MadAmster

The kick off time has been moved to accommodate live TV. ESPN+ in the USA, Sport 2 Israel and V Sport 3 in Norway. Long live the firestick ?

The Cup really seems to have lost favour. Only the South and East stands open yet there are still 1756 seats available in the "home end". Barnsley won't fill the SE Corner either. I doubt we'll get more than 13K in for the game.

On 26/03/2016 at 00:09, MuespachRam said:

Yep...it is a blast from the past alright....way back to the time when even I was young and rebellious, it stands for "Often No Change"....great bunch of lads, had some awesome nights/days with them.

So, it's not part of a N*tts postcode then? ?

Last night there were still 3324 home tickets available. Currently 3259 left.

1115 North Stand

895 in the NE Family Corner 

516 in the East Stand

733 in the West Stand

IMO he's a young lad with bags of potential and, to reach that, he needs to make good progress over the rest of this and next season. If he doesn't make that progress he'll be a L1 or lower player.

Personally, I like the lad and think he can make the grade as a good Championship player but he isn't going to do that if he's forever in and out of the team and playing God knows where next game. Left back, left or right wing back, left or right wing, DM, #10.... striker? How can he be expected to develop?

Based on his performance last night, his market value will, at best have remained low. He was off the pace, missed tackles, committed, IMO, unnecessary fouls and his passing was somewhat less than average. Spent force?

Both this season and next, we can't pay transfer, loan or agent's fees which rather reduces the size of the pond we can fish in and the size of fish we can attract. There is a small possibility that, if we are "good boys" this season, some of the restrictions in the business plan, written by DCFC and approved by the EFL, might be eased (probably not lifted) next season. For instance, a player swap might be on as long as we don't pay any money to the other club involved in the deal. Bielik for one or more players from a Championship or a PL side, for instance, might be on the cards as long as the new players don't want more than the wages cap allows. Might the wages cap be increased, especially if we go up this season? All ifs, buts and maybes, I know but not impossible.

Not the finished article but will he ever be? Serious question. Remember Wanchope? He looked like his legs had a mind of their own, he looked ungainly BUT he was always in control of them. Will Osula? I get the feeling he is less in control than Paulo was and that is something he is going to find difficult to improve on as it's "natural". I hope I'm wrong but he reminds me somewhat, albeit not in the same role, as Theo Robinson. Speedy and great when acting instinctively but not as good when given time to think. The clattering he gave to some of the opposition at Newport, were they "clumsy" or a young lad being overly enthusiastic? I hope the latter but I'm not convinced. L1 is probably his level and, again, I hope I'm wrong.

That's my opinion, some/many will disagree but that's fine. This place would be dull and boring if we didn't disagree.

1 hour ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

We saw a lot of dross under Liam too...it was a different and duller type however...zzzzz

We did. However, we know he told the players he wanted the ball played quicker, they be more adventurous and to take risks going forward. He said so in several interviews and Sibs and other players have confirmed that in interviews. So, whose fault was it? 

1 hour ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

He was head coach under Rooney too don't forget and many attribute our coaching to Liam during that period.....something that was actually pointed out in the post you are inaccurately quoting (the coaching under Rooney part!)

Assistant Manager under Rooney.

20 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

Either way,I don't understand why we are still discussing a temporary manager who led us for 12 games and is now hulls head coach....he's gone along with his football philosophy.

So good luck to him but it's irrelevant now.

So, when someone posts that we didn't win for 30 games under a manager who only had the job for 12 games I shouldn't put the record straight?

47 minutes ago, kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong said:

or Liam who failed to win away for something like 30 or so games?

 

LR was Manager for 12 games in League and Cup and had a 58% win rate. A 25% loss rate. Not bad in my book. The problem we had under him was the play through the thirds being too slow. Right from the opening game of the season he was telling the players to be more adventurous, take risks going forward and play the ball quicker. He said so in just about every interview on RamsTV. We know he also said that to the players as Sibley and others have confirmed it. So, the slow play wasn't what LR wanted. Why did the players continue to play that way? It's on the players, IMO.

We've had some pretty poor refs this season. Yesterday's was of the same calibre. However, he got Sibley's yellow and Cashin's red spot on. Had Cash tripped the lad in some half hearted attempt to play the ball he would have got a yellow. As it is he didn't attempt to tackle/play the ball and red was the right call. Sibs went for the ball, never took his eyes off it and actually played the ball half a second before Lapslie came in with his head. Dangerous play which is yellow. 

Throughout his 12 games (League and Cup) this season (58% win rate BTW), Rosenior had a constant message post match. He wanted the players to be more adventurous, take risks going forward, play faster through the thirds. We know he was telling the truth because Sibley and others have confirmed that message was what he was telling the players. What happened? It was slow, slow, slower, slower, slow. I'm going on the premise that he not only told them to be adventurous, take risks and play the ball faster but that he worked on that in training.

Based on that, whose fault was the side, back, slow, slower, slowest "tactics" we saw? I would say the players rather than the coach. Some might say if the players weren't carrying out the gaffer's wishes, why didn't he drop the worst offenders. My answer  would be that the squad was too small to do that AND he'd upset the few players he had. He was also limited by injuries. 

I'm not saying Clowes wasn't right to go for more experience, merely putting out there the fact that the tactics we saw were not, necessarily, Rosenior's tactics.

Grant and Camp made decent careers for themselves and we may well have benefitted from keeping one of them. The one I'd most liked to have kept, especially seeing he did pretty well after he left was Chris Riggott.

Collo still out but Osula is a good replacement to have. Will Knight be fit enough? I hope so. Who will he pick and in what formation? Back 4 for this one maybe? I'd do it but I don't think Warne will.... I think he should.

Wildsmith
Chester Davies Cashin
NML Sibley Bird Knight (Tommo if JK is injured) Barkhuizen
Osula Dobbin

3-1 defeat.

Picking XI is guesswork at the moment. We don't know which system he'll go for. Will he have just the one? One for home games and another away? Will he change things to nullify the opposition. Here's some thoughts.

Someone said he's said he likes Osula so will he start?

He has said he wants lots of crosses into the opposition box so will that put Fozzy ahead of Roberts?

My guess, barring injury, is 

Wildsmith

Chester Davies Cashin

Bird

NML Sibley Hourihane Knight

Osula Collins

We'll see a bit of give and take IMO. Not sure the squad can fully adapt to Warne's apparent cross between some building from the back paired with route 1. Warne will be sensible enough to get the best mix.

Route 1 will suit Collins.

So, it's Warne. Personally my choice was, especially looking at the last 60 minutes against Wycombe, Liam. For the first time this season we finally saw the players going forward with urgency, with purpose, with speed, being adventurous, taking risks. This led to 26 shots in that hour. That play was exactly what Liam had said in several interviews he wanted the team to do. That he'd been saying that all season to the players has been confirmed by Sibley and others in interviews. Just as he gets what he wanted from the players, he's moved aside. I feel for him.

Like any incoming, be that a player, coach or manager, it's a gamble. Liam put together, in next to no time, a squad designed to play the "Rosenior Way". It remains to be seen if they can quickly get used to the variations Warne wants them to play. It might be that they can't. We have to wait and see.

I hope it works and that we go on a run of unbeaten games ending up with promotion in May.

As ever, I support DCFC, David Clowes and Warne, in that order. Happy that Liam will still be part of the coaching staff, if he wants to stay. If he decides to go, I would understand perfectly. 

Basically, the King is dead, long live the King.

6 League games in, seen all 6 live via RamsTV here in the Netherlands. I must admit I've enjoyed all 6. Long may the enjoyment continue

New Roy Mac? New Stimac? New Mark Wright?

It doesn't have to rhyme.

6 hours ago, rammieib said:

His work rate for 90 minutes his phenomenal. As he is putting himself about for the full 90 minutes, it means defenders lose their concentration and it creates chances. This has been seen multiple times this season.

I saw on multiple occasions last night, he got the ball into feet, played it out wide and then went full sprint into the box. He was doing this time and time again. He often makes his runs to the back post - and some of our crossing hasn't been great.

Then defensively, he's a monster in our box. He's being given one of the most important defensive heading roles (the free man in the middle) - again - he wins a lot of headers in our box. 

It all goes together. If we're winning as a team, and we generally are, then his spot is earnt even without the goals.

What I liked last night - when he missed that chance in the 93rd minute - no-one got on his back - 90% of people in the East stand applauded him. These are the types of fans I want.

He's not even close to being dropped in my eyes - his all-round play is immense, just a goal or two will keep the doom mongers away.

Absolutely. He puts in an awful lot of very good work, much of which doesn't get seen because fans are following the ball. he'll run wide, taking one or two defenders with him leaving space for others to take advantage of. First goal against Grimsby, good pass from Tommo, Collo to Dobbin (Collo then ran wide knowing NML was already central in the box), Dobbin to NML, defender just beats him to it and the ball rebounds of another defender onto the post and NML taps it itno the empty net. Collo had come out of the box and asked for the ball, Tommo obliged.

Might that just be the "problem"? He does so much work, going wide coming back deep etc..... shouldn't he spend more time in the box, round about where NML was for the first?

We are limited to something like an £8M annual spend both this and next season. We can't spend more than that. However, getting sponsorship money in is a very good idea. Bank the cash and build up a transfer "war chest" for the summer of 2024. We'd be foolish to turn down the chance of building up some cash reserves.

With regard to the lack of a sponsor thus far, it's got me thinking. Whoever the shirt sponsor is, there will be some people who won't buy a shirt because of the sponsor. People who are anti-betting. Wetherspoon's will upset some folk. P&O too. IMO giving fans the option of buying a sponsorless shirt would see sales improve. Whether that option would see the amount received in shirt sponsorship drop is something to take into account.

Apart from a handful of wind up merchants on FaceBook who are doing a great job of upsetting the locals on the L1 banter page there, there seems to be a contentment. We still have a club being the biggest factor to that. We also have an owner who is a proper fan, North Stand ST holder for years. Also a proven businessman who has grown his late dad's business. He says he wants stability and sustainability. I take that to mean he's not going to spend money the club doesn't have. That's brilliant. It would mean we'd never have to go through the mangle of possibly going out of business ever again. We have a manager who seems to have things organised. What he's done, along with his staff, turning a a 5 man squad 5 or 6 weeks ago, into a squad of 20 odd players who look like they will entertain and maybe even threaten the top few. Time will tell if that will happen. Bit by bit, the pieces are slowly clicking into place. Top half by Christmas would give us a good go at making top 6 or better, aided and abetted by a couple of tweaks to the squad. Looking at the squad we seem to have at least 2 players vying for most positions. Will it be sufficient to be successful this season? We will have to wait and see.

My closest club is Ajax. 

English clubs, the closest are probably Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester