Who is good enough to get us promotion next season?

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

My line into yesterdays game was that it wa agreat pity we werent playing some of the dross that we had lost earlier at home to. I dont think losing was that much of a surprise given the quality of this Leeds side.

Exactly. The way we have played in the two games prior to Leeds suggest that we could have picked up far more popints against the lower teams - points that we have thrown away this season. Perhaps even as much as 10 more. And that may suggest that this squad are OK and play-off contenders even as they are, but not an automatic promotion side.

We drubbed an off-colour Southampton and we're superstars, we lose to Leeds playing at their very best and were doomed to Div 3 for ever. Try and keep some balance chaps.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Of course Gus is going to make changes to the current squad. that's what new managers do.

In my OPINION, the following are good enough to be part of a promotion winning SQUAD. Whether they are regular starters would depend on who Gus brings in.

For me:

Kuipers
Whing
Elphick
Tunnicliffe
McNulty
Bennett
Crofts
Dicker
Cox
Forster
Murray
Dickinson
Davies

In my OPINION, the following are probably not good enough, but hopefully a couple will prove me spectacularly wrong;

Hart
Wright
Navarro
El-abd
McLeod
Hawkins
Livermore
Smith
Virgo

 

[Mendoza]

Good Enough
McNulty
Bennett
Murray

Maybe
Dicker
Crofts
Forster (age thing)
Tunnicliffe

Not Good Enough
Kuipers
Whing
Elphick
Cox
Dickinson
Davies
Hart
Wright
Navarro
El-Abd
McLeod
Hawkins
Livermore
Smith
Virgo

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

You would never believe it is a Team game. Look at players like O'Shea and Brown. They know their role in a team and execute it. We have players who put in a proper team structure, with clear instruction, understanding their role, will be more than good enough for a promotion push.

 

[Jim D]

Why do we have to be a championship side to move into Falmer ?

As everybody seems to insist this must happen I had always assumed that it must be a part of the planning permission.

Anyway, as for the players....
Kuipers - good enough as a standin
Whing - not good enough
Elphick - not good enough now, but could be if Taricco can work on him
Tunnicliffe - not good enough now, but could be if Taricco can work on him
McNulty - will be good enough if he can get injury-free
Bennett - good enough
Crofts - good enough
Dicker - good enough
Cox - not good enough
Forster - good enough as a standin
Murray - good enough
Dickinson - good enough
Davies - not good enough now but could be
Hart - not good enough
Wright – maybe good enough if Taricco can work on him
Navarro - not good enough
El-abd - Maybe good enough if Taricco can work on him (and as a CB)
McLeod - not good enough
Hawkins - not good enough
Livermore - not good enough
Smith - not good enough
Virgo – Maybe good enough if Taricco can work on him (and as a CB)

I'm holding out for Taricco to sort this defence out - we'll see if he can in a couple of weeks.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Cox - not good enough
El-abd - Maybe good enough if Taricco can work on him

So the one with bags of [largely unfulfilled] natural talent, can't be coached to consistently produce what is required, but the limited clogger, with very little natural footballing skill, can be magically transformed by a couple of choice words?

Just for clarification.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

So the one with bags of [largely unfulfilled] natural talent, can't be coached to consistently produce what is required, but the limited clogger, with very little natural footballing skill, can be magically transformed by a couple of choice words?

Isn't that the difference between defence and attack ? One is essentially destructive - the other creative.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Isn't that the difference between defence and attack ? One is essentially destructive - the other creative.

That isn't the point.

It is possible to have natural talent for the destructive side of the game, too - not just the flair bits.

I just hate the fact way a lot of Albion fans hate to give Cox any credit. This particular post writing off Cox as 'not good enough' whilst at the same time deciding that El Abd could be, is laughable.

If one can be improved by better coaching, then why can't the more talented one also improve?

Or are the new regime ONLY going to bother coaching the defenders?

 

[Jim D]

So the one with bags of [largely unfulfilled] natural talent, can't be coached to consistently produce what is required, but the limited clogger, with very little natural footballing skill, can be magically transformed by a couple of choice words?

Just for clarification.

Coaching isn't just on the field, it's in the head as well. I am of the opinion that ElAbd would respond well to some good defensive coaching and (as long as he isn't asked to become a permanent left back) would make the step up in grade.

I am also of the opinion that Cox has all the ability but hasn't got it in his head to make that step up. If he could get his attitude right then he has a chance, but he's had several chances. I'm also reminded of something that happened on Saturday (when we were 0-0)....
Great ball out to Cox who was 1-on-1 with the Leeds fullback (the black guy with the dreadlocks). Get past him and he's right in on goal, but he allowed him (the big guy) to get to the ball first and clean it up. That sort of thing is in the head as he would have had to accept that he could get clattered. He was favourite from the start and had the pace to get there, but you could see him slowing down as they got closer.

 

[chez]

For me:

Kuipers - not good enough
Whing - not good enough
Elphick - Unsure
Tunnicliffe - Probably good enough
McNulty - good enough
Bennett - good enough
Crofts - good enough
Dicker - good enough
Cox - good enough
Forster - not good enough (purely age related by then)
Murray - good enough
Dickinson - good enough
Davies - not good enough
Hart - not good enough
Wright - not good enough
Navarro - not good enough
El-abd - not good enough
McLeod - not good enough
Hawkins - not good enough
Livermore - not good enough
Smith - not good enough
Virgo - good enough

 

[Silent Bob]

Kuipers - MAYBE if he can attain the kind of consistent high level of performance he had the season before last.
Smith - NO

Whing - NO, I think he's too limited on the ball to be a regular for a promotion winning side.
Hoyte - YES, would love to get him permanently or on a long loan.

Elphick - MAYBE same as Kuipers, if he can reproduce that level of quality and consistency then he's good enough.
Tunnicliffe - YES I think if Elphick can get back to his best and with two natural fullbacks these two are good enough.
Virgo - MAYBE, never been entirely convinced about him - people say he's proven but as a defender he's not. He hardly played in the middle for us the first time, never played for Celtic, played as a centreback for Colchester and their fans didn't rate him, they conceded loads of goals. I think he's an ok League One centrehalf, I don't know if he's any more than that, and I don't know whether he'll be happy warming the bench.
El-Abd - NO, not consistently anyway. But for the odd game, where are you going to find someone who can play all across the back four and will sit on the bench all season?
Wright - Don't know, as a leftback no, his only advantage over El-Abd there is that he can pass with his left, defensively he's no better. As a centreback, I couldn't say.

McNulty - YES


Bennett - YES
Cox - MAYBE, obviously got quality but can frustrate.

Dicker - YES
Crofts - MAYBE I think these two could be good enough, I think they will dominate games against lesser sides.
Navarro - PROBABLY NOT although he has looked a bit better coming on in the last couple of games.
Livermore - PROBABLY NOT although I am actually yet to see him play in the middle as far as I can remember.

McLeod - NO decent left foot but a lazy half hearted wanker.


Murray - YES but does he still want away? If so then the best thing might be to sell him in January so Poyet has time to replace him.
Forster - YES people have been questioning his age and fitness since the day he signed and he's still doing it.
Dickinson - PROBABLY NOT not as a starter at least, did make a decent impact against Southampton playing more on the left though.
Davies - NO despite pace and a good physique he usually doesn't make an impact even as sub, can't score to save his life, I'm sure people will keep believing in the myth of Davies, that he just needs 'confidence', rather than realising he just isn't that good.
Hart - NO

So I'd say we need a goalkeeper, a rightback, another winger, and at least one more striker. For starters.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

This is a really great thread. Lets just write off the players already when some of them have hardly played for us and a new manager has just come in. Poyet is giving everyone a chance so why can't the fans follow suit?

For what it's worth, I think pretty much all of the squad have the potential to be involved in a promotion winning squad. Players that everyone seem to be writing off such as Smith (played for Motherwell in Europe last year) and Navarro (played the majority of games for MK as they got to the play offs last year) had the ability last year so they potentially are good enough. That is not to say they will succeed here but why not just wait and see rather than writing most of our current squad off. We don't have the money to release the lot and go out to buy a new squad.

 

[Turkey]

You would never believe it is a Team game. Look at players like O'Shea and Brown. They know their role in a team and execute it. We have players who put in a proper team structure, with clear instruction, understanding their role, will be more than good enough for a promotion push.

Agree. So often people look to players ability when a teams structure and instructions make such a huge difference.

 

[SI 4 BHA]

Wouldn't argue with most of these views, if Leeds are the benchmark of a promotion side, its pretty obvious that the bulk of the current squad is miles away from that level. With our strongest 1st 11, we are not much better than a mid table side, but we really have sod all strength in depth, did anyone expect any of our subs on Saturday to make a difference?

Elphick and Tunnicliffe are interesting as they can both play a bit, but they don't compliment each other at all and often just get in a mess. I'm sure either of them would do a good job, playing along side an old head who actually had some positional sense.

As someone said, it's taken Leeds 3 years to develop a strong team, so perhaps we need to adjust our expectations accordingly.

 

[SI 4 BHA]

You would never believe it is a Team game. Look at players like O'Shea and Brown. They know their role in a team and execute it. We have players who put in a proper team structure, with clear instruction, understanding their role, will be more than good enough for a promotion push.

Of course it takes all sorts of players to make a team, but Brown is not one of them! The fact that he's a professional footballer, means there is stil hope for me and I'm 50! Would rather have Whing playing for England at full back!

 

[Mr Blunt]

The players that i think are good enough are;

Kuipers
Mcnulty
Dicker
Murray/Forster- Even these two I think would not get into a top team in this division, as to inconsistent for a promotion winning team.

 

[Gwylan]

Why are so many people slagging off Smith after just a handful of games?

He looked perfectly competent on Saturday (one of only two who did) and from what I've heard has had the misfortune to be playing in games where the defence has been particularly bad. He played in Europe last year and was in an international squad, so he's scarcely hopeless.

I don't see the point of threads like this: we have an OK squad, there are some glaring holes and some players who don't fit in, but it's not a bad starting point and yet people are lining up to have a pop. I bet if this thread was started the day after the Southampton game, the responses would have been very different.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The players that i think are good enough are;

Kuipers

Murray/Forster- Even these two I think would not get into a top team in this division, as to inconsistent for a promotion winning team.

Forster is a lot more CONSISTENT than Kuipers, IMO,.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Kuipers - yes
Whing - no
Elphick - no
Tunnicliffe - yes
McNulty - yes
Bennett - yes
Crofts - yes
Dicker - yes
Cox - no
Forster - yes
Murray - yes
Dickinson - yes
Davies - maybe
Hart - yes
Wright - no
Navarro - yes
El-abd - no
McLeod - no
Hawkins - no
Livermore - yes
Smith - no
virgo - maybe

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Kuipers - yes
Whing - no
Elphick - no
Tunnicliffe - yes
McNulty - yes
Bennett - yes
Crofts - yes
Dicker - yes
Cox - no
Forster - yes
Murray - yes
Dickinson - yes
Davies - maybe
Hart - yes
Wright - no
Navarro - yes
El-abd - no
McLeod - no
Hawkins - no
Livermore - yes
Smith - no
virgo - maybe

Joke.