Squad 2023 - 2024

Couldn't afford the compo

 

This is where a utility player could be really useful. We're experimenting with Sierralta as a defensive midfielder but not sure we have that many versatile players in the squad at the moment (a bit more flexibility going forwards perhaps). Someone like Styles who can play as a full/wing back as well as a midfielder would be very useful and should get plenty of game time over the course of the season.

 

Gosling was pretty rubbish in his natural position last season, but he did well at RB, which is ironically one of the positions we could do with strengthening...
As it stands, apart from Sierralta (who also I recall also playing RWB in a cup game under Vlad), the only players I can see fulfiling multiple roles in the squad are the midfielders who might also play as wingers/inverted wingers

 

Styles isn't the best example there I don't think - I don't think he's ever played left-back in his entire career, so wouldn't be much use to us on that front. We also already have Sema as a 3rd emergency option for LB.

And Styles as a midfielder is someone who I doubt would start for us - and we already have 3 left-footed CMs in Louza, Kayembe and Asprilla.

Central midfield is actually the position we are already definitely most well-stocked in. If we were to add anyone to it I'd much rather it simply be another good quality specialist ball-winning DM, just so we never have to play Livermore.

And rather than a hypothetical central midfielder who can also play RB, I'd rather we just ditched Ngakia and signed a better specialist RB.

 

I wasn't saying sign Styles, I was suggesting a player that can play in multiple positions would be useful to the squad - something he can do, so used him as an example.

 

Considering what would actually be useful to the squad, that would only really make sense if the player was somehow both a better right-back than Ngakia and better ball-winning DM than Livermore.

I don't think there are many players who are a specialist at both RB and DM (or LB and DM, and Styles isn't one either).

 

Why are you still blathering on about Styles?

Would've thought it was a relatively uncontroversial view that having players that can cover in multiple positions is a bonus to a squad but evidently not for you.

 

Agree. It's really frustrating that we haven't pushed ahead with Styles, when he solves several problems for us, and is seemingly sat waiting for someone to snap him up.

 

Hopefully we can bring in 3 players. This is probably the best, realistic scenario.

A starting No. 9, A starting midfield enforcer and a capable utility player. Although, I would rather we bought in a first choice RWB (I hate to be 'that guy' but it's a hell of a lot of pressure to have Andrews as first choice)

 

My point is it's not really much of a bonus if the positions they cover aren't really ones we need cover in.

 

As I've posted above, I really don't think he "solves several problems for us". What are the problems which you think he solves?

2mil of our very limited funds for a player to just sit on the bench most the time makes little sense.

 

I'm old enough to remember £2m of our limited funds going on a full-back who went to Udinese a few months later...

 

That was also a waste (albeit he was signed before Andrews emerged) . No need to compound the errors!

 

I don't think he would sit on the bench, over the course of the season. And the main problem he solves would be: we have **** all depth

 

We have more depth in Central Midfield than any other position...

 

Are any of them worse than Styles? And would he be an improvement, or at least push James Morris? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, than yes I'd sign him

 

As I posted above - he doesn't seem to have played LB even once in his entire career. Ismael does have our LBs playing a bit further forward, but we're still only choosing more traditional full-backs for the role tban Styles is. Lewis will be our first choice LB. Morris didn't do too shabby today anyway.

When in midfield he also usually plays more of a deeper role, yet he's not in the style of destroyer DM Ismael seems to want as demonstrated by Sierralta and Livermore.

We've seen today that the other two midfielders we play with are dynamic, attack minded number 8s, and Styles isn't one of those either. I also don't think that any of Louza, Kone, Chakvetadze, and even maybe TDB if he can keep that up will be worse than him.

We've basically not spent any money all summer - it would make zero sense (albeit be very Pozzo-y) to spend our only fee of note on a player who simply won't be first choice for us in any position, and would only be back-up for us in roles which he isn't necessarily that suited to.

I think people are just stuck on the fact that he played under Ismael before and is avaiable, without considering that it's not as if he was an Ismael signing at Barnsley to begin with.

 

Okie dokie, I still want to sign him, and still think he'd be a good option to have. Is that okay?

 

But assuming you only had £2mil to sign any one player (aside from a striker, which we'll still probably sign anyway) - would you really want to pick someone who wouldn't even make our first-choice XI? Or would you pick someone else who plays in a more needed position?

 

I wouldn't assume I only had £2m to sign any one player, and never said I had.

If I knew for a fact we had an exact budget of £2m, and the allowance to sign one player, and only one player, no, I wouldn't sign Styles. Happy?

 

Indeed. So you do still see some sense.

And we probably don't even have £2mil to spend on any player who isn't a striker anyway.

So it was both nonsensical and misguided of you to get annoyed about us not signing Styles in your initial post above.

 

Christ alive bud I try to defend you but honestly get some mates, please!

 

You'd briefly crossed over to the side of wetting the bed for no reason - you had to be reminded of some sense.

 

I don't think it's 'wetting the bed' to say I wanted to sign a proven Championship, international player, for a low price, to bolster a squad that looks a little thin.

You disagree, and that's fine, and you put your points across eloquently and they're well thought out as per, but it doesn't mean an opposing view is irrelevant, or 'nonsensical'.

 

I'm not greedy. I just want a DM.

 

Has anyone suggested, Styles ?

 

He isn't a DM. He's more like TDB but better being a more Box to Box midfielder. In fairness, I think that's actually more useful to us. Between Sierralta and Livermore that's adequate cover and leaves really a CB short of decent depth in most areas.

 

In no way is Sierralta and Livermore adequate cover for an important position.

 

My sauces tell me if we only had £2m to spend on just one player it would be nonsensical to Styles. But if this is not the case then it would definitely make sense to get Styles for cover or maybe even more. It's all pretty complicated and probably needs a flow chart.

 

Many times

 

Thank God.

 

Looks like Porteous and Chakvetadze both scored this week.

 

Desperately need a CM & ST. Winger and full-back next on my list but you can make the case for needing an improvement in just about any position,