@bill_stickers said:
mooneyman What are you talking about? Harriman, Jacobson, McGinn, Kretzch, Hayes, Jombati, and Holloway are more than capable of playing attractive football.
I would add, at least, O'Nien, Rowe and PCH to your list Bill. I may have overlooked one or two more.
I'd be more critical of him if he had changed the style of play at 61 points. He should play the way that maximises points throughout the season (while we had something to play for anyway, I'm all for experimenting in these two last games). So if if I had any criticism, it would be for saying that the team were off the leash. But who really cares what managers say in interviews anyway - as long as it meets the minimum standard of not being unprofessional.
I think my key disagreement with you here is the inclusion of but don't change our style at the end of your third paragraph. I don't think we can expect any better as long as we have the smallest squad in the league. We can certainly hope for better, of course.
I agree about Che, it's a shame he isn't a more regular poster.
"...... Due to our budget we have to adopt a policy of bringing in rough diamonds and hope to polish them.Even when we managed to get in more creative types (PCH,Umanga) they either got injured or didn't quite make the grade............"
I think @DevC you probably have in mind
the young, attacking midfielder we had on loan from Brentford for a couple of months earlier this year - Jermaine Udumaga. I only saw one brief cameo performance but it included the kind of defence-splitting pass that has become such a rarity this season. I'd like to think that he may be in GA's thoughts for next season but, with the new loan rules, he has to be so careful about who he picks. (We have seen a few loan players in recent times who have either quickly proved unfit for purpose or who, in our untutored eyes, have not been given enough opportunities to prove themselves.)
With regard to the final paragraph of your post Aloysius, I think the problem is that the hoofball has got so ingrained in the playets that it is difficult for them to change style overnight.
It is probably easier to play better football against the likes of Villa and Millwall because they are not closing you down like most second division clubs do.
I'd also like to thank @vital and team, and @bluntphil for all their great work over the season. You should both use the advertising slogan "Watching Wycombe Wanderers, so you don't have to."
Maybe it's time to resurrect the gasroom awards.
PS. @bluntphil Please persuade Bill to join you on the commentary more often now that he's retired from Breakfast. I love his bias and relentless fury at referees, he's the perfect foil to yourself.
Can't agree with anyone that suggests it has been a bad season. For two-thirds of it we did pretty well. Unfortunately the final third has been awful and our final league position will be about par as a result.
My major concern is that we really need to win some games early on next season to reverse the trend. If we start badly I think things could quickly get quite nasty, especially if the style of play doesn't improve.
Thankfully we have an excellent defensive base to build on and remain difficult to beat - even if we do struggle to win. Less booting it out of play and a couple of changes in attack and we could be a very decent team next year.
The style of play must change or we can kiss our arse to crowd attendances otherwise. Fans want to be entertained at the end of the day and tell our friends, relations and work colleagues to come along to AP. But drawing blanks each other week at home and seeing the ball being pumped up to veterans isn't going to wash, unless they are fed decent balls into the box or through the middle regularly I may add.
Its been a good season, but lets face it things could have been so so much better if we had 2 strikers capable of scoring TEN goals each. We are not looking for a magic 30-goal striker here just 2 with 20 between them would have been enough to push us into the playoffs.
I think it's been a good season but I must put that into context by saying I am no longer a regular and only made 6 games this season.
Compare and contrast with Orient though, who are probably on double our wage budget but with a nut job chairman, and are arguably in a worse state than we are.
As far as style of play goes, I suspect GA is going for pragmatism - a good defender will always be cheaper than an equivalent quality of striker - so build from the back.
Maybe that explains the letting bygones be bygones over Stewart, who did very well for us in his first spell.
I think our lack of goals is a serious problem of which GA is well aware, time will tell if he can fix this whilst reconciling with his pragmatic approach.
Once apon a time, we did play from the back a fella called Mawson would bring it out and pass it to a team mate in a better position, than just lump it up front. Wish I never woke up as it nightmarish this current stuff and we don't even look remotely threating since Xmas.
Comments
I would add, at least, O'Nien, Rowe and PCH to your list Bill. I may have overlooked one or two more.
I'd be more critical of him if he had changed the style of play at 61 points. He should play the way that maximises points throughout the season (while we had something to play for anyway, I'm all for experimenting in these two last games). So if if I had any criticism, it would be for saying that the team were off the leash. But who really cares what managers say in interviews anyway - as long as it meets the minimum standard of not being unprofessional.
I think my key disagreement with you here is the inclusion of but don't change our style at the end of your third paragraph. I don't think we can expect any better as long as we have the smallest squad in the league. We can certainly hope for better, of course.
I agree about Che, it's a shame he isn't a more regular poster.
@micra Yes, probably unfair to leave out O'Nien especially. He is a very good technical player as youtube videos have shown.
"...... Due to our budget we have to adopt a policy of bringing in rough diamonds and hope to polish them.Even when we managed to get in more creative types (PCH,Umanga) they either got injured or didn't quite make the grade............"
I think @DevC you probably have in mind
the young, attacking midfielder we had on loan from Brentford for a couple of months earlier this year - Jermaine Udumaga. I only saw one brief cameo performance but it included the kind of defence-splitting pass that has become such a rarity this season. I'd like to think that he may be in GA's thoughts for next season but, with the new loan rules, he has to be so careful about who he picks. (We have seen a few loan players in recent times who have either quickly proved unfit for purpose or who, in our untutored eyes, have not been given enough opportunities to prove themselves.)
With regard to the final paragraph of your post Aloysius, I think the problem is that the hoofball has got so ingrained in the playets that it is difficult for them to change style overnight.
It is probably easier to play better football against the likes of Villa and Millwall because they are not closing you down like most second division clubs do.
I remember that game when Udumaga made that killer pass what a pass that was.
Wish he started a few more games from the off.
Also the 2nd article link was bang on the buck, pardon the pun.
I'd also like to thank @vital and team, and @bluntphil for all their great work over the season. You should both use the advertising slogan "Watching Wycombe Wanderers, so you don't have to."
Maybe it's time to resurrect the gasroom awards.
PS. @bluntphil Please persuade Bill to join you on the commentary more often now that he's retired from Breakfast. I love his bias and relentless fury at referees, he's the perfect foil to yourself.
Can't agree with anyone that suggests it has been a bad season. For two-thirds of it we did pretty well. Unfortunately the final third has been awful and our final league position will be about par as a result.
My major concern is that we really need to win some games early on next season to reverse the trend. If we start badly I think things could quickly get quite nasty, especially if the style of play doesn't improve.
Thankfully we have an excellent defensive base to build on and remain difficult to beat - even if we do struggle to win. Less booting it out of play and a couple of changes in attack and we could be a very decent team next year.
The style of play must change or we can kiss our arse to crowd attendances otherwise. Fans want to be entertained at the end of the day and tell our friends, relations and work colleagues to come along to AP. But drawing blanks each other week at home and seeing the ball being pumped up to veterans isn't going to wash, unless they are fed decent balls into the box or through the middle regularly I may add.
Its been a good season, but lets face it things could have been so so much better if we had 2 strikers capable of scoring TEN goals each. We are not looking for a magic 30-goal striker here just 2 with 20 between them would have been enough to push us into the playoffs.
That can't be too much to ask can it.
2 strikers, in a 50 game season scoring 10 each!
We had 2 players getting 8 this season.
Appalling for a team that were never anywhere near the bottom.
Got the programme for once today, and from a quick scroll down, I only noted 2 games where we'd scored more than 2...
York 3-0 first game (one scored by them)
Halifax 4-0 (lower league)
is that the worst ever?
I think it's been a good season but I must put that into context by saying I am no longer a regular and only made 6 games this season.
Compare and contrast with Orient though, who are probably on double our wage budget but with a nut job chairman, and are arguably in a worse state than we are.
As far as style of play goes, I suspect GA is going for pragmatism - a good defender will always be cheaper than an equivalent quality of striker - so build from the back.
Maybe that explains the letting bygones be bygones over Stewart, who did very well for us in his first spell.
I think our lack of goals is a serious problem of which GA is well aware, time will tell if he can fix this whilst reconciling with his pragmatic approach.
Once apon a time, we did play from the back a fella called Mawson would bring it out and pass it to a team mate in a better position, than just lump it up front. Wish I never woke up as it nightmarish this current stuff and we don't even look remotely threating since Xmas.