The Squad List (2023/24 Edition)

[Berniman]

[BambooToTheFuture]

All I can see now is Batch stood there looking across a football carpark at me, with a nub end of a cigar in his mouth;

Me: Cheers then Batch, catch you again mate

Batch: Oh, but just one other thing...

[Bamboo Rolls his eyes]

Me: [muttering] Ffs, not again.

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Couple of stats for Brynn seeing as some are starting to slate him. What it shows, to me anyway, is that he’s come to the rescue of a shitty defence more than should be expected.

Save Percentage

The top five using this metric appear very similar to those we have seen before, with only Tomas Holy not appearing and being replaced by Solomon Brynn of Swindon Town (there are others with a higher percentage, but Brynn has appeared in the 35 matches). Vigouroux again leads the way, saving over 78% of shots faced, Glenn Morris makes second on the list with a percentage of 75.2 and he is just ahead of Bradford’s Lewis who sits on 74.6%. Brynn (70.8%) is joined by Tzanev (70.1%) of AFC Wimbledon.

Saves Per 90 Minutes

Swindon’s Brynn is the highest-performing goalkeeper to have made 35 appearances, making an average of 3.1 saves per match, followed by another top-five appearance for Glenn Morris who makes 2.9 saves a match. Tzanev (2.7) and Lewis (2.6) appear again but third in this category goes to Jonathon Mitchell of Doncaster Rovers with 2.8 saves per 90 minutes.

This stat, again, has so many variables. Not least how good your team are at defending and how many chances you have to show your goalkeeping talents. Of course, when the opposition do get a chance you have to be good enough to stop it.

[RedRag]

Brynn has in fairness been an asset.

However most of us are cr<itical of his timidity and hesitancy in coming  off his line.  There are awkward balls into our box that defenders are left struggle with that a more confident keeper could have handled or punched away.  There are free headers from the 6 yard box that he has no chance of stopping rooted on his line.

I would have expected to have seen a development in a young keeper's game in that department.  Pure speculation but I do ask myself what if anything Mildy does about this flaw.  I'd like to hear Hawes or someone raise that question.

[Mooneyraker]

His distribution is very poor too. Never tries a quick throw or launches it to catch a team with a counter attack.

[Riddick]

I don't think this is the right way forward.

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/23447555.tom-brewitt-new-swindon-town-contract-possible-talks-underway/

Despite recent poor attacking displays the league table suggests our defense is the problem, not our attack. Brewitt has done okay as an emergency signing, but if the club is serious about promotion he is not the standard of CB we need to build a team around.

[Nemo]

Jacob Wakeling (Third most minutes for any of our outfielders, 7 goals, 5 asissts)  shortlisted for the EFL League Two Young Player of the Year Award alongside  Colchester United's Junior Tchamadeu and Jayden Sweeney of Leyton Orient.

Naturally some of our fans have decided this is a good opportunity to slag off a 21 year-old playing his first season of pro football, because he hasn't done a very good job of playing left wing back.

[Nemo]

I don't think this is the right way forward.

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/23447555.tom-brewitt-new-swindon-town-contract-possible-talks-underway/

Despite recent poor attacking displays the league table suggests our defense is the problem, not our attack. Brewitt has done okay as an emergency signing, but if the club is serious about promotion he is not the standard of CB we need to build a team around.

I think Brewitt would be fine as a Harries-esque squad player, but if we're expecting him to be a starting option every week then that is a concern.

[Riddick]

I think Brewitt would be fine as a Harries-esque squad player, but if we're expecting him to be a starting option every week then that is a concern.

Possibly. Its an interesting problem though. Arguably the problem this season is we had a larger squad with less quality (we had more than 2 people per position). Last season and most seasons, even under Wellens we had a smaller squad, with better players.

I doubt Brewitt is paid a lot, but can you afford to have players like that as squad back up players. Consider Clayton and FBT already under contract and we need improvements, so little room for another back up. Also i'd probably rather a youth player like Minturn is the back up.

The bigger worry is if there is a change up top of Sandro/Morris then these decisions need to be delayed until the new team is in place.

[RobertT]

I'd let Brewitt go.  He is not the answer to the question - "which two central defenders would you have in your squads to support a promotion push?"  As above, he is a decent back-up probably, but we already have plenty of squad players.  We need to stop adding development numbers and find some bloody quality.

[theakston2k]

I think Brewitt would be fine as a Harries-esque squad player, but if we're expecting him to be a starting option every week then that is a concern.

I really hope we don’t sign Brewitt. I think he’s actually a terrible player but has this uncanny ability to be terrible in a not so obvious way. He just brings pure chaos into the defence, he’s never in position or where he’s meant to be, he’s just like a kid chasing round after the ball with no positional discipline.

[bigbobjoylove]

Need to stop signing "squad players" and the like. Spend what money we have on quality. We have enough players in the squad who still have 1+ years left on deals to make up the numbers with.

[Mooneyraker]

Harsh!

I think the back four was decent against Stockport for much of the game for example.

Brewitt has conducted himself better than most on the pitch during this shitshow. I'd be happy to have him in the squad next year, albeit not as one of my two starting CBs.

I'd still like to see a back four of Tomlinson at RB, Brewitt, Clayton and FBT at LB. FBT at CB isn't working anymore.

[Nemo]

Well, there are only four defenders contracted past this summer: Hutton, Clayton, Devine and FBT (all 2024).

Baudry (retired), Tomlinson (loan), Minturn, Brewitt and Harries are all OOC this summer. Lavinier nobody seems to be very sure about either way.

Most of the players we have under contract are midfielders.

[RobertT]

From that list, you start with Clayton as your chosen number three central defender.  If we are going with a back five, then maybe he is three/four.  You'd want him as your development player - someone who could play first team minutes, but you don't want to have him in for 46 games and ruin him.  Someone like Minturn is your cheap youth prospect - play odd minutes here and there.

You need two or three central defenders who are first team, every game material.