Team for 2020/21

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Having Bonne here was amazing but we always knew we couldn't build a team around him.

Why ever not?

[Tent Keague]

Roughly the highest earning O's player is picking up around £1,500-£1,800 a week. These were pre-covid contracts.

I would not be offering anyone a contract more than £1,500 in these current circumstances. To do otherwise would be barmy.

[PoliticOs]

Having Bonne here was amazing but we always knew we couldn't build a team around him.

Why ever not?

Because we knew nearly instantly he would be off sooner rather than later.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Having Bonne here was amazing but we always knew we couldn't build a team around him.

Why ever not?

Because we knew nearly instantly he would be off sooner rather than later.

Really? I’m not sure that was the case at all.

[AckneyAwks]

PoliticsOs who would you sign thats got 70 goals in this division?
Lg2 leading scorers: Doyle (25), Maynard (14), Bowman (13), Palmer (13).
I would guess as they would all have to re-locate we would be looking at a hefty signing on fee. Ruel already here we take years producing him to then just lose him for nothing. I know he "lacks experience and provency" that comes with game time. I actually agree with your reasoning but they are hard to find.

[Tent Keague]

I reckon offer him £800 a week for two years and he'll sign.

[AckneyAwks]

James Alabi wouldant sign for that

[PoliticOs]

PoliticsOs who would you sign thats got 70 goals in this division?
Lg2 leading scorers: Doyle (25), Maynard (14), Bowman (13), Palmer (13).
I would guess as they would all have to re-locate we would be looking at a hefty signing on fee. Ruel already here we take years producing him to then just lose him for nothing. I know he "lacks experience and provency" that comes with game time. I actually agree with your reasoning but they are hard to find.

Luke Norris at Colchester, Danny Hylton will be dropping back down the leagues next season from Luton, Matt Green from Grimsby, Danny Rose at Mansfield, Padraig Among from Newport - even Jabo.

70 might be a bit of a stretch, but we could get someone really proven. I'm a big fan of Sotiriou, and I'm a fan of Angol, but Sotiriou and Angol or Johnson as a front two or three or whatever doesn't do the job I don't think. Sotoriou/Angol and one of those names though would be interesting.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

[Tent Keague]

James Alabi wouldant sign for that

But he did. For two years.

I'm not saying you, but in general there's a mystifying of what footballers in the lower leagues actually earn.

Of course you will have the odd anomaly like Bolton trying to bankrupt themselves again and also that Salford fella (Rooney maybe?) when we were in the National League.

[DuvB]

PoliticsOs who would you sign thats got 70 goals in this division?
Lg2 leading scorers: Doyle (25), Maynard (14), Bowman (13), Palmer (13).
I would guess as they would all have to re-locate we would be looking at a hefty signing on fee. Ruel already here we take years producing him to then just lose him for nothing. I know he "lacks experience and provency" that comes with game time. I actually agree with your reasoning but they are hard to find.

Luke Norris at Colchester, Danny Hylton will be dropping back down the leagues next season from Luton, Matt Green from Grimsby, Danny Rose at Mansfield, Padraig Among from Newport - even Jabo.

70 might be a bit of a stretch, but we could get someone really proven. I'm a big fan of Sotiriou, and I'm a fan of Angol, but Sotiriou and Angol or Johnson as a front two or three or whatever doesn't do the job I don't think. Sotoriou/Angol and one of those names though would be interesting.

Angol, Wilkinson and Dennis have skill. Jury is out on Johnson. We need a big guy up front who can hold up the ball and supply them. Ruel is not signing.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Angol, Wilkinson and Dennis have skill. Jury is out on Johnson. We need a big guy up front who can hold up the ball and supply them. Ruel is not signing.

You're right - all of Angol, Wilko and Dennis look like they have potential but they need that bit of brawn alongside them. We lost Bonne and Koroma but only replaced Koroma.

Johnson isn't a target man either. Funnily enough, despite his stature Ruel would work without a target man, he's strong as an ox.

[HeyO]

Angol, Wilkinson and Dennis have skill. Jury is out on Johnson. We need a big guy up front who can hold up the ball and supply them. Ruel is not signing.

You're right - all of Angol, Wilko and Dennis look like they have potential but they need that bit of brawn alongside them. We lost Bonne and Koroma but only replaced Koroma.

Johnson isn't a target man either. Funnily enough, despite his stature Ruel would work without a target man, he's strong as an ox.

Is that so.

[Sid Bishop]

The initial team by RedO is a reasonable guess based on current squad members. Where in the league that team will finish is hard to guess. Whilst we have troubles, so do many other L2 clubs no doubt. But if I had to guess then I’d say bottom third but avoiding relegation. 17th.

I don’t believe we have a manager with sufficient quality to create a consistent match winning team. Devoid of ideas, fragmented performances on the field and for me anyway lacking that leadership quality good managers have in abundance. I find him uninspiring. But we have him and with last season excuses no longer valid we have new ones this season for him to hide behind.

we have no ball-winning, tough-tackling strong player in midfield. Clay is the closest we have and he was pretty poor pre Cisse. We can expect the usual array of backwards 5 yard passes from Wright and our creative midfield options from a 38 year old coming back from injury. So let’s look forward to another year of losing the midfield battles.

Ling is not good enough at the back and offers little going forward. Turley, hope he is back on form. Any opposition manager with half a brain will attack that area of our defence. Really glad we have Vigeroux in goal. Massive step up on Sarge.

And I wonder where our goals will come from. I just don’t see Johnson as a 20 goal a season striker. Angol and Wilkinson have hardly set the place alight, though probably more to do with poo poo service and an incomprehensible playing system.

JMD and Brophy do offer some flair, Dennis too may come good.

Let’s hope we get some decent loans from Spurs, seeing as we are sucking up to them.

@Dohnut
What a good summing up !
You say it as it is, brunt with no frills and I think you are most likely correct in how you see it.
Wonder why the owners and people at the club behind the scenes ( Ling etc ) cannot see ( or don't want to see ) what is so obvious to fans like yourself ?

[faith1234]

I like 442 but ross likes 433 i dont think it works tho what about the formattion we played back in the confence 352 with jmd behind the front 2

[Dohnut]

I like 442 but ross likes 433 i dont think it works tho what about the formattion we played back in the confence 352 with jmd behind the front 2

I’m really impressed with fans who can see a Consistent playing system. I always look at the team make up and how they start the game to get some idea of Embleton’s thinking.

But it seems to me that early on we seem to switch to some sort of disorganised, random, frequently changing formation. Now that may be his cunning plan to confuse the opposition, it sure confuses the hell out of me.

In truth I think the players just go with the flow and change based on how they see fit at the time. Let’s face it, Ross is hardly the sort of guy to give players a damn good bollocking for not following his instructions. That’s assuming they know what they are to start with.

Maybe with Jobi playing he will add on-field leadership. There was naff all leadership on or off the field last season it seemed to me.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Angol, Wilkinson and Dennis have skill. Jury is out on Johnson. We need a big guy up front who can hold up the ball and supply them. Ruel is not signing.

You're right - all of Angol, Wilko and Dennis look like they have potential but they need that bit of brawn alongside them. We lost Bonne and Koroma but only replaced Koroma.

Johnson isn't a target man either. Funnily enough, despite his stature Ruel would work without a target man, he's strong as an ox.

Is that so.

Just my opinion.

[Sid Bishop]

I like 442 but ross likes 433 i dont think it works tho what about the formattion we played back in the confence 352 with jmd behind the front 2

I’m really impressed with fans who can see a Consistent playing system. I always look at the team make up and how they start the game to get some idea of Embleton’s thinking.

But it seems to me that early on we seem to switch to some sort of disorganised, random, frequently changing formation. Now that may be his cunning plan to confuse the opposition, it sure confuses the hell out of me.

In truth I think the players just go with the flow and change based on how they see fit at the time. Let’s face it, Ross is hardly the sort of guy to give players a damn good bollocking for not following his instructions. That’s assuming they know what they are to start with.

Maybe with Jobi playing he will add on-field leadership. There was naff all leadership on or off the field last season it seemed to me.

Jobi knows football inside out, he has played at the highest level and is also a leader of men, very diplomatic, well spoken and intelligent as well.
Ross, is Ross, say no more !

[Sid Bishop]

You're right - all of Angol, Wilko and Dennis look like they have potential but they need that bit of brawn alongside them. We lost Bonne and Koroma but only replaced Koroma.

Johnson isn't a target man either. Funnily enough, despite his stature Ruel would work without a target man, he's strong as an ox.

Is that so.

Just my opinion.

Ruel is very strong when on the ball, finds space as well, he also has that natural instinct to find space when in the last third of the pitch.
Shame that we are not going to be able to see the best of him next season, I think playing Alabi in front of him for much of last season might have been a factor in his thinking that it was time to move on to a club with a better manager where he could progress to higher things.

[PoliticOs]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

So would I obviously. Do we have two players of their ability (albeit with a lack of experience) then?

My point was obviously if we have £3k going spare we can get in someone with great experience alongside someone like Ruel. We don't need to pay him £3k just 'cos.

And in regards to Bonne as you didn't seem to agree, how long did it take for you/us collectively to realise he would be off to better things sooner rather than later? Months? So we knew we couldn't build just to or around him. Not sure that's a controversial statement.

[HeyO]

You're right - all of Angol, Wilko and Dennis look like they have potential but they need that bit of brawn alongside them. We lost Bonne and Koroma but only replaced Koroma.

Johnson isn't a target man either. Funnily enough, despite his stature Ruel would work without a target man, he's strong as an ox.

Is that so.

Just my opinion.

Quite right too.

[Thor]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

none cos they never played in it.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

So would I obviously. Do we have two players of their ability (albeit with a lack of experience) then?

My point was obviously if we have £3k going spare we can get in someone with great experience alongside someone like Ruel. We don't need to pay him £3k just 'cos.

And in regards to Bonne as you didn't seem to agree, how long did it take for you/us collectively to realise he would be off to better things sooner rather than later? Months? So we knew we couldn't build just to or around him. Not sure that's a controversial statement.

Not quite sure what we’re disagreeing over here.

With regards to Bonne, I’d have to look back. He wasn’t anywhere near an instant hit with us. (Some somehow didn’t even rate him at the end of our promotion season).

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

none cos they never played in it.

Koroma did a bit.

But yeah, that’s my point.

[PoliticOs]

Bonne and Koroma would have done me last season, how many L2 goals did they have to their name?

So would I obviously. Do we have two players of their ability (albeit with a lack of experience) then?

My point was obviously if we have £3k going spare we can get in someone with great experience alongside someone like Ruel. We don't need to pay him £3k just 'cos.

And in regards to Bonne as you didn't seem to agree, how long did it take for you/us collectively to realise he would be off to better things sooner rather than later? Months? So we knew we couldn't build just to or around him. Not sure that's a controversial statement.

Not quite sure what we’re disagreeing over here.

With regards to Bonne, I’d have to look back. He wasn’t anywhere near an instant hit with us. (Some somehow didn’t even rate him at the end of our promotion season).

He had 7 goals in his first 8 games with us. By the next December he was linked with Newcastle, Fulham, Palace. I think people were pretty sure early on we had a player on the up rather than down.

But nah, not sure we are disagreeing on much anyway.