Ghost of Clough

2 hours ago, Ramdale said:

Painful reading some of the responses on this site recently. Genuinely don’t know what fans expect. We’ve just been promoted & clearly trying to deal within our means after what happened to us.

Johnson would be a good signing. Good championship player & allow us to switch between Warnes 2 preferred formations. A massive upgrade on Elder. I suggest a few reacting negatively read the Wednesday fan comments on him. All be very sad to see him go.

 

 

 

Johnson would have been am OK signing for us last summer. He's now a year older, doesn't improve us enough (if at all), is a Sheff W player with a knob of an owner who gets off on messing us around, and a rumour which lacks creativity in the transfer market when there are so many better players than him abroad.

8 hours ago, Millenniumram said:

Really can’t see there being anything in this. He’s a natural wing back - which would have been very useful when we were still attempting to play three at the back earlier in the window, but now Warne has finally admitted 4-3-3 suits us better I don’t see where Johnson would fit in.

We'll continue to recruit for 3 at the back and play 4 in the meantime. We'll probably miss out on 1 or 2 key targets, meaning 4 at the back is still our best formation. Hobble through to January, probably sign a decent winger, then decide no play without wingers a couple of weeks later.

Then repeat the entire process again next season.

Gone to the highest bidder, which would explain why L2 and not L1. It's extremely unlikely he'll play for us again given his contract is up in the summer.

A badly researched buy, with the coaching staff expecting him to be more like Adams, when the stats clearly pointed to a different type of player. He has plenty of good attributes and will look very good in the right team - just not us.

6 hours ago, Marriot Ram99 said:

I would walk away if I was Warne if it gets to this stage and we are relying on 18 year old loans and old journey men that nobody wants on a poundland budget. I am not a big fan of his really but he did a good job getting us up but we may as well have stayed down if Collins ,Barkheuizen and Forsyth will be playing week in week out. Forsyth played well last night but will get rinsed at LB this season if he is playing week in week out at his age.

I remember Clough "having to rely upon" loans like Ryan Noble, Priskin, Bryan Hughes, and Dickov, and frees like James O'Connor and Ben Pringle

42 minutes ago, jimtastic56 said:

Think Osborn is only about an inch taller than Thomson. I saw Thomson mark Billing ( a foot taller )of Bournemouth 3 seasons ago and he was not intimidated. But perhaps Osborn and Thomson in the same team could work against us defending corners . Kenzo and Brown , not much bigger . 

Brown is about 6 foot tall and was winning headers against one of the most aerially dominant CBs in the EFL last night. 

21 minutes ago, Carnero said:

Absolutely... yet barely anyone except me has picked him in our own line-ups for Saturday... performances should be rewarded in my book especially when we lost the previous game anyway 🤷‍♂️

In my defence, I haven't seen the full game so can't judge him on his performance. I feel Osborn's experience will be more valuable alongside Ozoh and Goudmijn in midfield.

We haven't learned from the last few transfer windows have we? I would never bother with trying to deal with Chansiri ever again

1 hour ago, Anag Ram said:

We shouldn’t be starting with any of Collins, Brown, Washington or Barkhuisen at this level.

That's extremely harsh. Any of those players are fine starting in the Championship for the odd game, but you don't want too many of them starting games together. There will be players starting games in the PL this season, who I wouldn't even want to be starting regularly in L1 - Springett had a PL start 18+ months before joining us on loan being an example.

A full 90 at AM and he provides his team with assist.

That takes him to just 25 '90s' in his career at AM, and his 14th goal contribution (as per Transfermarkt)

Vickers

Wilson   Nelson   Cashin   Elder

Ozoh

Goudmijn   Osborn

Jackson   DBrown   Mendez-Laing

Subs: Zetterstrom, Nyambe, Bradley, Forsyth, Adams, Thompson, Barkhuizen, Washington, Collins

Just now, Tamworthram said:

There’s a goal scorer in there somewhere. He could really do with a goal tonight for his own confidence. Two decent chances where he’s failed to trouble the keeper.

It's a mental block. 1 goal and the floodgates will open.

Booking my Wembley hotel!

7 minutes ago, DiggerB said:

Albeit against L2 new boys

Only Piergianni won more aerial battles per 90 than Dunkley last season - very few CFs beat him in the air. He was also very good in ground duels too

DBrown definitely trying to prove he should be starting at the weekend.

45 minutes ago, WarCatDCFC said:

My wish list

Feel free look these players up yourself

E Tagseth - Not a bad suggestion, especially since he's out of contract in December. But, he's not getting in over Ozoh/Adams in that deeper DM position, and he doesn't offer enough going forward to get in over Goudmijn.
A Pereira - Andreas Pereira? Way out of our price range
H Burrows - Just joined Sheff Utd
K Sabbe - Can't afford him
W Kamanzi -  Poor crosser and pretty bad defensively for a RWB. Not the best dribbler either
L Bennett - Need more than 2 assists from a wing back
H Roberts - wouldn't improve us in the areas we need, even if Bristol C wanted to let him go
M Rasmussen - Looks a decent player, but could be expensive for a 26 year old with little chance of returning a profit
M Gradem - Who?
T Gulliksen - not a great record for a winger
L Joseph - Lenny Jospeh the French 2nd Division winger/forward with 3 league goals last season?
A Famewo - wasn't even good enough to start regularly for Sheff Weds last season.
J Amofa - signed a new contract 3 weeks ago. A CB who isn't very good at defending.
N Mendez -  Nuno Mendes the Portugal international playing for PSG?
R Sanchez - Roberto? Renato? Both out of our budget. You'll need to be more specific if someone else
H Roberto - No idea who this is. You'll need to be more specific
S Homenchenko - On loan until next summer
M Solbakken - Only joined Sparta Praha in January and has played in every game this season. Won't be let go cheaply and I doubt he'd get in the team over Goudmiijn - 0 G/A in 21 games for Sparta Praha
D Grimshaw
I Price -  3 years left on his contract. Wouldn't get in the team over Goudmijn
A.Ruberto (ST) -  a CF in Argentina with 2 career goals

1 minute ago, Eoghan1884 said:

I’d imagine it’s the 5 at the back system but also wouldn’t surprise me if it was 4-3-3 hopefully brown can get himself a goal. Also Collo being rested might suggest he’s going to start v Middlesbrough. 

Looks more like the 433 option to me.

Good to see Ward back in the squad.

6 minutes ago, thederbyram said:

Who's H Burrows?

The Sheff Utd player?

9 minutes ago, Black ('n' White) Sheep said:

Zetterstrom, Wiredu and Woodrow fit the brief in terms of attributes for three of the roles PW is looking for (GK, quick CB and hold up forward)... and personally I'd be happy with all three! With Dembele going to QPR, I still think we could do with a similar kind of player to him though! A couple of players in leagues we've reportedly looked at with similar stats (yes, I am going on stats as I haven't seen either of them play... haha) are Musa Juwara at Vejle and Louicius Don Deedson (what a name!) at Odense, both in Denmark. Wonder if either of them have made it on to any of our 'watch lists'?

I was always under the impression Woodrow was more of pressing forward who would drop deep and shoot from outside the box. Not exactly a target man.

Musa Juwara is a hard working winger with por dribbling and finishing. He had 7 lewgue assists last season, with clinical finishing from teammates being a big factor (xA of 2.7!)

Louicius Don Deedson had a good season in front of goal. However, the last goal was way back in Feb, a 13 game goal drought. His around play was poor for a winger, with an average defensive contribution, below average dribbling, and poor creativity.

1 hour ago, ram59 said:

The level of our academy players is far lower than it was about 3 or 4 years ago, our u21 team were regularly competing at the top of the Premier 2 division, even playing in europe. Since then the team has been devastated, losing virtually all of the top talent, in some cases for next to nothing.

Our u21 team is having to start from scratch and it will take some time, if at all, to get back to where it once was. Our recent group of players in the u21's could barely register a win throughout the season, which doesn't fill you with confidence that many will be able to step up to Championship football just yet.

Administration effectively relegated us, but the damage to our academy is arguably more devastating and will take a lot longer to fix.

The U21s (or U23s) have never played in Europe and the highest placed finish was 4th in 19/20 - 27 points from 18 games. Our only other top half finish was the following season.

The U18s won the title in 18/19, which allowed them to compete as an U19 side the following season. They also finished 4th last season, equalling our 2nd best ever season in the current format (starting from 15/16).

The U18s have been back at a pre-admin standard since the start of lsat season. The U21s aren't far off where we'd be if not for the admin period. The only players within the relevant age groups who would be in our starting lineup now are: Kellyman, Gordon and Scanlon... 2 of those would have been in the first team or sold on by now anyway. Ebiowei was the only other player from thsoe age froups, but he was already a regular in the first team when he chose to move clubs too.

2 hours ago, Sparkle said:

Wing backs? 🥳

442 😉

1 hour ago, jimtastic56 said:

So his passing and dribbling is Nullified when he gets near the opposition box . Wow , never heard of that before . 

If a midfielder is on the edge of the box, chances are he has a packed defence in front of him - you won't find many midfielders who will dribble through a packed defence.

On passing, you only have to look at his penetrating pass from the half way line through to Jackson to understand the vision and passing ability he has. You don't tend to get those passes when standing on the edge of the box.

15 minutes ago, jimtastic56 said:

Sorry , didn’t like how he dropped deep. We have plenty of midfielders that do that . In and around the opposition box is where he is paid to be , it’s tough we know . But he will be judged on Assists and Goals . 

Goudmijn is a #8. Part of that role is to drop deep, and his skill set is getting teams further up the pitch through his range of passing and dribbling, You nullify those skills by putting him "in and around the opposition box". He's a creator, not a scorer.

18 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

I agree. To be frank, if he doesn't start tonight, then he should probably already be out on loan. I guess it will come down to how he's performing in training. If he's showing up well, then I suspect he'll start. If not, then he won't. For my part, I'd even compromise on  a 30 minute slot after JC has beat up their CBs a bit, as we do need to know, one way or t'other.

Sadly, I think @angieram was right in her assumption that the Jimmy Collins interview was a pre-empt to him getting his 100th start for the club tonight.

Ah well, not long to wait to find out I suppose! 

My money is on them both starting

51 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

ITK 👻😊

Just a prediction