[Albion] Player recruitment has been THE failing

[folkestonesgull]

We are at our level in terms of spend...staying in the league costs money
The problem is the tactics aren't right to win games.
We don't know how to counter attack anymore...

 

[folkestonesgull]

I think the squad is good enough to stay up..
The way we are playing isn't to win games and that is down to the coaching staff

 

[Guinness Boy]

I’d never deny that GP has faults and has gaffed.

Let’s say we need a nucleus of 14 quality players to be a comfortably mid table club. I’d agree with the 5 you mention. We’re way short.

Or raising another question if I may, if Pulis, Howe or Tuchel replaced GP tomorrow, but weren’t permitted to recruit in January, how would they with certainty stop the hammer blow goals we’re leaking, whilst improving our goals buried? How would they deal with:
1. A gaggle of giant CB’s who can’t score?
2. A gaggle of giant CB’s who let in key goals?
3. Injured Lamptey?
4. No LB with pace and defensive surity?

It's a good question that illustrates your point. If they were not permitted to recruit then there is nothing much you can do about 3 and 4. Lamptey is so good he makes us look like a one man team at times and I've been banging on about left backs for what seems like ever.

But 1 and 2? Potter played at the back. Bruno played at the back. Dunk had been immense for Hughton. It pains me to say it, because it involved Dunk and Bruno who are absolute legends, but between the three of them that should be sortable with coaching, practice, leadership and composure. So could another coach do that better?

 

[HantsSeagull]

recruitment has been shocking for the most part - not completely but there are some shockers on our books - Ali J, Bernardo, Locardia to name but 3. Several others I am not convinced by. You have to wonder how winstanley has kept his job.

 

[Weststander]

It's a good question that illustrates your point. If they were not permitted to recruit then there is nothing much you can do about 3 and 4. Lamptey is so good he makes us look like a one man team at times and I've been banging on about left backs for what seems like ever.

But 1 and 2? Potter played at the back. Bruno played at the back. Dunk had been immense for Hughton. It pains me to say it, because it involved Dunk and Bruno who are absolute legends, but between the three of them that should be sortable with coaching, practice, leadership and composure.

Defensively:

With purely knowledge as just a supporter, I’ve always looked at defensive set ups across the game in Europe. Without fail, the best teams ALWAYS have at least one defensive midfielder ‘pivot’ or ‘sitter’ shielding the back 4. When a team is up against an exceptional / far more expensive team, they often play two in and around that role. Instructions - don’t move.

Makelele, Bridcutt, Fabinho, Stephens, Matic, Kante in his LCFC role. It works, fact.

That’s the main thing that’s p’d me off about GP from day one. What makes us so special to abandon that principle?

I get the fluid CM argument, but we not at the very top of the global game, we haven’t got the special players to carry that out.

A soft under belly making us susceptible to counter attacks.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Yup, agree.

We need players in the same bracket as Dunk, Lamptey and Bissouma if we're going to stay up. We've just got too many players who aren't at the levels needed when we get into key areas.

How many times have we got down to the byline only for nothing at all to happen? How many set pieces have hit the first man? How many final through balls were just behind the player, or the player just too slow to get away from the defender.

We need more quality. Because quality brings consistency.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

It is costing us. Hugely.

Just one or two "big" signings and we would be flying this season.

We effectively have a squad of fringe and youth players. Youth players are great to have... but we need more players who are undroppable, like Dunk, Lamptey & Bissouma.

Exactly, we need to hang in there with Potter and back his style as with the right player or two we will scare the pants off anyone.

 

[BNthree]

How much is Dan Ashworth’s fault? He has to be very involved with who is or isn’t recruited.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Guinness Boy]

Exactly, we need to hang in there with Potter and back his style as with the right player or two we will scare the pants off anyone.

Who would you buy and how much would you pay for them and offer them in salary?

 

[Farehamseagull]

TB made the strategic decision, with his recruitment/analytical team, to avoid expensive tried n tested EPL players, players who’d break our modest (by EPL standards) pay structure. We’ve dabbled in the Dutch League with huge imho blunders. Both CH and GP have been hamstrung with squads lacking in key areas.

Or putting it another, which of the following players would be chased by EPL clubs should we drop next summer?:

Propper
Burn
Gross
Jahanbakhsh
Ryan
Bernardo

I’d venture, none.

Recruitment has just also been mentioned on Amazon as our failing.

Whether or not Potter is sacked, we have some substandard players in and around our first team, not good enough in their roles by a long way. The club took the punt and it’s failing - 3.5 years on a knife edge battling relegation.

They need to act in early January.

Agreed.

January is a massive month for is. I really hope TB has the funds to buy and we might need to manage an inflated wage budget until the summer when hopefully we’ll be able to offload the chaff you list above as I doubt we’ll be able to next month.

 

[Springal]

Agreed.

January is a massive month for is. I really hope TB has the funds to buy and we might need to manage an inflated wage budget until the summer when hopefully we’ll be able to offload the chaff you list above as I doubt we’ll be able to next month.

Bloom doesn’t like doing business in January. Reckon we will get Molder & Tau in and that’s it for first team, unless we can off load a few (unlikely)

 

[hart's shirt]

Whether or not Potter is sacked, we have some substandard players in and around our first team, not good enough in their roles by a long way. The club took the punt and it’s failing - 3.5 years on a knife edge battling relegation.

They need to act in early January.

Agreed.

Too many makeweights and not enough players who can make an impact to win or save a game.

We still sing of the heroes of old, but how many of the current squad will be remembered in 5-10 years time by the Albion faithful?

We're not in a position to accept mediocrity now. We're in a relegation fight.

The January transfer window can't come soon enough.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Who would you buy and how much would you pay for them and offer them in salary?

How can any fan answer that question?
It's not my business to be able to make forecast.

I will leave this for the governor, Mr Bloom.

 

[Rookie]

A poacher - old school doesn’t care how it goes in type striker is what we need. I think we would be a dream for a player like that

 

[PoG]

A poacher - old school doesn’t care how it goes in type striker is what we need. I think we would be a dream for a player like that

We had one.

 

[razer]

TB made the strategic decision, with his recruitment/analytical team, to avoid expensive tried n tested EPL players, players who’d break our modest (by EPL standards) pay structure. We’ve dabbled in the Dutch League with huge imho blunders. Both CH and GP have been hamstrung with squads lacking in key areas.

Or putting it another, which of the following players would be chased by EPL clubs should we drop next summer?:

Propper
Burn
Gross
Jahanbakhsh
Ryan
Bernardo

I’d venture, none.

Recruitment has just also been mentioned on Amazon as our failing.

Whether or not Potter is sacked, we have some substandard players in and around our first team, not good enough in their roles by a long way. The club took the punt and it’s failing - 3.5 years on a knife edge battling relegation.

They need to act in early January.

I think Propper and Gross are class on their day but often played in a position that doesn't suit them. I also think Jahanbakhsh is a decent player and would grow with a decent run in the team and played in the right position. The same with Trossard. Potter seems to love playing players out of position (the aforementioned plus White, Burn etc etc.). I'm waiting for Sanchez to start as a striker next week, as an experiment.

I'm still a Potter in (just) but he does appear to be the lowest common denominator.

 

[The Fits]

Coaching helps too.

 

[Machiavelli]

TB made the strategic decision, with his recruitment/analytical team, to avoid expensive tried n tested EPL players, players who’d break our modest (by EPL standards) pay structure. We’ve dabbled in the Dutch League with huge imho blunders. Both CH and GP have been hamstrung with squads lacking in key areas.

Or putting it another, which of the following players would be chased by EPL clubs should we drop next summer?:

Propper
Burn
Gross
Jahanbakhsh
Ryan
Bernardo

I’d venture, none.

Recruitment has just also been mentioned on Amazon as our failing.

Whether or not Potter is sacked, we have some substandard players in and around our first team, not good enough in their roles by a long way. The club took the punt and it’s failing - 3.5 years on a knife edge battling relegation.

They need to act in early January.

Interesting, and I'll pick on you because I'm likely to get a response that will be decent, even if I disagree with it.
I'm not so sure there is one thing that is the problem/failing. The issue is that we're a bottom six PL club, have been for the last four seasons, and there's only so long you can remain as a bottom six PL club without being relegated.
I'm not entirely sure I'm blaming anyone, or any one issue although it's pretty clear that things aren't looking too clever at present and that something really seems to need to change.
If I were to pick out one thing it would be the reluctance to spend on a striker because this, in part, is the reason for what might be just the biggest problem I can think of and is related to your thread: our first 11 isn't good enough.
You play a 38 game season, and if you've got a decent enough first 11, then you ought to get by with picking the same 11 game in game out. They can then develop an understanding together. I do realise that this doesn't necessarily fit in with Potter-ology, but I think his selection is informed by the fact that he's got 20 or so players that are all pretty similar in terms of quality but no one of sufficient ability, especially in the attacking third (where the quality is the lowest).

 

[Rookie]

Yes, unfortunately he got old and now can’t get a game with Watford. A younger version of Murray would thrive in this team. We were after one in the summer

 

[Machiavelli]

We had one.

Agreed, with 'had' being the operative term. Murray hasn't been PL standard for two years now. Before you get all high-handed about that: how many goals has he scored in the PL in that period?