| Too many changes this season 12:04 - Mar 16 with 1990 views | GreenEye |
I thought we'd be OK this season with new additions to strengthen the core squad that drove us through the last two seasons.
There is no doubt that the PL is a massive step but one of the strengths last season, was character. I though Chaplin embodied that and was a big presence in the team. He made Hutchinson better and fed the wings faster where this season we have looked slow by comparisson. Similarly, Leif was always taking on people last season but tends to run, stop and look back or sideways.
Bournemouth and Palace showed us what quick thinking will do.
I'm surprised at the wholesale changes on the pitch instead of adding to the core team that served us so well and I'm surprised at the way KMC has moved his subs back from 65 to 75/80 minutes this season. Delap is a powerhouse but the PL managers have sussed him & Hutch out so they'd be better as impact subs in my opinion.
But hey, we're all managers on this forum and there's probably a different perspective from wherever you sit. |  | | |  |
| Too many changes this season on 12:30 - Mar 16 with 1920 views | Axeldalai_lama |
A few fair points, but being honest and not just because some of our transfers haven't hit the ground running , can you elaborate on the core squad. Who would we have built around? How many additions? How far down the list would we be dipping if we had similar injuries to this season? It's a nice, almost comforting thought, but when I actually consider the reality we'd be down to regularly starting players like Harry Clarke, Luongo, maybe Edmundson, AAH, Hladky etc. I think even limiting new players it'd likely be 10ish in, with limited depth, whatever you think of our current crop, in a hugely different standard of league. |  | | |
| Too many changes this season on 13:00 - Mar 16 with 1864 views | BloomBlue |
Hard to say I think, but someone made the point on the train yesterday.... Football is about winning and in 2025 we've not won a league yet, so if we had stuck with the squad from last season and also not won a game in 2025, we would be no worse off. Hence could we have saved £100m and be no worse off?
Obviously, football isn't that simple. |  | | |
| Too many changes this season on 13:16 - Mar 16 with 1839 views | gsoly |
| Too many changes this season on 12:30 - Mar 16 by Axeldalai_lama |
A few fair points, but being honest and not just because some of our transfers haven't hit the ground running , can you elaborate on the core squad. Who would we have built around? How many additions? How far down the list would we be dipping if we had similar injuries to this season? It's a nice, almost comforting thought, but when I actually consider the reality we'd be down to regularly starting players like Harry Clarke, Luongo, maybe Edmundson, AAH, Hladky etc. I think even limiting new players it'd likely be 10ish in, with limited depth, whatever you think of our current crop, in a hugely different standard of league. |
Glad to see this reply. Had a chat with a nice old fella on the train last week, headed to Palace. He said, basically, we should have just signed Delap and Omari. Well, if we'd have done that, I think we'd be bottom by a long way. The bigger squad has meant the "L1 boys" have been much fresher when they've been called upon. I'd imagine the level of training has gone through the roof as well.
The prospect of barely adding to the squad and being on 0 points after 10 games doesn't bare thinking about. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - sometimes. |  | | |
| Too many changes this season on 13:38 - Mar 16 with 1788 views | Herbivore |
The problem is that the likes of Harry Clarke and Luongo were never going to be good enough to play consistently at this level and the likes of Chaplin and Burns, even Broadhead, Hirst, and Tuanzebe too, have spent massive chunks of the season on the treatment bench. I imagine at times we'd have liked to have more of a balance of the big characters from last season and the newbies, but that's hasn't always (or even often) been possible. On MOTD last night they commented in the commentary that Nuno had a fully fit squad to choose from, we've not had that at any point this season. I don't like to make excuses but we have been massively hampered by injuries and that's hugely affected our cohesion on the pitch. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 13:51 - Mar 16 with 1769 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Too many changes this season on 13:16 - Mar 16 by gsoly |
Glad to see this reply. Had a chat with a nice old fella on the train last week, headed to Palace. He said, basically, we should have just signed Delap and Omari. Well, if we'd have done that, I think we'd be bottom by a long way. The bigger squad has meant the "L1 boys" have been much fresher when they've been called upon. I'd imagine the level of training has gone through the roof as well.
The prospect of barely adding to the squad and being on 0 points after 10 games doesn't bare thinking about. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - sometimes. |
Exactly. Of course we could all go back and say we'd only sign the ones that worked and magically in another universe kept the majority of the old team and in that magical hindsight influenced future past all the old players would storm it. And of course once you 'know' this you can magically say you'd only add players x y and z, which you now know worked for other clubs, and you wouldn't 'waste' money on those who didn't work.
It's delusional hindsight dressed up as being cleverer and more knowledgeable than mere mortals who are realistic. | | | |
| Too many changes this season on 14:46 - Mar 16 with 1635 views | BlueBadger |
| Too many changes this season on 13:38 - Mar 16 by Herbivore |
The problem is that the likes of Harry Clarke and Luongo were never going to be good enough to play consistently at this level and the likes of Chaplin and Burns, even Broadhead, Hirst, and Tuanzebe too, have spent massive chunks of the season on the treatment bench. I imagine at times we'd have liked to have more of a balance of the big characters from last season and the newbies, but that's hasn't always (or even often) been possible. On MOTD last night they commented in the commentary that Nuno had a fully fit squad to choose from, we've not had that at any point this season. I don't like to make excuses but we have been massively hampered by injuries and that's hugely affected our cohesion on the pitch. |
I don't think that we can underestimate the impact that losing Chappers has had. We've been crying out for his anticipation, finishing and ability to pick a final-third pass all season. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 14:50 - Mar 16 with 1611 views | Herbivore |
| Too many changes this season on 14:46 - Mar 16 by BlueBadger |
I don't think that we can underestimate the impact that losing Chappers has had. We've been crying out for his anticipation, finishing and ability to pick a final-third pass all season. |
He's excellent at playing a first time pass to open up a defence. It doesn't always work, that's the nature of it, but we don't have anyone else who can do that. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 15:14 - Mar 16 with 1555 views | BlueBadger |
| Too many changes this season on 14:50 - Mar 16 by Herbivore |
He's excellent at playing a first time pass to open up a defence. It doesn't always work, that's the nature of it, but we don't have anyone else who can do that. |
And, he's a difficult kind of player to 'upgrade' on. [Post edited 16 Mar 15:17]
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| Too many changes this season on 15:20 - Mar 16 with 1524 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Too many changes this season on 14:50 - Mar 16 by Herbivore |
He's excellent at playing a first time pass to open up a defence. It doesn't always work, that's the nature of it, but we don't have anyone else who can do that. |
It kinda helps that his game isn't about dribbling past players and using quick feet to throw in a few step overs before trying to get past them.
That's not to say he can't get past players btw. He knows how to drop that shoulder to do so.. but his game is quick feet. Pass. Move. Receive.
He's the one player type we didn't bring in an upgrade for and probably one of our biggest issues as the rest of our forward line choices are all flairy ball holders. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 15:24 - Mar 16 with 1506 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Too many changes this season on 15:14 - Mar 16 by BlueBadger |
And, he's a difficult kind of player to 'upgrade' on. [Post edited 16 Mar 15:17]
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I wouldn't call him an upgrade.. but in the squad at least I'd say taylor could have been a close replacement for chappers.
He knows how to spray the ball around. Has that cracking shot on him and historically loved getting to the edge of the box. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 16:03 - Mar 16 with 1440 views | LankHenners |
| Too many changes this season on 14:50 - Mar 16 by Herbivore |
He's excellent at playing a first time pass to open up a defence. It doesn't always work, that's the nature of it, but we don't have anyone else who can do that. |
Think in general the physicality of the league would have got the better of him in most games but he's definitely someone who knows his strengths and limitations. As you point out his first thought is often to look up and try and play someone else in behind as he's not someone that can carry the ball or knock it ahead for himself and motor on.
Was particularly noticeable against Southampton where we had so much space to play into at times but all of our forwards were determined to get their heads down and charge rather than look up. Having someone of Chaplin's (or Szmodics') experience to be calmer with the decision making probably would have helped in that match and others. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 16:34 - Mar 16 with 1375 views | Herbivore |
| Too many changes this season on 15:24 - Mar 16 by FrimleyBlue |
I wouldn't call him an upgrade.. but in the squad at least I'd say taylor could have been a close replacement for chappers.
He knows how to spray the ball around. Has that cracking shot on him and historically loved getting to the edge of the box. |
Taylor is nothing like Chaplin in how he plays. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 17:34 - Mar 16 with 1299 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Too many changes this season on 16:34 - Mar 16 by Herbivore |
Taylor is nothing like Chaplin in how he plays. |
I agree. But that imo is because when he is used its as a cm.
If however he played the chappers role. That's where I believe he's the closest thing to a Chaplin that we could have In the squad.
Hutch
Philogene
Julio
Broadhead
All flairy style forward line players.
Szmodics was used on the left.
So IF and only if you were looking for a Chaplin replacement within the squad. Imo Taylor would be the closest alternative option. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 18:34 - Mar 16 with 1206 views | Herbivore |
| Too many changes this season on 17:34 - Mar 16 by FrimleyBlue |
I agree. But that imo is because when he is used its as a cm.
If however he played the chappers role. That's where I believe he's the closest thing to a Chaplin that we could have In the squad.
Hutch
Philogene
Julio
Broadhead
All flairy style forward line players.
Szmodics was used on the left.
So IF and only if you were looking for a Chaplin replacement within the squad. Imo Taylor would be the closest alternative option. |
He plays as a CM because he's a CM. I don't think he could play the Chaplin role effectively and on balance we're better off playing a different type of number 10 in that position than we are sticking our 4th choice CM in the number 10 role. Taylor just doesn't have the quickness of feet or footballing brain to do what Chappers does. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 18:39 - Mar 16 with 1181 views | ITFCBlues |
| Too many changes this season on 17:34 - Mar 16 by FrimleyBlue |
I agree. But that imo is because when he is used its as a cm.
If however he played the chappers role. That's where I believe he's the closest thing to a Chaplin that we could have In the squad.
Hutch
Philogene
Julio
Broadhead
All flairy style forward line players.
Szmodics was used on the left.
So IF and only if you were looking for a Chaplin replacement within the squad. Imo Taylor would be the closest alternative option. |
Taylor played more advanced at Forest and was non existent |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 18:40 - Mar 16 with 1177 views | Dubtractor |
| Too many changes this season on 17:34 - Mar 16 by FrimleyBlue |
I agree. But that imo is because when he is used its as a cm.
If however he played the chappers role. That's where I believe he's the closest thing to a Chaplin that we could have In the squad.
Hutch
Philogene
Julio
Broadhead
All flairy style forward line players.
Szmodics was used on the left.
So IF and only if you were looking for a Chaplin replacement within the squad. Imo Taylor would be the closest alternative option. |
Nah, Taylor is quite a slow player in the way he uses the ball. Lovely passer of the ball, but its almost always after 2 or 3 touches, and nothing like as instinctive as Chaplin. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 18:41 - Mar 16 with 1172 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Too many changes this season on 18:39 - Mar 16 by ITFCBlues |
Taylor played more advanced at Forest and was non existent |
Jeez. Im not saying he should be playing just discussing player traits. | |
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| Too many changes this season on 20:43 - Mar 16 with 1050 views | Garv |
| Too many changes this season on 17:34 - Mar 16 by FrimleyBlue |
I agree. But that imo is because when he is used its as a cm.
If however he played the chappers role. That's where I believe he's the closest thing to a Chaplin that we could have In the squad.
Hutch
Philogene
Julio
Broadhead
All flairy style forward line players.
Szmodics was used on the left.
So IF and only if you were looking for a Chaplin replacement within the squad. Imo Taylor would be the closest alternative option. |
I can see where you're coming from. |  |
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| Too many changes this season on 21:12 - Mar 16 with 992 views | cressi |
| Too many changes this season on 14:46 - Mar 16 by BlueBadger |
I don't think that we can underestimate the impact that losing Chappers has had. We've been crying out for his anticipation, finishing and ability to pick a final-third pass all season. |
Chaplin another good championship player. You cannot have no physicality and we have lots in our forward positions. We needed two or three big physical running machines instead we bought bantam weights fighting heavy weights I'm afraid. | | | |
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