Cooper- very simple 2 options

[adje]

Leftside is right.none of the new arrivals are as good as the players they replaced.i think its as simple as that.luongo williams stephens gladwin and byrne are ll major losses

[adje]

My OPINION (i.e not fact before anyone gets on their high horse)

Last season and the season before (presumably) Power called in a couple of favours from Sherwood and we got the like of Luongo, Byrne (Mason, Pritchard) and some quite decent loans, a splattering of PDC hangovers, the Tompson stalwarts and a couple of lucky punts with the likes of Kassim and Gladwin towards the latter stages.

This season we've just seemed to leave everything too late, relied on too many cheap punts and have had injuries, and Kasim seems to be in a permanent fucking sulk. But mostly, whoever decided to totally ignore recruiting in the defence/defensive midfield department is in denial (and should be slapped with a wet haddock). Last years team struggled in the end. This years lesser team moreso, its like it has the integrity of an eggshell.

Its impossible to know who does what with the team, it certainly doesn't seem like a normal setup, so its impossible to give you a straight answer beyond the players aren't as good and injuries are telling,

"Slapping with a wet haddock" is too good for them!

[Tails]

I'll probably get slated for this, but we could have done with someone like Ricketts in the back 4....

[Matchworn Shirts]

I'll probably get slated for this, but we could have done with someone like Ricketts in the back 4....

I was thinking the same a few days ago

[Skinny Pete]

Turnbull staying on the pitch was what we could have done with.

The fates do seem to be conspiring against Cooper - should take the hint.

[horlock07]

I'll probably get slated for this, but we could have done with someone like Ricketts in the back 4....

To be honest Michael Ricketts would probably be an improvement on what we have at the moment!

[BruceChatwin]

Leftside is right.none of the new arrivals are as good as the players they replaced.i think its as simple as that.luongo williams stephens gladwin and byrne are ll major losses

The team was still dysfunctional with all those players in it in the second half of last season. Gladwin was the only one putting in decent performances.

The malaise long pre-dates the current playing squad. All the drive/ passion/ energy just seems to have gone out of the club, from the players and fans to the manager.

I don't think it's easy for any of us to put our finger on exactly why looking in from the outside, but the effects are clearly visible.

[nigel grays a postie]

Keep hearing how impossible it is for Cooper to manage under the circumstances that Power imposes, but as the man charged with motivating the team Power presents him with, Cooper surely needs to be doing more?  No one could compare the team that Cooper moulded together to excite us and top the league in January this year to the rag tag bunch of triallists, sick notes, cast offs and wannabes that are currently masquerading as Swindon Town FC.

Cooper certainly isn't giving any sort of impression that he is really up to the job of gelling them into a team that can compete effectively in League 1. In fact I don't think this bunch would cut it in the division below at present.  Zero shots on target against a League 2 side, having already lost at home to Exeter and just about scraped together a win on penalties against Newport - probably nailed on to follow Cheltenham, the League 2 side who humiliated us last year, into non league football - suggests to all that this is a mess he isn't capable of sorting out.

I imagine we will find a defender from somewhere for Saturday to play alongside Branco but who knows who will play right back. Traore or Bangoura maybe? Even with a full complement the back 3, 4 or 5 were failing. By the time Turnbull, Williams,  Thompson, Barry and Stewart are back it is hard to imagine Cooper will still be in charge.

[Red Frog]

Not to say I told you so, cos I didn't, and not criticising anyone, but it's worth remembering that three weeks is a long time in football, especially during an injury crisis.

Quietly confident we can really challenge again this year.

Well well well.  Anyone who thinks Power doesn't want promotion needs to think again. 

At this point, if we don't get at least a play-off place and stuff the pox in their shitty 3-sided box then something is very wrong.

Our squad looks so good I'm actually laughing.

Is this real?  Will we ever lose again?  If this is indeed real then our last 8 days worth of business have been damn impressive.

I know I'm jumping the gun a tad here, but I'm beginning to think that Power would be able to put together a team that could stay up in the Championship.... without running up debts.

I know this is STFC where we've got used over the years to every silver lining having a cloud and every light at the end of the tunnel being a train heading straight towards us etc BUT -  I think it's fair to say we have every reason to be optimistic at this point in time 

We've gone from certain relegation to automatic promotion very quickly! Amazing what a little patience can do...

I still think we'll end up midtable but its an exciting squad being put together.

With the squad we have we should definitely push for autos.

I've just done a sex wee

[Red Frog]

One poster was keeping a level head...

But...
- We don't know if Ojaama is any good.
- We don't know if Pinko is coming and is any good
- We don't know if Stewart is good enough to step up from Glentoran
- We don't know if Thomas will stay longer or whether he will be the same as at other clubs and be lazy but score goals
- We don't know if Obika and more importantly Thompson will stay injury free. They both appear fragile.
- We don't know whether Hylton will come back and step up this year
- We don't know what the score is with Kasim

So, interesting times ahead, yes. But does the recent flurry make us world beaters? I think not.

[joteddyred]

That was me showing my optimistic side. I'm now back to my usual pessimistic self.

Also, it was 4 weeks ago.  That extra week makes all the difference 

[Red Frog]

That was me showing my optimistic side. I'm now back to my usual pessimistic self.

Also, it was 4 weeks ago.  That extra week makes all the difference 

What happens that makes you feel pessimistic every four weeks?

Sorry.

[Skinny Pete]

Oh, come on. That's what all fans would say about signings. Most are optimistic souls and I reckon only 2-3 look like real pigs.

The problem, injuries notwithstanding, is Cooper seems incapable of fashioning a functioning team - and that's been the case for more than a few weeks.

Most have enormous sympathy for Cooper, albeit based on the perceived terms he works under, but he is the visible figurehead of the club and takes the flak.

[sonicyouth]

There's been a lack of real excitement or buzz around the club for a long time now, ever since the back to back defeats over Easter. The playoffs papered over a couple of cracks until it all came tumbling down at Wembley.

The summer and preseason were as dead and uninspiring as any I can remember and everything just feels subdued this season.

I don't care if Cooper stays or not, it won't signal a massive change either way.

Things have been much worse than this and I'm not sure why people have forgotten that so easily.

[adje]

The team was still dysfunctional with all those players in it in the second half of last season. Gladwin was the only one putting in decent performances.

The malaise long pre-dates the current playing squad. All the drive/ passion/ energy just seems to have gone out of the club, from the players and fans to the manager.

I don't think it's easy for any of us to put our finger on exactly why looking in from the outside, but the effects are clearly visible.

Fair points but i would say losing byrne when we did was a huge blow