Thetownend.com

Having attended last night i really think we are going to have a relegation fight on our hands.

We lok absolutely toothless up front- and our midfield did not have an ounce of creativity. I hope i am wrong but unless the squad is strengthened significantly (not signing a player like Kaid as a panic) i see us starting 2008/2009 in league 2 again

calm down bart, at least wait till the season has started!!!

FWIW i think we'll be alright, sign a few more frogs and it will be ace

Hello mr negative.

The walsh boyo will save us.

what about Barry Corr?

Look at our wealth of strikers bart sums it up really.

here we go again  :-))(  just chill Bart

I don't think that all the talk of promotion by the players was wise. I think a mid-table finish is where we can hope to end up.

Who knows though, IMHO we have improved the squad in all areas except the forwards which after last season should have been I priority. We may still get a decent striker or two in though

Exactly we aint got any amongst them.

Blair- worth 1 year fringe at best

Kaid- never played in L1

Corr- best of the bucnh but injured and injury prone

Unless this is sorted i can see us seriously struggling this season

bart there is ample time before the transfer deadline, sturrock knows what hes doing  :-))(

that is what I concurred thus far

Chill- i have no desire to go down again to the basement- do you?

No but Sturrock doesn't go relegations does he? It's only pre-season for fuck sake!

Wont happen, looked into my crystal ball you see, its says we'll finish 15th. Baz will be top scorer, Pook will be sucking cock, and Zaaboub will stop wearing gloves in winter.

your crystal ball is faulty.

i think the batteries maybe flat........

time to get the magic 8 ball out  :wink:

Agreed bart, you talk sense

Are you being sarcastic ? :wink:

Oh no lets panic. Its not as if the transfer window closes anytime soon is it. We'll be foine

exactamundo

now weve signed a welsh bloke called mohammed, how about we sign -

an irish bloke called muhadjeen
a scottish bloke called bam bam kak pao
and some random bloke from the british virgin islands

icing on the cake  8)

Pre season means fuck all, I can remember previous pre seasons where we have looked gash and got into the playoffs and others where we thought we were going to do well and have been embroiled in a relegation battle.
Until the first couple of league games have been played it is very difficult to see how things will pan out and by then HOPEFULLY we will have at least another striker and winger

Bam Bam Kak Pao is a fucking ace player! would love to see him here.

imagine getting that on the back of a shirt  :wink:

while Bart is being a little on the negative side :shock:

we should at least start the season with some realism rather than doing a Bristol City and expecting promotion from a squad which is not really up to it.  Better to do it that way, provided the support remains positive than have everyone moaning if we sit 18th after 10 games.

2005/06 our team could have been:

Evans
J Smith
Nicholas
Ifil
O'Hanlon
Shakes
Miglioranzi
Pook
Brown
Fallon
Cureton

Now, there are definitely some better defensive option in the current squad with Aljofree signing, Easton better than Pook etc.  On the wings we are probably better although they still seem unable to deliver.  That team does suggest more creativity upfront though (even allowing for peoples hatred towards Cureton).  Migz offered a decent passing scope from midfield.

That team was one if not the worst teams in the league that season, by a distance at times.  Can we honestly say we are in a much better state talent wise?

Our saving grace this time around is we shouldn't lose as many as easily with a decent Manager at the helm, and, IF things improve off the field we have a basis to build on.  But right now we are several First Teamers away from being anything other than also rans.  That can change though of course.

edit: just to confirm I do no expect us to be relegated based on the current squad and Management team.

Not to metion

Sturrock >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> King + Iffy

Bar some strikers, and maybe some back up wingers we are fine.

In an ideal world I'd like to see a minimum of 2 new strikers and 2 new wingers.

Its not the end of the world yet, I can see us getting alot of 1-0 score lines next season - both ways

Plus despite finishing 3rd, we were easily the best side to get promoted out of league two and should finish above Rovers, Hartlepool and Walsall!!

Yeah Bart is making sense.

I mean Chelsea lost a friendly to MK Dongs, so they must be thinking that they've got a relegation fight on their hands!

The truth is that we played a friendly last night with two trialists up front, neither of which has played in English football, one who only met the rest of the team yesterday.

The team looked rusty at times, ironing that out is what pre season is all about.

We won't be in a relegation battle this season.

Bart is a twat...........................

Don't disagree.  I did say based on what we currently have.

Strikers make a huge difference though.  A good defence stops you getting beat, a good attack wins you games (more often than not).

Stick Fallon and Cureton (even the not trying very hard one) upfront with out current 1-9, add in Corr and I'd say mid table comfortably.  That's how much difference I think it can make.  We'd have been a laughing stock in 2005/06 if Fallon hadn't suddenly discovered he could play football.  As it was we were mostly soft.

we then turned ourselves into a laughing stock by selling him, biut I wont go off on that one again

Yep, at the time I think I fell on the side of not maoning about his sale, based on the belief we'd invest in replacements, which we never did.

The 4-2 win against Bournemouth was a sign I suppose of what we could have gone on to achieve.  With 3 strikers looking hungry that game we looked a different team at times, which is exactly why I think the current team is better but not one to do much.  It wouldn't take much to make that improvement, but the questions is whether we'll be able to get 2 decent forwards in.  They don't have to be 20 a season players, just players who both offer a threat.

more fool you...

....the day we sold him was the day I claimed we got relegated.

Negative pessimistic bastard they called me, selling Fallon was the right move they told me.

But, yeah it is getting on and still nothing on the striker front....and we do need at least two.

Hopefully (wishfully, prayingly!!) the lack of signing more strikers means Big Bad Baz might not be out for as long as we've been told.

I'd still want 2 plus him.

The thing that's getting me confused right now is in one breath everyone is saying we look toothless and ni the other they are asking for every forward on trial to be signed-up.  There is no point wasting a position on a player who may look ok but simply doesn't give us the threat we are after.  They either look like they'll be a first teamer and be as good if not better than the other teams strikers, or they don't.  We don't need squad players upfront, we need the first string.

the strikers were not the problem that season it was the woefull midfield plus the long ball tactics to a midget because the inexperienced defence was being over run.

Adams/Easton/Peacock/Zabooub/Roberts is a better midfield than Pook/Migz/Shakes/Brown. Strikers are only as good as the service they get and I am pretty sure that Barry Corr plus either of the other 2 strikers would score goals as long they were getting decent  
service.

I think Sturrocks main strategy is to make us difficult to beat and hope that confidence builds and then the goals will come.

The trouble with the 05/06 team wasnt lack of quality in my opinion, it was lack of fitness, organisation and desire. OK there are some shit players in that side (Yes you Shakes) but a fit and motivated Fallon and Cureton strikeforce should basically have kept us in mid table even ignoring the obvious lack of depth and weakness in some positions.

Anyone would think the season starts tomorrow! I was worried with the lack of strike power but not our ability to avoid a relegation battle.

Keepers - sorted
Defenders - sorted
Midfielders - more or less sorted
Strikers - one more addition.

WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOOMED

you're all wrong.

bit disappointed with the Kaid signing but I guess hes backup .. but we still need a top striker from somewhere .. maybe 2?