Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[officer_dibble]

...and in his first three games, we twice lost 4-0 (including to our most hated rivals), and threw away a 2-0 lead at home to some other local rivals.

Worked out alright in the end, thankfully. Sometimes you need patience...

Didn't Mark Lawrenson call Campo "a clown" and say he might be the worst defender he'd ever seen?

He was the worst defender we'd ever seen at that point. But as a DM he was glorious

It (the Lawrenson comment) was after he backheeled it across our own penalty area IIRC.

[Worthy4England]

I think it was also that season that Lawrenson had to remove his top lip ferret....

[BWFC_Insane]

In terms of Evatt learning to change things to get the best out of his squad, isn't that exactly what happened? He looked at the strengths of the squad overall and decided his best chance of going up was to switch to a 5-3-2 system, which dramatically improved us. We didn't score enough, but he took a load of defenders people claimed were crap and produced the second best defence in the division.

It meant sacrificing the wingers, but he saw what the team could be and he made a difficult call - which is what management is about.

If he got that wrong he'd have been slaughtered. He was man enough to take that pressure on himself and he got it right.

So in terms of finding a way to get the best out of players it's not about individuals, it's about getting the best out of the squad. Isn't that precisely what he's done?

Yes and no. I think as a few others have suggested there is room for a Dapo or someone who can just do something great going forwards and you have to find ways to accommodate that even if it somewhat breaks your system.

It’s a balance but I think we’ve gone too far one way. A little more individual is for me what will make the difference. You fit them in. Rather like we had to find ways to get Okocha or Youri or Hierro in. I think that’s the missing piece. Or pieces.

So that might mean a striker who doesn’t press as well but can actually trap the ball and do something with it. Or a wing back who isn’t much defensively so we shift to a pseudo back four to compensate.

I think there is room for that and indeed a need for something of that nature being accommodated.

[GhostoftheBok]

I think it was also that season that Lawrenson had to remove his top lip ferret....

Yup, same season if memory serves.

To be fair to him I think we only won 4 of our first 25 games. Then we only lost 2 of the remaining 13 and just about stayed up.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think it was also that season that Lawrenson had to remove his top lip ferret....

nah that was the first season. Same season Sam shaved his spiv 'tache!

There was a video of the Lawro thing knocking about recently. Weird to see myself 20 years ago.

[GhostoftheBok]

Yes and no. I think as a few others have suggested there is room for a Dapo or someone who can just do something great going forwards and you have to find ways to accommodate that even if it somewhat breaks your system.

We tried Dapo in 4 different roles and when he left he basically said he didn't fancy it if he didn't get to play wide left in a 3.

We clearly want players like that, but surely Evatt made the right decision last season.

You're not suggesting that regardless of what happens a manager has to always find some way of playing that suits every good player in his squad perfectly, I assume.

One of the issues with this level of football (and primarily with our finances at this level) is that even if you build the squad yourself you won't end up with 22-25 players who all fit perfectly together into a unit. You'll have to make decisions that benefit some over others.

[GhostoftheBok]

In happier news we beat Bradford 5-2 today, with all 5 strikers bagging a goal.

[GhostoftheBok]

nah that was the first season. Same season Sam shaved his spiv 'tache!

There was a video of the Lawro thing knocking about recently. Weird to see myself 20 years ago.

I fear you're right there.

[Worthy4England]

Yes and no. I think as a few others have suggested there is room for a Dapo or someone who can just do something great going forwards and you have to find ways to accommodate that even if it somewhat breaks your system.

We tried Dapo in 4 different roles and when he left he basically said he didn't fancy it if he didn't get to play wide left in a 3.

We clearly want players like that, but surely Evatt made the right decision last season.

You're not suggesting that regardless of what happens a manager has to always find some way of playing that suits every good player in his squad perfectly, I assume.

One of the issues with this level of football (and primarily with our finances at this level) is that even if you build the squad yourself you won't end up with 22-25 players who all fit perfectly together into a unit. You'll have to make decisions that benefit some over others.

I didn't have any major beef with Dapo leaving, for the reasons you suggest. He wasn't always getting a start, and when he did was often somewhat ineffectual - not his fault particularly (IMO) - just the role he was being asked to perform. There's little point retaining him if we're not going to play a wide three and he isn't a great fit for however many round holes we tried to fit the square peg into.

Had we been looking at retaining him, I think we'd have had to adapt our plan B (or A) or one of them, so that we switched to a formation with a wide left in a three...

I suspect the question is somewhat wider when it comes to players like Dapo and Sads, along the lines of is there ever a moment when we don't "trust the process" and give it the "just head on an do what you do" or have a plan B that's a clear departure from plan A - I suspect I've seen Dapo try to do something akin to "free role", he kept tripping up over other players in the same place.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

In happier news we beat Bradford 5-2 today, with all 5 strikers bagging a goal.

And Santos playing, despite surely being sold to a Champo club, it's definitely happening because @bwfc232975 said so.

Suspiciously good news from this "behind closed doors" match. Precisely the sort of good news the MSM would want you to believe. Whereas if you WAKE UP you will realise that Santos is sold, that our strikers will never score again and that Evatt is being controlled by Bill Gates. I know because there's a global conspiracy that has been hidden from most people but my auntie Kathleen read it on Facebook.

[GhostoftheBok]

We're a bit more rigid now than we were, in that we've adopted more of a 'positional play' model from what I can tell. Traditionally that sort of football doesn't embrace chaos in the attacking third when in build-up, but you need the flair players in the side for when you successfully isolate defenders.

What we haven't seen yet is how we play when the opposition want to come out and play football. We are still executing the full press Evatt loves and in those transitional, chaotic moments there's loads of room for individual magic as soon as the ball it turned over.

So, er...yes and no? You have to continue to work the system, because the whole point is repetition even when it doesn't seem to be working. A lot of the time City look like they're headbutting a wall, but then the movement comes off and the goal opens up the game for them to hammer sides.

We're certainly not as mechanical as Pep's Barca side were (Pep himself is more flexible now). We're also not as chaotic as Klopp's Liverpool.

Coaches like De Zerbi, Evatt, Potter etc are taking bits from different styles and figuring out how to make something slightly different to suit their needs. Which is how it has always worked.

I think once Evatt is happy that they know how to play his patterns he will take the leash off them a bit.

[Worthy4England]

In happier news we beat Bradford 5-2 today, with all 5 strikers bagging a goal.

Please lord tell me it wasn't Dion, JDB and three lads from the B team...

We can't have all happiness here, one clean sheet all season...

[officer_dibble]

Peterbrough have signed Kioso…I do hope we have a strong RwB lined up this month…

[Worthy4England]

Suspect that might prove popular!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Suspect that might prove popular!

About as popular as living in Bolton was for Peter K...

[Worthy4England]

Suspect that might prove popular!

About as popular as living in Bolton was for Peter K...

Yeah - but no bugger will remember that bit....just another RWB landed by a competitor...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Suspect that might prove popular!

About as popular as living in Bolton was for Peter K...

Yeah - but no bugger will remember that bit....just another RWB landed by a competitor...

For clarity, I think I'd have had him back, as I suspect he could also do a job (fore us) at RWB... but he's no Bradley or even a Fossey.

[BWFC_Insane]

Suspect that might prove popular!

About as popular as living in Bolton was for Peter K...

Yeah - but no bugger will remember that bit....just another RWB landed by a competitor...

For clarity, I think I'd have had him back, as I suspect he could also do a job (fore us) at RWB... but he's no Bradley or even a Fossey.

Yeah I like Kioso and think he’s a really good player but I don’t think he’s the perfect fit for where we want to be. A good attacking right back who can play centre back….basically Gethin but bigger. We want a more attack minded sort of wing back in my view.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We want a more attack minded sort of wing back in my view.

Agreed. Basically a winger who'll work – a Nicky Cadden of the right – for those knottier deep-lying teams. JDC looks a good solid all-rounder but may not be a lock-picker; and if on the odd occasion we need a "defensive" RWB we could always play Geth there. As you say, the difference-maker will be up the top end.

[TANGODANCER]

In happier news we beat Bradford 5-2 today, with all 5 strikers bagging a goal.

Be nice if our net keeper had started with clean sheets....but hey, it's a friendly..