Building for next season

[genome]

Onuoha released from QPR.

Looked good against us earlier in the season. Absolute tank as well. Worth a go? Wages too high?

[John Smith]

Onuoha released from QPR.

Looked good against us earlier in the season. Absolute tank as well. Worth a go? Wages too high?

I'd be happy with him.

I'm praying Shrewsbury go up so we can get shot of David Edwards

[Hendo]

Onuoha released from QPR.

Looked good against us earlier in the season. Absolute tank as well. Worth a go? Wages too high?

Made one amazing tackle on Barrow who looked to be clean through.

Would be happy with him, but would prefer Elphick, being younger.

[SCIAG]

Cooper was a classic example of Stam letting a player go who wasn't a good enough technical footballer. Yet is proving himself more than able to play at Championship level.

Cooper was more than good enough technically, certainly head and shoulders above McShane (no pun intended). His issue was that he had utterly terrible concentration and couldn't deal with pacey strikers running at him. Every match he'd have a serious lapse in judgement which would cost a goal or something similar. He just wasn't good enough.

A really good bit of business would be Joe Allen from Stoke.

Allen is being linked to several Premier League clubs and will probably go for £20m+.

I think this season has shown that Cooper is clearly good enough-a bit like Flint at Bristol City, somebody who needs a quick fellow central defender alongside him and in Liam Moore we have that player.

I do agree on your point about concentration which has been so lacking in many of our players this season and in particular, Gunter, Blackett, Kelly and Swift and it is important for Clement to get all of our players to be much more focused for the whole game and to get them to take responsibility rather than pass the buck which has happened far too much this season.

Hopefully Swift (and Obita) will be fitter and Kelly will knuckle down rather than think that every country wants him to play for them-unfortunately his head was turned and this season he went backwards in his development.

Cooper definitely had a lot of positive qualities but his concentration really was crippling and that's dreadful in a centre back. Perhaps if we'd stuck with him a little longer then we'd have a great defender on our hands now, but we'd stuck with him for years and he was still making the same mistakes he was making at 16. My only regret is that we didn't replace him with another academy player.

As for Kelly, I'm not I agree with you. He's always had a mistake in him (anyone remember when he gave the ball away from a throw-in in the FA Youth Cup semi-final and it led to Dembele scoring?) and he made a few more noticeable mistakes this year than last, but he also added a lot more threat to his game going forward. 7 goals this season and created more chances than anyone else. That's probably largely because he took set pieces, but he also improved on his key-passes-per-90 stat over last season which suggests progression. Could definitely use some more consistency but I think it's more a case of the rose-tinted glasses coming off.

[SCIAG]

Onuoha released from QPR.

Looked good against us earlier in the season. Absolute tank as well. Worth a go? Wages too high?

A future England international who ran out of future. Very injury prone. I'd be somewhat nervous about taking him on but it could be rewarded.

[Hound]

SCIAG, you clearly know what you are talking about with the academy players. One thing that interested me - you don't rate Rinomhota. When I've seen him he has looked useful. What do you think he is lacking?

[Royal Rother]

So what’s this John Terry rumour that Gourlay wouldn’t talk about yesterday?

Any substance?

[From Despair To Where?]

It's John Terry's dad you're looking for if you want any substance.

[maffff]

Àngel Rangel for a year anyone? Send Watson on loan and give Gunter competition allowing Bacuna into midfield.

Played for Clement. Decent footballer, great person by all accounts, very good interacting with younger players and can lead a team.

[PistolPete]

Am I alone in thinking we really ought to play 3 at the back next season?

•Blackett only has a hope if he plays as a three
•Gunter would be great in a three and wouldn’t frustrate us like he does as full back
•Obita, Richards and Watson would be better suited to wingback
•Bacuna could be amazing as a wingback

Thoughts?

[NewCorkSeth]

Am I alone in thinking we really ought to play 3 at the back next season?

•Blackett only has a hope if he plays as a three
•Gunter would be great in a three and wouldn’t frustrate us like he does as full back
•Obita, Richards and Watson would be better suited to wingback
•Bacuna could be amazing as a wingback

Thoughts?

Gunter would not be great in a back 3. He would be a liability in a back 3.

[PistolPete]

Am I alone in thinking we really ought to play 3 at the back next season?

•Blackett only has a hope if he plays as a three
•Gunter would be great in a three and wouldn’t frustrate us like he does as full back
•Obita, Richards and Watson would be better suited to wingback
•Bacuna could be amazing as a wingback

Thoughts?

Gunter would not be great in a back 3. He would be a liability in a back 3.

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

[NewCorkSeth]

Am I alone in thinking we really ought to play 3 at the back next season?

•Blackett only has a hope if he plays as a three
•Gunter would be great in a three and wouldn’t frustrate us like he does as full back
•Obita, Richards and Watson would be better suited to wingback
•Bacuna could be amazing as a wingback

Thoughts?

Gunter would not be great in a back 3. He would be a liability in a back 3.

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

[leon]

Gunter would not be great in a back 3. He would be a liability in a back 3.

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

And yet he’s often making last ditch saving challenges.

[Double d v2]

Gunter would not be great in a back 3. He would be a liability in a back 3.

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

So you are comparing Gunter to Marcelo?

[BR0B0T]

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

And yet he’s often making last ditch saving challenges.

could mean he was out of position, didn't read it but had the athleticism to recover

[NewCorkSeth]

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

And yet he’s often making last ditch saving challenges.

If you can get me video proof of him doing that 5 times this season I will change my username to leonsbitch.
The only one I can remember was against Cardiff.

[NewCorkSeth]

Azpilicueta and Monreal are two full backs that became great centre backs. I feel Gunter is the same. He’s played many games at centre back, so we know he can do it.

Lol. Azpilicueta and Monreal have one important quality that Gunter doesn't. They can defend. He can't do it. There were numerous times this season he showed his inability to pick up a man in the box. He can barely defend against one man on a wing.

So you are comparing Gunter to Marcelo?

Yes. He's exactly like Marcelo. Minus the ability to assist consistently and make numerous successful runs, intercept and tackle.

[Elm Park Kid]

Am I alone in thinking we really ought to play 3 at the back next season?

•Blackett only has a hope if he plays as a three
•Gunter would be great in a three and wouldn’t frustrate us like he does as full back
•Obita, Richards and Watson would be better suited to wingback
•Bacuna could be amazing as a wingback

Thoughts?

I think it would work as long as we bought one more first choice wing back. I'd rather they develop Bacuna into a proper DM.

[Ascotexgunner]

Onuoha released from QPR.

Looked good against us earlier in the season. Absolute tank as well. Worth a go? Wages too high?

I'm sorry, but if he's been released by QPR, there's probably a reason. Probably injury prone or not performing. No thanks, if he ain't good enough for them, he ain't good enough for us.