Assessment of current squad and what needs to be done!

[Howaythelads]

I can't see how Heinze is a realistic target. Imo, he's one of the top left-backs in Europe. Why the feck would he come to us?

 

We won't have the money for him. That fat f*** Fred never parts with any of the clubs cash on players in preferences for whole lorry loads of pies. Fat useless b******.

[Cajun]

Get back under your bridge!

[NE5]

I can't see how Heinze is a realistic target. Imo, he's one of the top left-backs in Europe. Why the feck would he come to us?

 

We won't have the money for him. That fat f*** Fred never parts with any of the clubs cash on players in preferences for whole lorry loads of pies. Fat useless b******.

 

thats right. We never buy anybody, and when we do they are all mediocre players, that have nowhere else to go, at the last minute, for nothing.

 

Not like everybody else, who always get the players they want, at the right price, who always improve the team, and so challenge for trophies and qualify for europe.

 

 

[Guest alex]

Hi-5!

[Guest maznislav]

Why we are always trying to buy players who have failed in bigger clubs. I think there are a lot of players that want to play for us and currently they are in championship or in another country like Belgium, France or Netherlands. Stop purchasing players with huge wages, buy some young players who want to prove themselves and I am sure that we can start compete for CL.

[NE5]

I think if yesterdays show hasn't amplified the area where this team needs strengthening to some people, then they will never realise.

 

Our movement, passing, and [lack of] holding the ball - up front and in midfield - was absolutely shocking.

 

 

[Yorkie]

Yup, and a whole chunk of that problem should be rectified once we have one of the world's most natural finishers back in the team next season.

[NE5]

Yup, and a whole chunk of that problem should be rectified once we have one of the world's most natural finishers back in the team next season.

 

I doubt it. Unless Owen miraculously transforms into a penalty box goalscorer and supporting player overnight.

 

A left back should cure the problem though.

 

Yesterday exposed Martins limitations, which I've said in the past along with one or two other people to those who have allowed an odd spectacular goal to blind them to. He and Owen won't play together either. We need 2 forwards/strikers because Ameobi isn't good enough, and a midfield player too if Dyer is injured again or Emre fcuks off, who isn't good enough anyway.

 

 

 

 

[Guest andynufc84]

Yup, and a whole chunk of that problem should be rectified once we have one of the world's most natural finishers back in the team next season.

 

I doubt it. Unless Owen miraculously transforms into a penalty box goalscorer and supporting player overnight.

 

A left back should cure the problem though.

 

Yesterday exposed Martins limitations, which I've said in the past along with one or two other people to those who have allowed an odd spectacular goal to blind them to. He and Owen won't play together either. We need 2 forwards/strikers because Ameobi isn't good enough, and a midfield player too if Dyer is injured again or Emre fcuks off, who isn't good enough anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what Owen is, a poacher. A player who can finish oppoutunites in and around the box.

 

What Owen isn't is a player who can hold the ball up, neither is Martins by the looks of it. Thats why an Owen/Martins partnership probably won't solve our problems. He'll get injured anyway

[NE5]

Yup, and a whole chunk of that problem should be rectified once we have one of the world's most natural finishers back in the team next season.

 

I doubt it. Unless Owen miraculously transforms into a penalty box goalscorer and supporting player overnight.

 

A left back should cure the problem though.

 

Yesterday exposed Martins limitations, which I've said in the past along with one or two other people to those who have allowed an odd spectacular goal to blind them to. He and Owen won't play together either. We need 2 forwards/strikers because Ameobi isn't good enough, and a midfield player too if Dyer is injured again or Emre fcuks off, who isn't good enough anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what Owen is, a poacher. A player who can finish oppoutunites in and around the box.

 

What Owen isn't is a player who can hold the ball up, neither is Martins by the looks of it. Thats why an Owen/Martins partnership probably won't solve our problems. He'll get injured anyway

 

Sorry I should have emphasised the "and". I agree though, Martins is OK and may be better alongside the right sort of partner but he is limited in areas, I've posted earlier in this thread how I view him.

 

We aren't in a good position now, I don't expect us to go down although we still need some points. This is a crucial summer for the club.

[Ally]

I think if yesterdays show hasn't amplified the area where this team needs strengthening to some people, then they will never realise.

 

Our movement, passing, and [lack of] holding the ball - up front and in midfield - was absolutely shocking.

 

 

 

Aye, totally agree. The fact they scored directly from Martins giving the ball away tells its own story.

[Rich]

The idiots who are getting sucked in by the PR surrounding Michael Owen's return sum-up the current state of affairs absolutely perfectly and also sum-up a good number of the current fanbase. People are allowing themselves to be deluded by the media/club into thinking Michael Owen will return, work wonderfully with Martins and we'll magically start playing brilliant football and winning matches again. I cannot see a huge improvement coming about because of him, not at all. Has Michael Owen ever really worked without a top-class partner alongside him? As the sensible ones have been saying already - has he ever been a striker to hold the ball up effectively and link play? He's not as bad at those aspects of the game as some will say, certainly not, but he's not the answer to a "massive chunk" of our problems, he'll improve us a bit.

 

Aye, it will be nice to get him back in the team, but it's not going to stop us playing shite football, having poor quality players in all other areas of the park and it's certainly not going to make Martins any brighter/control a football any better/improve his God-awful passing "ability". It also won't stop Roeder making piss-poor team selections, leaving out the players who are the easiest to drop and making absolutely useless substitutions, either.

 

There are also people who think that under Roeder we will be able to play an on-the-deck attractive sort of football and so do not want to see the likes of Zigic, Crouch, Ashton or anyone of that nature brought to the club, because it will encourage the "long ball". Well fuck me sideways - do people genuinely think that Given will stop lumping it forwards? That Stephen Carr will stop whacking it up the touchline whenever he gets pressurised at all?

 

Direct football is an essential route of Premiership football, people will cite Arsenal as an example of "another way", but even they still play with a fair number of long punts up the field for the forwards to contest, not every single game for them is won by playing attractive football - and it certainly has been found-out away from home since their amazing run, anyway.

 

This squad does need Owen back, that is a no-brainer, but it also needs a quality partner for him who is an option in the air and decent on the deck (i.e. not Martins, based on what I've seen, but we'll see) and it needs two new full-backs, at least one centre-half and quite probably an attacking central midfielder who can pass and move. If we're being greedy, I'll have a decent defensive midfielder with a bit of aerial presence about him an' all and I'd quite happily never see Parker and Butt paired together in the midfield again.

 

But all of that is about as realistic as expecting Michael Owen - returning from an incredibly serious injury - being the solution to most of our onfield problems, isn't it?

[NE5]

I think if yesterdays show hasn't amplified the area where this team needs strengthening to some people, then they will never realise.

 

Our movement, passing, and [lack of] holding the ball - up front and in midfield - was absolutely shocking.

 

 

 

Aye, totally agree. The fact they scored directly from Martins giving the ball away tells its own story.

 

I noticed that at the time too

 

Are you taking the piss mate  it was only one incident !!!!

 

Generally though, we have caused our own defensive problems for most of this season, as yesterday