Our Current Squad

[Guest]

21 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

If a new manager came in this week and in January make 3 signings we could challenging for the top 6 this season

I would've agreed a few weeks, a month, ago. But now I just can't. I don't think that Mowbray is doing well, he makes some odd decisions, but I also don't put shoddy defending and lack of work rate down to him which I think we've seen from this side.

Maybe the scope for this side is up to 9th with the best manager in the league, down as low as 20th with the worst.

[chaddyrovers]

Just now, JoeH said:

I would've agreed a few weeks, a month, ago. But now I just can't. I don't think that Mowbray is doing well, he makes some odd decisions, but I also don't put shoddy defending and lack of work rate down to him which I think we've seen from this side.

Maybe the scope for this side is up to 9th with the best manager in the league, down as low as 20th with the worst.

for me, the defence needs drilling every day like a Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis would. We need to get back to basics. 

[roversfan99]

11 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Defence is easily in the bottom 5 of this division, there are worse, but not many. Midfield is in the top 6 for me. Holtby, Dack, Rothwell are as good as any in this division, but the chances of all three on the pitch consistently with TM in charge are low. Attack is mid table.

Add good, bad and average together and you've got a side that'll finish 15th again.

No improvement on last year, new keeper but makes the same errors as the last one, basically the same player. New striker than can't play football and doesn't get game time up front anyway. Basically a failed year.

We won't go down, but expecting anything above 15th at this stage would be fantastical.

Whilst as "good as any in this division" might be a push for them 3, I dont think that whilst we have some decent midfielders that it is anywhere near balanced enough to be top 6 worthy. Ideally all 3 would be playing in the same position. We dont control games and we dont create many clear cut chances.

Our set of strikers bar Graham is really poor. Agreed on defence.

[Blue blood]

This is hard to say. After all Bowyer had a top 6 quality squad imo and couldn't get us top 6. Similarly McCarthy got a weak Ipswich town punching above their weight. To me there is an element to which the squad is as good as the manager makes it. 

Whilst a good and interesting question (with a probable depressing answer) perhaps an equally important question is how much of the squad could a good manager get something out of? A lot of our players are limited but a good manager could do something with them. For example could Mulgrew play as defensive mid to get his set pieces and yet not be a liability in defence, or does Gally have the attributes to be a nusicence up front with correct coaching? A good manager can't do the wholesale changes needed but if they can get a few of our bog standard players working in the team / offering something alongside the few quality players we have, perhaps top 10 would not be unreasonable. If our players limitations were hidden for example not getting our players playing a possession game they don't suit and players were played in their best positions then that can only help our team. 

In short I think it's hard to judge given how much more complicated TM is making it with all his chopping, changing and playing players out of position. Get the basics right and regardless of the quality of lack thereof we will do better. 

L

[JacknOry]

Our squad? Insanely unbalanced. 

No defence after spending nothing there and even worse, no attack despite spending 15 million there (counting Dack as midfield just cos it suits).

Tons of midfielders though - except no wingers which is another odd TMism

Edited November 26, 2019 by JacknOry

[riverholmes]

A Mowbray-era thread but jumping onboard to discuss the midfield.

Eustace has joined the club narrative to say Jake Garrett is off on loan to further his experience for a Rovers return. It’s clearly a snub, given the weakness of the squad and, notably, the midfield. Garrett hinted as much when he told media that he ‘had a point to prove.” My guess is that we may have seen the last of him - he’ll do well at Bristol Rovers in less famous blue and white and feel worthy of a more competitive club by the end. It’ll suit the club too who are quite eager to cash in these days. I hope I’m wrong and he does well and returns to be a key player. It’s healthy to have academy players established in the team and performing.

Garrett is no world beater but I do feel he has some promise and allowed to knuckle down in one midfield role, he could be decent at this level. He really starred in the Carabao Cup and, though only a sub in that tie v. Newcastle, I thought he woke the team up with a crunching tackle and we subsequently went on to get back in the game after being all but buried. He has the sort of spirit that Travis once had, though not yet shown that ability. He also has played CB and LB at U21s/U18s.

We were already looking short in midfield, with the departure of Finneran. Now we have Tronstad, Travis, JRC and Buckley. Travis is, as far as I can tell, a fraction of the player he once was before injuries took their toll. JRC is injury-prone and might play wide. Buckley is in last chance saloon to mature and be the player his ability suggests - so Tronstad seems to be the one that might be relied on but offers little going forward. After them are, as far as I can remember, Saadi, Montgomery and, maybe, Caddick?

 

Edited August 5 by riverholmes

[Dreams of 1995]

Our midfield is looking weak on paper. If Tronstad gets an injury then it’s panic stations. We will more than likely bring a central midfielder in. A deal that may include Travis going the other way doesn’t do a lot to fix the issue though

More than anything we need wingers. I reckon Eustace has really laboured that point. They are so important to how he plays

I don’t think there’s an area of the pitch that I can say I’m totally happy with. You could argue the 10 role is covered quite well, given Sammie is still here. But that’s about it….and Sammie might not be here long

[47er]

5 hours ago, riverholmes said:

A Mowbray-era thread but jumping onboard to discuss the midfield.

Eustace has joined the club narrative to say Jake Garrett is off on loan to further his experience for a Rovers return. It’s clearly a snub, given the weakness of the squad and, notably, the midfield. Garrett hinted as much when he told media that he ‘had a point to prove.” My guess is that we may have seen the last of him - he’ll do well at Bristol Rovers in less famous blue and white and feel worthy of a more competitive club by the end. It’ll suit the club too who are quite eager to cash in these days. I hope I’m wrong and he does well and returns to be a key player. It’s nice to have academy players established in the team and performing.

Garrett is no world beater but I do feel he has some promise and allowed to knuckle down in one midfield role, he could be decent at this level. He really starred in the Carabao Cup and, though only a sub in that tie v. Newcastle, I thought he woke the team up with a crunching tackle and we subsequently went on to get back in the game after being all but buried. He has the sort of spirit that Travis once had, though not yet shown that ability. He also has played CB and LB at U21s/U18s.

We were already looking short in midfield, with the departure of Finneran. Now we have Tronstad, Travis, JRC and Buckley. Travis is, as far as I can tell, a third of the player he once was before injuries took their toll. JRC is injury-prone and might play wide. Buckley is in last chance saloon to mature and be the player his ability suggests - so Tronstad seems to be the one that might be relied on but offers little going forward. After them are, as far as I can remember, Saadi, Montgomery and, maybe, Caddick?

 

Travis maybe off to Stoke---swap for Baker. Personally I hope not.

Edited August 5 by 47er

[ruggles1995]

Whatever happens friday, If its not great, I think fans need to remember, its going to be hard to picture what we are really about until probably mid September at the earliest. We have had an influx of new players that haven't played friendlies for us, plus he still wants another 3-4 players in.  That would take it to like 8/9 new players with no friendlies, no pre season to bed in with our current crop. Think it will be a slow start. Not really ideal prep!

[47er]

5 minutes ago, ruggles1995 said:

Whatever happens friday, If its not great, I think fans need to remember, its going to be hard to picture what we are really about until probably mid September at the earliest. We have had an influx of new players that haven't played friendlies for us, plus he still wants another 3-4 players in.  That would take it to like 8/9 new players with no friendlies, no pre season to bed in with our current crop. Think it will be a slow start. Not really ideal prep!

Whereas newly promoted Derby, with big support behind them I 'd imagine, will be raring to go.

[roversfan99]

Derby have had a difficult pre season which obviously doesnt mean that much but also dont have much quality and are waiting on signing a keeper with his current club in European games. They have lost a few players from their promotion team notably Bird and Wildsmith. It should be a very good chance for Eustace to finally win a home game.

[simongarnerisgod]

we`ve got two very winnable homes to start with,i will be very worried if we can`t take points off two sides up from league one