Or are we just going to pay their wages for kicking around for 6 months? We're so short we really could do with them. Yes they're all flawed but Cavare is still the best right back at the club. Thiam would frighten defenders more than Schmidt coming on late for Chaplin or Brown and Pinillos is better than Ben Williams. I don't buy the line that Struber hasn't fancied them. The board have tried to force them away to get them off the wage bill and have frozen them out from the playing side of things to try and quicken their hand. No appearance fees etc if they're sat at home. It wouldn't surprise me if Conway tries to sue those players for refusing to leave!
Just to add to the above, does anyone remember the strange comments from Stendel early in the season along the lines of 'we decided we would go with Jordan Williams as our right back in the summer' in answer to why Cavare hadn't been picked? Doesn't seem like the decision of a coach who saw that player help his team to promotion and got in the divisional team of the year.
It’s all a bit strange, it was only a year ago when there were rumours linking Thiam with £2.5 - 3m transfers away from us. It seems crazy that we’ve just cut these players adrift & are wasting their wages & in Thiam’s case a huge transfer fee (by our standards). More money wasted. Even if you don’t trust Cavare & Thiam to start games & produce a hard working 90 minutes I can’t see how anyone can think Ben Williams, Styles, Palmer, Mottley-Henry etc have been better options off the bench if we need a bit of magic to change a game. Cavare might be a liability defensively but he can beat a man & get a decent cross in at times, Thiam might not cover much ground but can put a cross in & occasionally hit a beauty. Not convinced Pinillos would’ve made much of a difference but can see an argument for him getting a game on occasion when we’ve had right backs playing at left back.
If it were me I would totally scrap the press tactic and go back to square one. I'd bring in the experienced, isolated players and find a tactic that suits them better as to continue as we are and expect change is mental. We have everything to gain from going back to the drawing board in my opinion. Too many of our existing XI are simply not good enough to play the tactics the board want them to be playing. Collins Cavare Sollbauer Halme Oduor Dougall Mowatt Ritzmaier Brown Chaplin Woodrow Subs Radlinger Andersen J Williams Thomas Styles Simoes Brown
I like the idea of Pinillos at left centre back (though of course it won't happen). Some make out he can barely walk let alone run, but stick him in the Anderson role, can he really do any worse? At least Pinillos could receive those funny short passes from GK and play the ball forward to a man in red. He is much more composed, has experience, and can head the ball away from a corner (and doesn't appear to display any of the king fu antics a la Bambo/Mads. We have nothing to lose now. Would also play Cavare, for all his faults defensively. The amount of times Williams loses possession, let alone his abject failure to take a throw-in, I would say Dimi's a good shout. And Mads probably needs two years in the U23s. Team for today: Collins; Cavare, Sollbauer, Pinillos, Oduor; Halme, Mowatt, Ritzmaier, Brown; Woodrow, Chaplin.
Strubers only got one plan. Painfully obvious teams have worked out our diamond formation now and just exploit it every game since the Huddersfield game.
He won't mate, and neither will Cavare. Both have experience, both would not surely make the same mistakes Mads and Williams make on a regular basis but there we have it. I don't like people hinting that the two of them are stealing a wage by not being in the squad either, which I have seen. For me they are both good professionals, and if called upon would give it their all. Both have also done their bit for fans, both in person and on social media etc. They care, and it's a shame they've been reduced to mug shots in the under 23 section of the website.
I think Struber is doing all he could to sort it out. I think we need to look beyond the management for this debacle and they have said themselves a number of times they want managers to implement this style of play. That is fine, but give the manager the tools to do that. I am extremely reluctant to criticise any of the three managers we have had in place since August. All have had similar success or lack of. It is very clear they have been asked to do something with both hands tied behind their backs.
Completely agree with that. For all their faults (Pinillos lack of pace, Cavare defensively suspect) they are currently the best option we have in their respective positions. (Before the emergence of Oduor at left back) We have to pick the side for the here and now, not for the future.
It's no way to treat people. As a club we recognise and support mental health campaigns, and yet we treat two of our own players like this..
Can’t comment on how they been treated as I don’t know and have not heard anything. However... something looks clearly wrong inside the club.
Not sure about Pinillos as a left centre back in a back 4 but your post has made me think about us maybe going with a back 3/5 & using him as the left sided centre back like Kennedy used to & then Cavare & Oduor can be the wing backs with less defensive responsibility. It’s not like we’ve played with wing backs anyway. Radlinger or Collins Diaby or Anderson Halme Pinillos Cavare Oduor Dougall Mowatt Woodrow Brown Chaplin
Yep, like the sound of that. I think Oduor would be even better at left wing back, able to utilise his forward play. I would just swap out Mads with Sollbaur. Didn't go Pompey but I think that game was just too soon for him, and I really feel Mads needs a break. I think he's feeling the pressure and so prone to making mistakes as a result. But a change up in system/personnel and a 3-5-2 could work wonders.
Ive always liked Pinnilos, because hes a footballer. Ill admit he has a lack of pace and Odour has the left back spot now, because he is the best player we have for that position. Anderson or him?...., that decision to pick "ando" has to be based on his height but i think we cant do any worse to try......if he is fit. Cavare, i think he is unreliable at right back and not a good fit, i think the coaches play Williams due to his ability to get up and down the pitch. Both players have an undoubted skill set that i think we could use.....however imho i think this coach does not want them in our squad.
I think the only chance of them playing is if they’ve had a look on Ancestry.co.uk to see if they’ve got an Austrian bloodline