| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... 17:00 - Feb 24 with 6646 views | Martus |
Right, I think we all know we have a very decent squad for League 1. It came down from the Championship and we only lost a few players that came down. The lac of investment is not the issue - i believe a bette manager would be able to utilise the squad we have.
Looking at it - we have an abundance on midfielders. Bishop, Downes, Huws, Dozell, Nolan and Skuse. With such an array of midfielders it baffles me that we hardly see anything of them. A better manager would coach these pplayers to play to a style or a game plan - there is no style of play from Lambert and he doesnt play the ball through midfield at all. We dont play attractive football, and we dont play with any style or intent to play a certain way. The ammount of times me hoof the ball only for Keane and Jackson to loose the 50/50 challenges is staggering... and yet we cntinue to try it. Over and over and over again.
The managers job is the construct the team and lead them in to a way to play and coach them in the way he wants them to play. And Lambert clearly is not doing this. I cant understand why and how our players belive it is a good idea to hoof the ball long. I just don't get it.
A good cach wouldnt need to invest in the squad we have to get promoted and i am jealous of some of the so called smaller teams we have played. Oxford being one of them. We do have a good enough squad - we dont have a good enough manager to utlisie it. |  |
| "Bobby conquered Europe!!! And we won the FA cuuuuup!" |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 10:47 - Feb 25 with 2590 views | itfcjoe |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 10:22 - Feb 25 by jeera |
You probably discussed it in the past, but given your involvement in FM statistics et al, could a moneyball approach realistically be taken to building an operating squad in football? |
It can, and clubs do do it to an extent - it's just exceptionally difficult to do it in the English Leagues to pure principles because relegation is no longer a speed bump in the road but a car crash.
Most clubs will recruit using a combination of eyes on the ground and statistics, both need to add up for a signing to go ahead - and ITFC do this. |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 with 2571 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:32 - Feb 25 with 2563 views | dirtyboy |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |
Genuinely starting to worry about Lambert now.
In actual fact, when you look at club structure, he definitely has the right idea about how the club is being run, his ideas were good, PR with fans excellent, says and did a lot of good things, but cruicially, the on-field performances aren't there.
Perhaps he should be in a different role within the club, O'Neil take over from whateve Evans is doing, Lambert take up O'Neil's position and we get someone else in?
Presumably that would prove too expensive though.
I don't know what the answer is. The players do seem like they're good enough. |  | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:37 - Feb 25 with 2557 views | itfcjoe |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |
You just have to look at the squads of those around us to see ours is - a lot of teams are packed with journeymen players who have never cut it in the Championship, or old timers who have (even older than Chambers and Skuse)
The squad is a bit unbalanced, but what do you expect when you recruit for 433/4231 and then play 352
I think some compare it to Championship teams, that isn't what we are up against. Oxford lost 2 of their best players in the window, and the team that played us had Nathan Hollands ona first loan, Jamie Mackie coming off the bench at 34, players like James Henry who have had a decent career at 2nd tier without ever pulling up trees. | |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:45 - Feb 25 with 2549 views | Chrisd |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:37 - Feb 25 by itfcjoe |
You just have to look at the squads of those around us to see ours is - a lot of teams are packed with journeymen players who have never cut it in the Championship, or old timers who have (even older than Chambers and Skuse)
The squad is a bit unbalanced, but what do you expect when you recruit for 433/4231 and then play 352
I think some compare it to Championship teams, that isn't what we are up against. Oxford lost 2 of their best players in the window, and the team that played us had Nathan Hollands ona first loan, Jamie Mackie coming off the bench at 34, players like James Henry who have had a decent career at 2nd tier without ever pulling up trees. |
I certainly don't Joe. I look at our squad against many of the better sides in this league and that's where my judgement comes from. Too many look at our players with blue tinted specs on and believe they are better than most because they wear a blue shirt. The simple facts are the players aren't and they've showed that for a considerable amount of time, although I do agree PL doesn't help matters. [Post edited 25 Feb 2020 15:52]
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:48 - Feb 25 with 2551 views | Dyland |
"Right, I think we all know we have a very decent squad for League 1. It came down from the Championship and we only lost a few players that came down."
Getting relegated as the limpest Championship team in memory means it could quite logically have continued to struggle, and I don't buy your reasoning on this front. In spite of that I absolutely agree with your conclusion, which is compounded by our good points tally early in the season. Lambert is proving to be a disaster as a coach. You don't have to be a pessimist or a naysayer, it is demonstrably true, |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:55 - Feb 25 with 2536 views | Dyland |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |
I don't remember it like that. I remember us being largely clinical whilst very rarely outplaying teams, and winning/drawing largely because of our opponents' hopelessness. As soon as we started playing A) the better teams and B) teams that had found a rhythm, we started sliding. | |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:08 - Feb 25 with 2527 views | TheTrueBlue1878 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |
I disagree, I don’t think the squad is good enough. Think many are little carried away with the idea that this squad is better than most at this level.
The fit squad we have had is incredibly unbalanced, we lack quality winger, we lack dynamic attacking players who can beat a man and we lack game changers (Dembele/Szmodics/Maguire) type of mould!
The squad is riddled with bang average dare I say boring, vanilla, plain Jane professionals.
I do think Lambert has missed KVY/Lankester/Bishop, probably our most dynamic footballers who always look to beat a man. |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:42 - Feb 25 with 2513 views | r2d2 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:23 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Still find it bizarre that there are people who deny that this is a good squad for league one? At the beginning of the season we were only winning games because our players were better than those of who we were playing. The problem was we didn't develop a style with these players.
This squad is easily good enough for the top 6, easily. We just don't have a very good manager. I genuinely think it is that simple. |
I find it bizarre that you still think its a good squad. Most of those players helped to finish bottom of the championship last season. They were never going to rip it up this season. Too many people still looking through rose tinted glasses. Get real. They really arnt as great as you think. |  | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:50 - Feb 25 with 2512 views | Martus |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:48 - Feb 25 by Dyland |
"Right, I think we all know we have a very decent squad for League 1. It came down from the Championship and we only lost a few players that came down."
Getting relegated as the limpest Championship team in memory means it could quite logically have continued to struggle, and I don't buy your reasoning on this front. In spite of that I absolutely agree with your conclusion, which is compounded by our good points tally early in the season. Lambert is proving to be a disaster as a coach. You don't have to be a pessimist or a naysayer, it is demonstrably true, |
We got relegated as because we were awful - and League 1 is clearly our level. But we have a squad that has played in the championship and we have some decent and talented footballers who were signed for a reason. I think in KVY, Huws, Bishop, Downes, Woolfenden and Judge - we players who would get in to any League 1 side. So i do think the squad is good enough - especially the midfield who just are not being used!
Honestly - just typing it is so frustrating. Why can't we have a manager who plays good attractive football!!! | |
| "Bobby conquered Europe!!! And we won the FA cuuuuup!" |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:58 - Feb 25 with 2497 views | urbanblue |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 11:55 - Feb 25 by Dyland |
I don't remember it like that. I remember us being largely clinical whilst very rarely outplaying teams, and winning/drawing largely because of our opponents' hopelessness. As soon as we started playing A) the better teams and B) teams that had found a rhythm, we started sliding. |
... and C) teams that started realising that we weren't actually very good! |  | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:06 - Feb 25 with 2484 views | Pinewoodblue |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:58 - Feb 25 by urbanblue |
... and C) teams that started realising that we weren't actually very good! |
To put that in a nutshell the important word is TEAM. |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:09 - Feb 25 with 2479 views | haynes_toe1 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:42 - Feb 25 by r2d2 |
I find it bizarre that you still think its a good squad. Most of those players helped to finish bottom of the championship last season. They were never going to rip it up this season. Too many people still looking through rose tinted glasses. Get real. They really arnt as great as you think. |
But this division is exceptionally poor, teams that go down from the champs in the past few seasons have, despite being trainwrecks, mostly competed for automatic afterwards. Clubs like Sunderland who had a whole host of other issue are the exception, not the rule. | | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:17 - Feb 25 with 2474 views | r2d2 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:09 - Feb 25 by haynes_toe1 |
But this division is exceptionally poor, teams that go down from the champs in the past few seasons have, despite being trainwrecks, mostly competed for automatic afterwards. Clubs like Sunderland who had a whole host of other issue are the exception, not the rule. |
And we are bang average too. We have a lot of boring /bland players who really cant change a game. We are not streetwise for this league either. The team needs a target man up front, someone who heads the ball, and can hold it up. The midfield are so pedestrian and are all one trick ponies. The defence needs a brute of a centre half in there. You have to fight to get out of this league. Our players havent the stomach for that. | | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:18 - Feb 25 with 2471 views | BigManBlue |
It's both, right?
Lambert clearly isn't getting all that much out of the players. The months and months without a system, the underperformance and repeat selection of players supposedly too good for this league, and so on, ultimately come down to him.
But on the other hand it's still largely one of the worst squads to have ever "competed" in the modern championship, so it's not that obvious (to me) that we have the quality to tear up L1. And with Evans at the helm and the budget restraints that entails the quality of the squad is only ever going one way, so it's very difficult without a good scouting network or a manager with a freakishly good eye/contacts in the game to address this. |  |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:23 - Feb 25 with 2456 views | r2d2 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:18 - Feb 25 by BigManBlue |
It's both, right?
Lambert clearly isn't getting all that much out of the players. The months and months without a system, the underperformance and repeat selection of players supposedly too good for this league, and so on, ultimately come down to him.
But on the other hand it's still largely one of the worst squads to have ever "competed" in the modern championship, so it's not that obvious (to me) that we have the quality to tear up L1. And with Evans at the helm and the budget restraints that entails the quality of the squad is only ever going one way, so it's very difficult without a good scouting network or a manager with a freakishly good eye/contacts in the game to address this. |
The last few lines...... Ironically Mick McCarthy would be the ideal person for that. | | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:26 - Feb 25 with 2453 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:08 - Feb 25 by TheTrueBlue1878 |
I disagree, I don’t think the squad is good enough. Think many are little carried away with the idea that this squad is better than most at this level.
The fit squad we have had is incredibly unbalanced, we lack quality winger, we lack dynamic attacking players who can beat a man and we lack game changers (Dembele/Szmodics/Maguire) type of mould!
The squad is riddled with bang average dare I say boring, vanilla, plain Jane professionals.
I do think Lambert has missed KVY/Lankester/Bishop, probably our most dynamic footballers who always look to beat a man. |
Peterborough have better attackers than us.
However, a midfield of Huws, Downes and Judge is better then what they have. Our defence is very similar. They have Kent, we have Woolfy. They have Beevers, we have Chambers. I would say much of a muchness. I mean do you really think that Wycombe, Fleetwood, Coventry and even Gillingham have squads as good as ours. Look we deserve to be where we are cause we have been hopeless, but for me it lands at Lambert not getting the best out of them, with his systems that clearly don't work and that rotation system. These players are good enough, they are just underachieving | |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:28 - Feb 25 with 2451 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 12:42 - Feb 25 by r2d2 |
I find it bizarre that you still think its a good squad. Most of those players helped to finish bottom of the championship last season. They were never going to rip it up this season. Too many people still looking through rose tinted glasses. Get real. They really arnt as great as you think. |
It is a good squad for league one, yes. It got ruined in the championship, but this isn't even close to that level. Going in to this season I was happy enough with the squad, I still am. Lambert just doesn't know how to get the best out of them.
It is no coincidence we were top of the league and then he started rotating? It is his tactics and systems. They are atrocious | |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:28 - Feb 25 with 2452 views | BigManBlue |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:23 - Feb 25 by r2d2 |
The last few lines...... Ironically Mick McCarthy would be the ideal person for that. |
Yeah, I didn't want to bring him up by name because his strong points aren't massively relevant to Lambert's failings, but I do think that a lot of his success came down to what I brought up in the previous post.
If we're talking about buying and selling, then largely we're going to be replacing better for worse (or at least known quantities for a gamble), since we can't afford to do otherwise - just see Hurst's window. | |
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| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 15:03 - Feb 25 with 2402 views | No9 |
Well, looking at what has happened over the last few gamesw the midfield probelm seems to be on the mend
None of that is any good if these 'strikers' can't
Hitting a barn door is now the issue | | | |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 16:12 - Feb 25 with 2388 views | Chrisd |
| This is definitely a Lambert issue not a ME one ... on 13:26 - Feb 25 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Peterborough have better attackers than us.
However, a midfield of Huws, Downes and Judge is better then what they have. Our defence is very similar. They have Kent, we have Woolfy. They have Beevers, we have Chambers. I would say much of a muchness. I mean do you really think that Wycombe, Fleetwood, Coventry and even Gillingham have squads as good as ours. Look we deserve to be where we are cause we have been hopeless, but for me it lands at Lambert not getting the best out of them, with his systems that clearly don't work and that rotation system. These players are good enough, they are just underachieving |
Beevers is exactly the defender we are missing. Chambers might be our captain, however Beevers was so dominant against our strike force and good in the air, he's the type of defender we are so sorely lacking and one that Woolfenden could learn from. | |
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