A Tutu won't do. V Cambridge at the Unibol Tues Feb 1st, 8-0'clock. 1

[GhostoftheBok]

Mr Megson

Honestly just the mention of him can ruin my day.

Boo that wanker all you like, mate.

[BWFC_Insane]

And to do that you have to play them in roles they are capable of playing. Or sign ones who can play the roles you want.

Johnston is a good example. He’s a left sided centre back in a three or a left back in a four.

He’s not a centre back in a four and realistically never will be.

If we are to develop players, as you are correctly advocating, a number of fans are going to have to be more patient with players as we go through that process.

Johnston was and is a young player in his first full season of men's football. He will be fine in a 4 and was doing okay until the squad fell apart around him.

I dread to think what many fans would be saying about Fossey if he was playing right back during the first half of the season. He's well capable of it, but it would be a much steeper learning curve for him than his current position. Same if Morley were deployed in a 4-4-2.

It's good that Johnston has had pressure taken off him by the system and Evatt made the right call, but he was always a talented lad that plenty wrote off after a handful of games. We made an investment in him that we needed to back, but that wasn't given an ounce of consideration by the boo boys.

This really should be a learning opportunity for a few. Sadly it won't be.

Nobody is booing Johnston but he’s simply not physically strong enough to be a centre half in a back four. He’s mobile enough to be one in a back three.

But regardless I think there will be plenty of patience. But if the game is signing players not quite ready but to develop then Evatt needs to explain that and that it means we aren’t necessarily aiming for promotion. Becoming a Crewe, perhaps a level up makes sense but to do that you need to appropriately manage expectations.

[GhostoftheBok]

I don't think we need to manage expectations.

I'm certainly not doing so.

I agree with Evatt in his assessment that this club, on this model, can reach the Premier League in 5 years.

[brommers95]

I don't think we need to manage expectations.

I'm certainly not doing so.

I agree with Evatt in his assessment that this club, on this model, can reach the Premier League in 5 years.

If we could do the first half of a season as well as we do the second half, we’ll win the Champions League within 5 years

[bw@bw]

If we are to develop players, as you are correctly advocating, a number of fans are going to have to be more patient with players as we go through that process.

But regardless I think there will be plenty of patience. But if the game is signing players not quite ready but to develop then Evatt needs to explain that and that it means we aren’t necessarily aiming for promotion. Becoming a Crewe, perhaps a level up makes sense but to do that you need to appropriately manage expectations.

Why not aim for promotions as well? - we could aim to be like Southampton

[KeyserSoze]

Lovely move that didn't end in a goal. Fossey's speed can really punish teams who aren't focused off the ball. Move it around, then change the tempo quickly after you've had it for over a minute to exploit the overload on the right. Football!

[GhostoftheBok]

If we could do the first half of a season as well as we do the second half, we’ll win the Champions League within 5 years

You're not wrong.

I said when Evatt arrived that two things would dictate how he did. Whether he could manage his obvious personality issues (the self help book stuff, not that he's not a nice guy) and whether we could sort out recruitment. Both look to be on track now.

Tactically and in terms of coaching, he can take us all the way.

I said at the start of this season we could win the league if we recruited as well as possible. It has taken until January to get to that point and we're starting to see what I was hoping we'd manage to do a bit earlier; but it's not over until it's over. We may yet get a big reality check before the end of the season. If that reality check hits us, we can make adjustments in the summer. A lot of it will be about whether we can avoid injuries and deal with lack of depth at the back.

I think that recruitment will actually be easier for us in the Championship than League One, for various reasons. We'd need 5 windows as a Championship club to be right up there - we might be a sneaky play-offs side after 4. I do get the "we'd need massive new investment" angle, I don't agree with it. We'd 100% need more investment, but not as much as people think.

Evatt has been close to "save your job" territory a couple of times, but never hit it. His lowest lows have still been "Okay, hope it improves soonish."

[Worthy4England]

I think on the "expectations" front, if you say "we're the best team in the league." Don't expect to get much leeway when your 22nd, getting dumped bigly by a non-league team and leaking 1.6 goals a game, whilst firing blanks at the other end....

[BWFC_Insane]

If we are to develop players, as you are correctly advocating, a number of fans are going to have to be more patient with players as we go through that process.

But regardless I think there will be plenty of patience. But if the game is signing players not quite ready but to develop then Evatt needs to explain that and that it means we aren’t necessarily aiming for promotion. Becoming a Crewe, perhaps a level up makes sense but to do that you need to appropriately manage expectations.

Why not aim for promotions as well? - we could aim to be like Southampton

Southampton struck gold with an academy cohort. I’m not convinced they can repeat that nor anyone else. And we have larger issues preventing our academy bearing such fruit.

[bw@bw]

If we are to develop players, as you are correctly advocating, a number of fans are going to have to be more patient with players as we go through that process.

But regardless I think there will be plenty of patience. But if the game is signing players not quite ready but to develop then Evatt needs to explain that and that it means we aren’t necessarily aiming for promotion. Becoming a Crewe, perhaps a level up makes sense but to do that you need to appropriately manage expectations.

Why not aim for promotions as well? - we could aim to be like Southampton

Southampton struck gold with an academy cohort. I’m not convinced they can repeat that nor anyone else. And we have larger issues preventing our academy bearing such fruit.

According to this they pulled in over £300m over 10 years- most of them were bought in rather than academy products. And they were in League 1 for some of the time.
if only we could match that over the next 10 years

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/19496 ... mane-shaw/

[TonyDomingos]

I really don't want to piss on anyone's chips, but we're 11th in Div One courtesy of a four game winning streak. Let's focus on beating Morcambe on Saturday. We're not winning the Champs League in my lifetime.

[GhostoftheBok]

I really don't want to piss on anyone's chips, but we're 11th in Div One courtesy of a four game winning streak. Let's focus on beating Morcambe on Saturday. We're not winning the Champs League in my lifetime.

Anyone know any good hitmen?

[TonyDomingos]

I really don't want to piss on anyone's chips, but we're 11th in Div One courtesy of a four game winning streak. Let's focus on beating Morcambe on Saturday. We're not winning the Champs League in my lifetime.

Anyone know any good hitmen?

Oi!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Lovely move that didn't end in a goal. Fossey's speed can really punish teams who aren't focused off the ball. Move it around, then change the tempo quickly after you've had it for over a minute to exploit the overload on the right. Football!

Also lovely with the benefit of dramatic irony to hear the Cambridge commentators confidently pronounce that their team always score on the road. Not tonight, lads.

[Bruce Rioja]

Lovely move that didn't end in a goal. Fossey's speed can really punish teams who aren't focused off the ball. Move it around, then change the tempo quickly after you've had it for over a minute to exploit the overload on the right. Football!

Task. All that fannying about....... and for what?