Observer season review

[richbaggie]

I really don’t agree with this chasms of holes in the squad, there isn’t

Middle of the park and a quality striker, job done

Cuzer

I would say minimum of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers short. Pretty deep hole to me.

---

Agree with almost everything Rich wrote, might quibble with the mark.

Absolutely bang on the money with what needs to be done.

The reliance on loan players is having a negative impact. We always seem to chasing our tail, either having to sign the loan players permanently,  giving the impression of having to spend fortunes to stand still, or we have to find alternatives  to what have been often our best players.

We need to be able to scout  the best available,  young talent and convert our best academy players into first team starters. So many promising 16/17 year old players in our academy  in the last 10 years, so few, uf any accumulating 50+ first team appearances.

The 2 out of 10 was a bored reference...

[Tom Joad]

9/10 for the Villa. They can't help themselves.

Compared to last season I'd rate it 9/10 as a Villa fan. An off switch away from relegation and playing their last match against a West Ham team wearing flip flops was a dream come true. Even then they almost contrived to mess it up. 
They seem immune from financial scrutiny and have found ingenious accounting methods to justify the amounts spent on Bartley, Watkins, Mings etc. 

Until we learn to cheat like they do we'll never be able to compete I'm afraid.

Every word is true. I can't even look at the Brum Mail without those lot all over it, congratulating themselves on being the richest, the biggest, the most attractive destination, the best stadium, training ground, youth system....I despised Wolves with a vengeance yet they are becoming the itch that needs a nuclear bomb to sort out.

[SW4Baggie]

I really don’t agree with this chasms of holes in the squad, there isn’t

Middle of the park and a quality striker, job done

Cuzer

I would say minimum of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers short. Pretty deep hole to me.

---

Agree with almost everything Rich wrote, might quibble with the mark.

Absolutely bang on the money with what needs to be done.

The reliance on loan players is having a negative impact. We always seem to chasing our tail, either having to sign the loan players permanently,  giving the impression of having to spend fortunes to stand still, or we have to find alternatives  to what have been often our best players.

We need to be able to scout  the best available,  young talent and convert our best academy players into first team starters. So many promising 16/17 year old players in our academy  in the last 10 years, so few, uf any accumulating 50+ first team appearances.

The 2 out of 10 was a bored reference...

Depends how you spin it Rich... I agree we need 7-8 players this summer, but only half of them will be first teamers. 

We have 3 very good Champ CBs and Kipre could yet prove to be the bargain Dowling was convinced by, and we have our first choice fullbacks.

We already have a better strike force than the one we got promoted with... 

Replacing the magic of Pereira is the big one.

[richbaggie]

I really don’t agree with this chasms of holes in the squad, there isn’t

Middle of the park and a quality striker, job done

Cuzer

I would say minimum of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers short. Pretty deep hole to me.

---

Agree with almost everything Rich wrote, might quibble with the mark.

Absolutely bang on the money with what needs to be done.

The reliance on loan players is having a negative impact. We always seem to chasing our tail, either having to sign the loan players permanently,  giving the impression of having to spend fortunes to stand still, or we have to find alternatives  to what have been often our best players.

We need to be able to scout  the best available,  young talent and convert our best academy players into first team starters. So many promising 16/17 year old players in our academy  in the last 10 years, so few, uf any accumulating 50+ first team appearances.

The 2 out of 10 was a bored reference...

Depends how you spin it Rich... I agree we need 7-8 players this summer, but only half of them will be first teamers. 

We have 3 very good Champ CBs and Kipre could yet prove to be the bargain Dowling was convinced by, and we have our first choice fullbacks.

We already have a better strike force than the one we got promoted with... 

Replacing the magic of Pereira is the big one.

I will be surprised if Austin doesn't move permanently to QPR which leaves us with Zahore and Grant and Zahore should be nowhere near the team so we are at least 2 short there. 
I would say we are a bare minimum 2 starters short in midfield with a creative and defensive midfielder desperately needed.
And we have zero cover at full back and I personally feel a 1st choice CH short.

[SW4Baggie]

I really don’t agree with this chasms of holes in the squad, there isn’t

Middle of the park and a quality striker, job done

Cuzer

I would say minimum of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers short. Pretty deep hole to me.

---

Agree with almost everything Rich wrote, might quibble with the mark.

Absolutely bang on the money with what needs to be done.

The reliance on loan players is having a negative impact. We always seem to chasing our tail, either having to sign the loan players permanently,  giving the impression of having to spend fortunes to stand still, or we have to find alternatives  to what have been often our best players.

We need to be able to scout  the best available,  young talent and convert our best academy players into first team starters. So many promising 16/17 year old players in our academy  in the last 10 years, so few, uf any accumulating 50+ first team appearances.

The 2 out of 10 was a bored reference...

Depends how you spin it Rich... I agree we need 7-8 players this summer, but only half of them will be first teamers. 

We have 3 very good Champ CBs and Kipre could yet prove to be the bargain Dowling was convinced by, and we have our first choice fullbacks.

We already have a better strike force than the one we got promoted with... 

Replacing the magic of Pereira is the big one.

I will be surprised if Austin doesn't move permanently to QPR which leaves us with Zahore and Grant and Zahore should be nowhere near the team so we are at least 2 short there. 
I would say we are a bare minimum 2 starters short in midfield with a creative and defensive midfielder desperately needed.
And we have zero cover at full back and I personally feel a 1st choice CH short.

I agree we need reinforcements, but we got promoted with a strikeforce of Zohore, Austin and HRK... This season we already have Robinson (now as a striker), Grant and Zohore, and I imagine we will extend HRK’s deal... Ideally I’d like another striker but we have more there than last time round.

Who would you replace at the back out of interest Rich? I think Bartley and Ajayi/OShea are absolutely fine at Champ level.

Agree we need cover at both fullback positions and 2 new starting central midfielders as a bare minimum.

[Cuzer]

I really don’t agree with this chasms of holes in the squad, there isn’t

Middle of the park and a quality striker, job done

Cuzer

I would say minimum of 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 strikers short. Pretty deep hole to me.

---

Agree with almost everything Rich wrote, might quibble with the mark.

Absolutely bang on the money with what needs to be done.

The reliance on loan players is having a negative impact. We always seem to chasing our tail, either having to sign the loan players permanently,  giving the impression of having to spend fortunes to stand still, or we have to find alternatives  to what have been often our best players.

We need to be able to scout  the best available,  young talent and convert our best academy players into first team starters. So many promising 16/17 year old players in our academy  in the last 10 years, so few, uf any accumulating 50+ first team appearances.

The 2 out of 10 was a bored reference...

I’d say Button and Palmer should be fine as GK

I don’t see any of Dara, Bartley, Semi, Townsend or Furlong going, probably need a LB prospect/cover

Wide players we have an abundance of Grady, Phillips, Robinson, Snodgrass, Edwards possibly, Grant dependent on system

Chances are we’re have at least one of Livermore and Sawyers, Harper is returning and a new manager may fancy him?

Up top we’ve Kenneth, HRK if he gets his year and Grant/Robinson dependent on system

Work to be done, faw shaw but not the mass overhaul some think it is

We need to buy right and the right quality rather than quantity

I’d say 2-3 CM’s and 2 Strikers, cover in defence and we’ve 5 loans at our disposal and we will utilize this as we always do

Cuzer

[Shabby Russian]

Assuming Johnstone and Pereria leave and none of the loanee remain.

We may need a goalkeeper. We need cover and genuine competition for full backs.
Central defence I think we are ok at Championship level.
In midfield we need at least 3 incoming by my reckoning we only have Livermore, Sawyers and Harper, and we should be looking to move one of them on.

We  have enough at championship level in terms of wide players, but we need at least one more goalscorer, only Grant would give me any confidence of getting 15+ goals, we need at least another option.

And who knows how players like Sawyers, Grant, Diangana, Robinson will deal with what has clearly been a very difficult,  confidence draining season. No guarantee they will find their  best championship from.

Lots of work to do and lots of imponderables.

[Banbury Baggie]

Personally I also think that Furlong and Townsend have developed considerably during this season and deserve praise.

If we can keep SJ and get a Yokuslu replacement (assuming we can't persuade him to stay) we have the squad to get us back to the Prem. SJ, Barts, (Yokuslu), Pereira, Robinson is a strong enough spine of a side to get promoted.

[richbaggie]

Personally I also think that Furlong and Townsend have developed considerably during this season and deserve praise.

If we can keep SJ and get a Yokuslu replacement (assuming we can't persuade him to stay) we have the squad to get us back to the Prem.  SJ, Barts, (Yokuslu), Pereira, Robinson is a strong enough spine of a side to get promoted.

Johnstone and Pereira will not be here next season.

[Fulham Fallout]

Personally I also think that Furlong and Townsend have developed considerably during this season and deserve praise.

If we can keep SJ and get a Yokuslu replacement (assuming we can't persuade him to stay) we have the squad to get us back to the Prem.  SJ, Barts, (Yokuslu), Pereira, Robinson is a strong enough spine of a side to get promoted.

Johnstone and Pereira will not be here next season.

Is most probably the correct answer. 

Johnstone with one year left on his contact 

Pereira refusing to agree improved wages on his contract (and adding one more year) just doesn’t sound right to me.  All will come out in the wash.