How good can we be in league 2

[Tommy2holes]

Keep the players fit and we are mid table and in with a shout of scraping top 10.

Sign a couple of decent players and we can be top 10 comfortable.

Sign nobody and are unlucky with injuries and we will finish in the bottom 6.

 

[OllieSteph44]

A lot of those injuries were caused by a lack of fitness, sharpness and professionalism that CP introduced to the club that we are still suffering from. It wasn't just bad luck.

There is no way on earth of us actually knowing that unless you :-

Are a qualified sports scientist

The clubs lead physio at the time

And / or actively involved or present day to day at the football club in the treatment room and on the training field.

Anything else is speculation at best!

I’m none of the above but the last time I checked, broken bones and cruciate ligament damage have nothing to do with fitness, sharpness or professionalism.

Happy to be corrected though

 

[rigsby]

When the Accrington keeper deliberately stuck a shoulder in Humphrys face, some fans were angry, some concerned and some, it appears, blaming CP.

Breaking a leg in a tackle or landing awkwardly, twisting your knee and doing an ACL has nothing to do with sharpness or professionalism......Unless your one of the usual suspects screaming abuse at CP

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

To blame CP for any of the injuries is wrong. If you look into why those injuries occurred is was nothing to do with the way training was conducted just very unfortunate timing. Hopper especially, when he was flying. Nothing could’ve been done about Humphrys. Whatever else you might think of a SUFC legend, he did his very best for this club. Toward the end he was a broken man which was very sad to see. Nobody would’ve been more upset with how the season panned out than him.

 

[Lord Football]

When the Accrington keeper deliberately stuck a shoulder in Humphrys face, some fans were angry, some concerned and some, it appears, blaming CP.

Oh you do make me laugh Riggers......... there was nothing deliberate in that. I thought I was he one with the dodgy eyes :)

 

[Lord Football]

As for the question. I've no idea. I think our youngers players are ok - a work in progress. Unlike the previous rabble they'll play for the shirt. They may find it easier playing behind closed doors as they won't get some of our village idiots on their back when they make a mistake.

I am not sure they're robust enough for some of the cloggers in League Two (cmon, you remember how bad some of the football is down here) and they'll need a bit of muscle and experience in key positions. I'm looking around our squad, and I don't see a lot of that around.

Personally, after last season, I'd just like to see us win a few games and not be sweating on relegation as we head into Easter.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

"muscle and experience in key positions

we do have some older heads about ... Demetriou, White, Dieng, Nathan whats his name ..
Oxley can hand it out .. Lennons not kid anymore ,, Kinali looks like he likes to "compete"

 

[BriggBlue]

"muscle and experience in key positions

we do have some older heads about ... Demetriou, White, Dieng, Nathan whats his name ..
Oxley can hand it out .. Lennons not kid anymore ,, Kinali looks like he likes to "compete"

that's something I was going to point out, we keep saying we need experienced players added to the squad but Oxley, White, Lennon, Dieng, Demi and Hump aren't likely to be bullied around every week, chuck in some speedy attack minded youngsters and we won't be too far off competing if everything gels, I'd still like to see a midfield general come in though.

 

[Strykr]

that's something I was going to point out, we keep saying we need experienced players added to the squad but Oxley, White, Lennon, Dieng, Demi and Hump aren't likely to be bullied around every week, chuck in some speedy attack minded youngsters and we won't be too far off competing if everything gels, I'd still like to see a midfield general come in though.

I think they mean "good" experienced players.

 

[united we stand]

that's something I was going to point out, we keep saying we need experienced players added to the squad but Oxley, White, Lennon, Dieng, Demi and Hump aren't likely to be bullied around every week, chuck in some speedy attack minded youngsters and we won't be too far off competing if everything gels, I'd still like to see a midfield general come in though.

Dieng and not bullied in the same sentence?

 

[Bromley Blue]

I think it will be interesting to see the effect the extended break from football has had on our side. There were times last season where I just wanted the world to end and no more football to be played because it had all become too painful to watch.

I didn’t actually expect it to happen though...

Having months away from the pressures of keeping a club in a higher division with a manager no one likes can only be a good thing. The oddball leader that ignored all of his players has gone, we’ve got a new manager who appears an arm round the shoulders type and no fans will be in the grounds from the offset. In our situation that couldn’t be better.

Our players will have time to rebuild their fragile confidence without abuse from the stands, especially at Roots Hall which had become quite a depressing place to go, both as a player or fan.

As others have said, our squad lacks true quality to challenge at the top end of the division but we could finish mid table if we can sort the defence out and add a bit of steel to the midfield.

 

[rigsby]

Oh you do make me laugh Riggers......... there was nothing deliberate in that. I thought I was he one with the dodgy eyes :)

Some are born to play, some are born to officiate. Its the people who play who can easily fool those that officiate but don't really understand the game.

You probably think that Harald Schumacher's tackle had nothing deliberate about it....Every keeper knows when he has a free hit.

For the younger viewer that was in the 1982 WC semi final, Germany France.

 

[rigsby]

Lots of posts claiming we have a weak squad but MM hasn't finished his shopping yet and plenty of other clubs have lost their decent players.......Any of you fancy bringing Kiernan, Hyam and Cox back in as the spine of your team?.....With Sol in charge

We are stronger without them and the young players we do have will all show great improvements this season.

As for all this needing 28 players because Bolton have signed 10 people in a day nonsense.... Can I remind you that every promotion you have seen at RH involved settled sides and mostly the same names every week.

Teams that start picking themselves win the medals.

 

[united we stand]

Hard to see us getting anywhere near the POs let alone promotion considering we had the likes of Bentley, AB, Timlin, Lenny, Payne, BBBC etc and we only just scraped it last time we were in L2.

I think this is the most relevant comment so far ( not sure about Payne but agree the others).
That’s a decent spine and certainly one with a “never give up” mentality.

if this time next year we are comparing today’s spine favourably with the above then. Think we would have had a great season

 

[Tommy2holes]

I think this is the most relevant comment so far ( not sure about Payne but agree the others).
That’s a decent spine and certainly one with a “never give up” mentality.

if this time next year we are comparing today’s spine favourably with the above then. Think we would have had a great season

People seem to forget the impact that covid has had to other clubs as well. Not to mention the wage cap now in place.

This will level the playing field

 

[NZamba Legend]

I think this is the most relevant comment so far ( not sure about Payne but agree the others).
That’s a decent spine and certainly one with a “never give up” mentality.

if this time next year we are comparing today’s spine favourably with the above then. Think we would have had a great season

Agreed. This squad currently feels a bit like Rob Newman's from early 2000s. Promise, yes, but lacking in experience and know how. Where even the experienced pros still have question marks against them. But then things don't always repeat themselves, in the same way. Many ways to fail, many ways to be successful.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

To blame CP for any of the injuries is wrong. If you look into why those injuries occurred is was nothing to do with the way training was conducted just very unfortunate timing. Hopper especially, when he was flying. Nothing could’ve been done about Humphrys. Whatever else you might think of a SUFC legend, he did his very best for this club. Toward the end he was a broken man which was very sad to see. Nobody would’ve been more upset with how the season panned out than him.

Injuries happen, but there had to be something behind the worst injury crisis this club has ever faced.

Being not at 100% sharpness, not 100% fit as the players were due to CP being too soft on the players and not implementing any sort of discipline, can and does result in being a fraction of a second late for a tackle, Muscles, tendons and ligaments not being as strong as they should be.

At elite level of sport, minute fractions make a huge difference.

I am not saying that all the injuries were CP‘s fault, but it wasn’t just bad luck, and even if 2 or 3 of them could of been avoided it could of made a massive difference.

 

[GBJ]

Injuries happen, but there had to be something behind the worst injury crisis this club has ever faced.

Being not at 100% sharpness, not 100% fit as the players were due to CP being too soft on the players and not implementing any sort of discipline, can and does result in being a fraction of a second late for a tackle, Muscles, tendons and ligaments not being as strong as they should be.

At elite level of sport, minute fractions make a huge difference.

I am not saying that all the injuries were CP‘s fault, but it wasn’t just bad luck, and even if 2 or 3 of them could of been avoided it could of made a massive difference.

Obviously you’ve got a point with regards to the squad not being as fit as they should have been, however I think it’s all too easy to blame Powell for that.

The players themselves- who were seasoned pros don’t forget - willfully allowed that situation to occur.

What was Chris Powell supposed to do when players decided to slink off into the canteen, instead of being in the gym where they were meant to be? Drag them back, kicking and screaming, and force them to lift weights or get on the cross trainer?

He couldn’t sack them. Maybe he could have dropped them... which would have gone down well with our fans, especially during a relegation battle, where half of the squad were already sidelined.

And of course, it doesn’t help when you’ve got players who have been cleared by our medical team, but continue to insist they have niggling injuries, and rule themselves out of contention.

Again, it’s easy to blame Powell, because as the manager the buck stops with him, but there is/was more to it than that... which was proven when we removed Powell, but our problems continued.

Case in point; Tony Colbert commented on how unfit they were when he first joined the club in October, which was 7-months after Powell had left.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Injuries happen, but there had to be something behind the worst injury crisis this club has ever faced.

Being not at 100% sharpness, not 100% fit as the players were due to CP being too soft on the players and not implementing any sort of discipline, can and does result in being a fraction of a second late for a tackle, Muscles, tendons and ligaments not being as strong as they should be.

At elite level of sport, minute fractions make a huge difference.

I am not saying that all the injuries were CP‘s fault, but it wasn’t just bad luck, and even if 2 or 3 of them could of been avoided it could of made a massive difference.

I’ll have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Powell is a highly rated coach who had got Charlton promoted and up to a mid table Championship finish. Maybe his weakness was he was too much of a nice guy but why should he change?? I’d certainly question the mentality and professionalism of some of the players...and the Humphrys injury really was unfortunate as I think he’d have comfortably kept us up and CP might not have have lost his job. Think any issues with discipline go beyond CP to be honest, they remained under Bond. The whole culture of SUFC needed a good hard look at.
Fortunately for MM the majority of the problem individuals have gone and about bloody time. Some “seasoned pros” that pulled on our shirt over the last two seasons need to hang their heads in shame.

 

[rigsby]

Obviously you’ve got a point with regards to the squad not being as fit as they should have been, however I think it’s all too easy to blame Powell for that.

The players themselves- who were seasoned pros don’t forget - willfully allowed that situation to occur.

What was Chris Powell supposed to do when players decided to slink off into the canteen, instead of being in the gym where they were meant to be? Drag them back, kicking and screaming, and force them to lift weights or get on the cross trainer?

He couldn’t sack them. Maybe he could have dropped them... which would have gone down well with our fans, especially during a relegation battle, where half of the squad were already sidelined.

And of course, it doesn’t help when you’ve got players who have been cleared by our medical team, but continue to insist they have niggling injuries, and rule themselves out of contention.

Again, it’s easy to blame Powell, because as the manager the buck stops with him, but there is/was more to it than that... which was proven when we removed Powell, but our problems continued.

Case in point; Tony Colbert commented on how unfit they were when he first joined the club in October, which was 7-months after Powell had left.

Wonderful being a player in the modern game. Even when you do this you know the fans will let you off and blame the manager.