Football Forum | Ticket Forum | Off-Topic Forum | All

Stubbo 9:38 Thu Nov 9
Squad trouble ahead?

Looking forward to the departure of Moyes, the Ascension of Steidten, and the Summer of '24, seems to me Timmy might have his work cut out with a pretty sizeable rebuild.

Antonio, Ings, Cresswell, Johnson, Mubama, Coventry, Ogbonna, Downes, Paqueta, Kehrer, Fornals, Fabianski are all likely departures, given contract position, squad status, or time of career.

That's 12 players, 7 home grown players, all in with a very good chance of not being here next season, including our world class creative centre midfielder, and the English spine of the squad.

With the best will in the world, it's hard to see how we come out of such a probable turnover of players well, or cope with it financially given the premiums on home grown players (which you'd think the agents of Mubama and Johnson are clearly weaponising in their negotiations).

Let's hope Steidten is as adept at bringing guys in via chauffeur driven limo as he is on a private jet given a large portion of our shopping will need to be from this Island, or that some of these feted U18s/21s have the ability to step into the senior squad.

ludo21 5:21 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Paqueta is the only one of those listed who is a guaranteed first team player. Downes is now settling in well at Southampton and will come back if we want him to.

The plan must be for TS to bring in a new coach / manager who has a good record of integrating the youth.

Given that we should get at least 80m for Paqueta then we have the makings of a reasonable budget to bring 3-4 good quality new signings

The best of the youth will replace the deadwood being released as the squad players.... all good if you ask me

David L 3:39 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

joyo ignoring actual facts yet again. He's definitely not all there.

Sir Alf 3:02 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

20 + years ago when Moyes started out in management a player like Distin at Everton was able to play to his mate 30s and still TS the best player and older, experienced players were far more common in teams.

But there you have it 25 years ago.

When intellectually challenged pundits ( most of them ) parrot the value if Moyes as he so experienced etc.. it’s misleading.

He’s done the same thing ( tactically, player management and recruitment etc ) he did from the earliest days at Preston and Everton working on a budget. He’s inexperienced it could be argued ? 1 years experience 20 odd years over. “Rinse, repeat”

zico 2:52 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

This is why Ferguson was so good at Man United. Ok he had the funds to do it but many players were shifted well before their sell by date, indeed almost at their peak and replaced by young hungry players. Ince, Beckham, Stam but three. Only the likes of Scholes and Giggs stayed long term. We don't seem to do that hence why we end up with so many veterans.

Lee Trundle 2:41 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Not many clubs would have offered Ogbonna or Cresswell extensions to their contracts, I would have thought.

It would have been a good time to move on from them last summer, I thought.

zico 2:34 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

"As of the start of 2023/24, the oldest playing squad in the Premier League in terms of average player age belongs to West Ham (28.1 years old). The Hammers squad also boasts seven players who are aged 30 or over, which is one of the highest such tallies in the English top flight."

Read that online and that's our biggest problem especially fitness and pace wise. Obviously we have Kudus since that was printed but it shows Moyes lack of trust in the youngsters and his policy of holding onto players well past their sell by date. As well as they have both done in recent years Antonio and Cresswell apparently "wanted to go" so why keep them, especially at their age.

Russ of the BML 2:08 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

That for me is a huge issue with the club. The disparity between the way the youth teams play and how the first teams play. I wonder if that's something the owners or Moyes have even considered? I doubt it.

joyo 1:35 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Just another shit doom and gloom thread,anyone looking forward to another European game tonight?

Lee Trundle 12:42 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Good thread, Stubbo. I'm glad you've highlighted how desperate things may become next summer if plans aren't being put into place now.

Hopefully identifying a new manager to manage all these new players we're likely to get is still the number 1 priority.

the exile 12:39 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

The U21s are doing superbly well this season. Most of them have moved up from last year's all-conquering U18s so still pretty young. But the thing is, they are used to winning and seem to have a positive, attacking style that's a million miles from Moyesball. It would be nice to think that a new, progressive manager would be more open to incorporating some of them into the senior squad next season. If they're good enough, they're not too young. Obviously most of them are English as well, which ticks another box. I would be interested to know how much interest Steidten takes in them. Anyone got any insight on that?

Russ of the BML 11:27 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

goose 10:07 Thu Nov 9

I don't think the issue is missing them so much. It's replacing them.

pass the dutchy 11:26 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Well we have one more transfer window before the summer to make some progress into this issue.

If we resolved three of those problems then a new manager has a chance to bring in some players of their choice but not have to make wholesale changes before a ball is kicked.

Replace fab with an English keeper. One home grown sorted.

Replace Antonio and Ings with more players from Europe, I bet we scout someone from tonight’s game.

Stepping stones. Build a bit replace a bit. Sell a player on for a profit and reinvest it.

We can’t knock last summer so let’s hopeful for a solid jan window and then replace Moyes and bring in day Potter with Tim and Noble backing him.

We may not have European football next season which takes some funding away but means the squad isn’t so stretched.

Bit by bit we are improving the squad.

Willtell 11:10 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

This is my fear about next season if Moyes stays until summer. If Alvarez, Kudus and Paqueta experience a new and progressive manager that plays a more tactically astute game, then there is a chance they will want to stay next summer.

Does anyone know whether our reserves that seem to be doing very well can step up into the first team? Surely that's another reason to fuck Moyes off now because he won't give them any game time it seems.

Takashi Miike 10:53 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

a few of those will stay if he goes. there's also a few from the u21 more than good enough to be brought through. I don't see a problem

LJC 10:41 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

I reckon 6/7 of those will leave and one for very good money.

I should also imagine the people who get paid to address this is probably already got it under control.

In a weeks time we could have a new manager and set up who I would hope would also already be looking at it.

We have a whole other transfer window to get through first.

Pee Wee 10:09 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

That's the problem when you have a dead man walking in the managers seat.

That's one of the reasons he should have gone in the summer.

You would think that January would see some of this being addressed - but how can you when you have a manager who won't be there a few months later - and I expect the next manager in mind would have a very different set of values... well, he'd better have.

goose 10:07 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Of that list there’s only really Paqueta that you’d be bothered about.

Ogbonna and fabianski are solid reserves.
Antonio is…….. I’m not sure how to describe him!

Next summer, after a new coach priority number 1 is a centre forward - maybe two of them.
Then a right back.

Manuel 9:51 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

We seem to need a rebuild every summer, but yea this one does seem to be a real big task, out of them 12 I doubt all will leave, maybe around 9.

claypole 9:47 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

Could be the other way round, Moyes stays and Steiden goes

Russ of the BML 9:42 Thu Nov 9
Re: Squad trouble ahead?

That's depressed me early doors.

Page 1 - Next