I should add that I didn't feel any more connected while the club was under Trust ownership, so maybe it's just a case of the Couhigs' honeymoon period being over.
The squad might not be great and I'm not even going to tell you not to go overboard, knock yourself out, but what is this list? You do realise that if your first choice players are missing and you play Saturday and Tuesday , and not playing well you need your backup players surely.
Few technical points from yesterday, if you're going to play someone at right back one day and up front the next he has to stay up front, no point coming deep and wide when we're overrun with attacking midfielders but aren't causing the defenders any issues. Wing doesn't look anything like a holding midfielder to me, wants to be attacking, see above. I rate Gape, others don't but if he and Tommo are going to play rarely due to injuries someone else needs to step up or be replaced.
Don't need to repeat over and over but prep not ideal at all and opponents won't wait for us to sort out shit out. Not just about cheque book, nothing to do with claims made but young or squad players need to step up or sit back and be ready for another go in a few months or an exit.
Also a bit surprised we haven't gone back to a 5 having used it in pre-season even with makeshifts might help a bit.
Not sure I've suggested they don't have that right, but how we feel about the spirit in the camp isn't necessarily related to what is happening behind closed doors.
To be fair a drop off in spirit is to be expected, I know we didn't play well at Wembley but we were 90 mins from the Championship, £10m+ propelling us on to a different player list and the prospect of making that regular.
We lose, it's all well to say rest a bit go again, then two top players get surprisingly nabbed on the back of another retiring, We've done Mawson and Bishop to death but gambles taken and now backfiring, at least temporarily, no idea who else we've been in for but maybe financial, maybe a reliance on youth that isn't quite ready, and then whack on top of that at the last minute about 8 injuries in a squad that can't take it. Lots of blame flying round but not great luck either.
When I mentioned the radio silence 5/6 weeks ago, everyone jumped down my throat. It was weird and knowing that we were starting earlier I thought we would have a determination to really go for it this season.
Also, who is handling the player contracts now? Whoever it is would have had a good idea that Stewart and Stocko were no going to commit to new deals, so why didn’t we line up replacements ready for the new season.
We look a real amateur bunch compared to other teams in our league who go about business early to bed players into the squad in good time for day 1.
I don’t get this we haven’t got any money rubbish as we had £7M from the championship season, £800k parachute when we came down and then a lucrative run to the play-off final last season. Also it is now going to be much tougher to attract players after our poor start.
I do agree with this , Rob keeps saying that we are not little wycombe however we still act like one , I'm sure we had opportunity to act early on transfers however feel Rob wanted to wait until the last minute to save money
I was at the game yesterday, and the most startling thing is the lack of leadership and organising from key positions. Players not picking up opponents, and no one directing players to pick spare men up.
The 3rd goal, was something you would be embarrassed to concede down the rye on a Sunday. A man left totally unmarked, no one within 6 feet of him.
Whether Ainsworth spent to much time this summer, sniffing around other jobs, instead of concentrating on assembling a competitive squad, is up for debate.
But like many have pointed out, the close season has been woeful, from the keeper fiasco, not strengthening the spine of the team, the lack of meaningful friendlies. About three or four weeks ago GA told us to "Trust the process" and "Watch this space", I'm afraid the only space we are seeing is in our defence, where we are witnessing through a lack of concentration, and shambolic tactics huge gaps appear.
Not sure it is Rob really. I think GA has scrambled around for players for most of his 10 year stay and now we are on a better footing he has struggled to adjust. He thrives in the underdog role but not sure he can think any differently.
Not saying we are a big club now but we are in a much better position than we used to be and we surely don’t need to wait for everybody else’s cast offs anymore.
To be fair, as I mentioned earlier, I am sure you raised this same concern at the start of the summer, so to question if it’s only because we lost the last 3 games is a bit unfair.
I write after only watching the highlights this morning and I wasn't at the game / watched or listened to it last night, however I have massive concerns over Grimmer and JJ. That has started since the first game against Burton.
My concerns about Grimmer come for the amoumt of effort that he put in for the 2nd Goal. From the moment the ball went over his head, there was no real effort to get back into the area to either win the ball or get his body in the way. In comparison to Exeter, you see their players sprinting into the box to do whatever they can to stop a goal. I fully understand that this is only a small view of the game but when it results in a goal, it has a big consequence.
Then with JJ, while he has endless credit in the bank, his position must be under threat. Before today, he had given away 2 pens in 2 games when he should have known better and then yesterday, with all 3 goals, he seems to have the same expression of arms out, looking around giving the "Whats just happened?" look. Being the most senior player, he needs to show more leadership in these situations. I don't get the impression that he does much leading on the pitch, he has just been given the armband because noone else has stepped up OR he's the oldest and has been given it out of respect.
The manager is apparently shit at substitutions, shit tactically and couldn’t be arsed over the summer when quality players were queueing up to come to AP. Just think where we could be now if we had had a competent manager for the last ten years….
FFS we are a small club with one of the smallest fan bases in the division and therefore income. We have been punching above our weight for several years, We have just lost three league games in a row. Shit happens. If you can’t cope with some bad runs, maybe go support Man City.
Another question, with regards to player contracts is; Why do we leave our contracts until the last month before starting the conversation with players / Getting them to sign? The club is fully aware of those players that are going to be out of contract and GA & the rest of the staff know full well which players they want to keep and which they will be releasing and they are prob aware of this by Easter at the latest. Also, they can start their transfer business earlier too! Sign players ahead of the transfer window so they can join the club and have a full pre-season.
I’m pretty certain that the club doesn’t publicise the moment that they start contract negotiations, so where have you got info that we only start negotiating in the last month? Everything I’ve ever heard about Wycombe contracts would suggest otherwise.
I hear you Dev but then we have the Chairman saying we’ll show ambition in the transfer market and will be pushing for the autos. One of his strategies is to constantly discard the ‘little Wycombe’ moniker that has served us so well. There’s bound to be a kick back when reality doesn’t match the rhetoric.
One of the annoying things about last night, is the starting front 4 were all very versatile players who could have easily been swapped around to try to make a difference. It was telling that our goal came from GMac accidentally playing target man down the middle with Wheels dropping behind. Why didn’t we swap them around, or move Horgan to the right wing, or bring Anis inside to the number 10 role? Or try anything at all really.
why should we take it with a pinch of salt? He’s talking to an English market, it is incumbent on him to Taylor the message to that market.
if we all have to add salt to his words, we’ll all add differing amounts dependant on our own taste buds. The message and it’s meaning gets changed for everyone and it’s worse than saying nothing
I don't have any evidence to my comment, its just the impression that the club gives out. If players have made up their minds and have signed a new contract, why not announce it there and then?
Mate if you want to unthinkingly believe everything you are told (especially if it’s what you want to hear) you crack on….
me, I’ll review what I am told , compare it against other info I have ( comparative gate numbers, parachute payments from Champ falling, owners not sugar daddy etc) and I’ll conclude that aims of lofty finishes are great ambitions but very hard to deliver.
(by the way the Vanuatuan trade deal and the German car manufacturers will not stop Brexit being an economic disaster - that story wasn’t true either)
Comments
I still don’t fully subscribe to the injury excuse except Vokes
All injured players had adequate replacements out there tonight. A weaker bench for sure.
i worry about Tyla. He’s being thrown under the bus by the club and his confidence will be shot
Thrown under a convoy of buses, which is really disheartening to see from a club who've historically treated young players so well
Do you think you’d feel this way if Wycombe had won the last 3 games?
I think so, although I'm sure to a lesser extent. But I've heard a lot of people say they feel similar.
Is it because Bayo has left?
I should add that I didn't feel any more connected while the club was under Trust ownership, so maybe it's just a case of the Couhigs' honeymoon period being over.
The squad might not be great and I'm not even going to tell you not to go overboard, knock yourself out, but what is this list? You do realise that if your first choice players are missing and you play Saturday and Tuesday , and not playing well you need your backup players surely.
Few technical points from yesterday, if you're going to play someone at right back one day and up front the next he has to stay up front, no point coming deep and wide when we're overrun with attacking midfielders but aren't causing the defenders any issues. Wing doesn't look anything like a holding midfielder to me, wants to be attacking, see above. I rate Gape, others don't but if he and Tommo are going to play rarely due to injuries someone else needs to step up or be replaced.
Don't need to repeat over and over but prep not ideal at all and opponents won't wait for us to sort out shit out. Not just about cheque book, nothing to do with claims made but young or squad players need to step up or sit back and be ready for another go in a few months or an exit.
Also a bit surprised we haven't gone back to a 5 having used it in pre-season even with makeshifts might help a bit.
It's a bit like people blaming Matt Cecill for not announcing players we haven't signed, bit bizzare and smacks of championship manager overload
Fair enough. Be interesting to see what is put up by fans with when the side is winning compared with not.
How about we let people decide how they feel for themselves?
Not sure I've suggested they don't have that right, but how we feel about the spirit in the camp isn't necessarily related to what is happening behind closed doors.
To be fair a drop off in spirit is to be expected, I know we didn't play well at Wembley but we were 90 mins from the Championship, £10m+ propelling us on to a different player list and the prospect of making that regular.
We lose, it's all well to say rest a bit go again, then two top players get surprisingly nabbed on the back of another retiring, We've done Mawson and Bishop to death but gambles taken and now backfiring, at least temporarily, no idea who else we've been in for but maybe financial, maybe a reliance on youth that isn't quite ready, and then whack on top of that at the last minute about 8 injuries in a squad that can't take it. Lots of blame flying round but not great luck either.
When I mentioned the radio silence 5/6 weeks ago, everyone jumped down my throat. It was weird and knowing that we were starting earlier I thought we would have a determination to really go for it this season.
Also, who is handling the player contracts now? Whoever it is would have had a good idea that Stewart and Stocko were no going to commit to new deals, so why didn’t we line up replacements ready for the new season.
We look a real amateur bunch compared to other teams in our league who go about business early to bed players into the squad in good time for day 1.
I don’t get this we haven’t got any money rubbish as we had £7M from the championship season, £800k parachute when we came down and then a lucrative run to the play-off final last season. Also it is now going to be much tougher to attract players after our poor start.
I do agree with this , Rob keeps saying that we are not little wycombe however we still act like one , I'm sure we had opportunity to act early on transfers however feel Rob wanted to wait until the last minute to save money
I was at the game yesterday, and the most startling thing is the lack of leadership and organising from key positions. Players not picking up opponents, and no one directing players to pick spare men up.
The 3rd goal, was something you would be embarrassed to concede down the rye on a Sunday. A man left totally unmarked, no one within 6 feet of him.
Whether Ainsworth spent to much time this summer, sniffing around other jobs, instead of concentrating on assembling a competitive squad, is up for debate.
But like many have pointed out, the close season has been woeful, from the keeper fiasco, not strengthening the spine of the team, the lack of meaningful friendlies. About three or four weeks ago GA told us to "Trust the process" and "Watch this space", I'm afraid the only space we are seeing is in our defence, where we are witnessing through a lack of concentration, and shambolic tactics huge gaps appear.
I'm not even saying that necessarily, just that there does seem to be a disconnect between club and fans
The post playoff slump is a thing isn't it?
Hope it’s not like long COVID then.
Not sure it is Rob really. I think GA has scrambled around for players for most of his 10 year stay and now we are on a better footing he has struggled to adjust. He thrives in the underdog role but not sure he can think any differently.
Not saying we are a big club now but we are in a much better position than we used to be and we surely don’t need to wait for everybody else’s cast offs anymore.
To be fair, as I mentioned earlier, I am sure you raised this same concern at the start of the summer, so to question if it’s only because we lost the last 3 games is a bit unfair.
I write after only watching the highlights this morning and I wasn't at the game / watched or listened to it last night, however I have massive concerns over Grimmer and JJ. That has started since the first game against Burton.
My concerns about Grimmer come for the amoumt of effort that he put in for the 2nd Goal. From the moment the ball went over his head, there was no real effort to get back into the area to either win the ball or get his body in the way. In comparison to Exeter, you see their players sprinting into the box to do whatever they can to stop a goal. I fully understand that this is only a small view of the game but when it results in a goal, it has a big consequence.
Then with JJ, while he has endless credit in the bank, his position must be under threat. Before today, he had given away 2 pens in 2 games when he should have known better and then yesterday, with all 3 goals, he seems to have the same expression of arms out, looking around giving the "Whats just happened?" look. Being the most senior player, he needs to show more leadership in these situations. I don't get the impression that he does much leading on the pitch, he has just been given the armband because noone else has stepped up OR he's the oldest and has been given it out of respect.
The manager is apparently shit at substitutions, shit tactically and couldn’t be arsed over the summer when quality players were queueing up to come to AP. Just think where we could be now if we had had a competent manager for the last ten years….
FFS we are a small club with one of the smallest fan bases in the division and therefore income. We have been punching above our weight for several years, We have just lost three league games in a row. Shit happens. If you can’t cope with some bad runs, maybe go support Man City.
A bit of perspective please
Another question, with regards to player contracts is; Why do we leave our contracts until the last month before starting the conversation with players / Getting them to sign? The club is fully aware of those players that are going to be out of contract and GA & the rest of the staff know full well which players they want to keep and which they will be releasing and they are prob aware of this by Easter at the latest. Also, they can start their transfer business earlier too! Sign players ahead of the transfer window so they can join the club and have a full pre-season.
Exeter and Shrewsbury both have smaller budgets than us.
I’m pretty certain that the club doesn’t publicise the moment that they start contract negotiations, so where have you got info that we only start negotiating in the last month? Everything I’ve ever heard about Wycombe contracts would suggest otherwise.
I hear you Dev but then we have the Chairman saying we’ll show ambition in the transfer market and will be pushing for the autos. One of his strategies is to constantly discard the ‘little Wycombe’ moniker that has served us so well. There’s bound to be a kick back when reality doesn’t match the rhetoric.
when someone is trying to sell you something, especially if he is American, always take his promises with a pinch of salt.
We are surely not a big enough club to expect Lg1 auto promotion or playoffs. Hope for yes, dream of, yes. Expect no.
One of the annoying things about last night, is the starting front 4 were all very versatile players who could have easily been swapped around to try to make a difference. It was telling that our goal came from GMac accidentally playing target man down the middle with Wheels dropping behind. Why didn’t we swap them around, or move Horgan to the right wing, or bring Anis inside to the number 10 role? Or try anything at all really.
why should we take it with a pinch of salt? He’s talking to an English market, it is incumbent on him to Taylor the message to that market.
if we all have to add salt to his words, we’ll all add differing amounts dependant on our own taste buds. The message and it’s meaning gets changed for everyone and it’s worse than saying nothing
I don't have any evidence to my comment, its just the impression that the club gives out. If players have made up their minds and have signed a new contract, why not announce it there and then?
Mate if you want to unthinkingly believe everything you are told (especially if it’s what you want to hear) you crack on….
me, I’ll review what I am told , compare it against other info I have ( comparative gate numbers, parachute payments from Champ falling, owners not sugar daddy etc) and I’ll conclude that aims of lofty finishes are great ambitions but very hard to deliver.
(by the way the Vanuatuan trade deal and the German car manufacturers will not stop Brexit being an economic disaster - that story wasn’t true either)