We both agree about change. Your point about finishing high isn't bad - you start from a higher base as long as the personnel and team play don't get worse. What is the club doing to change for the better?
Manager: he's clearly generally competent, as he was when he joined. Has he shown any sign that he's learning? I don't think so, he makes the same mistakes, the team plays the same football style, his substitutions are frequently bizarre and make the team worse and we still have an unbalanced squad with a whole bunch of midfielders, very weak defensive cover and dependence on 1 striker. Can he learn? I hope so - I think two things that held him back were, unclear target setting and his role was far too diffuse under Tiger (he seemed to be acting as manager, spokesman, social liaison and chief bottle-washer). These appear to have been clarified with Bakrie setting a clear goal and I hope putting into place in which he is enabled and forced to concentrate on one goal - promotion. I hope they have access to some experience in managing that can look over Robinson's shoulder and give him advice - he can use that.
I don't think the team has improved.
We have 2 very decent keepers for this league.
The best defence under this regime had Long/Cadden, Nelson, Dickie and Ruffels with Gorrin or Kashi (the Algerian guy) in front of them. Long is one of my 3 first players on the team sheet (with Taylor & Brannagan) but Seddon can't defend, Thornilly / McInally are out of their depth and they don't seem to defend as a unit. Gorrin is out now and I don't see a midfielder who can protect the defence (I haven't watched Kane enough to say). Last season we got away with having zero defensive cover and we're rolling the same dice now. We're less likely to get away with that, and we seem to be giving up more goals under less pressure in my opinion. We need an organising centre back and a defending left back to improve defence. Why is Mousinho in the squad, it looks like an old pal's act to me
The core of the midfield is potentially incredibly strong for this league with Brannagan and a working McGuane are very good, Kane may be, Sykes would be as good with composure and confidence, Forde is decent. Henry is still a mystery, a slow technical player who's probably got the best touch and vision in the squad but seldom seems to use it.
Wingers and wide players - I don't understand the love affair with wingers who don't attack and don't defend. When we were playing good football and scoring either Whyte or Browne (the one ex-player I'd have back in a shot) were scaring defences by running at them. It seems odd that we don't use Williams on the left - he can defend and does go at defenses. Whyte seems much weaker on the left, needs confidence?
Attack - Taylor. That's it. I think the Agyei experiment has failed, apart from that I fear for the boy's mental health, let's just say it looks like it would do him good to play somewhere where he's a better fit. We still have the knackered punt, for Holmes read Winnall. I'm sure there are a thousand stats to prove me wrong but we seem to score far less often than we should given our periods of domination. This is the most important fix. I wonder if Agyei was meant to be a big pacy lump that wins the ball and scares defenders - thats the sort of player I'd go for, is Akinfenwa available?*
Anyway
@tatabanya you seem to have catalysed a long attempt to be fair all round from me. Nice to chat with you.
* It's a joke, really.