How do we avoid what we are going through now this time next year ?

[Iloveyoubrady]

Squad like-

Rb: Lowton/New
RCB: Tarks/Long
LCB: Mee/Gibson
LB: Taylor/Ward(or new)
CM: Westwood/Cork/Hendrick/New
LM: McNeil/Brady
RM: JBG/Lennon/Brady
St: Wood/Vydra/Barnes/New

With a first team of :

Heaton
New - tarks - mee - Taylor
JBG - New - Westwood - McNeil
Wood -Vydra


That squad should have plenty of quality and depth, with at least 2 decent players in each position and a few versatile players. Just need a first team Cm, young/backup rb and st
Which should be less than £40m easily.

[BFC88]

I know it's all a a matter of opinions, but personally I feel talking of Europe as a major factor is way off the mark. As others have said it was pretty much over before it started and our poor form continued way, way beyond that. Lack of recruitment during the summer in key areas is the root cause. I don't mean spending gaziilions or changing half the squad, but certain key areas weren't strengthened and that's what's affected us all season and is still affecting us now.

Agree 100% recruitment is to blame.

For me the biggest weakness in our team is CM. We have nobody to control and keep possession / create (Defour is a huge loss, our best player by a country mile), and nobody who puts a tackle in ( Barton type)

We also need a bit of pace up front to stretch teams. We are too predictable.

Get these 3 players in during the summer and we'll see a massive improvement im sure. Otherwise we'll be scrapping for our lives again next year (if we're lucky enough to stay up)

[claret wizard]

Tackling in midfield is no longer a required skill in the Premier League. Tackling in defence almost equally so. You could see that by the crowds teaction when a tackle is won. Tarks on Sat had 3 or 4 tackles won which will be more than some CM in 10 matches. Much more stock put in moving players into parts of the pitch they don’t want to be in, closing down passing angles and forcing attacking players in to mistakes. Tackling in midfield invariably sees a player go to ground (taking him out of the game) and delivers uncertainty on where the ball will go( potentially worse scenario rather than better). The percentage play is to channel and close down options. Not saying I agree, but it seems tackling has gone the same way as the keeper catching the ball. The crowd would rather see a clean keeper catch or a good strong ball winning tackle, but punching the ball and chanelling the player are the modern coached % plays.

[vinrogue]

Keep, Heaton, Pope, Bardsley, Lowton, Tarks, Mee, Gibson, Long, Taylor, Ward, JBG, McNeil, Brady, Westwood, Hendrick, Barnes, Wood.

Ship out, Lennon, Hart, Vydra, Crouch.

Rock Paper Scissors on: Cork and Defour

Spot the gaps and buy accordingly! Simples just like a computer game!

Reality is..................

[Dark Cloud]

Keep, Heaton, Pope, Bardsley, Lowton, Tarks, Mee, Gibson, Long, Taylor, Ward, JBG, McNeil, Brady, Westwood, Hendrick, Barnes, Wood.

Ship out, Lennon, Hart, Vydra, Crouch.

Rock Paper Scissors on: Cork and Defour

Spot the gaps and buy accordingly! Simples just like a computer game!

Reality is..................

Actually that's pretty much what I'd do too, except I might be looking to off load Brady too, depending on what happens in the last few games and maybe Wardy. Also, providing I could recruit a couple of serious upgrades in midfield, I'd forget the rock paper scissors game and lose both Cork (too slow) AND Defour (too sick). At the same time, personally I'd like to see Vydra kept and actually USED as a different option either to start occasionally or as a 20 minute sub and maybe see if he can convince by this time next year, but I strongly suspect he'll be the first off elsewhere, probably before the the players are even showered after the Arsenal game!!! I know much of this "what I'd do" is just pie in the sky in that there are small matters of contracts to be considered, so moving someone on isn't always that easy, plus if someone is perennially injured who else will take the risk? But as said, we're not miles and miles away and we don't need wholesale changes, but we do need rather more movement than the last 2 windows.

[Down_Rover]

If anyone knows who the good, fast, free scoring striker is, please do not post it on here.

There are 14 other PL teams asking the same question

[NL Claret]

The current theme with UTC posters is off loading players who are under contract.

Is it that easy to do? Click, remove from basket.

[Dark Cloud]

The current theme with UTC posters is off loading players who are under contract.

Is it that easy to do? Click, remove from basket.

I totally agree and I did allude to that in my post. Whether you're an UTC poster or SD, deciding who is superfluous to requirements is the easy bit, actually moving them on if they have a good contract is a whole different thing and especially if they've not got the best injury record.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Can't believe you've left Westwood out who has probably been one of our best and most consistent players this season. I would change that to:

Heaton or Pope
New RB - Tarks - Mee or Gibson - Taylor
New - Westwood - New CM - McNeil
Wood or Barnes - New CF

JBG is too injury prone. We need someone younger with pace on the right and a player with creativity and pace in midfield alongside Westwood. I think the one thing we lack at present is pace more than anything. Hopefully we will stay up and it will be rectified for next season.

I think Westwood has been great. And tbf I suspect Dyche will see him as first choice next season.

However our lack of goals, creativity and physicality in midfield needs addressing big time.

Westwood is a neat and today player, gets in the faces but doesn't offer enough of the other stuff.

Good player I agree though. But basically a good James OConnor.

[cricketfieldclarets]

1. Keep Dyche
2. Improve our transfer dealings

It's not been the year we'd all hoped for but even though we were shocking before Christmas we've been close to the level achieved last season since the new year (give or take a few exceptions).

Perhaps the right mix isn't as far off as we sometimes imagine?

Also worth noting one of the most impressive things about Dyche - his ability to produce success more than once and through different playing styles. A lot of managers put together one good team (think Mullen in '91, Coyle in '09) and these things sometimes just "come together"; you suddenly find you have the right man at the right time and that the players you need were actually in situ, they just needed a bit of motivation or the right tactic, for example, for everything to suddenly click.

However, the truly brilliant managers are the ones who manage to build sides by their own endeavours and have shown the ability to do so on more than one occasion.

After Dyche's first promotion it might have been that he just "got lucky" but in the years since then he's proved more than capable of re-building our team (I'd say he has put together 2, nearly 3, distinct winning sides) and making us successful. We should all back him to do it again.

Mullen did it twice. But I agree with the point.

[NL Claret]

I think Westwood has been great. And tbf I suspect Dyche will see him as first choice next season.

However our lack of goals, creativity and physicality in midfield needs addressing big time.

Westwood is a neat and today player, gets in the faces but doesn't offer enough of the other stuff.

Good player I agree though. But basically a good James OConnor.

6 assists this season, the highest, 1 above JBG. Plus we've scored more goals than this time last season.

[Spijed]

However our lack of goals, creativity and physicality in midfield needs addressing big time.

Haven't we scored more goals at this point than we have in any other season?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Haven't we scored more goals at this point than we have in any other season?

We may well have. But that's not the point. We are still only scoring 1.1 goals per game.

[cricketfieldclarets]

6 assists this season, the highest, 1 above JBG. Plus we've scored more goals than this time last season.

Again. don't dispute that. He has been good. Especially post Everton.

[claretspice]

We can't ensure we avoid this next season. We don't have the resources to make ourselves invulnerable to injuries, form and luck.

But I think everyone agrees that we need to do a bit of work in the transfer market to take the existing squad - which is pretty solid, and 10th in the form guide since the beginning of December - and make it a bit less vulnerable. But of course, we also need to be wary of bringing in too many players too quickly and undermining the dynamics of the squad.

To my mind, there are 3 priorities for recruitment: a new right back, another central midfielder and then (depending on whether McNeil is to be used out wide or in a central role) either a striker or a pacey winger (or someone who can play both roles, like Callum Robinson at Preston or Adams at Birmingham, for example). The next couple of priorities would be the other of that pacey winger or striker, plus some cover at left back (which we might be able to live with out depending on what happens to Ward and Bardsley, who can both provide cover in that department, as can Gibson).

Exactly what type of player we need depends on how we intend to set up next season - we probably need to choose between technical craft or physicality in the centre of midfield, for example, which depends in part on where we intend to use McNeil (as does whether we need to prioritise reinforcements out wide or up front). But I suspect the priority is to add a bit more pace and athleticism to what is fundamentally a solid squad of reliable players. If we need extra craft and creativity, we'll be looking towards increased contributions from McNeil - if his development continues apace - and JBG and Brady after a clear summer and pre-season.

If we can bring in those 4-5 players, then with the benefits of a proper pre-season uninterrupted by Europe and a proper break for a few players (like JBG) who got precious little rest last summer after the world cup (no coincidence he's had injuries this season), we'll start next season on a stronger footing. Of course, I suspect all but one or two of the out of contract players will leave, and you'd imagine we'd be looking to move on Defour, Wells and possibly Lennon or Vydra too to free up some space in the squad.

[Longside4evr]

All areas need to be looked at and keeper will be a dilemma if two go recoupment from if as expected.

Keeper
Hart and Pope potential valuation maybe
30 million plus.

Defence
Ward free Lawton 3 to 4
Could also relese Long but no idea of price and interest.
Midfield
Defour free Lennon million plus depends on interest Cork 4 to 5 Brady 8 million
Then maybe wells 4 to 5 Vydra 12 million depends again on suitors
I wouldn't say they will all go but that could give us a big war chest and get some real quality in
It all could be very different mind

[Dark Cloud]

Anyone who pays 8 million for Brady will be firing their chief scout after 3 weeks!