Transfer News and Gossip Transfer Rumours Thread 2024/25 - Time to Cook 👨‍🍳

[Thundersley Blue]

The area we will miss Cards the most is defending set pieces. He was often the player getting his head to the ball. Hopefully his replacement will be just as good in that area.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Spot on - the narrative that we play with "5 at the back" is absolutely nonsense. Has anyone ever seen Jack Bridge "defend"? LOL. And Gus is top scorer - so no, put the 5 at the back to bed as opinions from football fans that dont know much....

Its a clear 3 at the back - and even then one of them will usually break out and form another wide option, especially Ralph when he combined so well with Fonguck and Bridge last season.

Where I'd argue we are defensive is in midfield. We have a bunch of midfielders (until Moncur and by the sound of it Forson) who like to sit and hold as "quarterbacks" almost which leaves a big disconnect to the front players.

Too be fair, the thinking there may be because the 2 "wing backs" are very forward thinking and Ralph/Kensdale would venture forward, we probably need to be a bit more solid in the middle 3 to cover that.

But hopefully bedding in these 2 signings will help and maybe we'll see a slight change of style - like if Moncur playing behind front 2 and Forson up and down the pitch more, will see Ralph / Taylor less likely to wander forward as much.

I’ll be disappointed if Ralph and Taylor get forward less. Our best football of the last decade has been them (or Hobson before Taylor) getting forward and creating overloads.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

The area we will miss Cards the most is defending set pieces. He was often the player getting his head to the ball. Hopefully his replacement will be just as good in that area.

Agree 100% he must have the most defensive clearances from set pieces of any of our players this season. Big miss, but chance for someone else to step up.

 

[Blue Yonder]

The area we will miss Cards the most is defending set pieces. He was often the player getting his head to the ball. Hopefully his replacement will be just as good in that area.

Or Kensdales replacement is a bit more commanding in the air than Ollie was then we won't need our goalscorer in the wrong penalty box.

 

[palexander]

I’ll be disappointed if Ralph and Taylor get forward less. Our best football of the last decade has been them (or Hobson before Taylor) getting forward and creating overloads.

Yea, its a nice feature of our play.

Maybe they still will, but you can see a scenario on a turnover when its just Miley scrambling back to cover just Crowther and Taylor as everyone else is the other side of the ball

 

[Barry.C]

Spot on - the narrative that we play with "5 at the back" is absolutely nonsense. Has anyone ever seen Jack Bridge "defend"? LOL. And Gus is top scorer - so no, put the 5 at the back to bed as opinions from football fans that dont know much....

Its a clear 3 at the back - and even then one of them will usually break out and form another wide option, especially Ralph when he combined so well with Fonguck and Bridge last season.

Where I'd argue we are defensive is in midfield. We have a bunch of midfielders (until Moncur and by the sound of it Forson) who like to sit and hold as "quarterbacks" almost which leaves a big disconnect to the front players.

Too be fair, the thinking there may be because the 2 "wing backs" are very forward thinking and Ralph/Kensdale would venture forward, we probably need to be a bit more solid in the middle 3 to cover that.

But hopefully bedding in these 2 signings will help and maybe we'll see a slight change of style - like if Moncur playing behind front 2 and Forson up and down the pitch more, will see Ralph / Taylor less likely to wander forward as much.

Well put and In agree with most of that and in particular the midfield. I hope it comes off as you say with Moncur and Appiah Forson

My slight reservation is that Appoiah does need to achieve what you suggest. Maybe he has the engine for it, but practically all his games and experience has been as a DEFENSIVE central mid, not even mid mid.

To my mind we now have 5 defensive midfielders and I am not including Bridge, Wood or Husin in that

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

Spot on - the narrative that we play with "5 at the back" is absolutely nonsense. Has anyone ever seen Jack Bridge "defend"? LOL. And Gus is top scorer - so no, put the 5 at the back to bed as opinions from football fans that dont know much....

Its a clear 3 at the back - and even then one of them will usually break out and form another wide option, especially Ralph when he combined so well with Fonguck and Bridge last season.

Where I'd argue we are defensive is in midfield. We have a bunch of midfielders (until Moncur and by the sound of it Forson) who like to sit and hold as "quarterbacks" almost which leaves a big disconnect to the front players.

Too be fair, the thinking there may be because the 2 "wing backs" are very forward thinking and Ralph/Kensdale would venture forward, we probably need to be a bit more solid in the middle 3 to cover that.

But hopefully bedding in these 2 signings will help and maybe we'll see a slight change of style - like if Moncur playing behind front 2 and Forson up and down the pitch more, will see Ralph / Taylor less likely to wander forward as much.

Appiah-Forson is a box to box midfielder, so he does a bit of both. With Miley Husin and Morton, they aren't exactly CDM's themselves but tend to be more of a traditional CM that likes to shift the ball from side to side.

I do worry how Keenan will fit the system and not get in the way / make us lop sided

Ideally, we have Moncur behind the strikers and Keenan in the Midfield 2, but the question would be, who do we play alongside Keenan?

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

This from Sunday ....

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Or Kensdales replacement is a bit more commanding in the air than Ollie was then we won't need our goalscorer in the wrong penalty box.

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

 

[Firestorm]

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

Billel was menacing , particularly if he had been near the scissors

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

IMO our biggest problem so far this season has been an inability to progress the ball. By that I mean we’ve been passing sideways and backwards too much and not been able to go from defence to midfield and when we do find a midfielder they have their back to goal so have to pass back again.

I think KAF should be able to help with that with his ability to beat a man. He can drop back, take a ball on the half turn and get us passing upfield.

To be fair, we have improved since Noor has returned and as Noor reaches match fitness we should improve further.

 

[Bromley Blue]

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

Adam Barrett had a decent scoring record form memory and think Ryan Cresswell did well.

But I take the point that our centre backs rarely score from corners and haven’t for years. Not sure why that is to be honest as there’s quite a turnover of players from season to season. Excluding this summer obviously.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

Mark Phillips/Ryan Cresswell? Think they were the last centre halves to get more than 5 goals in a season. Cresswell got 6 in 12/13 and Phillips 7 in 11/12.

More recently Michael Turner and Adam Barrett (second spell) both had 4 goal seasons whilst not playing full years.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

When was the last time there was a transfer rumour???? Some joker who appeared then, as quickly, disappeared? Desperately searching for transfer rumours and all I find are posts about tactics, comparisons with old players, or ways the new signings will integrate into our system of play. All very interesting but not what I'm looking for on this thread!

 

[Flinty]

I’ll be disappointed if Ralph and Taylor get forward less. Our best football of the last decade has been them (or Hobson before Taylor) getting forward and creating overloads.

I don’t think we ever really replaced Hobson with his ability to drive forwards, this is something that is missing from the team that he did so well

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

When was the last time there was a transfer rumour???? Some joker who appeared then, as quickly, disappeared? Desperately searching for transfer rumours and all I find are posts about tactics, comparisons with old players, or ways the new signings will integrate into our system of play. All very interesting but not what I'm looking for on this thread!

Our friend truly is smarter than the average bear - can we keep this thread just for transfer rumours please?

Thank you

 

[Jmayhew32]

This from Sunday ....

It pains me that a journalist wrote 'on route'...

 

[Shrimp and two veg]

,pWhen was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

Adam Crowther, got a great goal at Maidenhead was it , came to us with a reputation of scoring goals from set pieces, strong in the air, our new Adam Barrett.

 

[Thundersley Blue]

When was the last time when there was an air of expectancy when we had a menacing central defender go up for corners and free kicks?

Spencer Prior?

We have had quite a few. Leo Roget and Adam Barrett for starters.

 

[ColinMorrisWalksOnWater]

Or Kensdales replacement is a bit more commanding in the air than Ollie was then we won't need our goalscorer in the wrong penalty box.

I don't think it was a case of our goalscorer being in the wrong box. Sorry ;)

A lot of the teams we play have several 6 footers and by having Cards at the near post, and being good in the air, he could prevent the ball getting into the centre of our box from set pieces. However, it also meant he just had to mark a space, not a person, and challenge for a ball coming into that space, which freed up our central defenders to man mark the more obvious target men.

That imho suits us better, as we can leave the pacey smaller midfielder on the edge of the box, and a smaller pacey forward up front to hit teams on the break.

Hopefully with the new personnel, we will be able to do that and a bit more effectively. KAF is really diminutive, but ideal to be the edge of the box midfielder to initiate such breaks and hopefully we can benefit for that, if we can replace what Cards offered us defensively as well as offensively.

That's what I hope Bim or another new arrival can offer us.