January...

Which of these is the biggest priority?

  • Character/leadership?

    Votes: 40 48.2%

  • Pace?

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Physicality?

    Votes: 8 9.6%

  • Technical quality?

    Votes: 15 18.1%

  • Gary Madine

    Votes: 19 22.9%
  • Total voters
    83
I would say personally, we need some character in the side. That's a weird, ephemeral quality and quite difficult to recruit for but I don't think we're all that bad - we just seem to fold so easily. We can and do dominate games, but we're not resilient at all. I think that's why people are pissed off. We all know we can lose but we shouldn't be losing in the manner we have on quite a few occasions. We're not making a fight of it.

I also think if we're going to persist with the full back ploy come what may then we need greater technical quality. I'm not sure that's going to be available at our budget. How we'd find a player with pace, two feet, defensive and offensive qualities is the challenge.
 
I've voted (1) as a top priority (the same applied to last season).
The Holloway teams had character & leadership in every player, the manager & his coaches. It was a given, no superstars, but grafters & characters who lead on the pitch and gave everything. That's why they were successful.
The qualities of character & leadership derive from the manager & through the recruitment process. Critchley is a well qualified coach, but has showed in several ways, that he doesn't possess these qualities.
However, with the way things are currently, I would vote for all five if I could.
 
585 = never give up said:
I've voted (1) as a top priority (the same applied to last season).
The Holloway teams had character & leadership in every player, the manager & his coaches. It was a given, no superstars etc, but that's why they were successful.
The qualities of character & leadership derive from the manager & through the recruitment process. Critchley is a well qualified coach, but has showed in several ways, that he doesn't possess these qualities.
However, with the way things are currently, I would vote for all five if I could.
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I apologise now for doing shit leadership speak but I see Critch as a good 'facilitator' but not an out and out leader.

I think first time round he had certain things to harness and channel. Jerry's mental energy, Gary's anger, Keshi, Josh - players whose skill needed a focus and people like Keogh who just didn't like losing and loved playing.

I just don't see that sort of blend now.
 
It all depends on coach Critchley I'm afraid

It he continues with this system and keeps his job and I think he will

We need the following;

A left sided centre half
Proper wing backs are can cross the ball with both feet
A midfield player who can drive us forward
A quick striker

Can't see us getting all of the above so it will just be a season of mid table mediocrity
 
td53 said:
I apologise now for doing shit leadership speak but I see Critch as a good 'facilitator' but not an out and out leader.

I think first time round he had certain things to harness and channel. Jerry's mental energy, Gary's anger, Keshi, Josh - players whose skill needed a focus and people like Keogh who just didn't like losing and loved playing.

I just don't see that sort of blend now.
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Indeed we are in a different era. We need Critchley to make the best of what we’ve got. One thing I like is that he does seem to bring out the best qualities in players with potential.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
It all depends on coach Critchley I'm afraid

It he continues with this system and keeps his job and I think he will

We need the following;

A left sided centre half
Proper wing backs are can cross the ball with both feet
A midfield player who can drive us forward
A quick striker

Can't see us getting all of the above so it will just be a season of mid table mediocrity
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It's beyond me why we can't set up more flexibly.

I genuinely don't mind him nailing his colours to a system but why he can't then alter that system is beyond me.

At the moment you've got Connolly in the back 5. Why can't he step up to midfield or out to rb and us go to a 4 if required? Why don't we swap wing backs as a matter of course? Pose more questions? See the full back in and outside?

I think you're right about certain things being fixed/rigid because of certain players and the uncomfortable truth is Rhodes is one of them.

That lack of driving runs has driven me mental in the last two games. I can't understand it at all. Teams giving us space to run into and us just shuttling it sideways when we're losing. Don't get it. To me, that's part of the character/leadership. Someone saying 'fuck it, don't come off the pitch wondering, go again...'
 
td53 said:
It's beyond me why we can't set up more flexibly.

I genuinely don't mind him nailing his colours to a system but why he can't then alter that system is beyond me.

At the moment you've got Connolly in the back 5. Why can't he step up to midfield or out to rb and us go to a 4 if required? Why don't we swap wing backs as a matter of course? Pose more questions? See the full back in and outside?

I think you're right about certain things being fixed/rigid because of certain players and the uncomfortable truth is Rhodes is one of them.

That lack of driving runs has driven me mental in the last two games. I can't understand it at all. Teams giving us space to run into and us just shuttling it sideways when we're losing. Don't get it. To me, that's part of the character/leadership. Someone saying 'fuck it, don't come off the pitch wondering, go again...'
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It all goes back to the recruitment policy/strategy or lack of it

You could argue that our best two players in Dembele and Rhodes can't play in a system that suits them both

It's all a bit fucked up again
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
It all goes back to the recruitment policy/strategy or lack of it

You could argue that our best two players in Dembele and Rhodes can't play in a system that suits them both

It's all a bit fucked up again
Click to expand...
Just to add I agree about Rhodes as well and I think Critchley also knows that Rhodes can't play as a lone striker or in a front 3 which kinda forces us into this 3412
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
It all goes back to the recruitment policy/strategy or lack of it

You could argue that our best two players in Dembele and Rhodes can't play in a system that suits them both

It's all a bit fucked up again
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I get the impression Rhodes was a panic punt to cover for Lavs/Joseph injuries (as he's *nothing* like Lavs or Joseph)

Him being so successful has created a situation where he can't drop him but we also can't play the kind of high press fluid forward line I expected him to aim for.
 
td53 said:
I get the impression Rhodes was a panic punt to cover for Lavs/Joseph injuries (as he's *nothing* like Lavs or Joseph)

Him being so successful has created a situation where he can't drop him but we also can't play the kind of high press fluid forward line I expected him to aim for.
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Yep and I also get the impression that Critchley doesn't really know what to do with Dembele

He had never played a first team match as a 10 before we signed him, he's a winger all day long
 
At times against Vale, the 3412 was more like a 7-3

It was really striking how the midfield came deep to join the defence but then no one really drove from there.

Yes, drag your men in, but then you've got work out and go as a unit.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Yep and I also get the impression that Critchley doesn't really know what to do with Dembele

He had never played a first team match as a 10 before we signed him, he's a winger all day long
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I'm not sure on that. I like him at 10. Where I do agree is, if you got players like him, you can definitely rotate things within games. He doesn't always work where he is, so change the problem. Get him wide and use his quality delivery and ability to hold a ball till late runs arrive.
 
td53 said:
I'm not sure on that. I like him at 10. Where I do agree is, if you got players like him, you can definitely rotate things within games. He doesn't always work where he is, so change the problem. Get him wide and use his quality delivery and ability to hold a ball till late runs arrive.
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He's done well there I'm not saying he hasn't but he's kinda been shoehorned into that role
 
td53 said:
Get you on the recruitment team.

*Attributes to search for*

'Good at football'

🤣
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Too vague - you would need an accompanying metric, perhaps a 1-10 scoring system where 10 is for instance Jude Bellingham and 1 is Oakley-Booth
 
td53 said:
That's partly what I'm saying - If we're shoehorning into starting line up, that should automatically give us in game options if that makes sense.

Yet weirdly we don't seem to use that at all.
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Which goes back to a lack of a proper plan

There are plenty of successful teams who sell their best players but have a proper recruitment policy in place so they aren't missed

We currently miss Yates and Bowler massively
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Which goes back to a lack of a proper plan

There are plenty of successful teams who sell their best players but have a proper recruitment policy in place so they aren't missed

We currently miss Yates and Bowler massively
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We miss Yates horribly. The best we've played this year was generally in the 5 minutes here and there when Lavs hasn't been injured and doing a fair impression of Yates.

Yates was criminally underrated for his work in moving people around and creating space. The 'Rhodes is better' argument relies solely on that Rhodes is a better finisher. Yates at his best was as good a fit to us as Rush was to Liverpool. Everything we were at our best started with his work at the top. Yes, he missed a bit, but he did so much.

Bowler, I can more understand why he's hard to replace cos he's a very idiosyncratic player but it's frustrating how we only seem to have one 'flair' player of any sort.

I've liked Dale this year. He's the only player I see who plays with a bit of anger. He's not a patch on Bowler but he's got a bit about him.
 
td53 said:
We miss Yates horribly. The best we've played this year was generally in the 5 minutes here and there when Lavs hasn't been injured and doing a fair impression of Yates.

Yates was criminally underrated for his work in moving people around and creating space. The 'Rhodes is better' argument relies solely on that Rhodes is a better finisher. Yates at his best was as good a fit to us as Rush was to Liverpool. Everything we were at our best started with his work at the top. Yes, he missed a bit, but he did so much.

Bowler, I can more understand why he's hard to replace cos he's a very idiosyncratic player but it's frustrating how we only seem to have one 'flair' player of any sort.

I've liked Dale this year. He's the only player I see who plays with a bit of anger. He's not a patch on Bowler but he's got a bit about him.
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Yep it's a bollocks comparison

Now Yates and Rhodes together would have been something
 
Graves said:
Indeed we are in a different era. We need Critchley to make the best of what we’ve got. One thing I like is that he does seem to bring out the best qualities in players with potential.
Click to expand...
And then destroys those qualities by playing them out of position, ala Lyons.
 
None of these in my opinion. Teamwork, organisation and positioning I'd say as we're out of position SO many times when conceding/making the final killer ball. Maybe that ties into the formation but you expect the technical element to be there at this level at least. Pace and physicality are more individual assets that can't be taught. It would be perfect to have a team full of leaders like the Arsenal invincibles or Chelsea champs league winners sides but I think even a spine of leaders; 1 CB, 1 CM and striker is enough to encourage and convince the rest.
 
We play against a lot of sides that on paper are worse than us but they all look more drilled and a proper organised team knowing their roles inside out. It's part of the reason we struggle to break sides down as well as not taking our chances.
 
seasidemike said:
None of these in my opinion. Teamwork, organisation and positioning I'd say as we're out of position SO many times when conceding/making the final killer ball. Maybe that ties into the formation but you expect the technical element to be there at this level at least. Pace and physicality are more individual assets that can't be taught. It would be perfect to have a team full of leaders like the Arsenal invincibles or Chelsea champs league winners sides but I think even a spine of leaders; 1 CB, 1 CM and striker is enough to encourage and convince the rest.
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How is 'we need three leaders' not covered by 'leadership' 🤣
 
td53 said:
We miss Yates horribly. The best we've played this year was generally in the 5 minutes here and there when Lavs hasn't been injured and doing a fair impression of Yates.

Yates was criminally underrated for his work in moving people around and creating space. The 'Rhodes is better' argument relies solely on that Rhodes is a better finisher. Yates at his best was as good a fit to us as Rush was to Liverpool. Everything we were at our best started with his work at the top. Yes, he missed a bit, but he did so much.

Bowler, I can more understand why he's hard to replace cos he's a very idiosyncratic player but it's frustrating how we only seem to have one 'flair' player of any sort.

I've liked Dale this year. He's the only player I see who plays with a bit of anger. He's not a patch on Bowler but he's got a bit about him.
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I think the ‘flair player’ conundrum is because Critchley doesn’t seem to like that kind of player. He prefers workhorses who just fit his system and don’t do anything untoward.
 
I think Port Vale won the other night because they had more bigger /stronger players than us. If we had had Ikpeazu up front
we could have won that game. As people have said LCB also needed.
 
td53 said:
How is 'we need three leaders' not covered by 'leadership' 🤣
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because we already have the spine of leaders in Ekpiteta, Norburn and Rhodes. Beckham was the England captain without screaming but rather setting an example.
 
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