Well, we scraped a win against the might Harrogate whilst playing a nigh on full strength side, yet still somehow making lots of changes.....
Personally I like us to get through these cup games so that fringe players get game minutes, it keeps up morale/momentum, earns aug a bit more money and with favourable draw for a round or two and some luck, you can well find yourself going deep in the competition.
But, it was laboured, it was poor performance and it feels that the team has run out of a little bit of steam.
With Gelhardt most likely going on loan, Bamford injured again, Joseph had great chance to stake a claim but this season just isnt yielding the rewards for him.
Will future seasons? Possibly, but what has to change for him to score the goals as regularly as the much maligned Piroe?
I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that I'm not confident Joseph will score the required goals for us if we have a problem with Piroe, I really feel we need some genuine competition for goals for Piroe, would rather get that and not use them than not get that player and find we need them and they're not there as we fight out for promotion.
Am sure Meslier will be coming back in and feel that although he could keep clean sheet after er clean sheet, unless he ups his stats a bit, he will never quite get fans full buy in and would not be surprised if he exits at end of season, regardless of how our season pans out.
We're playing boring, laboured football at the moment, but still top of the table....I dont think that lasts for long if we continue in this vein, though, hope that the team can snap out of it, starting with putting Wednesday to the sword.
By next round of FA Cup, I feel we need to be 3/4 points clear with the run of fixtures we have compared to rivals.
Labouring.....
posted 10 hours, 35 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 53 minutes ago
Joseph was a bit overhyped, similar to how Gelhardt was.
Keep hearing "the goals will come" but after more than half a season he's scored twice.
If Piroe picked up a serious injury we'd be in big trouble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly.
posted 10 hours, 23 minutes ago
The thing with young strikers is not that many score goals when they step up to senior football. Of course there are notable exceptions but it's much more common for them to take time to find their feet. The Gyokeres journey is more common than the Haaland one.
I watched Joseph score a well taken hat-trick for the u23s a few years back... when he plays for the first team he's snatching at them and his first touch seems worse, but then he's likely anxious, trying too hard and has less time on the ball. The jury is out on him for me but he only turned 21 a few months back - i've certainly not written him off yet. I quite like him starting, running the defence, pressing (in a way Piroe can't) and then Piroe coming on, when the game has slowed down, and doing his thing.
posted 10 hours, 18 minutes ago
Don't disagree re reinforcements though. January's difficult (JKA anyone?) but with Joffy apparently offy to Hull, hopefully that's a sign we're lining someone up. You don't want to go into the second half of the season with a smaller squad than you started the first half with. Injuries are more common in the second half of a long season.
posted 9 hours, 44 minutes ago
comment by milkyboy (U12731)
posted 30 minutes ago
Don't disagree re reinforcements though. January's difficult (JKA anyone?) but with Joffy apparently offy to Hull, hopefully that's a sign we're lining someone up. You don't want to go into the second half of the season with a smaller squad than you started the first half with. Injuries are more common in the second half of a long season.
^^^
We faded end of last season due to lack of
rotation coupled with a small, square peg squad.
This season's squad has more round pegs.
However, does the club really want to roll the
dice on promotion - which is currently in our
hands - again?
posted 9 hours, 35 minutes ago
Agree with milkyboys comments
posted 7 hours, 55 minutes ago
“the team has run out of a bit of steam”…..I tend to disagree with this. We are unbeaten in 9…lost 1 in 12 to a pen v Blackburn. The football being boring, again I somewhat disagree and tend to agree with LIW as I think that’s a product of the utterly ridiculous tactics we come up against. We were cruising v Hull and then….
If we don’t sign any players in this window then I still think we will be fine. The injury list has decreased, we can rotate wingers every game, have decent back up options everywhere. I would start Piroe at home and Joseph away.
I also think that the general consensus is that Meslier will start on Sunday. Personally I would put Darlow in. If Meslier starts and makes another game defining error, then that is directly on Farke’s head, and he is basically putting his job in jeopardy as he is being stubborn for no reason whatsoever. Showing loyalty to players is great and gives them confidence, but I think in this situation he needs to take himself and Meslier out of the firing line.
posted 7 hours, 25 minutes ago
No one is writing Joseph off, I'm certainly not.
Just saying that for remainder of this season, don't think he's answer for goals we might need.
posted 5 hours, 18 minutes ago
Should a manacoach that gives in to outside pressure keep his job?..
I don't think so, Farke plays, trains with these players day in day out, he picks his players from what he sees, Joseph might not be scoring but he is helping the rest of the team do so in what he does, I remember getting crap on these boards for defending someone that was scoring, so I've now got no idea what his stick is all about, because the player I was defending for scoring people around here said he wasn't doing enough for the rest of the team!..
Strange, Joseph, Aaronson both get stick, but both are doing enough for the rest of the team that have helped to make us the top scorers in this league!..
If Farke changed things and left those sort of players out, who will be the first to demand his according to some already under threat job?..
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
Personally, if Farke plays Meslier against Wednesday, I will be furious. Just how many points does Meslier have to cost the team before he is dropped? Is it because Meslier and Bamford are top earners that they must play / be a part of everything at all costs?
If the Board/ recruitment guys had any idea how to run this Club these two players should have been gone, and replaced with better, before the start of LAST season. Rant over!
posted 15 minutes ago
Like I said Maid, Farke sees these players evey working day, so he must think whilst outsiders don't he's picking his best keeper!..
And the club getting rid of players, unless the players agree to it it might not be that easy, and it could cost a fortune paying them off?..
That could mean one of the many players people say we need not coming in!..