So now the window is closed, what we have is what we have for the remainder of the season. Trying to break it down by position...
Goalkeeper
Rushworth (L), Fisher
Clearly Rushworth is going to be our first choice keeper here. Come the summer it is almost certainly a position that will be a priority to address, it now feels to me that letting Benda go was yet another moment of madness.
Central Defenders
Humphries (L), Wood, Darling, Cabango
Another huge area of concern for me. Wood's form has been calamitous (and thats being generous), Humphries feels like his confidence is shot, Cabango is the second best of the bunch but always feels like he has a hospital pass in him with only Darling for me being a player that I feel is upper Championship standard.
Right Backs
Ashby (L), Key, Naughton
We cannot get Key back fit quickly enough, Ashby has been the most disappointing loan signing for me of the lot (the next Trippier my ass!) while Naughton will always give 100% but his age is simply catching up with him. When fit again Key is too good not to play
Left Backs
Tymon, Abdulai
Tymon has improved in recent weeks and now is probably one of the first names on the team sheet. Strong delivery and good energy however the lack of cover outside of the currently injured Abdulai worries me greatly. I know the new Polish lad from Norwich can also play as a left back so there is that at least.
Central Midfield
Patino (L), Grimes, Fulton, Allen
Four defensive minded midfielders is simply too many for the club, on top of that we all know that the Grimes-Fulton axis isn't working and that there has to be changes here. While Grimes has shown a willingness to start to play head up and on the half turn more often what he does not need is another player also playing a holding role 10 yards from him who only plays with his back to goal sending the ball straight back into the press almost every time he gets the ball.
Joe is an improvement on Fulton but questions over his ability to remain injury free / last for 90 minutes will persist. Patino is the best of the bunch but Williams seems set on not playing him, I remain hopeful on the theory that we were asked to limit his minutes over the transfer window in case Juventus did come calling and that we will now see him on the field more.
Attacking Midfield
Walsh, Paterson, Cooper
On paper one of our better covered positions until you see that Walsh just cannot stay fit after a seemingly promising return for almost a month. I feel Walsh is our most talented midfield option but the lack of ability to stay fit has blighted his career elsewhere and that curse seems to have followed him here with us. Paterson has rediscovered his first few months of form with us now and seems more confident in attacking and getting involved while Cooper is the opposite and seems to be struggling to find a place in the side with the way LW wants to play.
Left Wing
Placheta, Sagoe Jr (L), Lowe (L)
Classing these as wingers since they seem to have been recruited purely for attacking instincts rather than defensive ones. Both promise pace with Placheta also offering experience compared to the raw youth of Sagoe Jr from Arsenal. I am classing Lowe as a winger here because for me it is the position where he is most influential with his pace since he isn't really a lone striker despite how we have asked him to play this season
Right Wing
Ronald, Parker, Congreve, Ginnelly
Ronald's debut was filled with promising moments - trickery, pace and delivery were all evident and showed just how much we had been missing them. For me he is one with huge potential for the future alongside Parker. Congreve can feel a bit hard done by I think with how many wingers we brought in this window but it is up to him to play/train his way into the reckoning. Ginnelly we all know had a horrific injury and we won't see him until next pre season most likely which is a shame because he might be the most talented player in the whole squad.
Striker
Yates, Cullen, Kukharevych
Much has been made about Yates, rightly or wrongly he has had plenty of criticism. Some of it unjustified but much of it is, we saw glimpses of what he could be in the early games of the season and then for most of the first half against Leicester. The remainder he has been as close to anonymous as you could get, a passenger in a side that could not afford passengers with form being so low. Cullen might be the best natural finisher / poacher at the club but had been shoehorned onto the wing the whole season to accommodate Yates/Lowe, he needs to be played in his natural position or he will never grow as a striker. Similarly the Kukharevych enigma has long confused me, with Yates such a consistent non entity why he hasn't been getting any game time for me is a mystery and one that I think that LW must address.
Formation
With the window now closed and the players that we have to work with for the remainder of the season, I don't think that 3-3-3-1 or however you want to call it is a viable formation anymore. Between injuries and the players we let go / brought in we will ship goals left, right and centre. For me the squad that we have now can only suit the more traditional 4-5-1 shape, fullbacks providing support with overlaps/underlaps with wingers and a striker supported by the more typical attacking midfield player. With the players at our disposal I would want to see us line up something like this:
----------------------------------------- Rushworth -------------------------------------------
Key ---------------- Darling ---------------------------------- Cabango --------------- Tymon
------------------------------------------- Grimes ----------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Paterson ---------------- Patino ---------------------------------
Ronald -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Placheta
--------------------------------------- Kukharevych --------------------------------------------
You have a lot of pace and attacking intent but you also are not leaving our defenders out to dry with no defensive cover. Players should always have three or more options on the ball, if your wingback is 50 yards away from their outside central defender (such as Tymon-Humphries against Leicester) then that ball will almost never ever be on.
Goalkeeper
Rushworth (L), Fisher
Clearly Rushworth is going to be our first choice keeper here. Come the summer it is almost certainly a position that will be a priority to address, it now feels to me that letting Benda go was yet another moment of madness.
Central Defenders
Humphries (L), Wood, Darling, Cabango
Another huge area of concern for me. Wood's form has been calamitous (and thats being generous), Humphries feels like his confidence is shot, Cabango is the second best of the bunch but always feels like he has a hospital pass in him with only Darling for me being a player that I feel is upper Championship standard.
Right Backs
Ashby (L), Key, Naughton
We cannot get Key back fit quickly enough, Ashby has been the most disappointing loan signing for me of the lot (the next Trippier my ass!) while Naughton will always give 100% but his age is simply catching up with him. When fit again Key is too good not to play
Left Backs
Tymon, Abdulai
Tymon has improved in recent weeks and now is probably one of the first names on the team sheet. Strong delivery and good energy however the lack of cover outside of the currently injured Abdulai worries me greatly. I know the new Polish lad from Norwich can also play as a left back so there is that at least.
Central Midfield
Patino (L), Grimes, Fulton, Allen
Four defensive minded midfielders is simply too many for the club, on top of that we all know that the Grimes-Fulton axis isn't working and that there has to be changes here. While Grimes has shown a willingness to start to play head up and on the half turn more often what he does not need is another player also playing a holding role 10 yards from him who only plays with his back to goal sending the ball straight back into the press almost every time he gets the ball.
Joe is an improvement on Fulton but questions over his ability to remain injury free / last for 90 minutes will persist. Patino is the best of the bunch but Williams seems set on not playing him, I remain hopeful on the theory that we were asked to limit his minutes over the transfer window in case Juventus did come calling and that we will now see him on the field more.
Attacking Midfield
Walsh, Paterson, Cooper
On paper one of our better covered positions until you see that Walsh just cannot stay fit after a seemingly promising return for almost a month. I feel Walsh is our most talented midfield option but the lack of ability to stay fit has blighted his career elsewhere and that curse seems to have followed him here with us. Paterson has rediscovered his first few months of form with us now and seems more confident in attacking and getting involved while Cooper is the opposite and seems to be struggling to find a place in the side with the way LW wants to play.
Left Wing
Placheta, Sagoe Jr (L), Lowe (L)
Classing these as wingers since they seem to have been recruited purely for attacking instincts rather than defensive ones. Both promise pace with Placheta also offering experience compared to the raw youth of Sagoe Jr from Arsenal. I am classing Lowe as a winger here because for me it is the position where he is most influential with his pace since he isn't really a lone striker despite how we have asked him to play this season
Right Wing
Ronald, Parker, Congreve, Ginnelly
Ronald's debut was filled with promising moments - trickery, pace and delivery were all evident and showed just how much we had been missing them. For me he is one with huge potential for the future alongside Parker. Congreve can feel a bit hard done by I think with how many wingers we brought in this window but it is up to him to play/train his way into the reckoning. Ginnelly we all know had a horrific injury and we won't see him until next pre season most likely which is a shame because he might be the most talented player in the whole squad.
Striker
Yates, Cullen, Kukharevych
Much has been made about Yates, rightly or wrongly he has had plenty of criticism. Some of it unjustified but much of it is, we saw glimpses of what he could be in the early games of the season and then for most of the first half against Leicester. The remainder he has been as close to anonymous as you could get, a passenger in a side that could not afford passengers with form being so low. Cullen might be the best natural finisher / poacher at the club but had been shoehorned onto the wing the whole season to accommodate Yates/Lowe, he needs to be played in his natural position or he will never grow as a striker. Similarly the Kukharevych enigma has long confused me, with Yates such a consistent non entity why he hasn't been getting any game time for me is a mystery and one that I think that LW must address.
Formation
With the window now closed and the players that we have to work with for the remainder of the season, I don't think that 3-3-3-1 or however you want to call it is a viable formation anymore. Between injuries and the players we let go / brought in we will ship goals left, right and centre. For me the squad that we have now can only suit the more traditional 4-5-1 shape, fullbacks providing support with overlaps/underlaps with wingers and a striker supported by the more typical attacking midfield player. With the players at our disposal I would want to see us line up something like this:
----------------------------------------- Rushworth -------------------------------------------
Key ---------------- Darling ---------------------------------- Cabango --------------- Tymon
------------------------------------------- Grimes ----------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Paterson ---------------- Patino ---------------------------------
Ronald -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Placheta
--------------------------------------- Kukharevych --------------------------------------------
You have a lot of pace and attacking intent but you also are not leaving our defenders out to dry with no defensive cover. Players should always have three or more options on the ball, if your wingback is 50 yards away from their outside central defender (such as Tymon-Humphries against Leicester) then that ball will almost never ever be on.
I feel like I have completed a web achievement now lol
