Post by andyl on Sept 2, 2016 9:47:06 GMT
We have played five Div 1 games ( I've attended four) been dumped out of the League Cup and have lost the opening game in the Sherpa Van, Leyland Daf, Johnson's Paint, Charlie Cairoli cup for matchstick men and dogs. It's not easy to find our bearings. There is no reliable compass.
At this time last year we were worried about a sharp decline in form since Neil Lennon's Liverpool ( Gudjohnsen homecoming) pinnacle but had not yet hit the depths of ruin , the high courts and Bristol City away. There were worrying financial concerns, loans from Brett Warburton and the private sector ( banks refusing us), Phil Gartside was unwell and we were rumoured to be leaking one million a week. However we had loaned Wellington Silva ( now back where he started at Fluminense) and were doing well enough on the field - albeit making chances by the bucketload and missing the lot never more so than at MK Dons- a 1-0 defeat conjured from a 1-5 victory trajectory. yet we had Neil Lennon and there was surely hope?
Then Mjallby left and the last vestiges of defensive organisation with him. Phil G turned out to have been terminally ill. Eddie D had pulled the plug. We were incredibly vulnerable to counter attack as we pressed ever more on to the front foot. At QPR we surrendered a 2-0 lead and eventually Silva lost possession upfront to allow the opposition a run at Dervite. Neil Lennon hit the press for the wrong reasons. Deano appeared in Thunderbird 4 but was rebuffed and mired in financial ambiguity for ages and ages - with multi millionaire options rumoured ans so on. We beat the mighty Eastleigh in the cup and so on to the brink of administration, Bristol City and the drop. The loan of Feeney to Ipswich was inevitably followed by the mutually agreable termination of Neil's contract and Jimmy and Reidy took us to- er Bristol City- who in passing had tried to buy our Zach for £2m.
So here we are now. Deadline day has attracted five signings. We have won 4 league games and sit top of Division One. Ken Anderson and son seem to have sidelined Deano and Sportshield? But they are making headway in the transfer dealings. Holding for £2m plus add ons to Arsenal looked good business if not perhaps so much so now in the wake of Alonso to Chelsea for £23m. I always hoped our managers would back Alonso more. Can't help feeling we have missed some tricks with this one but Holding is playing for Arsenal for now and doing well- probably better suited at that level than in the robust aerial warfare of Div 1 and latterly the Championship?
So what's different this year? A new manager obviously. A hint of stability in the boardroom even if we cannot but be concerned that the £1m leakage per week cannot have ceased completely with only one high earner moved out and that on a loan whose details we do not know. Our top financial assets are injured and maybe long term and therefore we are stuck with them. I do think the games have seen better defensive organisation and team spirit. There have been no airy fairy non defending wingers and we have started to see games out quite well. Beevers is for me man of the season so far. He has made a huge difference alongside the shrewdly resigned and currently fit Wheater. But we have still yielded some great chances to the opposition. Sheff Utd could have been two up. Goals that would have been scored against us last year have frequently not been- a critical levelling difference in Div One- a headed miss at Charlton being a recent example- there are no Andre Greys in this division. That said we have created very little. Mark Davies now injured took us sideways and backwards much of the time v Fleetwood. We have had no width and Chris Taylor looks weak so far. Our most skilful midfielder and best passer is Trotter but he was omitted by PP as soon as he could be and only returned after injury. He will never convince his detractors and only intermittently please his advocates. Spearing who still cannot pass ansd still loses or backs of his man under pressure ( see Charlton equaliser) is nevertheless treating us to his good qualities which led Dougie to acquire him and instal him as captain.
There is a perceptible symmetry in recent managers. Phil P approaches games much as did Gary Megson and Dougie Freedman and Neil much as Owen. There is just a touch of Big Sam in PP's emphasis on set pieces and bigger more aerially combative players at both ends and in pairing Madine and Proctor there are echoes of Big sam's use of SKD and Pederson albeit perhaps more for with then use of Reeves and Philliskirk in times past?
Off field there is no fanzone and the club shop looks tired but the new owners do seem, touchwood, to be getting to grips with aspects of the busuiness organisation or so we hear and there is more control. If as suspected KA is in this to make money and sell on the club when he can then I for one am pleased. So much more dynamic a situation that being under a philanthropic benefactor and the apparent overspending naivete which took us to the brink of administration. We are under an opaque embargo and BN reporting of it is sketchy and uninformed at best. It cannot be a 23 man barrier. It must be related to finances and FFP? Maybe it is just a close supportive framework. In which case good.
I like the decisions being taken. However much we might have hoped for Wilkinson, Woolery and Walker to make it- they just weren't yet good enough for Div 1. Woolery has wasted some good opportunities. Maybe they will emerge in time. On paper Alnwick, Ameobi and especially Henry look good acquisitions, seasoned and skilful all. I would expect Alnwick to rise above Howard in due course. Howard in diving too late for Lookman's shot the other night alerted a concern and his kicking if powerful has been woeful but who has made a succession of good near post beat out saves which Bogdan used to miss and has looked for the most part confident in the air which Lonergan didn't. Time will tell. Keshi Anderson is a wildcard. We need an Andy Walker. We don't need a Wellington Silva? which is he? and can he Clough and Clayton stay or get fit---on these three may depend our promotion chances?And can Andrew Taylor replace or relocate the worryingly error prone Moxey? Might Derik stay fit enough to convince us of his quality? All unknowns. Is Thorpe a good option? Is Dervite down the pecking order? More unknowns.
But at least hope has returned. At this stage last season and even more so after the QPR game I was very worried about our prospects under Neil Lennon. At the moment I am cautiously hopeful. I hope the finances are Ok and worry that Deano, our apparent saviour is absent from communications and the team has yet to show attacking flair and we have had some crippling injuries but our new manager impresses through his prgamatism and attention to detail . I am looking forward to travelling up for the Southend game. It will be difficult. new signings cannot possibly integrate in the time and our failings won't vanish but within current organisational policy we don't concede easily and at this level we will concede fewer wonder goals.
At this time last year we were worried about a sharp decline in form since Neil Lennon's Liverpool ( Gudjohnsen homecoming) pinnacle but had not yet hit the depths of ruin , the high courts and Bristol City away. There were worrying financial concerns, loans from Brett Warburton and the private sector ( banks refusing us), Phil Gartside was unwell and we were rumoured to be leaking one million a week. However we had loaned Wellington Silva ( now back where he started at Fluminense) and were doing well enough on the field - albeit making chances by the bucketload and missing the lot never more so than at MK Dons- a 1-0 defeat conjured from a 1-5 victory trajectory. yet we had Neil Lennon and there was surely hope?
Then Mjallby left and the last vestiges of defensive organisation with him. Phil G turned out to have been terminally ill. Eddie D had pulled the plug. We were incredibly vulnerable to counter attack as we pressed ever more on to the front foot. At QPR we surrendered a 2-0 lead and eventually Silva lost possession upfront to allow the opposition a run at Dervite. Neil Lennon hit the press for the wrong reasons. Deano appeared in Thunderbird 4 but was rebuffed and mired in financial ambiguity for ages and ages - with multi millionaire options rumoured ans so on. We beat the mighty Eastleigh in the cup and so on to the brink of administration, Bristol City and the drop. The loan of Feeney to Ipswich was inevitably followed by the mutually agreable termination of Neil's contract and Jimmy and Reidy took us to- er Bristol City- who in passing had tried to buy our Zach for £2m.
So here we are now. Deadline day has attracted five signings. We have won 4 league games and sit top of Division One. Ken Anderson and son seem to have sidelined Deano and Sportshield? But they are making headway in the transfer dealings. Holding for £2m plus add ons to Arsenal looked good business if not perhaps so much so now in the wake of Alonso to Chelsea for £23m. I always hoped our managers would back Alonso more. Can't help feeling we have missed some tricks with this one but Holding is playing for Arsenal for now and doing well- probably better suited at that level than in the robust aerial warfare of Div 1 and latterly the Championship?
So what's different this year? A new manager obviously. A hint of stability in the boardroom even if we cannot but be concerned that the £1m leakage per week cannot have ceased completely with only one high earner moved out and that on a loan whose details we do not know. Our top financial assets are injured and maybe long term and therefore we are stuck with them. I do think the games have seen better defensive organisation and team spirit. There have been no airy fairy non defending wingers and we have started to see games out quite well. Beevers is for me man of the season so far. He has made a huge difference alongside the shrewdly resigned and currently fit Wheater. But we have still yielded some great chances to the opposition. Sheff Utd could have been two up. Goals that would have been scored against us last year have frequently not been- a critical levelling difference in Div One- a headed miss at Charlton being a recent example- there are no Andre Greys in this division. That said we have created very little. Mark Davies now injured took us sideways and backwards much of the time v Fleetwood. We have had no width and Chris Taylor looks weak so far. Our most skilful midfielder and best passer is Trotter but he was omitted by PP as soon as he could be and only returned after injury. He will never convince his detractors and only intermittently please his advocates. Spearing who still cannot pass ansd still loses or backs of his man under pressure ( see Charlton equaliser) is nevertheless treating us to his good qualities which led Dougie to acquire him and instal him as captain.
There is a perceptible symmetry in recent managers. Phil P approaches games much as did Gary Megson and Dougie Freedman and Neil much as Owen. There is just a touch of Big Sam in PP's emphasis on set pieces and bigger more aerially combative players at both ends and in pairing Madine and Proctor there are echoes of Big sam's use of SKD and Pederson albeit perhaps more for with then use of Reeves and Philliskirk in times past?
Off field there is no fanzone and the club shop looks tired but the new owners do seem, touchwood, to be getting to grips with aspects of the busuiness organisation or so we hear and there is more control. If as suspected KA is in this to make money and sell on the club when he can then I for one am pleased. So much more dynamic a situation that being under a philanthropic benefactor and the apparent overspending naivete which took us to the brink of administration. We are under an opaque embargo and BN reporting of it is sketchy and uninformed at best. It cannot be a 23 man barrier. It must be related to finances and FFP? Maybe it is just a close supportive framework. In which case good.
I like the decisions being taken. However much we might have hoped for Wilkinson, Woolery and Walker to make it- they just weren't yet good enough for Div 1. Woolery has wasted some good opportunities. Maybe they will emerge in time. On paper Alnwick, Ameobi and especially Henry look good acquisitions, seasoned and skilful all. I would expect Alnwick to rise above Howard in due course. Howard in diving too late for Lookman's shot the other night alerted a concern and his kicking if powerful has been woeful but who has made a succession of good near post beat out saves which Bogdan used to miss and has looked for the most part confident in the air which Lonergan didn't. Time will tell. Keshi Anderson is a wildcard. We need an Andy Walker. We don't need a Wellington Silva? which is he? and can he Clough and Clayton stay or get fit---on these three may depend our promotion chances?And can Andrew Taylor replace or relocate the worryingly error prone Moxey? Might Derik stay fit enough to convince us of his quality? All unknowns. Is Thorpe a good option? Is Dervite down the pecking order? More unknowns.
But at least hope has returned. At this stage last season and even more so after the QPR game I was very worried about our prospects under Neil Lennon. At the moment I am cautiously hopeful. I hope the finances are Ok and worry that Deano, our apparent saviour is absent from communications and the team has yet to show attacking flair and we have had some crippling injuries but our new manager impresses through his prgamatism and attention to detail . I am looking forward to travelling up for the Southend game. It will be difficult. new signings cannot possibly integrate in the time and our failings won't vanish but within current organisational policy we don't concede easily and at this level we will concede fewer wonder goals.
