Crikey, 12 days to go

[H4usuallysitting]

too the start of the season - just had a look at the Ipswich team and there back 4 look enormous and with Mick McCarthy as there manager, I hope Adidas are supplying our team with extra strong shin guards.

[fulhamben]

too the start of the season - just had a look at the Ipswich team and there back 4 look enormous and with Mick McCarthy as there manager, I hope Adidas are supplying our team with extra strong shin guards.

big players tend to strugle aginst nippy skillfull players. can see us getting a pen or two if roberts williams or mouasa get some game time.

[glenhodgso]

too the start of the season - just had a look at the Ipswich team and there back 4 look enormous and with Mick McCarthy as there manager, I hope Adidas are supplying our team with extra strong shin guards.

Hope he is still in charge for the return fixture - I have missed the rousing chorus of "Mick McCarthy...what a 'nice chap he is' " these past couple of seasons....

[glenhodgso]

too the start of the season - just had a look at the Ipswich team and there back 4 look enormous and with Mick McCarthy as there manager, I hope Adidas are supplying our team with extra strong shin guards.

Actually - and much more importantly.... 12 days to go ---- can't wait - COYW !!!!!

[Lighthouse]

Oh good grief. 12 days to go is scary. Right now is the squad better or worse than it was when we were relegated. Or have we 11 players that are better than when we were relegated.

Still time, still time.

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

I think we should let our youngsters take their mums on the coach with them to Ipswich

To give them moral support, wipe their noses, stop them throwing their toys out of the pram as it were, tell them not to worry about the big, bad Ipswich defenders

Like good old M Jol told our team - RUN, RUN - doesn't matter where just RUN - rings round those big bad Ipswich defenders

Don't let them catch you boys!

COYW!

[fulhamben]

Oh good grief. 12 days to go is scary. Right now is the squad better or worse than it was when we were relegated. Or have we 11 players that are better than when we were relegated.

Still time, still time.

well if you still include the wc 3, id say keepers worse, midfield about the same. but only because the boys who will get game time were here last season aswell. and strikers are better at the mo. though that could change if we lose hugo and mitro without adequate replacements. but on the whole i like the look of the new team alot more than i did the old

[fulhamben]

I think we should let our youngsters take their mums on the coach with them to Ipswich

To give them moral support, wipe their noses, stop them throwing their toys out of the pram as it were, tell them not to worry about the big, bad Ipswich defenders

Like good old M Jol told our team - RUN, RUN - doesn't matter where just RUN - rings round those big bad Ipswich defenders

Don't let them catch you boys!

COYW!

dont we have 2 freakishly tall cb`s of our own anyway

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

Crikey, 12 days to go and we have just sold the end of last season's first choice goalkeeper and the second choice keeper hasn't played a friendly yet and may also be leaving.

And we won't be playing any opposition of Championship standard before the start of the season.

And we have five or six forwards fighting for two places . . .

. . . but just one player who has played central/defensive midfield for us and was poor for most of last season.

And we are playing a lad at centre half who is still listed as being in the u18s (when most are saying we need another experienced centre back).

And . . .

[fulhamben]

Crikey, 12 days to go and we have just sold the end of last season's first choice goalkeeper and the second choice keeper hasn't played a friendly yet and may also be leaving.

And we won't be playing any opposition of Championship standard before the start of the season.

And we have five or six forwards fighting for two places . . .

. . . but just one player who has played central/defensive midfield for us and was poor for most of last season.

And we are playing a lad at centre half who is still listed as being in the u18s (when most are saying we need another experienced centre back).

And . . .

age has nothing to do with it. good enough, old enough. and also hyndman has been doing well at central/defensive mid, so maybe parkers days are numbered. especially if we play the diamond, as he does not have the legs for that

[RaySmith]

Our forwards will dump those Ipswich defenders on their backsides!

[K33NY]

i cant wait!! :)

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

Crikey, 12 days to go and we have just sold the end of last season's first choice goalkeeper and the second choice keeper hasn't played a friendly yet and may also be leaving.

And we won't be playing any opposition of Championship standard before the start of the season.

And we have five or six forwards fighting for two places . . .

. . . but just one player who has played central/defensive midfield for us and was poor for most of last season.

And we are playing a lad at centre half who is still listed as being in the u18s (when most are saying we need another experienced centre back).

And . . .

age has nothing to do with it. good enough, old enough. and also hyndman has been doing well at central/defensive mid, so maybe parkers days are numbered. especially if we play the diamond, as he does not have the legs for that

Yes, if you are good enough then you are old enough. But most players keep on improving until their late twenties and experience can often match raw talent.

I believe that we have a very talented group of young players coming through and some good new additions but the spine of the team is not settled and would benefit from experience.

I am contrasting the teams that we have put out with what most on here are still calling for which is a quality player who can control the game in midfield and an experienced central defender.

Are people happy with Parker and no experienced alternative? Hyndman is good but is he really suited to that role in front of the defence? I see him as one of the other three in the diamond at least until he bulks up.

Burgess is good but would be being asked to jump from the u18s to the Championship. Burn has only played two halves plus 10 minutes. Amorebieta hasn't played and the rumours are strong that he will leave.

Now we look to be changing goalkeepers. Stekelenburg hasn't played yet. Maybe we can get someone better than Stockdale. Maybe one will be announced tomorrow.

We have two practice matches to settle on a team before a difficult start to the season when everyone is hoping for a strong start.

I am reasonably optimistic but there seems quite a inconsistency between the problems that posters list in one thread and the very optimistic statements that are made in other threads.

[Holders]

What began as Felix's project has become nothing short of a revolution. I for one certainly didn't see such a churn of the spine of last year's team - get rid of the dead wood, certainly, but far more useful players have left than I'd anticipated (Richardson, Dejagah...). Maybe it's to purge the side of the losing mentality/habit.

But let's not forget that Tigana's team was almost  as revolutionary. I'm not saying that we'll see days like those again but there's reason to be optimistic. The biggest problem I see with some of the talented youngsters is their lack of physicality and experience against the type of muggers they're going to come up against.

[Skatzoffc]

Agreed. I worry that the championship thugs will kick them up in the air for the first 20mins and they could lose their bottle.

An experienced cdm could help them along.
Coyw!