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Reply | Next seasons kits?
at 13:03 23 Apr 2025
I think we should always wear our blue and white hoops. And that's really a white kit, with some blue. So you can wear it against Cardiff for example, although Portsmouth a bit trickier. The teams you can't wear it against have kits like Wednesday or Preston. So any away kit needs to work against them.
The Feyenoord kit (halved or quartered) is great, and historic, but can we wear it when we couldn't wear the home kit? Yes, I'd say, so long as there's quite a bit of black...socks, shorts, accents.
If it's not the historic dennis the menace (too soon), or the 80s bright red or the Feyenoord (both last seen in the good kits of 20-21)...
I'd like to see us wear hoops in the colours of Inter Milan, Venezia, Fluminense, or even something based on Roma.
I also think the dark navy kit, with white horizontal pinstripes is a good option - like 03-04 or 95-96 or even 09-10. |
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Reply | Strikeforce next season..
at 09:02 23 Apr 2025
I was surprised to see he was top 5 in the division for assists per 90. Hopefully he’ll be much more available next season. |
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Reply | Strikeforce next season..
at 21:47 22 Apr 2025
I believe Kelman has been playing lone striker in a 4231. Don’t know how orient play to his strengths or if we could replicate. |
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Reply | Off-season Business
at 21:03 19 Apr 2025
Agreed...7th choice winger might expect a few bench appearances but would mainly be playing in the dev squad. Think he's 19 though, if that makes a difference, and 4 goals and 3 assists in 10 games for a crap team are good numbers. |
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Reply | Off-season Business
at 20:37 19 Apr 2025
I'm leaning towards keeping Frey (goal ever 180mins or so) and Fox (continuity in a decent defence, respected, experienced, left-sided)...
And if Cook re-signs...
And if Larkeche is earmarked as starting left back (with cover from JCS, Fox, Vale, Esquardinha if ready)...
Then, sad as it is to lose Saito and Edwards...
We only really _need_ replacements for Dunne, Ashby, and Colback. i.e., a starting right back, a starting central midfielder, and a backup rightback.
Obvious areas for upgrade would be left back and centre forward, but I think we'd have to ship a striker out to get another in. And even if we don't probably best to get Lloyd a loan.
So perhaps not as much business required as some summers.
That would leave us with
GK: NARDI, Walsh, Cooper (with Sheppard allowing one of Walsh or Cooper to get a good loan)
RB: NEW, New
LB: LARKECHE, Esquardinha
CB: MORRISON, COOK, Clark-Salter, Fox
CM: FIELD, VARANE, NEW, Madsen, Morgan
AM: CHAIR, VALE, Dembele, Smyth, Kolli, Bennie, Pearman
S: KELMAN, Frey, Celar |
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Reply | Villa v PSG
at 22:43 15 Apr 2025
Thought he was dreadful first half. Lost the ball in 4 or 5 great positions, including the one that led to the first goal. Great second half though. |
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Reply | The season 25-26 squad thread
at 11:12 15 Apr 2025
As 5th or 6th choice, yes.
Not that I know anything about him, but some kind of promising young player is what you want in that role. [Post edited 15 Apr 11:13]
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Reply | The season 25-26 squad thread
at 09:59 15 Apr 2025
Plenty of teams round out the squad with teenagers, and I'm sure that's our aim. Whether they're good enough or not is another matter. If you have 18 established pros, and 6 teenagers for your squad, you can pay more for better pros, and you can attract better teenagers with your 'pathway'. Easier to keep team spirit with a core as well. Can't have injuries like this year though.
Cook JCS Morrison Fox NewRightBack Larkeche
Field Varane NewMidfielder
Chair Dembele Vale Smyth Madsen
Kelman Frey Celar
Squad then filled with Kolli, Bennie, Morgan, Esquerdinha, Akindileni etc.
If you think the new midfielder's wages can be covered by Colback, Andersen and EDB you can offer quite a bit.
And if the new rightback's wages by Dunne, Ashby, Hevertton...
And you've still got Edwards and Paal's wages to play with for a loan or development project defender or two.
Even if the budget stays the same, there's room to manouvre.
And then if Ebs moves we can sign an additional shiny new striker, midfielder and leftback. |
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Reply | The season 25-26 squad thread
at 23:49 14 Apr 2025
On reflection the overhaul is not as extreme as I thought. If Cook re-signs, might just need a starting rightback, a first team central midfielder, and potentially a squad left back and centreback. We can reduce the squad size and free up wages without losing much quality apart from Dunne.
GK:
No change needed.
Defence:
There were stories that we signed centreback Tim Akindileni from Aberdeen, but I haven't seen any evidence of him in development games. If he is coming and Cook re-signs, that's four centrebacks with JCS and Morrison which is enough. I wouldn't be astonished if we have an option for another year for Fox and take it up for squad cover...since they always describe him so positively.
I'd guess Larkeche and Esquerdinha are lined up for leftback, although surprised the latter hasn't been getting a look in on the bench yet, so maybe he's not ready and we'll be in for someone.
We paid money to sign Friel, so we must hope he'll be pushing to be backup rightback next season. Seems like Santos can't return. A new rightback is the priority signing.
Central midfield:
If Colback, EDB, and Anderson leave, we'll need at least one first team player to complement Field, Varane, Madsen, Morgan. Maybe two if we become more 433 and less 4231.
Attack:
We're actually well stocked with players (if quality is debatable). The 10 seems to come from Chair, Madsen, Morgan generally. Vale, Smyth, Chair, Dembele wide. Bennie, Kolli making up the numbers. I'd be pleased if Saito sneakily becomes permanent and not surprised if Yang returns, but you could argue we should be able to cope without either of them. With strikers from Frey, Celar, Kelman, Kolli, I suspect Lloyd will be loaned out. Obviously we'd love a great new striker (if it's not Kelman), but I think we'd have to move one out first to get one (which might be Kelman). |
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Reply | Bristol City Reflection
at 09:27 13 Apr 2025
I haven’t watched back yet. For some reason when I replayed it in my mind it was on Edwards’s side. Thanks for pointing it out. |
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Reply | Bristol City Reflection
at 21:19 12 Apr 2025
I just wanted to add that I thought Morrison was immaculate today. And we should have him next season. |
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Reply | So another game with no striker…
at 18:58 5 Apr 2025
Got to be Jimmy Dunne for me.
And if neither Varane nor Field can do 90 I'd also suggest Edwards in midfield.
Desperate times. |
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Reply | Cardiff Reflection
at 18:20 5 Apr 2025
Two poor sides like the OP says, and yet Paal and Colback actually had one (two?) of their better games today, Smyth did some bright bits, and Morrison and Edwards were decent. Low expectations. |
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Reply | Most unpleasant book you’ve ever read?
at 12:28 2 Apr 2025
A third for American Psycho. I read it on long coach journeys. I remember being so tense and uptight, like it put me physically into a vice, that it would take some time to recover from when I stopped reading. Or maybe it was just the coach.
I also disliked but still finished both The Road and the Wasp Factory. All well written, perhaps culturally important social commentary, but nasty. |
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Reply | This season......your thoughts.
at 23:03 25 Mar 2025
I disagree it's a small squad. It's a big squad*. It's just not a very good one.
Season has been disappointing, but there's always the next one. Nobody felt optimistic when Warnock joined in March 2010...
*Of those who've played games, we have 8 defenders, 6 central midfielders, 5 attacking midfielders, 4 strikers. At times Madsen couldn't make the bench. |
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Reply | Mick Jones Collection
at 17:02 22 Mar 2025
I took my daughters today. Thanks for posting it.
Lovely little exhibition and full respect that it’s free. That’s the most punk thing about it in these money grabbing times. |
| | dannyblue
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 867 | | Comment Votes: | 9 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 876 |
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