| 3 weeks to the season opener 05:46 - Jul 18 with 2808 views | LegendofthePhoenix |
And our squad definitely has a few gaps.
Midfield we have lost Cajuste, Phillips, Luongo and probably Morsy. Added Matusiwa and Cam Humphreys. There have to be 2 more incomings. Surely we must land one at least of Hackney or Ruiz, and it's gotta be soon to get the new players integrated and knowing how to play. Opening the season with potentially one of the toughest matches, we can't go into it with a thin midfield.
We also need to have a striker before 8th Aug - we can't expect Hirst to play 100 minutes. And most of us would agree that AAH isn't up to the required standard for a top 2 push.
The additions of Kipre and Matisuwa are excellent, but with the outgoings are insufficient.
We've been pretty patient up to now, but we need these 3 in pronto now.
[Post edited 18 Jul 6:15]
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:36 - Jul 18 with 458 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:17 - Jul 18 by Herbivore |
Szmodics is not remotely suited to playing up front in our system. |
He's not even a striker, he's a number 10. I can't believe that so many of our support still think he is, mainly based on the number of goals he scored for Blackburn from that position.
I can only assume they all assume that Chaplin is a striker too. |  |
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:37 - Jul 18 with 459 views | LegendofthePhoenix |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 08:05 - Jul 18 by Axeldalai_lama |
It's plain for everyone to see that we need a couple in the middle and a striker.
That's the bottom line, and has been all summer. Yes it's frustrating that it's not all done and dusted, but that's the nature of the modern game. We just need to let the club get on with it.
It's not as if McKenna and Ashton have their feet up on holiday thinking we're all done and dusted. A five year old has known what positions are needed, they're working on it. They're going for quality, we could have signed any old mug weeks ago, but they're not doing it to shut moany fans up they're doing it to build a better team. |
Don't disagree with that at all. But many fans have a nervousness that gnaws away at us. This is where we let it out. | |
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:43 - Jul 18 with 424 views | skinnybob72 |
While our "first 11" looks good - even without Omari - we are definitely short in terms of the bench. Also, Burns, Szmodics, Ogbene, Philogene & Harry Clarke have all been out for some time - who knows what level they will be at?
Momentum is a big thing, we started brilliantly last time in the Championship and never looked back. It also allowed us to have a small 'wobble' in Dec / Jan, but if we start poorly we may never gain the momentum required to get a top2 spot.
We also play 2 of the likely rivals for automatics early on, in Birmingham and Southampton, I wouldn't like to go into those games without having done most / all of our transfer business. |  | | |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:56 - Jul 18 with 337 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:43 - Jul 18 by skinnybob72 |
While our "first 11" looks good - even without Omari - we are definitely short in terms of the bench. Also, Burns, Szmodics, Ogbene, Philogene & Harry Clarke have all been out for some time - who knows what level they will be at?
Momentum is a big thing, we started brilliantly last time in the Championship and never looked back. It also allowed us to have a small 'wobble' in Dec / Jan, but if we start poorly we may never gain the momentum required to get a top2 spot.
We also play 2 of the likely rivals for automatics early on, in Birmingham and Southampton, I wouldn't like to go into those games without having done most / all of our transfer business. |
But it's all interlinked. I know it's nerve wracking as fans, but we simply can't have everything the way we want it. People are pushing the two things together, when it's pretty much have a squad sorted now and ready for the first game and it be a lesser squad with players that are in less demand, or wait and play the horrible frustrating game of chance that the transfer window and the bigger better more in demand players now involves.
If we as fans want deals done early we need to realise that we are settling and potentially lessening the squad. As hard as that is to stomach. |  | | |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 11:17 - Jul 18 with 268 views | pointofblue |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 09:08 - Jul 18 by Herbivore |
I mean, they were both handy squad options for a side that finished second in the Championship in 2023/24 and I doubt they've got worse since then. |
Handy as third striker and reserve midfielder. At the moment they're second striker and starting midfielder. We're weaker in those areas at this moment in time than we were in 2023/24.
Plus, Al Hamidi really needs first team football to develop further. | |
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 11:33 - Jul 18 with 231 views | FrimleyBlue |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 10:17 - Jul 18 by Herbivore |
Szmodics is not remotely suited to playing up front in our system. |
Herbz, what exactly do you think he's missing for that role?
When I watch back some of his Blackburn goals, he's alot of the times the most forward player on the team
That's not saying he was playing as a striker btw but more of a question on why could he NOT play it. [Post edited 18 Jul 11:38]
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 11:39 - Jul 18 with 189 views | Herbivore |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 11:33 - Jul 18 by FrimleyBlue |
Herbz, what exactly do you think he's missing for that role?
When I watch back some of his Blackburn goals, he's alot of the times the most forward player on the team
That's not saying he was playing as a striker btw but more of a question on why could he NOT play it. [Post edited 18 Jul 11:38]
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Look at Hirst and Delap, even Moore, and then look at Szmodics. It's pretty obvious what he's missing to play as a 9 in our system. He's not someone you can ping the ball up to, he's not someone who can occupy a couple of CBs with his presence, he's not someone who can bring others in with his back to goal, he's not really someone who runs the channels. He's a 10 or inside left forward who Blackburn played as a false 9 but they had the likes of Gallagher playing as a wide forwards to give them that presence and outlet. If we try playing a false 9 with our number 10s off him it'll be a complete car crash. |  |
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| 3 weeks to the season opener on 11:54 - Jul 18 with 136 views | BloomBlue |
| 3 weeks to the season opener on 08:53 - Jul 18 by Wright1 |
This is all fine and well but what if the options are sign someone of the ilk of Hackney but it takes another couple of weeks... or sign a lesser player right now?
It's not as simple as just get our top target through the door exactly when we want them is it? The club may save a chunk of FFP money but negotiating for longer. The player may be waiting for a PL offer before accepting they are going to play Championship football for another year. There a people involved and moving parts. |
And like house selling its invariably a chain of players. So club A maybe happy with Town's bid but they want to make sure they have a replacement before letting the player leave. Then club B may be happy to accept club A's offer, but again, they want to make sure they have a replacement before they let their player leave etc etc.
Throw in agents etc and everything takes a long time.
The days of a player standing next to Sir Bobby signing a document and the only thing they look at is how much will they earn each week is long gone. |  | | |
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