17 Jul 2019 15:51:39
Just one question, how do the powers that be, think we can be better this season with Jannson gone, White as a replacement and just Costa added to an attack that was short 3 or 4 players last season, correct me if I am missing something but Saiz, Browne and Baker all part of last years squad have not been replaced ( not talking about their lack of contribution, which most likely cost us promotion) . Blind optimism aside we need more quality in.
17 Jul 2019 16:11:18
Leeds 1970, I fully agree with you,
17 Jul 2019 16:13:13
Agreed mate, Costa is a great signing but he alone can’t do it all. Intriguing to see just who Bielsa was talking to Klopp about, Kent or maybe Wilson! We badly need a finisher and 2 cb. I’d even say Sawyers and the Croatian kid . A busy and interesting couple of weeks ahead, well hopefully!
17 Jul 2019 16:24:06
1970 Don't think they profess to claim we're better without Pontus. Think it's more a case they merely carried out Bielsa's instructions without thinking too deeply.
If we don't sign a quality central defender in the next couple of weeks my jury on Bielsa will have returned. He is El Loco! He thinks (wrongly) Bielsaball does not require a quality central defender. He's mistaken in this league. We may play his style but the other teams do not. Defending against directness and physicality Cooper and Berardi are liabilities accidents waiting to happen. We won't face PL opposition but defensively we're not good enough without Pontus to sustain a promotion challenge. Pontus replacement or no chance. That simple.
17 Jul 2019 17:35:57
Agree George, old saying goes "Horses for Courses" and it applies to getting out of this league. We are still half a dozen short in the squad, 1 or 2 might come through but we need to bring in some players or we might struggle, if we could not stay the course last season, with virtually the same squad, at this moment in time, are we going to go one better? who knows. We are not working with "inside the camp knowledge" so we are only commenting as observers at a distance. Have never had the feeling with this squad like when we went up under Wilko. Back then you always thought we would get a result in every game, even if we went behind, the real mark of a promotion team is to be able to turn it around, sad to say cannot see that at the moment.
17 Jul 2019 17:39:21
Trouble is George we will face 3 relegated sides who will be fighting for a top 2 spot or a playoff place.
17 Jul 2019 17:42:40
For me, following today's showing, Forshaw is nowhere near a starter. obviously he was still getting over the flight etc, but so were the rest of the team but he was clearly a weak link - too often misplacing a pass and too easily dispossessed. He wasn't up to much last season when fit, so as others have said, let's ship him out and bring either Sawyers or the young Croat - probably not both as it would leave little room for Shacks to progress let alone Bogusz and the others. Also, our apparently limited cash needs to be spread elsewhere in the squad - particularly for an experienced CB.
Berardi will surely not be a starter at CB for Brizzle, even if no-one else comes in White has to be ahead of him. I'd hope Struijk would also be preferred.
Casilla certainly didn't do enough today to get other clubs clammering to take him off our hands (unfortunately) . I'd like to see Miazek given at least 45 minutes against Western Sydney.
Harrison seemed to improved a little on his usual standard last year, but his finishing still needs more work in the last part of pre-season, as does his decision making. Pablo looked full of running, but also looked still to be in the mindset of the end of last season - trying to get a goal on his own on occasion, with a glory-shot, when someone else was better placed to score.
Not sure Roofe has looked entirely focused so far. No idea whether he's hoping for a move elsewhere, but if it is it would be best to move him out asap, whilst there's still some decent options out there to replace him. I still think Bamford will come, as he knows he owes us following last season - but I may just be deluded in this matter.
Frustrating that we got caught offside so often - though whether that was partly due to pro-Man Utd officiating is debatable. Obviously it was unlikely we were going to get a decent result whatever the officials did (first game post-flight against opponents that had been in Australia over a week and already had 45 mins each against Perth Glory, many of our probable starters left at Thorpe Arch etc etc) but we hardly got a free kick all game.
Despite my low expectations for the game, for quite a period in the first half, either side of the second Man Utd goal, it felt like (with an improvement in decision making and finishing, we might actually give them a bit of a game. Not at least pulling back a goal in that period, them introducing 11 fresh players and our lot tiring (probably in large part due to recent flight) , meant a second half struggle was almost inevitable.
The fans clearly enjoyed themselves, and let's hope there is some commercial benefit to the trip, that might in some, at least small, way lead to greater financial support for the playing side of our great Club.
Apologies for the essay!
17 Jul 2019 17:49:06
George one then should say Is MB sane, we will need to pay more for a replacement then we received, Jannson has to be saying told you so.
17 Jul 2019 17:54:44
Any revenue will go to make sure we are within FFP or maybe Radz petty cash account.
17 Jul 2019 18:32:11
Whitey Have to say I don't believe he is, not fully. He's obviously a massive improvement on what we've had before though.