This game won’t define our season.
Let’s see what kind of mettle Cocu can instil in them in time for the visit of Colin’s Boot Boys.

comment by HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 48 minutes ago
I am usually highly optimistic but this is worrying - its not as if we are just waiting to "click" or the rub of the green going against us. Hard to see what else we have in the proverbial locker.......
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Bevvy not kicked in yet?

Nothing to do with formations, attitude or coaching. Everything to do with ability. Some players too young, some too old and some not good enough.

Clarke's mistakes iron out. Put Bielik into MF. Bogle will offer us width which might make a bit more space for Dowell in MF. Malone coming back too. Hopefully reheaese some attacking phases of play. Get Mr Motivator back from Pikehall and we should be in better shape. Could Chris Martin have a role to play of some sort 🤔

comment by I'm not Spartacus, hope springs eternal (U4603)
posted 5 minutes ago
Nothing to do with formations, attitude or coaching. Everything to do with ability. Some players too young, some too old and some not good enough.
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Well at least we have balance!

comment by 2 Wellies (U6713)
posted 5 minutes ago
Clarke's mistakes iron out. Put Bielik into MF. Bogle will offer us width which might make a bit more space for Dowell in MF. Malone coming back too. Hopefully reheaese some attacking phases of play. Get Mr Motivator back from Pikehall and we should be in better shape. Could Chris Martin have a role to play of some sort 🤔
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I'd find space for Dowell on the bench.

comment by 🏁 AngVanDerRaam 🏁 (U17428)
posted 46 minutes ago
comment by 2 Wellies (U6713)
posted 5 minutes ago
Clarke's mistakes iron out. Put Bielik into MF. Bogle will offer us width which might make a bit more space for Dowell in MF. Malone coming back too. Hopefully reheaese some attacking phases of play. Get Mr Motivator back from Pikehall and we should be in better shape. Could Chris Martin have a role to play of some sort 🤔
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I'd find space for Dowell on the bench.
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I think we'd be better off putting him on a Megabus, along with Lawrence, Huddlestone, and a few of the others.

This is our first team squad according to the official DCFC site, excluding players not with us.

Andre Wisdom - hasn't really shown anything since he was with us on loan back in the day
Craig Forsyth - spends most of his time injured
Graeme Shinnie - worst Scottish leftback performance in living memory, couldn't even play there for previous club because one of our youth players took his spot
Kaystian Bielik - jury is out, not really done much of note in his career yet, did well in league 1, never performed above that level yet
Richard Keogh - says the right things, makes the right moves, but I still feel either goes missing when a real leader is needed, or ends up making mistakes
Jamie Paterson - seems to offer absolutely nothing? can't see why he's here, surplus to requirements at another average club at the same level
Kieran Dowell - also seems to offer absolutely nothing? came with an OK reputation but maybe just made to look good by the teams around him before, one of our worst players so far
Martyn Waghorn - too inconsistent, tries hard, misses as many as he scores, did well in the lower leagues of scotland, struggled badly in the top league there
Tom Lawrence - shows up once every 6-10 matches, wouldn't even pick him for a sunday league team on that
Florian Jozefzoon - been given every chance in the world, yet to produce anything for us, average player at this level before we signed him.
Ben Hamer - backup keeper who has never really done anything
Jack Marriott - chases plenty, and did well in league 1, but I think most of this league have him sussed out at the moment
Matthew Clarke - seems like he would be a decent league 1 player, which is where he spent last season, not ready for this level.
George Evans - also offered nothing at all since we signed him, not up to this level, league 1 standard.
Chris Martin - been years since he put in a good performance for us, not getting any younger / better.
Mason Bennett - another who has been given more than enough chances, and very rarely performs, not up to this level
Kelle Roos - average keeper, nothing especially wrong, nothing especially right, doesn't seem very commanding on set pieces.
Max Lowe - played out of position, spent last season in Scotland at one of the non-top 2 teams, again probably decent for league 1, not ready for this level
Ikechi Anya - never going to play for us, some say it's a contract thing, who knows, always 'injured' didn't do much when he did play tho.
Curtis Davies - think the injuries have taken their toll, doesn't seem up to this league
Jonathan Mitchell - never going to play
Jayden Bogle - good going forward last season in an attacking team, defensively shakey, currently out with an injury, remains to be seen if he comes back stronger
Jason Knight - looks like he might develop into an average player at this level, did well against the team bottom of League 2.
Louie Sibley - looks like he might be alright, possibly adds a bit of bite we've been missing since Seth Johnson, but too young for now
Max Bird - never really impressed me, put in some solid performances for the u23s, but nothing spectacular
Jayden Mitchell-Lawson - don't think he's ready for this level yet, average performer in the u23s
Tom Huddlestone - just seems to slow the game down, which benefits the opposition more than it benefits us
Scott Malone - can be error prone, not a terrible player, but not solid, lower half of this league
Henrich Ravas - never going to play
Lee Buchanan - did ok against the team bottom of League 2, might turn out to be ok, but not really seen enough of to form an opinion
Morgan Whittaker - not seen enough to form an opinion.

Most of these players are League 1 standard at best, or at least have never really proved themselves at a higher level than that.

I don't understand 'waiting for Rooney' comments either, his performances for England, even against weaker opposition were not impressive prior to retiring from International football (remember Iceland, he scored one, sure, but overall it was not a good performance) and standards in the US aren't that high. It's a gimmick signing.

I don't see goals in this team, we're loaded with players who aren't good enough even after being given countless chances, and while our youth might potentially be better than what we're putting out as the first team (they're certainly no worse) I don't think they're there yet.

My honest opinion is that this team are relegation fodder, I felt the same way last season before we brought in the loan signings (who carried the team and meant our defensive frailties didn't matter as muhc because we usually looked like scoring a couple) and nothing has really improved, except now we're defensively frail and have little going forward, and are even slower.

Still, mustn’t grumble, eh?

9ear, many of those players have been part of a team which has finished in the play offs. They aren't as bad as you suggest but not as good as we would like.

As I say ad nauseum, we have to replace the 32 goals of Wilson and Mount and we didn't address that when the transfer window was open. Think there are at least 3 worse teams than us in this division. We have had worse starts and bigger defeats and ended up being promoted.

9ear, sure it a bad result. On your summation we all might as well curl up and die. It's a good ਜੋੜ you weren't in the trenches during the war. Have few drinks and cheer up mate, things will look a lot brighter tommorow.

comment by I'm not Spartacus, hope springs eternal

As I say ad nauseum, we have to replace the 32 goals of Wilson and Mount and we didn't address that when the transfer window was open
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Not only the goals they scored tho, they were our creative force, they created the opportunities for others to score. Sometimes just being in the right place at the right time last season got you a goal because they had handed it to you on a plate.

They were also dangerous enough that teams had to prioritize marking them out of the game, leaving the lesser players to perform better under less pressure. This season there's no need for our opposition to focus on them, so our weaker players are exposed as weaker.

We managed to put in some performances without them last season, because when teams were doing their homework they would have focused on those players, and not always had a plan otherwise. Now they can just look at our weaknesses instead.

9earchange's analysis has depressed the f cuk out of me!

9ear, you said you thought we were relegation fodder last season, yet you got it completely wrong. So really we ought to be encouraged by the fact that you are saying it again.

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 12 minutes ago
9ear, you said you thought we were relegation fodder last season, yet you got it completely wrong. So really we ought to be encouraged by the fact that you are saying it again.
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that's one way to be optimistic I guess, but last year we signed 3 players on loan who turned out to be game changers, this year we've signed..... 3 players who were at Forest at one point or another.

This was a shocker no doubt but let’s not slash our wrists yet.
We are to only team to take points off Swansea and we should have won that.

The worst thing is going into the break with this performance stinking up the place.

We need a home win to settle folk down. I hope it comes against Cardiff.

By the way, Spart, Mount scored 8 Championship goals for us, and Wilson scored 15.. So 23 not 32. Mount contributed more to the team than his 8 goals, Wilson didn’t contribute much more but 15 is a very good total. It doesn’t really matter where the goals come from but we need to get some. Marriott is the sort of player who could easily get 20+ but at the moment we aren’t creating much for him. Even Jimmy Greaves needed service. Cocu’s task Is to get the team playing well enough to compensate for the lack of individual stars.

There were cup goals as well. Wilson 18 in total, Mount 14. Marriott needs the ball in box, no one seems capable of putting it in the box at the moment.

Worst team I have seen this season is Swansea and they are top so all is no lost.

Yes but Swansea think we are the worst team they have seen! Still, only August

The "B" in BFC might as well have stood for Barcelona today, as that's how good we made Brentford look.

Only team to have dropped points to the team propping-up the rest of the division, (and who were in front at one point).

Shocking doesn't even come close to describing today's performance.

Griff recons when we next have an away day, we should just spent the ticket money on beer and stay in the pub.

*spend

On a lighter note, we could learn a lot from this guy.
Certainly had the right attitude

'Fatty' Foulke: The legend of Sheffield United & Chelsea keeper - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49392889

A heavier note, surely?

Who knew there was a 'Penguin Book of Cliches' ?
Wonder if Scouse is quoted in it ?

comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 26 minutes ago
A heavier note, surely?
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Is that a question for Spart ?