Jordan Rhodes - gone to Blackpool

[bucktwo]

1 hour ago, Nuwtfly said:

If it's a short deal, with no fee, I'm not wholly against this.

Yes I would have preferred a younger striker; someone for the future; a long term project for the club to invest in and maybe see a profit on, but I am starting to see a pattern in the players Warne is signing this summer: promotion.

He's signing proven quality at this level because we're absolutely going it for year and the only aim is to just get out of this league. 

Building for the future can start when we're in the Championship and in a better financial position with more pulling power (this is my guess as to what they're thinking behind the scenes).

 

We also haven't finished the window yet . Youth, pace and resell value still to come ? Even loans not done yet !!! Patience everyone and judge at the end of the window , with real relevance before the January window opens .

[BramcoteRam84]

Think a lot of people on this thread will be eating humble pie come the end of next season. He’s still a good player with the right service. And he gets goals in big moments, the goal he scored to get Huddersfield to Wembley - only he would score a goal like that. 

I think Washington will be a good signing and surprise people and I think Collo will score more this season given we’ll be playing to his strengths.

Ultimately Warne has been given a budget to deliver promotion. I expect him to achieve that and I think he will deliver it. He could bring Akinfenwa out of retirement for all I care if he delivers promotion.

[Donnyram]

9 hours ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

Its a fair point.

I was a huge fan of Rhodes and used to dream of signing players like him, along with the Tom Cairneys of the world.

My disappointment isn't with Rhodes as such, it's at the potential of Warne saying one thing and doing another, a little bit like in January.

Warne said a couple of weeks ago in an interview that he will likely have to go over the 32 year bracket to find a goal scorer

[BuckoBeast]

Honestly not against this however, really need some legs around Washington and Rhodes. Must be some decent young PL or Champ loans going

[Anag Ram]

2 minutes ago, Donnyram said:

Warne said a couple of weeks ago in an interview that he will likely have to go over the 32 year bracket to find a goal scorer

Great. Alan Shearer it is then.

[R@M]

20 minutes ago, Rich3478 said:

Yeah this is my thoughts as well, we seem to have addressed none of the issues with the squad last season.

like you say hopefully is more to come.

Apart from adding actual wing backs that can cross the ball? 
(and centre defence) 

[bucktwo]

11 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

8 years ago Rhodes would have been a terrible signing for Derby.

We played with a lone striker (Martin) holding the ball up the ball up, winning free kicks and making clever layoffs to his teammates - Rhodes wouldn't have fit our way of playing.

Even if we'd forgone that setup, we also had Ince on the wing - notorious for cutting inside shooting himself rather than playing a teammate in, and rarely crossing the ball, Rhodes would get no service anyway. Ince & Rhodes is like one of the worst combination you could possible ever have had if you wanted a balanced team.

That's why Darren Bent hardly showed any of the obvious talent he had . 

(Yes the wolves away goal was sublime , but not as influential as the penalty miss at home to Reading.)  

[Srg]

2 minutes ago, bucktwo said:

That's why Darren Bent hardly showed any of the obvious talent he had . 

(Yes the wolves away goal was sublime , but not as influential as the penalty miss at home to Reading.)  

The other reason being... 

checks notes

He was old.

[May Contain Nuts]

37 minutes ago, Nuwtfly said:

If everyone is right and we're lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation then he's not going to sign three strikers to all sit on the bench while one of them starts up front.

My hope now is that what money we do have to spend is spent on some 10s to add the much needed creativity that we are lacking. 

 

Perhaps everyone is wrong, and we're playing 2 strikers and 1 no. 10. Maybe it was meant to be the other way round, but plans can change depending on who you get in.

Washington, Rhodes and Collins are all players who best fit into a system with 2 up top. The consensus of Huddersfield fans when looking at Rhodes' 'downfall', one of the biggest reasons he's lost his oomph, is that managers have come in and asked him to play on his own upfront when it's not his game. We've seen Collins try to do it last season, not his game either.

That's not to say they can't 'do a job' on an occasional basis but over a full season it'd be reminiscent of when we played Bent there and the ball wouldn't stick.

Washington in a two alongside an alternating Collins/Rhodes makes more sense, although Collins/Rhodes as a two makes no sense!

If we're expecting any of them to play the lone striker role then we're trying to shove round pegs in square holes again (or is it the other way around?) - Washington may be able to do it with his energy, but then there's no place for Rhodes or Collins!

Whether a lone striker has got a couple of 10s behind them or not they still need to be part of the press, still need to move about a bit to create space and be available for a pass otherwise we're just going to see a very congested area for the 10s to operate in, when its a role that typically requires them to be able to find a yard of space!

....in summary, I'm bloody confused.

Will just have to see how it plays out in reality, could be completely different!

Edited July 18, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[Caerphilly Ram]

31 minutes ago, Rich3478 said:

Yeah this is my thoughts as well, we seem to have addressed none of the issues with the squad last season.

like you say hopefully is more to come.

We haven’t addressed one or two specific issues with the squad from last season…yet!

We have however added wing backs where we had none, meaning we don’t have to play central midfielders out of position.
We’ve added younger, more mobile options at cb with Bradley and Nelson in place of Davies/Chester/Stearman.

We’ve added a permanent second choice keeper when we only had a loan option last year.

We’re about to have 3 central striking options if we sign Rhodes when we finished the season with only 2.  
We’ve got a couple of capable players in the u21s with Radcliffe in particular catching the eye so far.

We’ve added height and physicality too.

For those mentioning age profile relating to Rhodes, he’s one example. Elder is 29, Ward is 27, Vickers is 27, Bradley 31, Nelson 30, Wilson 23, Washington 31. They’re closer to that peak age than some of who they’ve replaced. 

Rhodes is only one player, it won’t make or break the season if we sign him.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Caerphilly Ram

[Old Spalding Ram]

Pinched from the Huddersfield forum regards Rhodes.

Hopefully he gets a decent L1 club that plays two up front and he can start banging them in again. He's looked decent for us even playing as a loan striker but asking him to tear around up front on his own just doesn't play to his strengths. Be good to see him scoring again at the right club. Scored some vital goals for us in his second spell.

 

…………………………………..seems a fair comment. 👍🐏

[YorkshireRam]

17 minutes ago, SFox1993 said:

Warne doesnt need to clarify anything. He might .... but he doesnt need to.

I'd argue he does given the sizeable portion of the responses here expressing their disappointment if this materialises. The weight of that expectation was formed largely off the back off his comments about the age profile of players we are targeting. When most of our signings (so far) go actively against that profile, then I think it's worth clarifying the initial comments and if anything has changed. 

[duncanjwitham]

2 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

Perhaps everyone is wrong, and we're playing 2 strikers and 1 no. 10. Maybe it was meant to be the other way round, but plans can change depending on who you get in.

Washington, Rhodes and Collins are all players who best fit into a system with 2 up top. The consensus of Huddersfield fans when looking at Rhodes' 'downfall', one of the biggest reasons he's lost his oomph, is that managers have come in and asked him to play on his own upfront when it's not his game. We've seen Collins try to do it last season, not his game either.

The usual argument for players that can't play up front on their own, is that those kind of players need pace around them, or someone to hold the ball up for them, someone clever to create chances for them or something else specific around them.  I'm not sure any of these players really address each others weaknesses in that way.  They're all pretty similar types of players (Rhodes and Collins in particular), there's no obvious partnerships that you can see meshing well.

[DCFC1388]

Our formation will be fluid....3421, 3412, 352

We also need to remember we havent got anyone in on loan yet so there is a chance we may bring in 2 or 3 loans in too to help bolster the squad & potentially a young attacking option like Ipswich got with Hirst

[Mr Tibbs]

1 hour ago, McMuffin said:

What looked like a great window is about to become another disappointing one. 
No enthusiasm for the season now. Another year in league one.

No enthusiasm after our signings so far?! 

Glorious post. Almost hope we stay down another year for more of these beauties.

[Sparkle]

Good move for him if it happens!

we would then have 3 decent substitute forwards in Collins, Rhodes and Washington - only Washington might be ok on his own up front the other two certainly aren’t by any measure of what I have seen from them.

we still have no one to win a header up front.

this simply might be a case of this is all we can get.

[Sparkle]

3 minutes ago, DCFC1388 said:

Our formation will be fluid....3421, 3412, 352

We also need to remember we havent got anyone in on loan yet so there is a chance we may bring in 2 or 3 loans in too to help bolster the squad & potentially a young attacking option like Ipswich got with Hirst

You can think we are playing whatever formation you like but when the ball goes towards our forward we can’t win a header or control the football outside the six yard box so I am expecting booming headers flying back to our defence or the opposition goalkeeper to be looking at the seam of the football a lot.

[FKANorwichExile]

7 minutes ago, Old Spalding Ram said:

Pinched from the Huddersfield forum regards Rhodes.

Hopefully he gets a decent L1 club that plays two up front and he can start banging them in again. He's looked decent for us even playing as a loan striker but asking him to tear around up front on his own just doesn't play to his strengths. Be good to see him scoring again at the right club. Scored some vital goals for us in his second spell.

 

…………………………………..seems a fair comment. 👍🐏

That's a solid review, and gives me a bit of hope for the season. Plus, the people saying he's a 1 in 6 striker recently would have said the same about McGoatdrick too.

Although if you'd have told me at the end of last season that we'd be pinning our hopes on Washington and Rhodes as out front two, I wouldn't exactly be enthused...

[jono]

If it is Rhodes then I am happy with that. I am now turning my hugely capable managers brain to midfield power and pace.

Missing Knights energy and drive.

So what have we got in the middle middle options ? Max, Conner, Thommo. I think there’s a forward thinking pacy someone missing to make the blend right ?

[May Contain Nuts]

23 minutes ago, duncanjwitham said:

The usual argument for players that can't play up front on their own, is that those kind of players need pace around them, or someone to hold the ball up for them, someone clever to create chances for them or something else specific around them.  I'm not sure any of these players really address each others weaknesses in that way.  They're all pretty similar types of players (Rhodes and Collins in particular), there's no obvious partnerships that you can see meshing well.

Perhaps my mental image of Washington doesn't reflect reality, but I thought he was all about 'busywork', and I was picturing this creating space for others to play in and freeing up Rhodes &/or Collins from the attention of defenders - the ball then goes either to a no. 10 or one of the wingbacks who plays the ball into a loosely marked poacher, ready to pounce. (That's playing two up top, a partnership of Washington and A.N.Other)

One other concern is where any of this leaves our second most creative player last season (NML) - I do believe he can play more centrally and still be effective, but does playing as a 10 behind any of Collins/Rhodes/Washington work to benefit him at all?

Edited July 18, 2023 by Kokosnuss