| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window 22:21 - Sep 1 with 5966 views | unstableblue |
That perhaps brings some clarity and perspective on this window.
If you take Omari, Delap and Axel out of the picture - who I think we all agree were at the level we need to move to. We aspire to be at.
All the favourites, these players we’ve loved rightly for several season, well they’ve all moved down a level in terms of squad and club in their moves, or at best sideways: Broadhead, Wolfie, Chaplin, Luongo, Burgess, Morsy.
Now don’t get me wrong on current form and table position, Coventry looks perhaps a step up. But as a club Town are stronger and superior.
Time to thank our last round of heroes, usher in the new… and back McKenna [Post edited 1 Sep 22:28]
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 07:27 - Sep 2 with 878 views | Plums |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 01:18 - Sep 2 by The_Romford_Blue |
No idea.
I genuinely have no idea. |
Is it because you've posted facts and facts are no longer allowed on the internet? |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 07:31 - Sep 2 with 862 views | AljoBlue |
For me, we went into an unstoppable force when Mass and Morsy paired up in the double pivot. You can't buy that telepathic understanding that drove us on and on. This has been totally lacking in the current squad but I really hope Nunez and Cajuste can bring this creativity/drive alongside Matusiwa.
I also wonder about dropping our central 10 and playing both Nunez and Cajuste ahead of Matusiwa as if almost every team is going to be full on low block we may need the extra creativity more than the extra holding midfielder |  | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 08:09 - Sep 2 with 797 views | Wakh |
There is a sweet spot for player integration. If the majority or minority are long standing it is easy to integrate players. Once you get to a 50/50 level it becomes a blurred vision and it takes a lot of coaching to connect those halves and that has been evident in recent games. I think ripping it up now was the correct thing to do. In my sport I released several players in the summer that were great guys, excellent players and personal friends, but sometimes you need to cut down the trees to encourage new growth that wont have to fight for light in their shadows. Those players probably needed the regrowth too.
All this sentiment is best kept for Grandads funeral, not competitive sport. Whether the decisions are right are wrong will become evident and that end result is what all coaches live and die by. These are coaches that see a day to day process and react to it. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 08:27 - Sep 2 with 748 views | hype313 |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 22:58 - Sep 1 by Simonds92 |
Maybe on paper.... but we've all watched the majority of our 'Championship All Stars' struggle for the last 12 months in both divisions. In that time the players who got us to the Premier League weren't given a fair crack, and when they were given game time, they stood out as strong points not weaknesses.
- Broadhead was better than Clarke and Philogene.
- Burgess was better than Greaves
- Chaplin, for me, still linked the play better than anyone else in the 10.
- Morsy kept Phillips out the team.
- Woolfenden looked like he could play at the level. I won't say as an individual he was better than O'Shea but the partnership with Burgess was a hell of a lot better than our current pairing.
- Ben Johnson brought in as competition for Tuanzabe and he ended up being nowhere near the level.
- Hladky vs Muric doesn't even need elaboration.
I would love to be wrong, everything clicks and we suddenly run away with the league with all these players playing to their potential. But it just feels like this is a group of strangers chucked together, playing out of their favoured positions, with very low confidence and with a loser mentality.
I think a few of them are guilty of going missing when times get tough too. That's something which can't be levelled at a single one of the promotion winning squads.
They all showed up for eachother. |
I just think it's too early to make a judgment call on these new players, also we can't really use last season as a yardstick as everyone new and old struggled, which is understandable.
I do think Philogene and Clarke need to start showing more, Philogene to be fair has had a stop start time here with Injuries, but I loved Clarke's bullishness taking the ball on Saturday.
I think we also look at players like Broady with rose tinted specs, he had an eye for a pass, but I also remember him going missing in games quite a lot, he lacked physicality and for moments of great play, he could be anonymous for large parts too.
Clearly we have a stronger squad than previously, that isn't the question, the question is can they instill that unity and never say die DNA that our double promotion lads built, we will find out in due course. [Post edited 2 Sep 8:28]
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 08:38 - Sep 2 with 706 views | ArchiRob |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 22:36 - Sep 1 by Axeldalai_lama |
And replaced them with many from top leagues.
Two from serie A
One from ligue 1
One from eredivise
One from premier league.
Then current first team players of Leicester wba(and that lot). Decent players at top end (mostly!) clubs.
On paper no one can really argue about the signings being better. |
On paper they look better but the game is played on grass and played by a team rather than a collection of individuals. I remain to be convinced they are collectively better but as a Town supporter hope it clicks sooner than later. A second goal before half time might have set up a big score and generated some much needed confidence. |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 08:43 - Sep 2 with 678 views | AVJones |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 22:58 - Sep 1 by Simonds92 |
Maybe on paper.... but we've all watched the majority of our 'Championship All Stars' struggle for the last 12 months in both divisions. In that time the players who got us to the Premier League weren't given a fair crack, and when they were given game time, they stood out as strong points not weaknesses.
- Broadhead was better than Clarke and Philogene.
- Burgess was better than Greaves
- Chaplin, for me, still linked the play better than anyone else in the 10.
- Morsy kept Phillips out the team.
- Woolfenden looked like he could play at the level. I won't say as an individual he was better than O'Shea but the partnership with Burgess was a hell of a lot better than our current pairing.
- Ben Johnson brought in as competition for Tuanzabe and he ended up being nowhere near the level.
- Hladky vs Muric doesn't even need elaboration.
I would love to be wrong, everything clicks and we suddenly run away with the league with all these players playing to their potential. But it just feels like this is a group of strangers chucked together, playing out of their favoured positions, with very low confidence and with a loser mentality.
I think a few of them are guilty of going missing when times get tough too. That's something which can't be levelled at a single one of the promotion winning squads.
They all showed up for eachother. |
Just about all of the 2023/24 team would’ve all been thrilled to be playing in the Championship that season. It was the level they would’ve aspired to playing at, and that they had just been promoted into. Only Tuanzebe could realistically have thought himself a PL player then. And he needed a place to rebuild his career.
So the stage was set. Determined players, who already knew exactly how the manager wanted them to play. Add in a bit of early season luck, lots of momentum, relatively few injuries and we became an unstoppable force.
This season. How many of the players that we’ve bought in the last 15 months are thrilled to be playing in the Championship? Not many. They see it as a stepping stone. They believe that they should be playing in the PL.
And those that played in the Championship team last time round certainly wouldn’t feel that they should be only squad players now.
So, better players, yes. On paper.
Over to you, McKenna…! | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 08:52 - Sep 2 with 635 views | IP1Blue |
I’m not to sure we are?
The squad is unbalanced, 4 players who’s primary position is RB, Baggot cover for LCB and no cover for Azor or Davis - I understand we’ve got players we can fit it to cover but it’s not there primary best positions.
Last time in the likes of Luongo, Burgess and Morsy, there was an abundance of experience of playing in the EFl, the Azor gets injured, not having the likes of a Lewis Travis to come in will hinder us IMO - we don’t need 4 LCM, we should of loaned Taylor/Humphries out and bought in Cover for Azor, someone like a Travis who knows the league inside out- sent Baggot out on Loan and again bought in a championship experienced CB like a Harry Darling who was on a FREE - and instead of buying Furlong, bought in natural cover for Leif!
Just feels like the squad is unbalanced and we’ve made a lot of mistakes but I guess time will tell! The squad cost £130m and we shouldn’t be looking this unbalanced. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 09:39 - Sep 2 with 528 views | patrickswell |
I think this will be a transitional season, simply because of the amount of churn that there’s been. It might not be the worst thing to let this squad work together for a season and then really push for it next year. |  | | |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 09:48 - Sep 2 with 494 views | LeoMuff |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 09:39 - Sep 2 by patrickswell |
I think this will be a transitional season, simply because of the amount of churn that there’s been. It might not be the worst thing to let this squad work together for a season and then really push for it next year. |
Although we would lose all the loanees and there would be some sales, so we would be back to bedding in 6 or 7 players. |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 09:59 - Sep 2 with 449 views | ReusersTown |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 23:19 - Sep 1 by C_HealyIsAPleasure |
A parachute club is so enamoured with Johnson they just spent £4m on another RB |
Well RB/LB cover. But whatever floats your negativity boat. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:01 - Sep 2 with 441 views | DJR |
A few observations.
1. Not long after the end of the season there was a report that we now had a better understanding of the type of players needed to compete and succeed at Premier League level. I think it was either Ashton or McKenna who said this, but I can't remember who. In any event, there was clearly something lacking in our squad last year which was not surprising given our meteoric rise.
2. We now have a higher percentage of foreign players, something that seems to be a pre-requisite of success in the Premier League.
3. Whatever our starting line-up, we will now have on the bench a much higher level of attacking player to bring on than we have ever had before. The role of attacking players off the bench is something that McKenna has been keen on from day 1.
4. It may be that we didn't get all our transfer targets but that's life. [Post edited 2 Sep 10:05]
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:03 - Sep 2 with 424 views | BloomBlue |
Conversely we've had arrive a Norwich midfielder, a club who have failed to win promotion for years. A WBA fullback, a club who have failed to win promotion for years. Etc etc.
Don't get me wrong I'm excited about the new players. But some fans are trying to argue the fact the players leaving for non PL clubs demonstrates they aren't that good. But we're buying replacements who PL haven't been knocking the door down to buy either. In my book both are the same. |  | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:03 - Sep 2 with 431 views | itfcjoe |
Glad you enjoyed it, and whilst I'm gutted to see some of these go we now have a squad of 'better' players.
But the big challenge for McKenna is to turn them into the team he so successfully did with the last lot - if he can do that again we'll blitz the league, if not then he'll be under major pressure and it's a high wire act. |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:06 - Sep 2 with 395 views | blueoutlook |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 22:48 - Sep 1 by reusersfreekicks |
If we put Clarke, Philogene, Johnson, Greaves and Szmodics on the market now what level of club would take them? |
No more than championship. They really aren’t all that.To be honest when you see all their names written out like that they aren’t really exciting at all. |  | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:08 - Sep 2 with 388 views | peterleeblue |
Correct!
They weren't good enough in the premiership end off. We failed miserably whichever way you dress it up. We gambled on Phillips, it backfired and we had to rely on Morsy. No way did he have the legs for that level. And I think Morsy was great for us.
I get the sum of the parts angle that arguably moved us up 2 divisions but many clubs have had huge turnover of players this summer. Its the same for most. |  | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:08 - Sep 2 with 388 views | itfcjoe |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 09:59 - Sep 2 by ReusersTown |
Well RB/LB cover. But whatever floats your negativity boat. |
According to Transfermarkt, this is where Darnell Furlong has played in his career
RB - 310 games
RM - 37 games
CB - 17 games
LB - 2 games
DM - 1 game
And if you look at the 2 games he has played at LB it is
17th July 2020 - came on as sub for 31 minutes vs Huddersfield
22nd February 2022 - came on as sub for 8 minutes vs Boro
So it's really a myth that people have seemingly created that he is in any way LB cover | |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:08 - Sep 2 with 388 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:06 - Sep 2 by blueoutlook |
No more than championship. They really aren’t all that.To be honest when you see all their names written out like that they aren’t really exciting at all. |
The players as individuals have quality, it's just how they are used
Dare I say if you played Young at LB and Clarke high and wide on the left wing, we'd see a different clarke
Likewise Sammy S
If Sammy S was behind Akpom but we had 2 creative midfielders behind him, Sammy S would then flourish as a support striker
Lot's of great individuals we have, we've just got to wait to see the best of them |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:10 - Sep 2 with 386 views | DJR |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:03 - Sep 2 by itfcjoe |
Glad you enjoyed it, and whilst I'm gutted to see some of these go we now have a squad of 'better' players.
But the big challenge for McKenna is to turn them into the team he so successfully did with the last lot - if he can do that again we'll blitz the league, if not then he'll be under major pressure and it's a high wire act. |
I may be alone in this view but I would be happy to give McKenna all the time he needs, and wouldn't contemplate getting rid of him even if it doesn't work out this season.
Then again, I am not Mark Ashton. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:11 - Sep 2 with 370 views | AVJones |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:01 - Sep 2 by DJR |
A few observations.
1. Not long after the end of the season there was a report that we now had a better understanding of the type of players needed to compete and succeed at Premier League level. I think it was either Ashton or McKenna who said this, but I can't remember who. In any event, there was clearly something lacking in our squad last year which was not surprising given our meteoric rise.
2. We now have a higher percentage of foreign players, something that seems to be a pre-requisite of success in the Premier League.
3. Whatever our starting line-up, we will now have on the bench a much higher level of attacking player to bring on than we have ever had before. The role of attacking players off the bench is something that McKenna has been keen on from day 1.
4. It may be that we didn't get all our transfer targets but that's life. [Post edited 2 Sep 10:05]
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Which will all be great… if we get promoted! | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:13 - Sep 2 with 354 views | tractorboy1978 |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:03 - Sep 2 by itfcjoe |
Glad you enjoyed it, and whilst I'm gutted to see some of these go we now have a squad of 'better' players.
But the big challenge for McKenna is to turn them into the team he so successfully did with the last lot - if he can do that again we'll blitz the league, if not then he'll be under major pressure and it's a high wire act. |
I think that’s spot on. Although I’m not sure he will be able to do it as quickly or successfully as he would like. He could do with two weeks on the training pitch with them all now but we are going to have several away on international duty including McAteer, Egeli and Nunez that are three that probably need the most integration. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:13 - Sep 2 with 350 views | WeWereZombies |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:01 - Sep 2 by DJR |
A few observations.
1. Not long after the end of the season there was a report that we now had a better understanding of the type of players needed to compete and succeed at Premier League level. I think it was either Ashton or McKenna who said this, but I can't remember who. In any event, there was clearly something lacking in our squad last year which was not surprising given our meteoric rise.
2. We now have a higher percentage of foreign players, something that seems to be a pre-requisite of success in the Premier League.
3. Whatever our starting line-up, we will now have on the bench a much higher level of attacking player to bring on than we have ever had before. The role of attacking players off the bench is something that McKenna has been keen on from day 1.
4. It may be that we didn't get all our transfer targets but that's life. [Post edited 2 Sep 10:05]
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On your first point it was reported that Ashton felt our players were not physically robust enough for the top division and we could expect stronger signings, not entirely sure that has been borne out by our transfer dealings (but I understand your fourth point in that respect) although McAteer, Kipré and Sindre Walle Egeli may go some way towards that. |  |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:14 - Sep 2 with 345 views | DJR |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:11 - Sep 2 by AVJones |
Which will all be great… if we get promoted! |
Nothing is guaranteed but if the level of player has improved there is no reason to think they can't succeed at Championship level. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:15 - Sep 2 with 338 views | blueoutlook |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:08 - Sep 2 by FrimleyBlue |
The players as individuals have quality, it's just how they are used
Dare I say if you played Young at LB and Clarke high and wide on the left wing, we'd see a different clarke
Likewise Sammy S
If Sammy S was behind Akpom but we had 2 creative midfielders behind him, Sammy S would then flourish as a support striker
Lot's of great individuals we have, we've just got to wait to see the best of them |
But KM doesn’t play them in the correct position where they played at previous clubs to have that success. He is trying to put square pegs in round holes all the time. Sammy and Clarke are never used to their strengths. Davis isn’t even being used effectively this season. The whole thing looks a bit of a shambles and chucked together. I’m not convinced it will change either. | | | |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:19 - Sep 2 with 322 views | itfcjoe |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:10 - Sep 2 by DJR |
I may be alone in this view but I would be happy to give McKenna all the time he needs, and wouldn't contemplate getting rid of him even if it doesn't work out this season.
Then again, I am not Mark Ashton. |
I'll certainly be in that camp, but judging by mood in terraces already this season not sure it will be the case for many | |
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| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:19 - Sep 2 with 317 views | DJR |
| Joe Fairs on Blue Monday makes a very good point on the transfer window on 10:13 - Sep 2 by WeWereZombies |
On your first point it was reported that Ashton felt our players were not physically robust enough for the top division and we could expect stronger signings, not entirely sure that has been borne out by our transfer dealings (but I understand your fourth point in that respect) although McAteer, Kipré and Sindre Walle Egeli may go some way towards that. |
I think you could probably add to that list Nunez, Matisiwa and Akprom. And hopefully we will have a much fitter Cajuste. | | | |
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