Do we have a title challenging First XI?

[Knotty]

Very difficult to know if we have a title-challenging team without assessing the squads of all the other teams. Even then there will be some who over-achieve and others who under-achive.

Frankly, it would be no great surprise to finish in the play-offs again...or to finish 14th!

 

[Pavilionaire]

So right now we're up Agustien, but down Bridge, Hammond, Vicente and Dobbie, so we're definitely weaker right now.

The team were new last year but will now be familiar with each other. Part of that gain is negated by the fact we have a new manager with new tactics.

On balance QPR and Reading should be challenging for the title. Barnes, Lua Lua and Buckley are hit and miss and need to show consistency. We're probably play-offs, but I feel this has potential to go tits up on the basis we still lack leadership in key areas.

 

[Gazwag]

I agree with the above comment re. Orlandi, however, he did not seem at all happy with things on Saturday evening

 

[Albumen]

STATS

A comparison between last years squad starting line ups: Gus vs Oscar

3 of the midfield of Oscars started over 85% of the games, and one striker got most of the action.

Gus however, rotated his midfield, bar Bridcutt. His strikeforce shared the games, part from injury, part Ulloa appearing in January.

It would seem to suggest there will be less rotation under Oscar, but the Israeli league is 10 games shorter.

End of Stats.

 

[les dynam]

I suspect we won't see much of Crofts, Calde or Barnes once the new signings have arrived.

 

[Gazwag]

I suspect we won't see much of Barnes once the new signings have arrived.

Except he was one of our best players on Saturday and of course top scorer since the coach arrived

 

[bennibenj]

Would go with


----------------------------------PIG--------------------------------------

Bruno----------------Upson---------------Greer------------------New LB

------------------------------Bridcutt-------------------------------------

---------------Agustien---------------------Orlandi----------------------

Buckley---------------------------------------------------LuaLua/Barnes

--------------------------------Ulloa---------------------------------------

Bench: Brez, El-Abd, Chicksen, Crofts, David, LuaLua/Barnes, CMS

 

[Mellotron]

So right now we're up Agustien, but down Bridge, Hammond, Vicente and Dobbie, so we're definitely weaker right now.

The team were new last year but will now be familiar with each other. Part of that gain is negated by the fact we have a new manager with new tactics.

On balance QPR and Reading should be challenging for the title. Barnes, Lua Lua and Buckley are hit and miss and need to show consistency. We're probably play-offs, but I feel this has potential to go tits up on the basis we still lack leadership in key areas.

I would say we're stronger for NOT having Dobbie.

 

[Mellotron]

Except he was one of our best players on Saturday and of course top scorer since the coach arrived

For years now people have been obsessed with seeing Barnes benched, as he continues to perform well for the club and improve year on year. It's genuinely bizarre.

 

[kevtherev]

We need a left back and a striker. You can't go into a season with only two strikers with any experience of any note.

 

[Billy the Fish]

For years now people have been obsessed with seeing Barnes benched, as he continues to perform well for the club and improve year on year. It's genuinely bizarre.

I keep saying it - Barnes haters are wierd.

People seem to just ignore all the facts. Barnes was in our 1st team and scoring goals at an age when most players are still struggling to get out of the development squad - JFC for example. He consistantly scores goals at every level, gives his all every game and does evectly what is asked of him by the management - which has been to his own detriment.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

No...with no Bridge we need to start with 12 to make up for him

 

[Stumpy Tim]

-----------------------PIG----------------------
Bruno----------Greer-----Upson-----------New LB
------------Bridcutt-----------Kemy--------------
---------------------Orlandi----------------------
--------Buckley-----------------Barnes-----------
--------------------Ulloa-------------------------

Nice bench with Dave, Lua Lua, Crofts, AEA, Dunk etc

 

[Sam-]

I reckon it will be a 4-2-3-1 type formation. Bridcutt and Augustien holding, Orlandi/David central, Buckley/Lua Lua/ March wingers and then one of Ulloa/Barnes/CMS up front.

Although I doubt Barnes' finishing early against Villarreal will have been missed. Expect him to feature heavily.

We just really need a LB. Both Calde and Chicksen are not good enough.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

People seem to be forgetting CMS who I predict will have a great season when he returns!

We have three great strikers in Ulloa, CMS and Barnes.

What makes you think he's suddenly going to turn into a good player? He'll be a frustrating misfit once again I'm afraid

 

[Luke93]

We need a left back and a striker. You can't go into a season with only two strikers with any experience of any note.

You either have issues counting, or you're incredibly ignorant. With the formations we play, 3 strikers are enough IMO!

 

[TSB]

Ash will start a lot of games. The new left back (signed this week) and possibly one more addition to midfield/strikeforce and we'll be up there I reckon.
A lot depends if we can keep hold of Ash/Leo and Liam in Jan and if we get bad injuries.
There's not a huge amount of depth but our first team could well be the second-best in the league.

Play-offs beckon again.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Zaha raped him a new asshole.

Look, I don't want to be the moaning old woman here, but can you spare us that sort of stuff? It's a horrible expression.

 

[Mowgli37]

Bruno - when fully fit and in form - is about 3 times the player Calde is, as suggested by each of their past careers

100% this, love Calde as a person but Bruno is utter quality, particularly when combining with Buckley down the right

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Title? I think it would be a pretty good achievement, given the upheaval over the summer, if we were to make the top six again.

I'm not lacking in ambition, and I want us to do well, but none of us have any idea how the new manager's ideas are going to work here, we've lost some decent players (primarily Bridge), and happily got rid of some weak links (Painter, Dobbie etc). Other sides will improve, some of them are spending money, and then you have the likes of QPR who are determined to buy their way out of here using the parachute payments. We just don't know what impact the loss of Poyet will have, annoying and negative though he may have been at times. Most of the players at the club were brought here by him, so the great unknown is how players will respond to the new man.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hope for great things, merely that it would still be an achievement in the circumstances to finish in the top six, and anyone who starts making disgruntled noises if we're tenth in October needs to have a word with themselves.