

 

The internet here is way too poor to watch games. I even struggle with the short video clips posted on the three favourite goal thread.
In fact I cannot remember when we last had a full day of power supply let alone internet. Still I follow every game via live updates which no longer involves hanging out of the window to catch free wifi
I am already thinking about being back to see the new signings over Christmas.
It will be interesting to read how they develop between now and then. Hopefully Hecky and the pride of wearing that red shirt will work its magic on enough of them to make a difference.