| Problematic Recruitment 09:29 - Dec 3 with 567 views | TomTheWriter |
Since promotion in 2024, I think it’s fair to say this has been the biggest concern at the club. Off the field the club is being run so well (new training ground, stadium improvements, Cat 1 Academy, Foundation work) but the football operations side is lagging behind.
Controversially, I don’t think the player recruitment has been the problem. It’s the profile recruitment that has been well below par. We’ve signed some of the best Championship players of the last few years, but have stifled their careers because their profile doesn’t fit the rigid but effective ‘Kieran McKenna style’
McKenna’s 4-2-3-1 works. It does. Right back tucking in, left back bombing on. Midfield pivot staying compact. No.10 dropping deep to link play, left wing tucking in. Right wing staying high. Striker sitting on last man.
For 2 years, we’ve seen none of that. Furlong, Johnson, Young aren’t ‘RB/RCB’ players. Davis is being forced inside because Jaden and Clarke aren’t ’left wing tucking in’. Cajuste doesn’t want to be rigid, he wants to roam. Akpom and Sammie don’t drop deep because they are ‘second strikers’
I can’t put my finger on why we have gone so far away from what worked for 2 years straight. But you’ve only got 2 options. 1. You give McKenna the money to rip up what hasn’t worked and hope you buy the profiles for the style we know is successful, or you change the manager to someone who will play a system that fits the scattergun recruitment approach |  |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 09:43 - Dec 3 with 519 views | portmanking |
Profile recruitment is probably a good way of putting it.
At RB - instead of Furlong (Donacien Mk 2) it should've been someone like Tchamadeu (if we were going for Champ experience)
At CM - instead of Cajuste, it should've been a Sheaf or Louza style, metronomic pivot player
At Central 10 - instead of Akpom or Szmodics we should've gone for a more mobile technician on the ball.
At #9 - we desperately needed someone that can hold the ball, with an exceptional first touch to unleash our inside forwards and central 10. Ivanovic may have been worth pursuing rather than a wasted 6-month experiment with Azon (even Zaragoza fans were shocked he was playing at Champ level). |  | | |
| Problematic Recruitment on 09:44 - Dec 3 with 505 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
Or KM could develop / evolve his pattern of play / strategy.
You listed is above, and every manager in the league predictably knows how we will play, so finds it easy to formulate a plan to counter it.
If Pep got found out, then so can KM.
Pep is evolving his tactics as a response, now its KM's turn. |  |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 10:07 - Dec 3 with 407 views | TomTheWriter |
| Problematic Recruitment on 09:43 - Dec 3 by portmanking |
Profile recruitment is probably a good way of putting it.
At RB - instead of Furlong (Donacien Mk 2) it should've been someone like Tchamadeu (if we were going for Champ experience)
At CM - instead of Cajuste, it should've been a Sheaf or Louza style, metronomic pivot player
At Central 10 - instead of Akpom or Szmodics we should've gone for a more mobile technician on the ball.
At #9 - we desperately needed someone that can hold the ball, with an exceptional first touch to unleash our inside forwards and central 10. Ivanovic may have been worth pursuing rather than a wasted 6-month experiment with Azon (even Zaragoza fans were shocked he was playing at Champ level). |
We never properly replaced Tuanzebe from this summer, and bought too many square pegs for round holes in the Premier League and this season in the Championship. Thing is every player mentioned below would work in a different style
Furlong is the best right back we’ve got, but West Brom were more defensive so had all 4 defenders fairly deep each game. We only have 3.
Cajuste suits a 4-3-3 with two players protecting him so he can roam forwards
Akpom wants to be a 10 in a 4-2-3-1 where both wide players sit inside and touch the ball, so he doesn’t have to. Sammie thrived in a 4-4-2 as the second striker
Azon wants crosses in to the box rather than ball to feet. Nearly scored from the corner first half. Threat with his head. | |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 10:10 - Dec 3 with 385 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
| Problematic Recruitment on 10:07 - Dec 3 by TomTheWriter |
We never properly replaced Tuanzebe from this summer, and bought too many square pegs for round holes in the Premier League and this season in the Championship. Thing is every player mentioned below would work in a different style
Furlong is the best right back we’ve got, but West Brom were more defensive so had all 4 defenders fairly deep each game. We only have 3.
Cajuste suits a 4-3-3 with two players protecting him so he can roam forwards
Akpom wants to be a 10 in a 4-2-3-1 where both wide players sit inside and touch the ball, so he doesn’t have to. Sammie thrived in a 4-4-2 as the second striker
Azon wants crosses in to the box rather than ball to feet. Nearly scored from the corner first half. Threat with his head. |
Thats a good point about SS.
Yes, he got all his goals for Blackburn as a '10', but it was a different '10' role in a different system. | |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 10:15 - Dec 3 with 360 views | TomTheWriter |
| Problematic Recruitment on 09:44 - Dec 3 by Marshalls_Mullet |
Or KM could develop / evolve his pattern of play / strategy.
You listed is above, and every manager in the league predictably knows how we will play, so finds it easy to formulate a plan to counter it.
If Pep got found out, then so can KM.
Pep is evolving his tactics as a response, now its KM's turn. |
Absolutely. He did that in L1. Weren’t breaking down defences enough, so signed Hirst and Broady who added something different to Ladapo and Harness, and it worked.
Went with the same team and style in the Champ because it worked so didn’t need to change. Got a bit sticky around Christmas so tweaked it away from high possession to more counter attack play especially away from home.
The problem is that he changed everything for the Prem despite the success of the previous season. Reliance on a striker, wingers on the left rather than inside forwards. He should have kept the same profiles but with the defensive line 5 yards deeper. We played too attacking with the wrong profile of players, so it fell apart
This season, couldn’t even describe the style. Completely different to 2 years ago. Different to last year. All the profiles wrong. Just good players on paper that don’t fit the system. As you say, someone has to change | |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 10:18 - Dec 3 with 347 views | TractorJack |
| Problematic Recruitment on 10:10 - Dec 3 by Marshalls_Mullet |
Thats a good point about SS.
Yes, he got all his goals for Blackburn as a '10', but it was a different '10' role in a different system. |
SS was signed for the PL which I think made a lot of sense. We knew we would have more opportunities on the counter where he got so many goals for Blackburn. He had a lot of good games for us last season all things considered.
It's not really anyone's fault that we now have to try and make use of him where he's never given the space in behind. |  | | |
| Problematic Recruitment on 10:20 - Dec 3 with 333 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Changing the manager because our recruitment is dreadful to appoint a manager who may be ok with dreadful recruitment seems like a very silly idea to me. |  |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 11:09 - Dec 3 with 214 views | TomTheWriter |
| Problematic Recruitment on 10:20 - Dec 3 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Changing the manager because our recruitment is dreadful to appoint a manager who may be ok with dreadful recruitment seems like a very silly idea to me. |
For me the player recruitment isn’t the problem, it’s the profile recruitment.
The players are good. There’s almost 100 goals between Akpom, Sammie, Jaden and Clarke from a few seasons back. On paper the majority of signings are good because they dominated the league with other teams. The problem is they don’t fit the rigid way we want to play.
It’s the same with Southampton. They took Azaz and Fellows very late, 2 of the best in the Champ for Boro and W.Brom. They struggled hugely under Still, but in the 5 games since his sacking Azaz has 5 goals and 1 assist. Good player, wrong style, now clearly the right style.
We either need McKenna to play in a way that suits the players, or you choose someone else. I don’t want us spending another £150m without one of the above changing | |
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| Problematic Recruitment on 11:36 - Dec 3 with 169 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Problematic Recruitment on 11:09 - Dec 3 by TomTheWriter |
For me the player recruitment isn’t the problem, it’s the profile recruitment.
The players are good. There’s almost 100 goals between Akpom, Sammie, Jaden and Clarke from a few seasons back. On paper the majority of signings are good because they dominated the league with other teams. The problem is they don’t fit the rigid way we want to play.
It’s the same with Southampton. They took Azaz and Fellows very late, 2 of the best in the Champ for Boro and W.Brom. They struggled hugely under Still, but in the 5 games since his sacking Azaz has 5 goals and 1 assist. Good player, wrong style, now clearly the right style.
We either need McKenna to play in a way that suits the players, or you choose someone else. I don’t want us spending another £150m without one of the above changing |
I think it is a bit of both if I am honest. I don't think all the players are good at all.
Darnell Furlong, Ivan Azon, Cedric Kipre, Ashley Young, Kasey Mcateer. It is hardly the cream of the crop. Decent Championship players, a 40 year old a guy whose experience comes from the 2nd tier of Spanish football and another guy who was a perennial Bench warmer for Leicester. Looks like last recruitment for me in terms of profiles and players.
Egeli is a kid who still looks like he will need time to bed in, hopefully last night is a step for him.
I dont like the Will Still point either because Southampton didn't get what they deserved points wise with him as the gaffer, they sacked him and all those squandered chances suddenly went in. Maybe if we sacked Mckenna we would get some of that. Mcateer might score instead of blazing over the bar vs Wrexham. Same for Nunez vs Watford. Azon vs Watford. Egeli vs Oxford etc etc. But I dont think that is the correct thing to do. Id rather keep faith with the manager then take that gamble. If the club refuse to recruit the sort of players Mckenna wants then they need to sort that out. [Post edited 3 Dec 11:36]
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| Problematic Recruitment on 11:38 - Dec 3 with 157 views | EddyJ |
Is there any indication McKenna still wants us to play the lopsided 4-2-3-1?
Everything I've seen suggests we are aiming for a more authodox 4-2-3-1. | | | |
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