Pre Season in Austria

[Nickhudds.UTT]

We will do well to keep hold of Grant.
Looks to be a bargain.

[willo]

Jul 10, 2019 18:01:00 GMT 1 Doc Halladay 32 said:

Jul 10, 2019 17:57:17 GMT 1 kennyk2 said:

60 minutes in the first game and 10 in the second then, he was poor. Last 20 he was what you'd expect for the amount of brass we paid for him.

Mooy cost more than him and looked worse in both games. Why are Diakhaby and Mbenza judged differently by many on here?

Because Mooy has an awful lot of credit in the bank based on his time with us to date. The other 2 are barely out of the starting blocks.

[terriers2000]

Jul 10, 2019 19:00:12 GMT 1 @terrier69 said:

Jul 10, 2019 17:45:42 GMT 1 @htfc79 said:

Best keep Karlan Grant fit next season!

If KG gets injured in pre-season - we are F***ED

we have super col

[Frankiesleftpeg]

Jul 10, 2019 20:01:09 GMT 1 terriers2000 said:

Jul 10, 2019 19:00:12 GMT 1 @terrier69 said:

If KG gets injured in pre-season - we are F***ED

we have super col

Who proved again in this morning's game why he shouldn't be considered as a striker.

[crux]

Jul 10, 2019 17:55:02 GMT 1 wigster said:

Jul 10, 2019 17:43:35 GMT 1 crux said:

Apparently Diakhaby is crap, so can't have any assists jn case it make some posters look stupid 😂

If that unecessarily aggressive remark was aimed at me it was wasted. Look at my posts - I am not a Diakhaby hater.

Wow, that was a reply and half 😁.

My post wasn't aimed at anyone specifically. It was a general comment about the fact that there are a number of posters who have written off Diakhaby (and Mbenza) in particular as being crap.

It was a lighthearted post and there's no way it can be construed as being 'aggressive'.

[Gag N Bone Man]

www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/five-tentative-conclusions-huddersfield-towns-16566031

New examiner columnist Steve Chicken has written this. FWIW, I quite like him so far. Much better than Blake.

As some of you don't like to click for fear of having been baited, here you go (have included just one pic from the article, cos I love it):

Five tentative conclusions on Huddersfield Town's friendlies against Greuther Furth

Thoughts and observations from a draw and a win at the Terriers' training camp in Austria

Huddersfield Town have now played their first two pre-season friendlies in front of a crowd, giving us the first glimpse of Jan Siewert's new-look side ahead of a new season in the Championship.

There are good reasons not to get too carried away with anything much that we saw: they were only friendlies, after all, with both games against Greuther Furth - a draw in the morning, a win in the afternoon - seeing Siewert replace his entire outfield around the hour mark.

It is also worth bearing in mind that several potential first-teamers are absent from the Austria training camp as they have been on international duty.

That all said, here are some tentatively-presented conclusions from those first two friendlies.

1. This team are desperate to win

The games were only friendlies, but the will to win was palpable throughout the two games, with the occasional signs of simmering frustration the clearest sign.

Juninho Bacuna, Alex Pritchard, Jonathan Hogg, Lewis O'Brien, Joel Coleman and Jan Siewert all had their moments, variously exchanging angry words with opponents, the officials, and occasionally - in a much more low-key way - their teammates. At one point in the morning game I genuinely thought Hogg was going to start fighting with Greuther Furth left-back Maximilian Wittek.



It was clear that this is not a team that want to coast through their pre-season friendlies, despite the intense training they have been put through this week; they want to get back to winning habits, regardless of the occasion.

A run of defeats could cause that to become a double-edged sword - it's easy to see how a good mood could quickly sour under that kind of self-imposed pressure to succeed - but at this moment, that level of motivation can only be a good thing.

2. 4-3-3 will be the way

Siewert played two different starting lineups, with one that appeared to be largely his first-choice from the players available to him and the other of which was more of a second string.

What was constant between the two, however, was the formation. Both versions of the team played the same 4-3-3, which would at times become a 4-2-3-1 - most notably when an extra midfielder was required to step up and help the press when the opposition had the ball in their own half.

Siewert switched between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 in the Premier League after taking the reins in January, but the well-earned draws the side claimed in the last two games of the season (home to Manchester United, away to Southampton) playing 4-3-3 seem to have made up Siewert's mind that that is the way to go.

It is a formation that suits the personnel: Town have an absolute glut of attacking wingers who would rather play in a front three than wide in a midfield four.

In central midfield, meanwhile, each of the main options at the camp look capable of playing at least two of the three roles - a 6, an 8 and a 10 - with Jon Stankovic, who looks to be preferred at centre-back once again, and Alex Pritchard, who looks set to be converted into a full-blown winger, offering extra depth if need be.

3. Lewis O'Brien looks Championship-ready

The 20-year-old midfielder spent last season out on loan at Bradford City, with a neutral colleague who watched them several times last season describing his performances as 'a cut above League One level' - quite a compliment for a player in his rookie season for a team sitting rock bottom of that division. The local press up the road gave him similar rave reviews.

As such, O'Brien was one of the players I was most excited to see this summer, and he did not disappoint. Interestingly, he was selected in the broadly first-choice eleven in place of Juninho Bacuna. That was quite possibly just a case of Siewert wanting to mix the newer faces in with the more established figures in the squad, but either way, O'Brien was the outstanding player in the first of the two friendlies.

The youngster was brilliant in the press and in the tackle, with three of Town's chances on goal coming as a direct result of O'Brien winning the ball in midfield and either carrying it forward or laying it off quickly and smartly for an attacker.

He also played a big part in the goal that eventually came: although it was Hogg who won and played a quick ball for Karlan Grant that time, it was O'Brien's chasing that forced the Furth midfielder to turn blindly in Hogg's direction and then panic under pressure from the more senior midfielder.

Judging players based on 90 minutes of football is folly - but this was an excellent start for O'Brien as he looks to show he is ready for Championship football.

4. Karlan Grant is the striker Town need

Two goals in two games, despite the man himself feeling like he was 'sloppy' due to lack of fitness. You just don't worry about whether or not Grant will find the net when he gets slipped through on goal or receives a cross inside the six yard box; the boy has 'it'.

5. Some of last summer's transfer 'flops' could yet come good

Wingers Adama Diakhaby and Isaac Mbenza both had to deal with David Wagner's switch to a winger-less back five and their own injury problems last summer, but could find their place in the Championship.

Mbenza is not in Austria having been on international duty with Belgium U21s, but Diakhaby was the difference-maker when he came on as a substitute in the afternoon game, looking sharp down the right and laying on the cross from which Grant scored.

Diakhaby's combination with Florent Hadergjonaj up the right flank was surprisingly effective in both games in fact, with the Kosovan looking good on the overlap and allowing Diakhaby to cut inside and run at defenders.

With speculation about Tommy Smith's future continuing to rumble on - the former skipper was curiously absent from both games despite being in Austria - Hadergjonaj would appear to be in with a very good shout of being Siewert's first-choice right-back next season.

All three players (Mbenza, Diakhaby and Hadergjonaj) received average ratings between five and six out of ten when we asked you to rank last season's transfer business at the end of the campaign. With a bit of luck on the injury front, they could yet change a few minds in the longer term.

[Baby-face Frankenstein]

Jul 11, 2019 12:21:17 GMT 1 Gag N Bone Man said:

www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/five-tentative-conclusions-huddersfield-towns-16566031

New examiner columnist Steve Chicken has written this. FWIW, I quite like him so far. Much better than Blake.

As some of you don't like to click for fear of having been baited, here you go (have included just one pic from the article, cos I love it):

Five tentative conclusions on Huddersfield Town's friendlies against Greuther Furth

Thoughts and observations from a draw and a win at the Terriers' training camp in Austria

Huddersfield Town have now played their first two pre-season friendlies in front of a crowd, giving us the first glimpse of Jan Siewert's new-look side ahead of a new season in the Championship.

There are good reasons not to get too carried away with anything much that we saw: they were only friendlies, after all, with both games against Greuther Furth - a draw in the morning, a win in the afternoon - seeing Siewert replace his entire outfield around the hour mark.

It is also worth bearing in mind that several potential first-teamers are absent from the Austria training camp as they have been on international duty.

That all said, here are some tentatively-presented conclusions from those first two friendlies.

1. This team are desperate to win

The games were only friendlies, but the will to win was palpable throughout the two games, with the occasional signs of simmering frustration the clearest sign.

Juninho Bacuna, Alex Pritchard, Jonathan Hogg, Lewis O'Brien, Joel Coleman and Jan Siewert all had their moments, variously exchanging angry words with opponents, the officials, and occasionally - in a much more low-key way - their teammates. At one point in the morning game I genuinely thought Hogg was going to start fighting with Greuther Furth left-back Maximilian Wittek.



It was clear that this is not a team that want to coast through their pre-season friendlies, despite the intense training they have been put through this week; they want to get back to winning habits, regardless of the occasion.

A run of defeats could cause that to become a double-edged sword - it's easy to see how a good mood could quickly sour under that kind of self-imposed pressure to succeed - but at this moment, that level of motivation can only be a good thing.

2. 4-3-3 will be the way

Siewert played two different starting lineups, with one that appeared to be largely his first-choice from the players available to him and the other of which was more of a second string.

What was constant between the two, however, was the formation. Both versions of the team played the same 4-3-3, which would at times become a 4-2-3-1 - most notably when an extra midfielder was required to step up and help the press when the opposition had the ball in their own half.

Siewert switched between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 in the Premier League after taking the reins in January, but the well-earned draws the side claimed in the last two games of the season (home to Manchester United, away to Southampton) playing 4-3-3 seem to have made up Siewert's mind that that is the way to go.

It is a formation that suits the personnel: Town have an absolute glut of attacking wingers who would rather play in a front three than wide in a midfield four.

In central midfield, meanwhile, each of the main options at the camp look capable of playing at least two of the three roles - a 6, an 8 and a 10 - with Jon Stankovic, who looks to be preferred at centre-back once again, and Alex Pritchard, who looks set to be converted into a full-blown winger, offering extra depth if need be.

3. Lewis O'Brien looks Championship-ready

The 20-year-old midfielder spent last season out on loan at Bradford City, with a neutral colleague who watched them several times last season describing his performances as 'a cut above League One level' - quite a compliment for a player in his rookie season for a team sitting rock bottom of that division. The local press up the road gave him similar rave reviews.

As such, O'Brien was one of the players I was most excited to see this summer, and he did not disappoint. Interestingly, he was selected in the broadly first-choice eleven in place of Juninho Bacuna. That was quite possibly just a case of Siewert wanting to mix the newer faces in with the more established figures in the squad, but either way, O'Brien was the outstanding player in the first of the two friendlies.

The youngster was brilliant in the press and in the tackle, with three of Town's chances on goal coming as a direct result of O'Brien winning the ball in midfield and either carrying it forward or laying it off quickly and smartly for an attacker.

He also played a big part in the goal that eventually came: although it was Hogg who won and played a quick ball for Karlan Grant that time, it was O'Brien's chasing that forced the Furth midfielder to turn blindly in Hogg's direction and then panic under pressure from the more senior midfielder.

Judging players based on 90 minutes of football is folly - but this was an excellent start for O'Brien as he looks to show he is ready for Championship football.

4. Karlan Grant is the striker Town need

Two goals in two games, despite the man himself feeling like he was 'sloppy' due to lack of fitness. You just don't worry about whether or not Grant will find the net when he gets slipped through on goal or receives a cross inside the six yard box; the boy has 'it'.

5. Some of last summer's transfer 'flops' could yet come good

Wingers Adama Diakhaby and Isaac Mbenza both had to deal with David Wagner's switch to a winger-less back five and their own injury problems last summer, but could find their place in the Championship.

Mbenza is not in Austria having been on international duty with Belgium U21s, but Diakhaby was the difference-maker when he came on as a substitute in the afternoon game, looking sharp down the right and laying on the cross from which Grant scored.

Diakhaby's combination with Florent Hadergjonaj up the right flank was surprisingly effective in both games in fact, with the Kosovan looking good on the overlap and allowing Diakhaby to cut inside and run at defenders.

With speculation about Tommy Smith's future continuing to rumble on - the former skipper was curiously absent from both games despite being in Austria - Hadergjonaj would appear to be in with a very good shout of being Siewert's first-choice right-back next season.

All three players (Mbenza, Diakhaby and Hadergjonaj) received average ratings between five and six out of ten when we asked you to rank last season's transfer business at the end of the campaign. With a bit of luck on the injury front, they could yet change a few minds in the longer term.

Interesting that Hogg was having a right go at Wittek, this guy was linked with us a couple of weeks ago regarding the left-back position. Probably nothing, but I wonder if he was trying to put him off coming? Anybody remember the incident (I must have been putting the kettle on at the time it happened)?

Anyway, nice to hear that Town are looking committed, even in friendly games.

Edit: Good article, too. This Chicken bloke seems pretty good!

[Bassingham Terrier]

Jul 11, 2019 12:21:17 GMT 1 Gag N Bone Man said:

www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/five-tentative-conclusions-huddersfield-towns-16566031
New examiner columnist Steve Chicken has written this. FWIW, I quite like him so far. Much better than Blake.
As some of you don't like to click for fear of having been baited, here you go (have included just one pic from the article, cos I love it):

That's a clucking decent article, Grimmy

[Tiro]

THAT picture. Just a small window into why he would be such a loss to us.

Hoggy will go down as one of the Town greats in my book. His transformation under Wagner was superb. I love him.

[Bassingham Terrier]

Almost as good as this one.


And even better that it's Grealish receiving one in the kisser!

[colnevalleyblue]

Jul 11, 2019 12:49:32 GMT 1 Baby-face Frankenstein said:

Jul 11, 2019 12:21:17 GMT 1 Gag N Bone Man said:

www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/five-tentative-conclusions-huddersfield-towns-16566031

New examiner columnist Steve Chicken has written this. FWIW, I quite like him so far. Much better than Blake.

As some of you don't like to click for fear of having been baited, here you go (have included just one pic from the article, cos I love it):

Five tentative conclusions on Huddersfield Town's friendlies against Greuther Furth

Thoughts and observations from a draw and a win at the Terriers' training camp in Austria

Huddersfield Town have now played their first two pre-season friendlies in front of a crowd, giving us the first glimpse of Jan Siewert's new-look side ahead of a new season in the Championship.

There are good reasons not to get too carried away with anything much that we saw: they were only friendlies, after all, with both games against Greuther Furth - a draw in the morning, a win in the afternoon - seeing Siewert replace his entire outfield around the hour mark.

It is also worth bearing in mind that several potential first-teamers are absent from the Austria training camp as they have been on international duty.

That all said, here are some tentatively-presented conclusions from those first two friendlies.

1. This team are desperate to win

The games were only friendlies, but the will to win was palpable throughout the two games, with the occasional signs of simmering frustration the clearest sign.

Juninho Bacuna, Alex Pritchard, Jonathan Hogg, Lewis O'Brien, Joel Coleman and Jan Siewert all had their moments, variously exchanging angry words with opponents, the officials, and occasionally - in a much more low-key way - their teammates. At one point in the morning game I genuinely thought Hogg was going to start fighting with Greuther Furth left-back Maximilian Wittek.



It was clear that this is not a team that want to coast through their pre-season friendlies, despite the intense training they have been put through this week; they want to get back to winning habits, regardless of the occasion.

A run of defeats could cause that to become a double-edged sword - it's easy to see how a good mood could quickly sour under that kind of self-imposed pressure to succeed - but at this moment, that level of motivation can only be a good thing.

2. 4-3-3 will be the way

Siewert played two different starting lineups, with one that appeared to be largely his first-choice from the players available to him and the other of which was more of a second string.

What was constant between the two, however, was the formation. Both versions of the team played the same 4-3-3, which would at times become a 4-2-3-1 - most notably when an extra midfielder was required to step up and help the press when the opposition had the ball in their own half.

Siewert switched between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 in the Premier League after taking the reins in January, but the well-earned draws the side claimed in the last two games of the season (home to Manchester United, away to Southampton) playing 4-3-3 seem to have made up Siewert's mind that that is the way to go.

It is a formation that suits the personnel: Town have an absolute glut of attacking wingers who would rather play in a front three than wide in a midfield four.

In central midfield, meanwhile, each of the main options at the camp look capable of playing at least two of the three roles - a 6, an 8 and a 10 - with Jon Stankovic, who looks to be preferred at centre-back once again, and Alex Pritchard, who looks set to be converted into a full-blown winger, offering extra depth if need be.

3. Lewis O'Brien looks Championship-ready

The 20-year-old midfielder spent last season out on loan at Bradford City, with a neutral colleague who watched them several times last season describing his performances as 'a cut above League One level' - quite a compliment for a player in his rookie season for a team sitting rock bottom of that division. The local press up the road gave him similar rave reviews.

As such, O'Brien was one of the players I was most excited to see this summer, and he did not disappoint. Interestingly, he was selected in the broadly first-choice eleven in place of Juninho Bacuna. That was quite possibly just a case of Siewert wanting to mix the newer faces in with the more established figures in the squad, but either way, O'Brien was the outstanding player in the first of the two friendlies.

The youngster was brilliant in the press and in the tackle, with three of Town's chances on goal coming as a direct result of O'Brien winning the ball in midfield and either carrying it forward or laying it off quickly and smartly for an attacker.

He also played a big part in the goal that eventually came: although it was Hogg who won and played a quick ball for Karlan Grant that time, it was O'Brien's chasing that forced the Furth midfielder to turn blindly in Hogg's direction and then panic under pressure from the more senior midfielder.

Judging players based on 90 minutes of football is folly - but this was an excellent start for O'Brien as he looks to show he is ready for Championship football.

4. Karlan Grant is the striker Town need

Two goals in two games, despite the man himself feeling like he was 'sloppy' due to lack of fitness. You just don't worry about whether or not Grant will find the net when he gets slipped through on goal or receives a cross inside the six yard box; the boy has 'it'.

5. Some of last summer's transfer 'flops' could yet come good

Wingers Adama Diakhaby and Isaac Mbenza both had to deal with David Wagner's switch to a winger-less back five and their own injury problems last summer, but could find their place in the Championship.

Mbenza is not in Austria having been on international duty with Belgium U21s, but Diakhaby was the difference-maker when he came on as a substitute in the afternoon game, looking sharp down the right and laying on the cross from which Grant scored.

Diakhaby's combination with Florent Hadergjonaj up the right flank was surprisingly effective in both games in fact, with the Kosovan looking good on the overlap and allowing Diakhaby to cut inside and run at defenders.

With speculation about Tommy Smith's future continuing to rumble on - the former skipper was curiously absent from both games despite being in Austria - Hadergjonaj would appear to be in with a very good shout of being Siewert's first-choice right-back next season.

All three players (Mbenza, Diakhaby and Hadergjonaj) received average ratings between five and six out of ten when we asked you to rank last season's transfer business at the end of the campaign. With a bit of luck on the injury front, they could yet change a few minds in the longer term.

Interesting that Hogg was having a right go at Wittek, this guy was linked with us a couple of weeks ago regarding the left-back position. Probably nothing, but I wonder if he was trying to put him off coming? Anybody remember the incident (I must have been putting the kettle on at the time it happened)?

Anyway, nice to hear that Town are looking committed, even in friendly games.

Edit: Good article, too. This Chicken bloke seems pretty good!

Wittek had just come away with the ball from a strong challenge on Diakhaby which many (including Diakhaby and Hogg) felt was a foul.

Hogg charged this lad down but in an even stronger challenge and Wittek didn't take too kindly to it.

[chinaski]

It’s a positive article in its content but it’s terribly written.

[Spike24]

Jul 12, 2019 5:36:17 GMT 1 chinaski said:

It’s a positive article in its content but it’s terribly written.

It's better than what we've been served up for the past 6 seasons.

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2019 5:36:17 GMT 1 chinaski said:

It’s a positive article in its content but it’s terribly written.

Why? What parts of it are ‘terribly written’? I liked the informal style. A big improvement.

[yellowbelly]

Siewert does shout a bit in passing on instructions.in fact he makes his enthusiasm sound pretty angry. Just listen to Chicken’s podcast on Examiner.

Colin Bell is the good cop. Whilst not knowing anything about Winkler, I wonder whether he was brought in to soften the tone.

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2019 11:48:40 GMT 1 yellowbelly said:

Siewert does shout a bit in passing on instructions.in fact he makes his enthusiasm sound pretty angry. Just listen to Chicken’s podcast on Examiner.

Colin Bell is the good cop. Whilst not knowing anything about Winkler, I wonder whether he was brought in to soften the tone.

I wondered that, maybe he is the arm around the shoulder.

[drumriggend]

Do we play again in austria??
When do team come home

[townatheart]

Jul 12, 2019 5:36:17 GMT 1 chinaski said:

It’s a positive article in its content but it’s terribly written.

Odd, I thought it was rather well written and positive. Came across as half intelligent, which is twice as good as that numpty Blake.

[terriersyndrome]

Jul 12, 2019 15:22:41 GMT 1 drumriggend said:

Do we play again in austria??
When do team come home

Tomorrow against Hamburg at 3pm.

Think the team fly home Sunday.

[Htfc1987]

Jul 12, 2019 15:22:41 GMT 1 drumriggend said:

Do we play again in austria??
When do team come home

Saturday vs HSV
no idea when they come home.

[townatheart]

Jul 12, 2019 15:22:41 GMT 1 drumriggend said:

Do we play again in austria??
When do team come home

That play Sat afternoon at 3.00 I believe, presume home on Sun but not certain on that

[Baby-face Frankenstein]

Latest training session:

www.htafc.com/news/2019/july/austria-terriers-prepare-for-sv-hamburger/

[El Mel]

Jul 12, 2019 15:26:56 GMT 1 townatheart said:

Jul 12, 2019 5:36:17 GMT 1 chinaski said:

It’s a positive article in its content but it’s terribly written.

Odd, I thought it was rather well written and positive. Came across as half intelligent, which is twice as good as that numpty Blake.

I thought the same. It's a daily paper, a few hours worth of news aimed to be as simplistic to read as possible, which it was.

[Doc Halladay 32]

Jul 12, 2019 17:05:34 GMT 1 El Mel said:

Jul 12, 2019 15:26:56 GMT 1 townatheart said:

Odd, I thought it was rather well written and positive. Came across as half intelligent, which is twice as good as that numpty Blake.

I thought the same. It's a daily paper, a few hours worth of news aimed to be as simplistic to read as possible, which it was.

I agree entirely - I am just pleased that Grim copied it onto here as the Examiner site is just horrific to visit.

[hasta el pueblo]

[royrace]

Jul 10, 2019 18:32:58 GMT 1 Doc Halladay 32 said:

Jul 10, 2019 18:23:12 GMT 1 royrace said:

I think Mooy has earned a little slack   

Those two on the other hand, not sure why people feel the need to be apologists for them. Tis what it is, so far they've been a disaster, no point pretending different. That may change and if it does they'll be judged accordingly. I'm confident neither will ever be good enough to be compared to Mooy though 

Absolutely bizarre! So it is ok to point out the second game's biggest Town threat was poor in the first game but Mooy who underperformed IMO in both games - Meh its ok cos he's Mooy. If you can't critique a player's performance equally then your opinion is already skewed.

Most everything about Town last season was a disaster - I don't understand why some folk seem to solely focus on them when COLLECTIVELY we were garbage.

To some, I swear they think we got relegated because of Diakhaby and Mbenza alone.

I think we probably did, IF the club had purchased 2 top quality attackers instead of those two we’d have been ok I think. Obviously it’s not diakhaby and mbenzas fault town bought them. Fine lines in football. Easy to say we were collectively garbage but there were subtle reasons the season turned to rat shit and a successful team doesn’t start to be garbage for no good reason. Our failure to purchase wingers good enough to play PL football, combined with selling one who was, just, was the root cause.

[Porrohman]

Jul 14, 2019 13:18:42 GMT 1 royrace said:

Jul 10, 2019 18:32:58 GMT 1 Doc Halladay 32 said:

Absolutely bizarre! So it is ok to point out the second game's biggest Town threat was poor in the first game but Mooy who underperformed IMO in both games - Meh its ok cos he's Mooy. If you can't critique a player's performance equally then your opinion is already skewed.

Most everything about Town last season was a disaster - I don't understand why some folk seem to solely focus on them when COLLECTIVELY we were garbage.

To some, I swear they think we got relegated because of Diakhaby and Mbenza alone.

I think we probably did, IF the club had purchased 2 top quality attackers instead of those two we’d have been ok I think. Obviously it’s not diakhaby and mbenzas fault town bought them. Fine lines in football. Easy to say we were collectively garbage but there were subtle reasons the season turned to rat shit and a successful team doesn’t start to be garbage for no good reason. Our failure to purchase wingers good enough to play PL football, combined with selling one who was, just, was the root cause.

Really ? I thought we sold Ince, who has consistently shown he isn't good enough to play PL throughout his career

[royrace]

Interesting interview with Jan, I guess if they’ve been concentrating solely on the defensive side it may explain the performance and lack of possession! Seems a bit odd to me to do it that way but I’m no football coach! Hope they can build from that foundation as he says.

[royrace]

Jul 14, 2019 13:33:52 GMT 1 Porrohman said:

Jul 14, 2019 13:18:42 GMT 1 royrace said:

I think we probably did, IF the club had purchased 2 top quality attackers instead of those two we’d have been ok I think. Obviously it’s not diakhaby and mbenzas fault town bought them. Fine lines in football. Easy to say we were collectively garbage but there were subtle reasons the season turned to rat shit and a successful team doesn’t start to be garbage for no good reason. Our failure to purchase wingers good enough to play PL football, combined with selling one who was, just, was the root cause.

Really ? I thought we sold Ince, who has consistently shown he isn't good enough to play PL throughout his career

Regardless of your preconceptions I don’t think even you could deny that Ince was by far the better performer in the PL than Diakhaby or Mbenza. He managed to get selected for a start. That’s the salient point. Instead of strengthening the wide positions we weakened them. Anyway it’s history, those two start from zero, literally.

[Porrohman]

Jul 14, 2019 13:38:31 GMT 1 royrace said:

Jul 14, 2019 13:33:52 GMT 1 Porrohman said:

Really ? I thought we sold Ince, who has consistently shown he isn't good enough to play PL throughout his career

Regardless of your preconceptions I don’t think even you could deny that Ince was by far the better performer in the PL than Diakhaby or Mbenza. He managed to get selected for a start. That’s the salient point. Instead of strengthening the wide positions we weakened them. Anyway it’s history, those two start from zero, literally.

Can you have preconceptions AFTER an event ? Ince hadn't been PL quality with the other teams and he wasn't PL quality for us. "He managed to get selected for a start" ? His only opposition for the place was Collin, who still provided more assists than him.

Still nice to know we can take this argument into a third season 🤣