Are we doing OK or underachieving?

[Gors Buster]

We look really poor out wide.
Full backs and wingers never look like they’re on the same page.
I really like Tymon and Key so for me, the issue is our non productive wingers.
We also need a number 10 as there’s nothing coming through the middle…… basically, we’re shit going forward, like we have been since we lost Pato, Ntcham and Piroe.

 

[lidojack]

Comparisons with Williams should be moot because our expectations should have been elevated.

Sheehan finished last season gaining 1.9ppg, lost 3 players from the first team squad and spent nearly £15m.
When you compare then player we've lost/gained (Darling/Burgess, O'Brien/Galbraith etc.) you can't say we've lost quality so why are we now down to 1.3ppg? Why are we rock bottom of the division in xg, big chances and touches in the opposition box despite having the second highest net spend in the league?

It's not as if we are concrete defensively either as we are middling for most stats but make the 5th most saves per game.

With the money spent and the people investing in the club we likely have more eyes on us now than we have since we were in the Premier League, we should be taking advantage of that and not settling for mediocrity.

 

[PSumbler]

Whether the individual purchases end up being successes/failures is a different matter though. Personally, I’m pretty confident that 4+ of the 7 ‘1st team permanent signings’ will be seen as successes over the course of their contract - which is a pretty decent hit rate

I'd agree with that as a decent hit rate

Out of interest which 4 would you say?

 

[CurtessECarr]

Looking at the table. We are 16th there are 5 teams in the bottom half that at the start season I would probably expected to be in the top half. There are 5 in the top half who I would have guessed would have been in the bottom half.
I would put as underperforming despite the new inclusions we are no more exciting to watch than we have been over recent seasons.
The yardstick usually used is judge us after 10 games.
On that evidence we are a mid table side with a mid table squad.

 

[Frankie Burrows Cap]

I'd agree with that as a decent hit rate

Out of interest which 4 would you say?

Galbraith & Burgess - 100%
I think Stamenic will be a regular starter and good player at this level over the next few years.

Probably hedge my bets on which of the others - if pushed I think we’ll end up making a decent profit on one of Widell or Inoussa.

 

[PSumbler]

Galbraith & Burgess - 100%
I think Stamenic will be a regular starter and good player at this level over the next few years.

Probably hedge my bets on which of the others - if pushed I think we’ll end up making a decent profit on one of Widell or Inoussa.

I remain a little unconvinced on the consistency of Burgess but the same could be said about any of our central defenders so happy with that

But don't disagree on the rest - not sure I understand our loan signings and we always have had a reluctance to use them but maybe thats the nature of them

 

[Frankie Burrows Cap]

I remain a little unconvinced on the consistency of Burgess but the same could be said about any of our central defenders so happy with that

But don't disagree on the rest - not sure I understand our loan signings and we always have had a reluctance to use them but maybe thats the nature of them

I’m not suggesting he’s the next Ashley Williams but I think I’ve seen enough to think he’ll be a solid upper mid-table centre half at this level. He’s also clearly got leadership qualities which we’ve been lacking.

Loans have been strange for years (since Cooper). We seem to be shopping in the market for players that PL clubs aren’t going to use but that aren’t considered good enough to start every week - which generally seems a waste and blocks youngsters we own.

However, to be fair to whoever signed off on them this season we urgently needed the cover that Casey & Samuels-Smith have provided. Yalcouye (despite the moment of madness) I think will make 30+ league appearance. Benson on paper (and to those in the know) looked like he would be a starter or at the very least rotate with Ronald - hopefully he’ll find the form of that 1 season at Burnley but that does look a waste of wages atm.

 

[magicdaps10]

We seem to be treading water at the moment. I just hope it's all being done to then let the handbrake off and we see a different side once all bedded in.

It's all very uninspiring at present and there are already signs of fans being uneasy that could easily grow in volume if it continues with this boring and pragmatic football.

Sheehan has the players to make a go of it, to atleast become a solid mid table team and not one languishing in 16th or 17th and possibly looking over our shoulders.

 

[Risc]

We have a middle of the pack budget. That means we either accept our fate and place in the world or we need an overachieving coach and an overachieving recruitment department.

Right now I think our coach is a 5/10 and our recruitment in the summer was a 6/10. Our recruitment could go up or down with hindsight as there are a lot of unknowns and some of them need time to show a bit more. I do not think my score for Sheehan can go down, I am confident he is an okay coach and just hope he shows us he can be a 7/10.

Casey - Looks a diamond
Inoussa - Our most dangerous winger
Ishe - Excellent second choice LB
Galbraith - Player of season
Idah - Excellent competition for Vipotnik
Yalcouye - Done very well other than the red
Melker - One of the brightest players in recent weeks
Stamenic - He’s excellent
Burgess - Done well

Benson - Hasn’t worked
Wales - Clearly a top prospect
Santos - 4th choice CB
Farman - 3rd choice keeper

The window was excellent. Benson is the only one that I’m sure the club would take back and he still may come good but maybe that will change in coming weeks.

That’s 1 in 13 and one of the best success rates around. Calling it 6/10 is just nonsense.

I notice Notts County been dumped out of the Cup by Brackley too....

 

[exiledclaseboy]

I think six is about right for recruitment. At least on the evidence so far.

 

[Smurph]

ChatGPT is hallucinating.

1st tier - 9 seasons (1981-1983 / 2011-2018)
2nd tier - 45 seasons (1925-1947* / 1949-1965 / 1979-1981 / 1983-1984 / 2008-2011 / 2018-2026)
3rd tier - 27 seasons (1920-1925** / 1947-1949** / 1965-1967 / 1970-1973 / 1978-1979 / 1984-1986 / 1988-1996 / 2000-2001 / 2005-2008)
4th tier - 18 seasons (1967-1970 / 1973-1978 / 1986-1989 / 1996-2000 / 2001-2005)

* Not including 1939-40 which started but didn't finish
** The 3rd/4th tiers were only established in 1958, so our seven seasons at that level before then were in division 3 south. We finished in the top 10 every time so probably fair to call it 3rd tier anyway.

Seems that way, I put the same question in to Gemini and it came up with more or less what you've said.

 

[Ringwood]

We don't have a top 6 manager or a top 6 squad so not sure what people are expecting. I can think of 6 players in our squad i would upgrade if we want a playoffs push.

 

[Dillwyn the Dog]

The difference between Sheehan’s swans last season and this seems simple - we lost a coach who was a midfielder and replaced him with another coach who was a defender. Hence the inability to move the ball coherently from midfield into areas which will hurt opposition teams.

 

[MrSwerve]

Ok, fair point regards the results.
We were currently 16th in the league when we parted with Williams and we are currently sat in the same position as we speak.

Williams went with an average of 1.17 points per game last season.
Sheehan is currently on 1.3 points per game.

We are a point better off this season but we were sat higher in the league last season after 13 games(12th).

Things just need to be fair in comparison overall. We need to be careful because things can go either way as it stands, we are struggling to create chances which is a concern and Sheehan needs to find a solution that helps us be more creative or his fate could be similar to that of Williams.

How far were we from the drop zone when Williams was sacked? We’re a fairly comfortable 8 points off it at the moment after 13 games.

I’m still kind of ignoring the table at this point, it’s still quite early and it’s so close points-wise. One lucky bounce of a ball and we could quite easily be 8th or 9th at the moment.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

The difference between Sheehan’s swans last season and this seems simple - we lost a coach who was a midfielder and replaced him with another coach who was a defender. Hence the inability to move the ball coherently from midfield into areas which will hurt opposition teams.

That does seem simplistic.