We're behind the curve.

[lovebeingaclaret]

You received your new membership card yet, abc? Like the rest of US.

[ablueclaret]

No got to wait until December.

[lovebeingaclaret]

Postman uses a tandem?

[BennyD]

ABC, a negative post? Surely not. IMO, you are so full of sh!t you must dribble diarrhoea. Why not shut your trap and go with the flow? There's nothing you can do to influence what goes on so please, stop bellyaching. Whether you are right or wrong means f*ck all so please try to be happy, rather than being the miserable c*nt we know you to be. Thanks

[Guich]

I'm a bit crap at anagrams so this is the best I can do:

If you add in SGr to ABC you can get 'Rag Bleart Clues'
Then if you borrow a K from KRBFC you can make 'Rag Bleak Clues'.
Can any of our readers improve on that?

[ablueclaret]

Gone. Barton Keane Boyd Lafferty Hennings

Might go. Gray Defour Arfield

In Cork Taylor Walters

Shows how important retaining Gray and Defour is if they are prepared to fight for the cause.

But this year will be about the success or otherwise of those players brought in in recent years who have remained at the margins
JBG Brady Pope Darikwa, Agyei, Longs. Tarka. O'Neill.
It's from this group that players have to emerge as forces to be reckoned with, it's them I shall be watching with interest because they already know the demands of the system and what is expected of them. Some will fall by the wayside some will further their careers and our future, but for me at least three of them have to fill the gaps left by the departed

[Holtyclaret]

Gone. Barton Keane Boyd Lafferty Hennings

Might go. Gray Defour Arfield

In Cork Taylor Walters

Shows how important retaining Gray and Defour is if they are prepared to fight for the cause.

But this year will be about the success or otherwise of those players brought in in recent years who have remained at the margins
JBG Brady Pope Darikwa, Agyei, Longs. Tarka. O'Neill.
It's from this group that players have to emerge as forces to be reckoned with, it's them I shall be watching with interest because they already know the demands of the system and what is expected of them. Some will fall by the wayside some will further their careers and our future, but for me at least three of them have to fill the gaps left by the departed

What an absolute pile of poo. Why support a team and eagerly await them tripping themselves up. A lot of the above is incorrect and there's weeks of the window left. get a grip.

[ablueclaret]

Not awaiting them to trip up, last season I thought we could be a top 10 side, this season is a partial rebuilding process and we will need to start fast with a slightly more adaptable method.
Getting that winning side sorted before that first match is going to be a big challenge given the uncertainty still surrounding the squad.

[Lord Beamish]

I'm loving this new method of sabotaging ABC's threads btw.

5 posts on complete tangents before he had to respond to his own post.

I feel like chicken tonight.

[ablueclaret]

I love it too Beamish my olde fruit, adds a little spice to that chicken of yours.

[Firthy]

It's more of a flat line than a curve at present. The closest thing we have to a believable rumour is that Tony has articles ready for whoever we might sign

[claretspice]

Gone. Barton Keane Boyd Lafferty Hennings

Might go. Gray Defour Arfield

In Cork Taylor Walters

Blimey, you've surpassed yourself there, ABC. Your list of players who have gone include 2 players who had made about 5 appearances for us in 2 years and who were about as far from the first team as we are from Jupiter. It includes 1 player who only played half a season for us last season (the less successful half, as you are fond of pointing out) and another whose contribution in the second half of the season wasn't particularly stellar and came bottom of the player ratings last season amongst first team regulars.

Your "might go" list includes 2 players who were peripheral last season and Gray, who himself was in and out of the team, and there's actually no evidence that any of them will leave.

And yet you are placing a lot more emphasis on the loss or potential loss of those players than you are on the signing of 3 players who are all likely to be at least as integral to the team as the 3 you cite who might leave. And we've still got 60 weeks of the window left.

You can do a lot, lot better than this.

[ablueclaret]

That's one long window Spice no wonder you're complacent.

[ExistentialWanderer]

With so many uncertainties in terms of incomings and outgoings we feel a good deal behind the curve, making any change in style or formation increasingly unlikely.
For us, getting players in early is crucial but with the restrictions we face doing so is almost impossible, particularly when we are chasing players others can easily outbid us on.
Getting the Gray Defour situation settled is critical and recruiting that centre back imperative the rest I fancy will have to wait.

At present the trajectory certainly isn't upwards in fact it has the feel of the Tory Party, on a distinct slide

I wasn't aware the season started this weekend! Chill! We have over another month to bring in players.

[ablueclaret]

Keane is a huge loss as the Heaton Mee Keane partnership was the rock on which our survival was built. Whatever our final centre back pairing it will be more vulnerable in the short term.
All the available evidence suggests we do better with Defour on the field, but SD still prefers the framework. He is crucial to any resurgence this season.
Gray as you have often mentioned provides the pace and firepower we lack as a team without him we will be leaden.
Lafferty and Hennings just provided different options we chose not to use, Taylor is an upgrade on Lafferty as yet we have to replace Hennings.
Boyd was the self sacrificing engine who allowed the framework to hold we have yet to see if anyone can or will take his place.
I think you above all others recognised the importance of getting players in early to adapt to SD's methods I fancy on that basis we are behind the curve.

[ablueclaret]

This is a messageboard to discuss things.
I'm not prophecying doom and gloom just indicating that as a club having lost some significant players we are behind the curve when it comes to recruitment but that this means last years signings have to step up to the plate.

[claretdom]

You make it sound like half the starting 11 have left

[ablueclaret]

Three possibly 5.
Now if it was the latter we'd have significant problems.

People underestimate the value of that Keane Mee axis it was what saved us time and time again last year.

[Tall Paul]

Why do we need to replace Hennings, a player who spent the entirety of last season on loan?

[ablueclaret]

We don't as it happens as long as Gray stays.

[Firthy]

I think the Lafferty/Hennings point is a bit mute as they were never going to figure in our first team but the rest is close to the mark.

So far:
Barton -> Cork
Boyd -> Walters
Taylor -> Flannagan

Taylor is the only definite upgrade, the other two are similar quality.

So with losing Keane we are currently a bit weaker.

I think we need to keep Gray and Defour, replacement for Keane, and bring in a speedy winger and alternative striker with pace and then we'd have a good squad capable of comfortable survival.

[Tall Paul]

as yet we have to replace Hennings.

Why do we need to replace Hennings?

We don't.

[SGr]

You said it needs resolving now and limited the potential replacements to just 3 strikers.

It isn't hard to keep up with that guff.

I said there were three in my opinion. You know, my opinion, not your opinion. Hence why I said for me we need to keep Gray. Funny how despite me asking you didn't offer up any other names. And don't say Wells

[ablueclaret]

Fair catch there Tall Paul.

[Sidney1st]

I said there were three in my opinion. You know, my opinion, not your opinion. Hence why I said for me we need to keep Gray. Funny how despite me asking you didn't offer up any other names. And don't say Wells

I don't know the names of all the strikers in English football, the goals they've scored or the potential they show, I just found it amusing you restricted yourself to 3.

I don't personally think Wells is that good, BUT he may at some point step up.
Neither do I understand the love in for Shane Long on here.

[dsr]

If we send Chris Long out on loan, then we'll have replaced Hennings.

[SGr]

I don't know the names of all the strikers in English football, the goals they've scored or the potential they show, I just found it amusing you restricted yourself to 3.

I don't personally think Wells is that good, BUT he may at some point step up.
Neither do I understand the love in for Shane Long on here.

I don't understand the love in for him either, wouldn't have him. Poor goal record.

I haven't restricted anything I'm just saying in my eyes there were those 3 specifically who are in the similar mould and are/were available.