Another Season of Massive Change

[Granite Fox]

Pearson has certainly shaken things up since his arrival. He has cleared out a lot of deadwood and is hopefully identifying the players who have the wrong attitude and the ones that won't/can't play his way.

Since January there have been 14 departured (if you exclude Delfouneso who was always a short term loan), with Bamba, Mills and Peltier strongly rumoured to be making the departures up to 17:

Howard
Tunchev
Fernandes
Abe
Johnson
Vassell
Weale
Oakley
Moussa
Berner
Ball
Moreno
Pantsil
Chamberlain

So far he has brought six players in since January:

Drinkwater
Marshall
Morgan
De Laet
James
Vardy

So I would hope that represents a big drop in the wage bill (especially after you add Bamba & Mills), although I exepct a few more in before pre-season.

This is another massive change in the playing squad over the last 6 months. Let's hope Pearson gets some time to make this work or we could be seeing the same again

 

[Darth Vodka]

you mean a pre-season of change then?

 

[indierich06]

I'm glad all the players on that list have gone, I think you're making it sound a bit more drastic than it is though. Every club releases a fair few out of contract players at the end of the season, that's just football. Are you saying we should have renewed the contracts of Howard, Oakley et al just to keep the same faces at the club? If you discount the loans, who were always going back to their clubs, we've cancelled the contracts of just four players - Paintsil, Moreno, Ball and Moussa. None of the players listed are worth anything to the club if we are to mount a serious promotion campaign next season.

As for the players who've come in, there's a lot of potential there with the added experience of Morgan in the mix too. I expect this is the policy Pearson will adopt - getting in young, hungry players with potential and add a bit of championship experience throughout the spine of the team. I know some people are unsure about whether or not it will work, and rightly so, but I think this approach is far better than the one undertaken by Sven last season, where massive fees and wages were paid for average players who haven't done anything to improve on the previous season's league finish. At least this method is more sustainable.

I think out of all the players Sven bought, the only ones I'd really want to keep would be Beckford, Nugent, Schmeichel and Danns. Perhaps St Ledger. But if NP can find better players on lower wages, all the better.

 

[Granite Fox]

I'm glad all the players on that list have gone, I think you're making it sound a bit more drastic than it is though. I think out of all the players Sven bought, the only ones I'd really want to keep would be Beckford, Nugent, Schmeichel and Danns. Perhaps St Ledger. But if NP can find better players on lower wages, all the better.

I agree with you Indie, that is why I said he was getting rid of deadwood. What is worrying me, is if results do not go well in the early months of the season we could repeat the cycle for the 3rd season on the trot

 

[RHYDAL]

Don't talk to me about massive change......

 

[indierich06]

I agree with you Indie, that is why I said he was getting rid of deadwood. What is worrying me, is if results do not go well in the early months of the season we could repeat the cycle for the 3rd season on the trot

Well I'm hoping we'll avoid that this season. Pearson definitely seems to be putting the right kind of squad together to me. Well thought out, reasoned signings, rather than the scattergun approach we saw under Sven and Sousa's respective reigns.

 

[Redditch Fox]

This is another massive change in the playing squad over the last 6 months. Let's hope Pearson gets some time to make this work or we could be seeing the same again

Pearson seems generally to be following the right lines and the previous squad wasn't right at a number of different levels.

But as imply there is always a price to pay for this sort of big change.

If he starts to talk about need to give the team a chance to gel
and it's going to take time and we are already more or less out of the automatic promotion spots by the end of October then the knives will be out.

 

[The Old Fox]

Pearson seems generally to be following the right lines and the previous squad wasn't right at a number of different levels.

But as imply there is always a price to pay for this sort of big change.

If he starts to talk about need to give the team a chance to gel
and it's going to take time and we are already more or less out of the automatic promotion spots by the end of October then the knives will be out.

Surely, it's a given that it is going to take time for the team to settle, if the large number of changes are forthcoming.

So far, no significant players have left the club, so if the new arrivals are seen as squad players, then perhaps.... otherwise, whether Pearson stays, or goes, we will have another season in the Championship to enjoy.

 

[indierich06]

Surely, it's a given that it is going to take time for the team to settle, if the large number of changes are forthcoming.

So far, no significant players have left the club, so if the new arrivals are seen as squad players, then perhaps.... otherwise, whether Pearson stays, or goes, we will have another season in the Championship to enjoy.

It's not necessarily a given that all players need time to gel - Charlton signed about 22 players in the summer transfer window last season and they hit the ground running and won the league at a canter.

Also, just because players have come in and others haven't left, doesn't mean that the signings we've already made are simply squad players. Perhaps players in last seasons first team will be used as squad players? Perhaps moves for certain players have already been finalised? We don't really know what goes on behind the scenes and we won't know what roles these new signings will play until about 10-15 games into the season... No point in doom-mongering until the season gets underway!

 

[gregs_y2k]

It's not necessarily a given that all players need time to gel - Charlton signed about 22 players in the summer transfer window last season and they hit the ground running and won the league at a canter.

Although we are far from making what I would consider wholesale changes to the squad, continually pointing to one example in the league below doesn't justify us going down this path. The fact remains that more often than not, it does not work. A team generally needs time to bed in and develop a pattern of play and for team mates to work out each others styles and tactics. If we make a load of changes this summer, I will expect that we will fall short again.

 

[Filthy Rich]

Don't talk to me about massive change......

So how are you Redbirds?

 

[sparky79]

My opinion on the changes being made are:
mills - no one rated him or his performances but selling him to celtic would swell the coffers
Bamba - good games and a cult figure but consistently missing in action when we conceded stupid soft goals. Not a defender or a midfielder and so can see why we'd take 1m for him (a profit) and buy cheaters or a.n.other who performed very well last season.
Howard, weale, moussa, Oakley, vas sell - no one really concerned about losing these players s they're either too old or not good enough.

Players in: the real problem is the lack of proven players to add a competitive spine to the side: players that fans can clearly see will add a structure and strength without necessarily lacking pace. These would be your lamberts, Maynard's, nolan's or roberts'. Players who you KNOW will bring strength to the side. James, Drinkwater, Marshall, de laet, vardy all seem very tid
y players but are not leaders of the nature of evatt from Blackpool, Nolan at west ham, leigertwood and harte at reading. Hoolahan, holt and drury at Norwich.

Our players have been either tippy tappy (Gallagher, wellens, peltier). Never really physically dominating a game. Or players who look to physically dominate with pace or strength (dyer, Howard, Bamba, mills) that don't have the quality.

I personally think we need to do all we can to secure a Danny Graham, steve Morison, Jason Roberts or grant holt figure. Not these players themselves, but ones who did the job they did for their sides: the right side of 30, keep the ball for the team and net 20 goals.
Add to that a really mobile ball winner and suddenly our flair player ps like Nugent, Beckford, Marshall, king, schluppe have room and confidence to do wha they are best at....

 

[RHYDAL]

So how are you Redbirds?

What did I just say?

 

[Uncle Connolly]

What did I just say?

I feel hugely sorry for you.

You're clubs kit and badge have been completely changed to literally sell more shirts in Asia under a more 'Wales' brand.

Your supporters must be infuriated.

 

[RHYDAL]

I feel hugely sorry for you.

You're clubs kit and badge have been completely changed to literally sell more shirts in Asia under a more 'Wales' brand.

Your supporters must be infuriated.

I feel sorry for other teams who weren't able to adapt and survive. And the teams we play next season if we get decent money to spend on the team.

The badge has already changed twice in the last ten years, and the kit changes every year. Big deal.

The mongs have taken over the assylum over on the ccmb. I'll take refuge here for a while if it's all the same with you.

 

[Filthy Rich]

You're clubs kit.......

Congratulations! It's the first time I've seen anyone make that mistake that way around. It's usually 'your' instead of 'you're'.

 

[Uncle Connolly]

Congratulations! It's the first time I've seen anyone make that mistake that way around. It's usually 'your' instead of 'you're'.

Deary me how did you catch that one? Changed it within about 5 seconds?

 

[Jeff]

Changed it within about 5 seconds?

You changed the second one, but not the first one - and it was 11 seconds :icon_wink

 

[bocadillo]

You changed the second one, but not the first one - and it was 11 seconds :icon_wink

Isn't anybody going to mention the missing apostrophe?

 

[spionfox]

Isn't anybody going to mention the missing apostrophe?

A greengrocer perhaps?