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by SevYesterday 22:59Yesterday at 22:59:49
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Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 639
With it highly unlikely we'll make the playoffs, let alone get promoted, I can see us losing Reid this summer.
I can't see anyone from the current crop replicating what Reid has done this season and I can't see us bringing in a like for like replacement.
With that in mind what other options would people like to see us exploring? I seem to remember that 2010 onwards team, in our charge up to the League One playoffs having goals spread quite widely across the team (I may be remembering wrong).
Could we achieve that and maintain our defensive record this season?
I think it's something like 18 clean sheets and 10+ games we've only conceded once this season (league games only) so our priority should be hanging on to the current defensive shape.
Who from our current crop could we turn to for more goals next season and who else would people like to see being brought in?
I can't see another 20+ goal a season player coming along after Reid next season, but 4-5 players all banging in 5+ in a season more than this year would put us in good stead.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 509
I think we need a better creative midfielder. Ben Thompson ain't it. I like Freeman, but he's more effective out wide. I'd argue the same about MacDonald. Roberts is way too inconsistent to be relied upon as a no.10. I'd like to see Roberts shifted to the left, with Freeman on the right, a true no.10, and just play Reid up front on his own.
We need a more consistent midfield shape which consists of at least 1 designated holding midfielder. Happy for that to be Louis Thompson, but the backup/alternate needs to be better than Burns (who I still don't rate as a midfielder). I'd actually like to see Sweeney play there.
If we improve our central midfielders, I think we'll make the playoffs no problem next season (assuming everything else stays the same).
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 221
Not sure about the 'no problem' bit, but much of the rest is spot on, assuming we don't lose any key players over the summer and recruit well. On paper last summer's recruits looked the business, but it hasn't quite turned out that way.
Taye, Luther, TVC, Sweens, Pidge, JF-C, Roberts and Reidy would all be in my strongest eleven and they were already here (albeit 2 of them were loanees).
Of the new arrivals only Butler and Freeman would demand an automatic place. The Thompson Triplets looked like brilliant signings, but none has been able to nail down a starting spot. Ben has the best Championship pedigree yet for me has been the most disappointing. January was arguably worse, given the arrival of Oliver and Big Steve's decision to persevere with him. Tally to date: one assist and one own goal. The dip in form isn't all down to him, but his lack of mobility is an issue and is a problem for Reidy, particularly as Roberts has been struggling.
The next four games are really important. The play-off ship may have sailed but it is vital we take some momentum into next season rather than finishing with relegation form.
Probable score tonight: Boro 3 Barnsley 0. Oliver hat-trick. Roberts 3 assists.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 472
Agree with almost all, other than the final point.
I am expecting next season to be considerably stronger. This year has been very weak by L1 standards, and was our chance to get promotion if we were ever to do it.
Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield and MK would be far tougher than the four going down, and those coming down I also expect to be stronger than whichever three go up. Then add in that sides like Charlton, Reading, Wigan etc. could very well get their act together and also be stronger next season and that is half the league that is better than this year, and would need us to also strengthen to stay in touch.
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3 people
Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 465
I like the 4231 idea but not sure Sweeney is mobile enough to play as a holding midfielder, although I think he has in the past at FGR...? We definitely need a creative midfielder/no 10 though, and Anderson could provide good competition for Freeman on the right
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 435
I've been thinking about this imbalance in the team for a while now and I genuinely don't see a solution within the current setup.
Pre-February, we were mostly setting up with a back 4, a midfield 3 of Freeman, a CDM (TVC, N Thompson or Burns), and JFC, Roberts, then a front 2. Freeman was able to cover Luther quite well, the CDM slotted in at the back when we didn't have the ball (because Evans quite rightly does not trust the pace of Pidge and Sweeney as a back 2), and JFC was there as a creative outlet.
The issue with this was always that Butler was often exposed defensively. This is why, although excellent in defence, he was seemingly reluctant to bomb forwards, often stopping at the halfway line and cutting the ball back to a midfielder. With JFC getting injured in February, it allowed/forced Evans to try and experiment with how we fix that left side. He had planned for this, as seen through the Guinness-Walker loan: it was an attempt to have a more attacking version of Nick Freeman down the left, while providing cover for Butler.
This is a great idea in theory, but the core issue here is that by losing JFC after the Lincoln game, we lost a huge creative presence in our midfield, and heaped pressure onto Jordan Roberts as our sole creative outlet. When Roberts had a subsequent downturn in form, our chance creation stalled out. Add to that we started to be wasteful of the chances we did create, and the goals completely dried up.
All this to say, I am still absolutely mystified why we never just continued the obvious straight swap of JFC to Harvey White, which was tried immediately but only once (in the Fleetwood game in JFC's first absence). Every subsequent game it's been a fiddling around of formation & system trying to get it working. This obviously doesn't fix the "Butler being exposed" issue, but at least would've given us continuity with the first half of the season and eased the pressure on Roberts.
For next year, I think the main issue that we have to fix is twofold: getting an attacking midfielder as cover/competition for Roberts and getting a quick centre back so it doesn't chain us to the use of a CDM to cover the centre backs, freeing up a midfield spot for a more creative/progressive ball carrier (think the JFC/Gilbey/Reeves trio from last season).
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4 people
Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 477
Where is Reid going? Realistically.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 408
Cambridge if the rumours are true.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 387
Not sure why ha would want to there , a sideways move or arguably step downwards.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 380
Because they throw around money like confetti until they hit another financial crisis. It?s always an accountancy rollercoaster at The Abbey.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 382
Oh well let's see, we would want a championship size transfer fee plus they will them have to in effect finance a massive similar salary, all on crowds about same as ours
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 514
We don't score from set pieces any more and I'd like to know why.
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2 people
Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 413
Would be very interested to see what % of our goals last season were from set pieces. They felt like a big part of our success.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 523
I was discussing this with my friends.
Teams are now TRIPLING up on Pidge when we loop it to him at the back post.
It isnt working anymore, and I dont know why we arent whipping our crosses for him to attack, rather than looping them for him to head across goal.
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2 people
Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 130
and we haven't got the awareness to use that to our advantage. Our attacking throwins are by the worst part of our game. Set pieces in general are poor.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 446
Yep. Everything goes onto Pidge?s head. Teams know this and mark him out, not to mention the players he is facing are better than those he was up against in League Two. Yet we repeatedly try to make it work.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 476
Exactly this....
I wonder why we now dont use Pidge as a decoy, and aim at Sweeney or Vads to win the header.....
This would take 3 defenders out of it....
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 435
I thought this too - or even try something different seeing as the opposition are so focused on Piergianni.
The main thing we need this summer is pace - we don't have anyone really fast, bar List and he doesn't show it anywhere near enough
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 521
Carl Alford.
He could score out of nothing.
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1 person
Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 583
I may be wrong, but i can't see us losing Reidy.
Cole Stockton once scored a lot of goals in one season for Morecambe, then ended up at Burton and is now playing for Barrow.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 582
He'll be playing for us next season.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 229
surely he has some more skills and agility to lose first.
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Re: Next Season - Goals from other areas
Views: 521
Could do with a decent loan striker or two from the Championship.
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