Jones Out!! Has he ever created a worse squad?

[Mundell]

In my book Jones bears the primary responsibility for the style of football, the squad and our performances to date, but it’s too early to pull the plug in my view. He needs to be given more time.

However, if I was a member of the ownership group I’d be reluctant to spend any more money than has already been committed (probably close to £10m this season) until I had much more evidence that those spending it knew what they were doing.

In addition, if I’d given Jones more autonomy over football matters than I’d initially envisaged for the Head Coach I’d be looking to rein that back in. If we fail to make a serious challenge for the top six this season then the futures of Rodwell, Scott and Jones ought to be in real doubt. 

[Tom1982]

Sept 29, 2024 13:47:46 GMT Mundell said:

In my book Jones bears the primary responsibility for the style of football, the squad and our performances to date, but it’s too early to pull the plug in my view. He needs to be given more time.

However, if I was a member of the ownership group I’d be reluctant to spend any more money than has already been committed (probably close to £10m this season) until I had much more evidence that those spending it knew what they were doing.

In addition, if I’d given Jones more autonomy over football matters than I’d initially envisaged for the Head Coach I’d be looking to rein that back in. If we fail to make a serious challenge for the top six this season then the futures of Rodwell, Scott and Jones ought to be in real doubt. 

I think that’s a fair assessment, top 6 is a must. It’s a big ask but it’s got to be a minimum expectation for us.

[revilo]

I agree to that, but the football is unbearable to watch so it's hard to just accept it. Us fans don't have patience.

[aaronaldo]

Sept 29, 2024 13:47:46 GMT Mundell said:

In my book Jones bears the primary responsibility for the style of football, the squad and our performances to date, but it’s too early to pull the plug in my view. He needs to be given more time.

However, if I was a member of the ownership group I’d be reluctant to spend any more money than has already been committed (probably close to £10m this season) until I had much more evidence that those spending it knew what they were doing.

In addition, if I’d given Jones more autonomy over football matters than I’d initially envisaged for the Head Coach I’d be looking to rein that back in. If we fail to make a serious challenge for the top six this season then the futures of Rodwell, Scott and Jones ought to be in real doubt. 

This is where I am currently. I’m not calling for Jones to go, but he HAS to show improvement soon.

It’s hard to know who to point the blame at because we don’t know what discussions are had when it comes to recruitment. Was Jones asking for more attacking midfielders and the board said no? Or was he happy with the squad and confident he could work with this team? Was he over confident in his ability to utilise our academy players? Who knows. It seems pretty clear we don’t have the players in the squad to make that midfield work. Some of that is surely down to Nathan as well as the board.

My concern, which has been growing since last season, is that Nathan’s vision of football just isn’t effective or pretty to watch. I’m genuinely failing to see what ‘Nathan football’ is apart from long ‘hit and hope’ balls and a high intensity (which we often don’t maintain). He’s been here since February now and he did well to turn things around. There’s no doubt about that. Yet I can’t remember any matches where we played anyone off the pitch where we could’ve scored multiple goals or we cut team open even for short periods. It’s almost like our tactics are based on mistakes from the opposition.

I personally heard a number of things in the his pre and post match interviews which I didn’t like. He seemed satisfied that we are making good chances. He mentioned we played well for 25-27 mins. Maybe we did, but what did we create in that? I thought Nathan was all about pushing our players to perform and ensuring a high standard. He mentioned he “hopes we score one more than them” when talking pre-match. For someone who (supposedly) strives for excellence, this isn’t a message that backs that up. Hope we score one more than Stevenage? What a lofty ambition that is. Talk about uninspiring.

Follow that up with the fact he makes 6 changes and he appears to be quite lost for me. We’re 8 matches in and the levels of performances in attack have been woeful. What’s worse is that if anything we are getting worse. I’ve not seen anything in our performances that makes me believe we can push for top 6 unless something seriously changes. Our defence has been the highlight but we’re not going to keep clean sheets each week. We will still concede. Our performances have actually all been very similar, as others have pointed out. It’s knife edge football. If we can score first, we can potentially win a game. But conceding first just gives us very little chance to even draw.

I know our xGF is actually positive still compared to xGA, but I think that’s incredibly misleading as the high xGF chances we’ve had are scrappy crosses etc which have dropped to people in the middle of the box and therefore scored highly. We’ve yet to open a team up with a pass and create a clear cut chance. I’d halve our total xGF before I think it reflects our ability to create chances. Considering we’ve barely got 1.0 xGF per game, that shows how powderpuff I think we are.

We’re 3 points better off this season after 8 games compared to last season. Let that sink in people.

For me this has the feelings of Appleton. You tolerate the football when results are coming in but it’s still not pretty or at all enjoyable. When things go bad, they are horrific. I don’t like to call for the managers head all the time, so I’m giving Nathan more time. Fingers should be pointed at the board as well. Recruitment started well and then just stopped. It feels like we’re in survival mode (genuinely) until January where we HOPE we can sign better players.

I don’t even want to start on the academy players, as I’ve covered that previously. Baffles me how they get so many minutes. (Sorry for the long post, I didn’t mean to write this much! Beyond frustrated!)

[aucklandaddick]

Sept 29, 2024 13:59:06 GMT Tom1982 said:

Sept 29, 2024 13:47:46 GMT Mundell said:

In my book Jones bears the primary responsibility for the style of football, the squad and our performances to date, but it’s too early to pull the plug in my view. He needs to be given more time.

However, if I was a member of the ownership group I’d be reluctant to spend any more money than has already been committed (probably close to £10m this season) until I had much more evidence that those spending it knew what they were doing.

In addition, if I’d given Jones more autonomy over football matters than I’d initially envisaged for the Head Coach I’d be looking to rein that back in. If we fail to make a serious challenge for the top six this season then the futures of Rodwell, Scott and Jones ought to be in real doubt. 

I think that’s a fair assessment, top 6 is a must. It’s a big ask but it’s got to be a minimum expectation for us.

Sorry mate….but we ain’t a top 6 side….regardless of all the talk about top 6 budgets……🤣🤣

[seriouslyred]

Sept 29, 2024 14:57:15 GMT aaronaldo said:

Sept 29, 2024 13:47:46 GMT Mundell said:

In my book Jones bears the primary responsibility for the style of football, the squad and our performances to date, but it’s too early to pull the plug in my view. He needs to be given more time.

However, if I was a member of the ownership group I’d be reluctant to spend any more money than has already been committed (probably close to £10m this season) until I had much more evidence that those spending it knew what they were doing.

In addition, if I’d given Jones more autonomy over football matters than I’d initially envisaged for the Head Coach I’d be looking to rein that back in. If we fail to make a serious challenge for the top six this season then the futures of Rodwell, Scott and Jones ought to be in real doubt. 

This is where I am currently. I’m not calling for Jones to go, but he HAS to show improvement soon.

It’s hard to know who to point the blame at because we don’t know what discussions are had when it comes to recruitment. Was Jones asking for more attacking midfielders and the board said no? Or was he happy with the squad and confident he could work with this team? Was he over confident in his ability to utilise our academy players? Who knows. It seems pretty clear we don’t have the players in the squad to make that midfield work. Some of that is surely down to Nathan as well as the board.

My concern, which has been growing since last season, is that Nathan’s vision of football just isn’t effective or pretty to watch. I’m genuinely failing to see what ‘Nathan football’ is apart from long ‘hit and hope’ balls and a high intensity (which we often don’t maintain). He’s been here since February now and he did well to turn things around. There’s no doubt about that. Yet I can’t remember any matches where we played anyone off the pitch where we could’ve scored multiple goals or we cut team open even for short periods. It’s almost like our tactics are based on mistakes from the opposition.

I personally heard a number of things in the his pre and post match interviews which I didn’t like. He seemed satisfied that we are making good chances. He mentioned we played well for 25-27 mins. Maybe we did, but what did we create in that? I thought Nathan was all about pushing our players to perform and ensuring a high standard. He mentioned he “hopes we score one more than them” when talking pre-match. For someone who (supposedly) strives for excellence, this isn’t a message that backs that up. Hope we score one more than Stevenage? What a lofty ambition that is. Talk about uninspiring.

Follow that up with the fact he makes 6 changes and he appears to be quite lost for me. We’re 8 matches in and the levels of performances in attack have been woeful. What’s worse is that if anything we are getting worse. I’ve not seen anything in our performances that makes me believe we can push for top 6 unless something seriously changes. Our defence has been the highlight but we’re not going to keep clean sheets each week. We will still concede. Our performances have actually all been very similar, as others have pointed out. It’s knife edge football. If we can score first, we can potentially win a game. But conceding first just gives us very little chance to even draw.

I know our xGF is actually positive still compared to xGA, but I think that’s incredibly misleading as the high xGF chances we’ve had are scrappy crosses etc which have dropped to people in the middle of the box and therefore scored highly. We’ve yet to open a team up with a pass and create a clear cut chance. I’d halve our total xGF before I think it reflects our ability to create chances. Considering we’ve barely got 1.0 xGF per game, that shows how powderpuff I think we are.

We’re 3 points better off this season after 8 games compared to last season. Let that sink in people.

For me this has the feelings of Appleton. You tolerate the football when results are coming in but it’s still not pretty or at all enjoyable. When things go bad, they are horrific. I don’t like to call for the managers head all the time, so I’m giving Nathan more time. Fingers should be pointed at the board as well. Recruitment started well and then just stopped. It feels like we’re in survival mode (genuinely) until January where we HOPE we can sign better players.

I don’t even want to start on the academy players, as I’ve covered that previously. Baffles me how they get so many minutes. (Sorry for the long post, I didn’t mean to write this much! Beyond frustrated!)

Our xGa is certainly top six.
Our xGf (and goals scored) is roughly hakf of the top six competition!

Wrexham is an outlier with a negative xG difference but top six on actual goals and results.

Blackpool xG has always been decent, but it has taken the appointment of Bruce to deliver wins - in other words they were always a contender.

Whether one subscribes to xG analysis or not, the entire CAFC fanbase know that we're sub-par when it comes to creating chances.

Let's see what happens on Tuesday and the rest of October. We had all hoped that January was going to be about firming up our top six credentials... but repeated failure to deliver on a top six budget will inevitably lead to different discussions within our club!

[Mundell]

Sept 29, 2024 21:21:52 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Sept 29, 2024 13:59:06 GMT Tom1982 said:

I think that’s a fair assessment, top 6 is a must. It’s a big ask but it’s got to be a minimum expectation for us.

Sorry mate….but we ain’t a top 6 side….regardless of all the talk about top 6 budgets……🤣🤣

I think the point is that if you’re right the management team needs to go, lock, stock and barrel. Scott, Jones et al need to perform to budget or move on and in that sense a top six finish has to be the target. 

[scabbyhorse]

www.saintsweb.co.uk/topic/59919-the-nathan-jones-appreciation-thread/page/2/

I’m not necessarily calling for his dismissal, but I do have serious concerns about how much improvement we can realistically expect under his leadership as the season progresses. Some of the comments from Saints fans are deeply troubling, and while I understand he wasn’t there for an extended period, the patterns they’re describing feel all too familiar to what we’ve been hearing after each of our own matches. This resemblance is unsettling and raises legitimate doubts about whether meaningful progress will be made.

[revilo]

Sept 30, 2024 0:37:28 GMT scabbyhorse said:

www.saintsweb.co.uk/topic/59919-the-nathan-jones-appreciation-thread/page/2/

I’m not necessarily calling for his dismissal, but I do have serious concerns about how much improvement we can realistically expect under his leadership as the season progresses. Some of the comments from Saints fans are deeply troubling, and while I understand he wasn’t there for an extended period, the patterns they’re describing feel all too familiar to what we’ve been hearing after each of our own matches. This resemblance is unsettling and raises legitimate doubts about whether meaningful progress will be made.

So he couldn't hack it in the Premier League and looking the same here, 2 leagues below. Perhaps it was all a fluke. Scary how similar it sounds to what's happening here. Nice bloke but at the end of the day, if he can't do the job in League One, he's a fraud.

[scabbyhorse]

One would expect that someone with Premier League and Championship experience would be more adept at assembling a team capable of playing cohesive football. While it’s true we lack creative players and the owners haven’t invested in the squad as much as they should, he should still be able to make the most of what’s available in League One. My concern stems from the fact that, after seven games, I have yet to witness any sustained, cohesive attacking play. We’ll have to see how the next seven games unfold, but unfortunately, I don’t have high hopes. I do hope I’m proven wrong but this isn’t going to end well.

[aucklandaddick]

Sept 29, 2024 22:27:38 GMT Mundell said:

Sept 29, 2024 21:21:52 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Sorry mate….but we ain’t a top 6 side….regardless of all the talk about top 6 budgets……🤣🤣

I think the point is that if you’re right the management team needs to go, lock, stock and barrel. Scott, Jones et al need to perform to budget or move on and in that sense a top six finish has to be the target. 

The lack of dialogue from the owners especially and even Methven and co is the worrying factor for me..……..We brought in 7 but had offloaded many players including the fees for May and CBT…..then it stagnated and my alarms bells were going off big time and that was in July FFS…..We could all see bar Jones that we needed a Collins,Macatee, Barry or Keillor Dunne but instead he insisted in bringing his mates in in Potts, Hylton and Campbell…..it was all going to go pear shape at some stage but it’s happening quicker than I anticipated….You reap what you sow………But on a positive front we still have the five a side pitch in the car park for the kids to all have a kickabout so it’s not all doom and gloom👍

[aucklandaddick]

Sept 30, 2024 6:35:00 GMT scabbyhorse said:

One would expect that someone with Premier League and Championship experience would be more adept at assembling a team capable of playing cohesive football. While it’s true we lack creative players and the owners haven’t invested in the squad as much as they should, he should still be able to make the most of what’s available in League One. My concern stems from the fact that, after seven games, I have yet to witness any sustained, cohesive attacking play. We’ll have to see how the next seven games unfold, but unfortunately, I don’t have high hopes. I do hope I’m proven wrong but this isn’t going to end well.

Sorry but when you have to bring back Anderson into the side, drop your captain and other championship level players apparently i think we all know we have a big problem Houston………
Our only previous attacking outlet was the Gillesphey 60 yard hoof up to Adhadme but when Gillesphey was dropped and Adhadme injured there didn’t seem anything else to our play…..

[Mundell]

Sept 30, 2024 7:09:34 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Sept 29, 2024 22:27:38 GMT Mundell said:

I think the point is that if you’re right the management team needs to go, lock, stock and barrel. Scott, Jones et al need to perform to budget or move on and in that sense a top six finish has to be the target. 

The lack of dialogue from the owners especially and even Methven and co is the worrying factor for me..……..We brought in 7 but had offloaded many players including the fees for May and CBT…..then it stagnated and my alarms bells were going off big time and that was in July FFS…..We could all see bar Jones that we needed a Collins,Macatee, Barry or Keillor Dunne but instead he insisted in bringing his mates in in Potts, Hylton and Campbell…..it was all going to go pear shape at some stage but it’s happening quicker than I anticipated….You reap what you sow………But on a positive front we still have the five a side pitch in the car park for the kids to all have a kickabout so it’s not all doom and gloom👍

Right, but the investors have delegated the management of the club to the executive at the Valley and Sparrows Lane. Having done so and agreed budgets et al they are hardly going to interfere and second guess what Jones et al are doing.

If we have another damp squib of a season the investors will have two options. Either they replace the management team (though they’d probably need some external, independent advice to help with that) or they throw in the towel and look to sell up. The former would mean starting again while the latter would be much worse.

I’m also bemused by the way Jones appears to be going about things, but he’s the professional football manager not me so for now I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

[clarky]

Sept 30, 2024 7:13:35 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Sept 30, 2024 6:35:00 GMT scabbyhorse said:

One would expect that someone with Premier League and Championship experience would be more adept at assembling a team capable of playing cohesive football. While it’s true we lack creative players and the owners haven’t invested in the squad as much as they should, he should still be able to make the most of what’s available in League One. My concern stems from the fact that, after seven games, I have yet to witness any sustained, cohesive attacking play. We’ll have to see how the next seven games unfold, but unfortunately, I don’t have high hopes. I do hope I’m proven wrong but this isn’t going to end well.

Sorry but when you have to bring back Anderson into the side, drop your captain and other championship level players apparently i think we all know we have a big problem Houston………
Our only previous attacking outlet was the Gillesphey 60 yard hoof up to Adhadme but when Gillesphey was dropped and Adhadme injured there didn’t seem anything else to our play…..

Spot on. Aside from the defence and Gk on Saturday, only one of NJs recruits (Godden) filled the other spots, and three of those four are youngsters two of which (Kanu and Anderson) should be out on loan whilst Campbell appears better as an impact sub.

[Mundell]

Sept 30, 2024 7:13:35 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Sept 30, 2024 6:35:00 GMT scabbyhorse said:

One would expect that someone with Premier League and Championship experience would be more adept at assembling a team capable of playing cohesive football. While it’s true we lack creative players and the owners haven’t invested in the squad as much as they should, he should still be able to make the most of what’s available in League One. My concern stems from the fact that, after seven games, I have yet to witness any sustained, cohesive attacking play. We’ll have to see how the next seven games unfold, but unfortunately, I don’t have high hopes. I do hope I’m proven wrong but this isn’t going to end well.

Sorry but when you have to bring back Anderson into the side, drop your captain and other championship level players apparently i think we all know we have a big problem Houston………
Our only previous attacking outlet was the Gillesphey 60 yard hoof up to Adhadme but when Gillesphey was dropped and Adhadme injured there didn’t seem anything else to our play…..

It seems highly likely that Jones is simply trying to replicate what he did in his second spell at Luton, in the belief that the system and style of play he used then was the reason for Luton’s relative success. Our approach, the 3-5-2 system, the long ball and attempted high press etc., is remarkably similar. His recruitment of ex Luton players would also fit with this. 

The worry, however, is that though this may be the way Luton played it may not be the reason they were relatively successful, in which case Jones might be flogging a dead horse without a real understanding of what’s wrong or how to fix it. This might also explain why Jones’s reaction to our lack of creativity is not to sit back and reflect, but to do more of the same. To become more extreme. 

His post match interview at Reading was alarming and his comments post Blackpool not much better and again would fit with the above theory. The only good news on Saturday was that he seemed a bit more reflective after the defeat, at least by his standards. It’s just possible that he now understands the “Houston we have a problem” message and recognises that the problem isn’t that the players aren’t doing what he wants them to, it’s that what he’s asking isn’t going to work. Let’s hope so and that he can find a solution.

[roburwash]

The comments from the Saints fans confirm everything I have felt about Jones even during his relative success when he first came in. He feels like a dinosaur to me - and a stubborn one at that.

[kings hill addick]

Sept 30, 2024 11:30:01 GMT roburwash said:

The comments from the Saints fans confirm everything I have felt about Jones even during his relative success when he first came in. He feels like a dinosaur to me - and a stubborn one at that.

Where are these Saints fan's comments?

[scabbyhorse]

Sept 30, 2024 12:05:15 GMT kings hill addick said:

Sept 30, 2024 11:30:01 GMT roburwash said:

The comments from the Saints fans confirm everything I have felt about Jones even during his relative success when he first came in. He feels like a dinosaur to me - and a stubborn one at that.

Where are these Saints fan's comments?

Scroll up m8, link is there.

[clarky]

The Saints comments should be a red flag but I remember Sunderland fans warning us about Charlie but most chose to ignore it or didn't want to believe it.

[kings hill addick]

Sept 30, 2024 12:36:40 GMT scabbyhorse said:

Sept 30, 2024 12:05:15 GMT kings hill addick said:

Where are these Saints fan's comments?

Scroll up m8, link is there.

Thanks. That is really chilling reading. He seems to be everything the Sains’ fans say he was there. Many of them mention hoof ball - I don’t get the impression that we are going to see much of a change in the short term.

I suspect we have to hope that Jones stumbles across a winning side otherwise it could all go horribly wrong.

[se7sm]

Well it’s Charlton all over just when you think you’re up you’re actually down .i have witnessed some of the worst football I’ve ever seen 90 minutes one shot on goal on more than one occasion , and as for being 3/4 up the pitch with a throw and it ends up back with the keeper.🤦‍♂️ The buck stops with Jones his title is manager, Obviously hasn’t been backed financially as much as we all would’ve fought and not likely to by looks of it. football is about results that’s probably why it’s getting so boring with the squad We’ve got think he is on thin ice.

[addickteduk]

So...if he does end up being pushed or jumping, realistically, who is next into the circus?

[westwickhamaddick]

IMO this league is awful
Birmingham will blow the league out the water , Wrexham I don’t think will even make the top 6. Huddersfield have lost 4 out of last 5 games. If we actually got our shit together then top 6 is easily achievable but I just don’t know where our goals are going to come from. Leaburn coming back great but still got to supply him

[scabbyhorse]

Sept 30, 2024 15:05:28 GMT addickteduk said:

So...if he does end up being pushed or jumping, realistically, who is next into the circus?

He needs to justify his wage by changing the formation and maintaining a high press. This includes removing Kanu and Anderson from the squad, bringing in Edun and Taylor, and hoping Dixon hits the ground running while Leaburn starts scoring and remains injury-free.

[addickteduk]

I think NJ will stay / is safe for now....and whilst I'm not exactly excited by what we're serving up, if we can find a way to grind out wins again instead of losing to the likes of Stevenage and looking utterly devoid of any creativity or ideas, then this league is still wide open....eg. Huddersfield are still struggling and Blackpool have rocketed up the league with 3 wins in 3!

For the short term, I just hope that a) we have finally realised that we need some creative spark in the midfield and more threat up front (and take CC off free kicks), and b) we are still in the mix somehow come January to hopefully at least try and do something about it!

Leaburn will be a very welcome return, and hopefully he can stay injury-free for the rest of the season (and sign a long term contract!), but we can't pin everything on one young lad making up for all the gaps elsewhere.

There's still some very decent looking loans and free agents available - we have to find a way to bring in more talent, and find an alternative style to just hoofing upfield and hoping it drops - the one thing that I won't ever accept is lack of desire and fight, and I thought that was the bare minimum we could expect with NJ....big game tomorrow - only a win will do!

[cedric]

Sept 29, 2024 14:46:28 GMT revilo said:

I agree to that, but the football is unbearable to watch so it's hard to just accept it. Us fans don't have patience.

I agree with this. I think as a fan base we have been exceptionally patient. Since the Premier League relegation in 2007 we have had a lot of misery and few false dawns to contend with.

I now feel that the requirement and appetite for more struggling and patience under the new regime whilst we become a dreary ambition free League One club has very definitely withered to such a degree that unless any new manager/owner is seriously ambitious and shows visible signs of it working then the future will be extremely acidic.

I hope the GFP people are looking in on forums like this and to a lesser extent Clique Life so that they can gauge just how pissed off we are as a fan base. We’ve been tolerant for so long that we are now punch drunk and quite fragmented.

We now vent our spleens early when the warning signs are not good and we should not apologise for that. We are not an entitled lot like some clubs but we simply deserve better than the bilge we have had to endure. That is inescapable fact.

[kings hill addick]

Sept 30, 2024 15:23:12 GMT scabbyhorse said:

Sept 30, 2024 15:05:28 GMT addickteduk said:

So...if he does end up being pushed or jumping, realistically, who is next into the circus?

He needs to justify his wage by changing the formation and maintaining a high press. This includes removing Kanu and Anderson from the squad, bringing in Edun and Taylor, and hoping Dixon hits the ground running while Leaburn starts scoring and remains injury-free.

To be fair there were many on here saying that Edun was one of the worst players to ever wear our shirt and others saying that Taylor was, obviously, rubbish and then one decent game against Cambridge reserves and they are the saviours that are going to propel us up the league.

I’m not saying that they are not decent players it’s amazing how much better players seem to get the longer they are out of the first team.

[scabbyhorse]

Oct 1, 2024 1:10:53 GMT kings hill addick said:

Sept 30, 2024 15:23:12 GMT scabbyhorse said:

He needs to justify his wage by changing the formation and maintaining a high press. This includes removing Kanu and Anderson from the squad, bringing in Edun and Taylor, and hoping Dixon hits the ground running while Leaburn starts scoring and remains injury-free.

To be fair there were many on here saying that Edun was one of the worst players to ever wear our shirt and others saying that Taylor was, obviously, rubbish and then one decent game against Cambridge reserves and they are the saviours that are going to propel us up the league.

I’m not saying that they are not decent players it’s amazing how much better players seem to get the longer they are out of the first team.

You’re right, but both Taylor and Edun deserve a chance, especially given the poor performance of our midfield and Small’s dip in form. Considering they both had solid performances against Cambridge, they should at least be on the bench.

[aucklandaddick]

Oct 1, 2024 4:55:48 GMT scabbyhorse said:

Oct 1, 2024 1:10:53 GMT kings hill addick said:

To be fair there were many on here saying that Edun was one of the worst players to ever wear our shirt and others saying that Taylor was, obviously, rubbish and then one decent game against Cambridge reserves and they are the saviours that are going to propel us up the league.

I’m not saying that they are not decent players it’s amazing how much better players seem to get the longer they are out of the first team.

You’re right, but both Taylor and Edun deserve a chance, especially given the poor performance of our midfield and Small’s dip in form. Considering they both had solid performances against Cambridge, they should at least be on the bench.

Taylor deserves a chance, not so sure on the one decent game for Edun……

We were always going to struggle when playing both Anderson and Kanu regualarly…..both are not yet good enough

[seriouslyred]

Oct 1, 2024 7:41:44 GMT aucklandaddick said:

Oct 1, 2024 4:55:48 GMT scabbyhorse said:

You’re right, but both Taylor and Edun deserve a chance, especially given the poor performance of our midfield and Small’s dip in form. Considering they both had solid performances against Cambridge, they should at least be on the bench.

Taylor deserves a chance, not so sure on the one decent game for Edun……

We were always going to struggle when playing both Anderson and Kanu regualarly…..both are not yet good enough

Anderson is putting a decent shift in every time and is playing on merit. Either he continues to improve, or the club need to bring in better.

Kanu on the other hand is likely to give way to Leaburn. Miles was always set to miss the opening 8-10 games but the club clearly wasn't going to shell out millions on fees and wages for a short term fix.

Looking ahead Aneke is out of contract next summer so all the strikers need to step up or face life on the bench, or even on loan.

Fact is that only Wrexham and Birmingham are buying strikers for fun in this league. I'd suggest that our solution lies in Leaburn hitting the ground running, an EPL loan AND improving the flow of our attack.

I've not looked back at Luton but people are starting to say that what we see is how Jones approaches the game. Will he get a tune out of our attack? Or is this appointment going to be another failure?!