Assessing our squad

[dozer]

One of our new signings and one of our best players so far this season injured. And Dozer was ready to work with a 15-man squad or whatever.

No excuses to not play Kobbie now.

Yes. His zero goals will be hard to replace.

[FuB]

The media circus has helped fan the flames for the doom and gloom of the first 4 games but the stats say different, if these are to be believed

https://x.com/jamestactics/status/19628 ... QP4I7InbHQ

So, what we're saying is that we're excellent but really unlucky. Didn't really seem that way for large amounts of those games.

[fat maradona]

The media circus has helped fan the flames for the doom and gloom of the first 4 games but the stats say different, if these are to be believed

https://x.com/jamestactics/status/19628 ... QP4I7InbHQ

So, what we're saying is that we're excellent but really unlucky. Didn't really seem that way for large amounts of those games.

I know it’s like me saying if my auntie had balls, she’d be my uncle but if we’d have put away half the decent chances we had created in our three league games, we’d have won convincingly. We create our own problems by panicking under the pressure of putting a chance away, it’s then we get sloppy and pulled out of shape. Once we start putting those chances away, I bet we’ll start dominating teams and conceding less.

[Felwin]

10 years today since that Martial debut and goal against the scousers. That has fucking flown by.

If you'd told me then we'd be this shit a decade later, I would've thought you were just wumming.

[dozer]

The media circus has helped fan the flames for the doom and gloom of the first 4 games but the stats say different, if these are to be believed

https://x.com/jamestactics/status/19628 ... QP4I7InbHQ

So, what we're saying is that we're excellent but really unlucky. Didn't really seem that way for large amounts of those games.

I know it’s like me saying if my auntie had balls, she’d be my uncle but if we’d have put away half the decent chances we had created in our three league games, we’d have won convincingly. We create our own problems by panicking under the pressure of putting a chance away, it’s then we get sloppy and pulled out of shape. Once we start putting those chances away, I bet we’ll start dominating teams and conceding less.

Yeah. It's nothing like the auntie analogy at all.
Our performances have to pass the eye test and so far it's been somewhat positive.
We've looked like our last season version against Grimsby and Fulham so the inconsistencies are still there. But we've been better than the other teams and we've not looked like a team playing in moments. We've really improved on our possession and the team does look like they don't need to take a few more seconds to look where their teammates after receiving the ball to make a pass.

A lot of fans can't see that. They just count the results so everything is based on hindsight. The problem is even when we got second and third, we were no closer to winning the league than where we are now. That was the ceiling. Being clutch isn't enough to win us the league. Anyone can be a manager by buying galacticos, having the team play hopeful balls into the box and hoping one out of 10 times the quality will get us the goals. Van Gaal was the exception but he was shit at transfers and he only had possession because of his sideways passing.

[Felwin]

Couple of things about this talk of us being "better".

1) Passing the eye test is all well and good, and I'd agree that we look better going forward, but just because we've looked more direct and threatening in 2 games and half of another one, doesn't mean we can extrapolate to a good season. We can start saying stuff like this after 10 games or so of playing like that.

2) If we haven't sorted the GK situation with Onana out and Lammens in, then that will seriously hinder any progress we're making, and at some point shite results will cost Amorim his job.

3) Statistically we were looking better towards the end of last season too, but we still weren't winning most games. Are we blaming that all on Hojlund? He wasn't the only one spooning chances last season. Are we just going to become reliant on Mbeumo? These are unknowns right now. Sesko could score 5, he could score 20 - same for Cunha + possibly Amad.

We'll know much more after this tough run of games.

[dozer]

Couple of things about this talk of us being "better".

1) Passing the eye test is all well and good, and I'd agree that we look better going forward, but just because we've looked more direct and threatening in 2 games and half of another one, doesn't mean we can extrapolate to a good season. We can start saying stuff like this after 10 games or so of playing like that.

2) If we haven't sorted the GK situation with Onana out and Lammens in, then that will seriously hinder any progress we're making, and at some point shite results will cost Amorim his job.

3) Statistically we were looking better towards the end of last season too, but we still weren't winning most games. Are we blaming that all on Hojlund? He wasn't the only one spooning chances last season. Are we just going to become reliant on Mbeumo? These are unknowns right now. Sesko could score 5, he could score 20 - same for Cunha + possibly Amad.

We'll know much more after this tough run of games.

1) Who extrapolated anything? I'm only speaking of what we've seen so far - like everyone else. I've brought up the shit performances and the good ones.
2) GK isn't on Amorim, sorry. The club didn't replace Onana and it's on Ineos - unless Amorim personally scouted Lammens. Vivell should be more on the hook if Lammens is shit. But yes, the reality is that the managers get the sack, because clubs like most people are sheep and they keep sacking the key member of their staff while somehow other key staff with responsibilities of equivalent importance survive.
3) We were even worse at the end of last season. Amorim focused on Europa and we got worse in the league games.

[JoelfuckingGlazer]

We're finally seeing enduring areas of progress, and Amorims style is finally showing some signs of being able to work.

At the same time, there are notable areas where we need to improve.

Where we do we see our priorities?

Midfield is an obvious one. Assuming casemiro moves on in the summer we go from needing one to probably 2 midfielders. I think left wing back is just as important. Our left side is notably weaker than the right.

After that, it's probably another, more mobile and physically capable centre. Then it's about depth - we're really going to miss Mbeumo and Amad when AFCON starts. Amad especially - we can find solutions to cover Mbuemo for a month but we have no one else with reap quality at wing back.

I could see Zirkzee moving on. And we could do much worse than bring Welbeck back for a year or two to mentor, cover and rotate with Sesko. I think he'd be excellent in this system, and could do 10-15 starts a season and 15-20 from the bench.

[JoelfuckingGlazer]

Worst case list of possible games Amad, Mbeumo and Mazraoui could miss due to AFCON.

◉ Sun, 21 Dec - Aston Villa [A]
◉ Sat, 27 Dec – Newcastle [H]
◉ Tue, 30 Dec – Wolves [H]
◉ Sat, 3 Jan – Leeds [A]
◉ Wed, 7 Jan – Burnley [A]
◉ Sat, 17 Jan – Man City [H]
◉ Sat, 24 Jan - Arsenal [A]

[Fuck the Glazers]

Worst case list of possible games Amad, Mbeumo and Mazraoui could miss due to AFCON.

◉ Sun, 21 Dec - Aston Villa [A]
◉ Sat, 27 Dec – Newcastle [H]
◉ Tue, 30 Dec – Wolves [H]
◉ Sat, 3 Jan – Leeds [A]
◉ Wed, 7 Jan – Burnley [A]
◉ Sat, 17 Jan – Man City [H]
◉ Sat, 24 Jan - Arsenal [A]

All difficult games except Wolves who are currently shite.

It could determine whether we get top 4 or not