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Can't help getting excited with the developments at the CG with this new era.

Last time we had a tough pre-season was with Wise and made a great start.
I am sure more players will follow this week.

Lets hope PDC's judgement is spot on with the players we know little about.
Any chance of Mex and Paul D coming back ?

Spoke to Mex the other week and I know the urge of both Pox games are appealing. I reckon he will go to these games, I hope so.
Interested whether people are more impressed with the Manager since his initial appointment.

Mex came down to a show I did in Brighton recently.  He did mention the oxford games and how much it was going to hurt missing them but he's adamant that he has to stick to his principles.  He's pretty busy setting up a new venue as well so I doubt we'll see him again until PDC gets headhunted / sacked.

Definitely impressed with his ideas. The training regime he is implementing and how he quite clearly understands the meaning of the Pox game.

If there is one thing this squad is going to be come August 6th - it is fighting fit and able to last 90 minutes no problem.  
 
Really looking forward to the friendlies back on home soil, can't wait to see the new look team.

Can't see it myself.I know Paul has also returned his season tickets,which is a shame.

Agree about the manager just seems to be making the right noises.I know that's not enough in itself but it seems he does have players who want to play for him and added to the fact that we have a few decent players here already things could be ok.

A fair few fans are moaning about us bringing in unknown foreigners but i do think they are forgetting that we are adding these players to some experienced british players already.

Is the Supermarine game on July 19th the first friendly on home soil ?

Well to be fair in reality he has only been here a week,now i for one will be judging him this time next season to be honest.
Like the way he talked up the youngsters and the fitness side of things look first class.
Of course like most i am frustrated we hav'nt brought in the full quota of playing staff yet but he brings a great vibe to the club and will bring in added exitement to the opposition teams and fans this coming season.
As for Mex,Pauld and Ben i think they will be back for a number of reasons in the not to distant future on account of

1....doing to well to keep away.
2....doing so well that our man in charge will be away also ::)

Be nice to see them back,Paul especially will be missing the debates i am sure.

Indeed. Go through our current proposed starting 11 and most of them are British based players bar 2 or 3.

What i've been most impressed with is his desire to get us playing as a unit. He dropped a good hint in one of his recent interviews about some of the squad from last season leaving because he didn't see any unity with them and that they were playing as individuals.

There's a risk with foreign players but i'm really liking the Italy tour and the way it's going to help squad building and getting the players playing with each other and seeing each other all day every day. It's only going to help the likes of Comazzi bed in nicely. Gary Rose reported today that Risser looked very good in training and was vocal. I'm guessing he must have really impressed to get a contract offer. We've seen with the Knight issue that PDC didn't waste any time showing him the door. He knows what he wants from every player or potential player.

I'm caustiously optimistic. No point in saying we'll be going up because we all know that would be silly after last season but let's be honest it can't get much worse than that.

You've gotta love the guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy6bu4Tadbw

I still think its going to be a disaster and cant make either of the Oxford games because of work.I doubt I'll go to any games,not for any moral reason though.

I think Paolo Di Canio is the most exciting manager weve signed on for years.

But the squad isnt there yet. The situation in terms of forwards at the club is pretty dire. I worry he is signing too many foreigners, and although they may well come good in the end, there may be quite a long settling in period.

Wise and Poyet managed to sign good British players (with the odd bit of real real foreign quality like Brezovan). In fact the only area Wise and Poyet didnt sign good players was up front, and once again, that shows how difficult it has been to sign strikers in the summer since the introduction of the transfer window.

I have absolutely no idea how we will fare this season. If Di Canio manages half as well as he talks we will have a fit, motivated and determined team.

Will that be enough, no idea. But as a comparison here is a link to out last promotion winning squad:

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Squad.asp?Season=2006-2007

What we are thus far missing (strikers aside) is the type of experience the likes of Vincent/Gurney/Peacock and Roberts brought in. Its also interesting to note we had a fair few goals scored from others such as 11 in total from Lucas J, Blair Sturock and Paul Evans - Roberts and Peaks got only 10 league goals each and were top scorers.

Ive been shocked at how complacent DV has been in terms of the quality of L2. For me if you really want to go out and win L2 and be the outstanding team you will still need 5 players currently capable of playing at Championship level.

I aint got a scooby-fucking-do how we're going to do this season. ::)

Who are those five players in Chesterfield's squad?

I'm not sure that's realistic, getting 5 championship standard players. Don't think I can spot 5 in that Wise team. Roberts, if sober. There are a fair few league 1 players there though.

At the same time I think its a bit too much of an unknown as to what we have right now. Ritchie, Caddis and Ferry are quality. But only 1 of them are 'spine of the team' types. Guess we'll see.

Just like any other new dawn in football, this new era could go either way. I wouldn't commit to over-optimism or pessimism at this stage. This is the awkward stage of the summer when fans get restless and impatient over squad development. This happens every year without fail, regardless of who is in charge.

Also, I personally I don't care what nationalities the new players are... Di Canio is building his squad is he not? Paul Sturrock did it so why can't PDC? Perhaps he doesn't know the players that well but the Leon Knight incident proved that PDC isn't completely influenced/controlled by the agents. The fall of Knight was, for me, reassuring and not only because it was Leon Knight involved.

I've said it before and so have others, if Di Canio does practice what he preaches then we'll be fine.

We need a squad of players that are better than the other teams have

5 championship players? Come on....... How many championship class players did we have the last time we went up from this league?

I have to be honest i can't even name 5 players in the whole division who are championship quality.

Exactly, nobody can have the faintest idea how this team will pull together. Most are speaking like our presence in L2 will only be a fleeting visit. I hope they are right.

Roll on August I suppose COYR

We didnt, probably why we only just scraped automatic promotion.

That season was a bit disjointed in terms of the season. Different players looked class at different times. Roberts under Wise was excellent, then went shit, and came back as a winger under Sturrock. Definitely Brezovan before he broke his arm. Williams and Vincent were excellent. Corr and Jutkiewicz at the end of the season.  

You laugh about Chesterfield, but I bet they have got players who will go on to hold their own in the Championship in the next few seasons. Unless Sheridan is an absolute genius.

I don't think it was disjointed Spence that's just league2 football all over.It's full of inconsistency,the only consistent thing we had all season was our fitness which is what saw us through in the end.

Like whom?

The likes of Chris Zebroski, Elliot Benyon, Marvin Morgan and Matt Harlord are all seen as top L2 players.

All have failed miserably in League One.

One of Chesterfields top players was Craig Davies - binned off by Wolves, Oldham and Brighton previously. We'll see how he gets on at Barnsley next season.

I dont know. I dont pretend to know things about a football team I dont go and watch.

But I do know to be the outstanding team in any league, you usually need to have that extra quality that can usually cut it in the leagues above.

Im not expecting us to have that sort of quality, but we need to be aiming at that sort of standard.

...whereas there have been a good few Non-Leaguers to go beyond L2 and do really well. To quote Garth Algar, "isn't that weird?"

[url width=302 height=220]http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u210/garth_algar_3.jpg[/url]

Id agree with that.

Good call.

Maybe it's because the non-leaguers have not been 'discovered' yet. Whereas the L2'ers have been discovered and are playing at their level.

So, can you think of any other team in L2 that has 5 or so championship class players.

If so who are they and if not, how did you come to your conclusion?

From watching games in the last season we were down there.

It tends to be old players on their way down, and youngish players on their way up. Remmember they are not rotting away in reserve or youth football, they are getting competitive action and improving all the time.

The only easy away win I remmember in the L2 season last time was Boston away, where they really did roll over, and made Pook and B Sturrock look excellent.

So how many championship class players looks set to be in L2 next season?

I dont know, they will appear during the season. Go and watch a few games maybe you'll be able to have your own opinion instead of asking other people questions ad infinitum.

You will have to pester someone else now for amusement, im off.

Ha

So by that logic we could have 5 NPC standard players who have just been signed/are on trial.

Sweet!

I think it is probably going to take A few games more than some people would like to allow Paolo to change the team around and for most of the new players to adapt to div 2 English football. We should be on the right track fitness wise but until a few games have been played, especially away from the relative comfort of the county ground I won't be expecting us to be going on a great run like when wise came. Love it if I'm wrong though !

Gillingham yesterday signed Charlie Lee, now he could still play in the Championship....at a push.

Otherwise I am hard pushed to name many more in our league that would do well even a league above.

The one that does crop up all the time is Le Fondre and hes never really done anything outside of L2.

i'm suprised we haven't tried to snap him up. i'd have him here thats for sure

I think it was the £500k price tag that put so many clubs off him.

I'll talk about strikers from last season because I dont see enough of the players in other positions.

Anyone remmember Gareth Ainsworths performance in the 2-2 draw at Wycombe that scuppered our hopes of automatic promotion? No Championship team would touch him with a barge pole, granted, because he is ancient, and his legs could go at any moment. But they havnt and he was excellent for Wycombe last season. Unfashionable but a very good player. Simmilarly Corr for Southend, no one would touch him with a barge pole for his injuries (although Jewel at Ipswich was reportedly tempted). Example of an up and comming younger player, Millwall and City were both bidding for Rotherhams Ryan Taylor.

Player from a few years ago, Grant Holt. He looked washed up in Forests reserves, dropped down to Shrewsbury, got game time and resurected his career. There will be quite a few older players down there determined to get their careers back on track.

As I said, I dont know who will come to the fore, but some players will be playing to that sort of standard come the end of the season. Thats the sort of standard we'll need to be mixing it for automatic. Theres no point deriding the league, and hoping that some of last years players will be good enough. For example, Kennedy, couldnt cut it at Rotherham, and Phil Smith was well below standard second half of last season (both keepers were), neither are good enough on their recent performances. Anyway, thats my opinion. You can take it or leave it.

But of the players we've still got from last season, Caddis, Ferry and Ritchie could cut it at a higher division. Arguably so could Manks (If his injuries are behind him).

We've also got players coming in who we know nothing about. They could be league 2 standard, or they could be much better than that.

Time will tell...

The thing is as well.......even players of a lower standard than we as fans expect, can play as a team to good effect, it may not be the most entertaining of teams but then neither was Sturrocks team when we went up last time, it was workmanlike performances with little stand out individuals but they all played for each other and as a team.

With PdC's work ethic in training and what he wants from the team I am confident that we will do well but as herthab says....Time will tell.

The gulf in quality of league 2 and say championship quality players isn't alot in most cases. Of course you get exceptions who will stand out but generally I don't think there is much in it.
Consistancy and application are the only real differences i think. Take a player like jpm for instance. He has the ability to cut it in at least the championship. What he lacks is the consistancy to be able to do it.
It's a very fine line,likewise the line between making it as a pro and not. Some cracking lads get released at 16 and drift into the abyss.

For where stfc is now i don't think there is a written rule for success or the type of players to achieve it.
I am convinced that work ethic,desire and application will get us along way though,and may even see players performing to a high standard regularly and increasing their potential

Spence

You've just listed players whom by your own admission would not be touched by champ clubs. And the one example you did give was a few years ago.

Errrm.....

Without wanting to offend anyone could you two not maybe just put eachother on ignore from now on?

I was talking about Championship level performances. Of course there will be reasons why Championship clubs wouldnt take them on.

it's fun though

well i know the price tag wont put us off but whether we think he is actually worth that much is another thing.

Spence, loads of players in L2 can out in Championship performances. Loads

The difference is whether or not they can do it week in, week out.

Makes me wonder if Le Fondre really is that good. Most other strikers who have scored a decent amount of goals at this level would be gone by now. In fact they'd have gone ages ago. So why hasn't he? I'm sure there's been a decent offer for him as well.

So we are in total agreement then?

A lot of players in the Championship cant produce high standards week in week out either.

We agree

Although players in the championship who don't produce the goods consistently will soon find themselves in a lower league.