I know its a way off but what do the early indicators suggest to you that we need in January.
Now weve secured Hector (very pleased with that)
For me itd be looking into swapping out christie for a different RB to push Steven on (like ryan and malone in his breakthrough season) and LB cover for Bryan.
Other than that we should, on paper, be ok, providing we steer clear of too many injuries.
Should add the only reason I dont say a GK is because Id like to see Rodak given a chance in the league first before making that call
Don't think we need anything unless we have some serious injuries before then. Don't need more cover in my opinion, and would only like to see players that should actually be a clear upgrade on the current ones (in preparation for a PL return, if that appears to be a decent possibility still).
This team has hardly got itself together, let us see how they look in a couple of months time when strengths and weaknesses may begin to develop.
Who knows come December Sess and Christie may have scored a few goals and be playing so well that it is difficult to choose between them and premier league clubs could be queuing up for their signatures.
If we are in the top 6 or better when the next window opens and are flirting with the Premier League again.
Not a decision taken lightly,but, we require a huge upgrade in the keeper postion.
We are yet to see if fringe players like Rodak, S.Sess, MLM, Christie, KMac, Reed, Onamah, Reid, Kebano and Kamara can still deliver consistently for Fulham in this league. If any fringe player is not up to standard, then replacing them will help the team. If everyone is great, investing all remaining cash in one premier league player would be awesome.
What's the score with loans in the next window?
How many are we allowed in from UK or abroad?
1 or 2 shrewd loan signings (like Target or Mitro) could make all the difference (with options to buy, please)
Surprised no one is concerned about the lack of options at LB. If bryant is out for any reason its MLM out there who offers no threat going forward and hasnt been much better at defending either.
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Quote from: Fernhurst on September 09, 2019, 11:24:49 PM
If we are in the top 6 or better when the next window opens and are flirting with the Premier League again.
Not a decision taken lightly,but, we require a huge upgrade in the keeper postion.
Frankly, i think a keeper upgrade can be saved until summer window, wouldn't be shocked if Rico or Fabri comes back. Rico is fighting for a place on bench this season and Fabri looks like first choice in a Liga A team playing against Messi in a few weeks.
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
The perceptible weaknesses in the team have already shown themselves, and, as always in football, you hope that the resins that bind things together become stronger as familiarity breeds stronger on pitch behaviours and relationships. It is relatively early in the cycle of team building and bonding and there are plenty of untried options and combinations that may become more obvious as wear and tear and injuries and suspensions influence selections. Although our first team starting profile appears more obvious this season than for a few seasons before I still don't feel the balance of that nominal side is right and I am not sure it is something that can wait until January to fix.
I think Parker is going to start really earning his money over the next several weeks because it isn't a straight road ahead. People should expect a bit more pain before we see the really solid gain. I think shoehorns are less destructive tools than crowbars.
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 06:54:10 AM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
How is playing Odoi in one of his best positions, one with which he is very familiar, to "crowbar" him in? Him or Sess, with the other one on the right, is our best combination if Bryan is out, in my opinion.
Left back cover is essential, and in the absence of any current LB cover, like a player from the academy ready to fill that spot, we need to purchase a player who is an orthodox LB.
Odoi appears to be a utility player, but imo not quite good enough to secure a permanent position whilst we have other players fit to play in their current positions. Odoi is fine in an emergency and will always give his all, so on the bench as a squad player is ok by me.
Signing Hector certainly makes sense, we have been crying out for a player like him for a while.
As for Odoi, I don't like to see round pegs in square holes. At full back he tends to give too many free kicks and fouls away when defending, his passing is wayward, and his positional sense also comes into question. So Odoi despite all his other qualities worries me.
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 11, 2019, 11:32:47 AM
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 06:54:10 AM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
How is playing Odoi in one of his best positions, one with which he is very familiar, to "crowbar" him in? Him or Sess, with the other one on the right, is our best combination if Bryan is out, in my opinion.
Exactly.
Odoi has played left back 106 times in his career. More than in any other position.
He's a left back.
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 11:55:47 AM
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 11, 2019, 11:32:47 AM
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 06:54:10 AM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
How is playing Odoi in one of his best positions, one with which he is very familiar, to "crowbar" him in? Him or Sess, with the other one on the right, is our best combination if Bryan is out, in my opinion.
Exactly.
Odoi has played left back 106 times in his career. More than in any other position.
He's a left back.
Bryan is first choice. as cover Odoi would be fine but beyond that no.
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 12:47:27 PM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 11:55:47 AM
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 11, 2019, 11:32:47 AM
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 06:54:10 AM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
How is playing Odoi in one of his best positions, one with which he is very familiar, to "crowbar" him in? Him or Sess, with the other one on the right, is our best combination if Bryan is out, in my opinion.
Exactly.
Odoi has played left back 106 times in his career. More than in any other position.
He's a left back.
Bryan is first choice. as cover Odoi would be fine but beyond that no.
Yes agree with you 100% on that, IMO Bryan has been brilliant since the Barnsley goal, but the full post i was replying to was talking about cover and said "Surprised no one is concerned about the lack of options at LB. If bryant is out for any reason its MLM out there..."
Quote from: MJG on September 11, 2019, 06:54:10 AM
Quote from: Statto on September 11, 2019, 01:15:39 AM
Quote from: jayffc on September 11, 2019, 01:05:38 AM
That said Steven Sess hasnt performed terribly at LWB for England U-21s so perhaps he could move over there bringing Odoi on to the right if needs be.
Yep, or just play Odoi LB
Why are people trying to crowbar odoi into the team?
Because I'd rather he play backup LB than MLM. And he's just as good as Cyrus Christie (if not better) at RB.
We really don't need another FB. I'm pretty sure (since he is still on the squad) that Marlon Fossey is expected to come into play at some point at fullback as well.
If it were me, I wouldn't bring in anyone at the transfer deadline unless someone picks up a serious injury.
Even if Mawson were to go down for an extended period of time...Ream, Hector, Odoi and MLM would be enough in those spots.
The window is a few months away and much can happen in that time.
Although, I would like to see us get a young hungry back up to Mitro.
Not necessarily him but someone like Lyle Taylor.
Mitro could get injured or suspended at any time.
Yes there are over three months to go, and a lot of water will flow under the bridge before then. Anything can happen before then. But it is clear to me that we will need reinforcements by January, especially if injuries take their toll.
We have a comparatively small squad for a club with aspirations to get back in the Premier League, it lacks depth in certain positions, and we may not be quite so fortunate as we were with injuries compared to the last time we achieved promotion.
Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on September 11, 2019, 11:32:12 PM
Yes there are over three months to go, and a lot of water will flow under the bridge before then. Anything can happen before then. But it is clear to me that we will need reinforcements by January, especially if injuries take their toll.
We have a comparatively small squad for a club with aspirations to get back in the Premier League, it lacks depth in certain positions, and we may not be quite so fortunate as we were with injuries compared to the last time we achieved promotion.
Spot on, we are not the Manchester City of the Championship and if we can afford it in terms of FFP that's the kind of depth we should aim for. A championship is won by winning 27 games and that means beating Sunderland and Barnsley every time you play them, even when many of our reserves have to play.
Quote from: The Rational Fan on September 12, 2019, 01:22:53 AM
Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on September 11, 2019, 11:32:12 PM
Yes there are over three months to go, and a lot of water will flow under the bridge before then. Anything can happen before then. But it is clear to me that we will need reinforcements by January, especially if injuries take their toll.
We have a comparatively small squad for a club with aspirations to get back in the Premier League, it lacks depth in certain positions, and we may not be quite so fortunate as we were with injuries compared to the last time we achieved promotion.
Spot on, we are not the Manchester City of the Championship and if we can afford it in terms of FFP that's the kind of depth we should aim for. A championship is won by winning 27 games and that means beating Sunderland and Barnsley every time you play them, even when many of our reserves have to play.
to back that 27 game claim up here are last six seasons.
(https://i.ibb.co/y65zdDT/Table-3.png)
Asmir Begovic and Robbie Brady
Woolly who knows what will happen,think myself the plan is to not push till a rebuilt riverside is ready to charge you lot loads of money then will coincide with PL.
Quote from: The Rational Fan on September 12, 2019, 01:22:53 AM
Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on September 11, 2019, 11:32:12 PM
Yes there are over three months to go, and a lot of water will flow under the bridge before then. Anything can happen before then. But it is clear to me that we will need reinforcements by January, especially if injuries take their toll.
We have a comparatively small squad for a club with aspirations to get back in the Premier League, it lacks depth in certain positions, and we may not be quite so fortunate as we were with injuries compared to the last time we achieved promotion.
Spot on, we are not the Manchester City of the Championship and if we can afford it in terms of FFP that's the kind of depth we should aim for. A championship is won by winning 27 games and that means beating Sunderland and Barnsley every time you play them, even when many of our reserves have to play.
I have tried to question this before, without getting a response, but I'll give it another try: Man City used the least amount of players of all teams last year in the PL. Could it therefore maybe be worth considering that it is not necessarily that important to have a huge squad (unless you are very unlucky with injuries)? Man City won the league because they had great players in every position, and a few great subs, as well as having a team in which most players were well integrated and knew each other. Sounds a little like FFC if you break it down to Championship level, except we are still working on getting the players to play as a unit.
With that said, would you care to explain what alleged depth of Man City that you are referring to?
Quote from: Sting of the North on September 19, 2019, 10:47:32 PM
Quote from: The Rational Fan on September 12, 2019, 01:22:53 AM
Quote from: Woolly Mammoth on September 11, 2019, 11:32:12 PM
Yes there are over three months to go, and a lot of water will flow under the bridge before then. Anything can happen before then. But it is clear to me that we will need reinforcements by January, especially if injuries take their toll.
We have a comparatively small squad for a club with aspirations to get back in the Premier League, it lacks depth in certain positions, and we may not be quite so fortunate as we were with injuries compared to the last time we achieved promotion.
Spot on, we are not the Manchester City of the Championship and if we can afford it in terms of FFP that's the kind of depth we should aim for. A championship is won by winning 27 games and that means beating Sunderland and Barnsley every time you play them, even when many of our reserves have to play.
I have tried to question this before, without getting a response, but I'll give it another try: Man City used the least amount of players of all teams last year in the PL. Could it therefore maybe be worth considering that it is not necessarily that important to have a huge squad (unless you are very unlucky with injuries)? Man City won the league because they had great players in every position, and a few great subs, as well as having a team in which most players were well integrated and knew each other. Sounds a little like FFC if you break it down to Championship level, except we are still working on getting the players to play as a unit.
With that said, would you care to explain what alleged depth of Man City that you are referring to?
Last season, Man City used 20 outfield players, with the two playing the least being England International "Fabien Delph" and Teenager "Phil Foden", for me a strong squad of 20 outfielder and 3 goalkeepers is squad depth. The fact that ManCity didn't play more players is not because Pep had a small squad, but because he knew who his best 20 outfield players were. I would argue that if you have small squad it is more likely that you swap and change trialling various unknowns in the squad (e.g. Fabri, TFM, Nordveidt, Cisse, Kebano, Ayite, Markovoic and Elliott).
Man City player depth from their 11th to 20th best outfield player is enormous. According to transfermarkt; our 13th, 14th and 15th most valuable players are Christie, KMac and Kebano, where as ManCity's 13th, 14th and 15th most valuable players are Gündogan, Walker and Mendy. Our 20th most valuable outfield player is Cisse and ManCity's 20th most valuable outfield player is Fernandinho.
Man City won the league, because they had a top matchday 18 every week even after "Kevin De Bruyne" was injured, with ManCities finishing XI (XI on the field at the end of the match) being better than anyone apart from Liverpool's starting XI. If Fulham want to be the ManCity of the Championship, Fulham need to have two proven top players in every position also; but unlike ManCity a lot of our players are unproven at championship level (e.g. MLM or Cisse) or if they are proven its a while since they have performed well (e.g. Christie or KMac).
If you look at the statistics of previous relegated teams first season in the championship, it is typically that half of the players perform well enough to get the team promoted, but most relegated find they fail to find a decent player in the squad in a few positions (mostly because they had two options in that positions who failed in the premier league that were expected to perform in the championship that didn't).
The other benefit to squad depth, is at least 6 to 10 of the victories will happen while our subs are on the field. In this league, a combined strong starting/finishing XI will get a lot more points than just a strong starting XI. And lastly, it is easier to buy lots of players than buy the best players.
