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I am optimistic about our chances of promotion next season primarily as a result of our strength in midfield and forward line and having a top notch goal keeper. The defense is problematic and has been so now for the last 3 seasons. Forget the PL season where we were for the most part out gunned all over the pitch, the previous 2 seasons in the championship  we conceded 60 and even 57 in our promotion season. They are stats that do not get you promoted very often and do not keep you up if you do get promoted. We have quality full backs but CB is problematic. Zimmerman has been a real find and if fit  no problem. Klose is neither fit nor up to championship standard any more, he will be a weak link most games he plays now and by past form  will only manage half the games anyway. Hanley is a good CB at championship standard but again has a suspect fitness record. Godfrey will he still be here, who knows he is a very good footballer with a lot of potential but is not the finished article. Those 4 leave us potentially thin on the ground . In addition our defensive training and tactics need close scrutiny to have let the goals in that we have over 3 seasons. We need a fit  championship quality CB a no brainier imo

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42 minutes ago, hogesar said:

I find it hard to believe that there are still fans who claim to have watched us for the past 2 years yet at the same time claim all we need is to sign a CB "cos then we wud defend bettur buh".

Quote

People are suggesting signing a CB because we didn’t have enough last season. I find it hard to believe that there are fans who have watched us last season who didn’t realise.

Edited by Kingston Yellow

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4 minutes ago, Kingston Yellow said:

People are suggesting signing a CB because we didn’t have enough last season. I find it hard to believe that there are fans who have watched us last season who didn’t realise.

That’s because of injuries. I find it hard to believe you were paying attention last season.

If all our defenders are fit, we have enough (and for the championship they are more than good enough). 
 

 

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I think we only need to sign one more at the moment as we already have quite a large number but if we do sign one they must be experienced and not injury prone, as Hanley, Zimbo and Klose all are.  If we lose any of our current squad we will need more - might be  pondering over Gibson at the moment.

Have read on Wikipedia that Quintilla can play as a CB if necessary

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Klose, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Hanley, Famewo as the youngster, Tettey, Quintilla and Sorensen as emergencies. Bushiri's out on loan as well.

Are we really that short? Unless we have an injury crisis like last season, I don't think so.

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As I already said earlier in the thread, Quintilla has played a total of NINE games at CB in his entire career, so whoever edited the Wiki to make that statement is giving a misleading impression.

I'm not saying he potentially can't play as a CB (look what happened with Russ Martin), but the fact is that he's NOT a CB, he's rarely ever played there, and to suggest that he's more than good enough to cover there if needed is hopeful at best and deluded at worst.

The only reason we'd sign a CB right now is if it was a genuine improvement on Zimmermann/Hanley, but please let's not be suggesting that somehow Quintilla is just as good an option at CB, because there's basically no evidence to support this.

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6 minutes ago, Indy_Bones said:

As I already said earlier in the thread, Quintilla has played a total of NINE games at CB in his entire career, so whoever edited the Wiki to make that statement is giving a misleading impression.

I'm not saying he potentially can't play as a CB (look what happened with Russ Martin), but the fact is that he's NOT a CB, he's rarely ever played there, and to suggest that he's more than good enough to cover there if needed is hopeful at best and deluded at worst.

The only reason we'd sign a CB right now is if it was a genuine improvement on Zimmermann/Hanley, but please let's not be suggesting that somehow Quintilla is just as good an option at CB, because there's basically no evidence to support this.

That's precisely why I put him as an "emergency" in my list. He's someone we can feasibly throw in there if needs really must.

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5 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Klose, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Hanley, Famewo as the youngster, Tettey, Quintilla and Sorensen as emergencies. Bushiri's out on loan as well.

Are we really that short? Unless we have an injury crisis like last season, I don't think so.

It's a fair point, but with a truncated season I think having real depth is going to be crucial, rotation is probably going to be more necessary than normal. Plus any injury keeps a player out for a proportionally higher number of games than any other year. A crucial determinant as to who is promoted this year will possibly just be who can keep the most number of fit, fresh, upper championship standard players on the field for the most amount of time playing in familiar positions.

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Just now, 1902 said:

It's a fair point, but with a truncated season I think having real depth is going to be crucial, rotation is probably going to be more necessary than normal. Plus any injury keeps a player out for a proportionally higher number of games than any other year. A crucial determinant as to who is promoted this year will possibly just be who can keep the most number of fit, fresh, upper championship standard players on the field for the most amount of time playing in familiar positions.

Fair point and I've made the same point in other threads, however on running stats centre-halves don't generally tend to cover as much ground as pretty much everyone else so if any outfield position is likely to be a bit better rested, it's at centre-half. On top of that, having settled partnerships in that position is probably worth more than a shade of freshness here and there.

Agree with the last bit fully. Also another reason to like the very pro-active buying of players as if we don't really lose any, we really should have tremendous depth this season. That was a hallmark of two seasons ago - we lost Leitner but Vrancic stepped up, then we lost Hanley and Zimmermann stepped up. Arguably the only player we never quite replaced was Buendia and we had that late wobble when he was suspended after his red card against QPR.

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3 hours ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

Am I the only one who wonders where the new CB (s) might be? 

yes we have been prolific in the market - great. But how many midfielders does a side need when the obvious issues are in defence? 
 

Zimmerman is ace. Hanley blows hot and cold and is often injured. Klose is not the player he was and I still am not convinced that Godfrey is a CB at all. 
 

For me this summer was ALL about sorting out a central defence that has been porous for two seasons now...where are they? 

Oh do go take a long walk off a very short pier. Season doesn't start for two weeks yet. Window shuts in five.

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I've an inkling that the only way we'll sign another CB is if we sold Godfrey for decent money...if we dont they'll think they can get by with what we have.

If all 4 of our central defenders were to stay and (highly unlikely) stay fit, in signing another CB Farke would then have to drop 2 of Godfrey,Zimmerman and club captain Hanley. I'm not sure he has the appetite to do that?

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Hanley was great before his latest injury, Klose is also injury prone and was appalling after lockdown. The two of them can not be relied upon to play most of the season (and I don't think Klose is good enough) so I think we 100% need to strengthen in that area... As has been shown with the approach for Gibson, the manager team obviously think so to....

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1 hour ago, Kingston Yellow said:

People are suggesting signing a CB because we didn’t have enough last season. I find it hard to believe that there are fans who have watched us last season who didn’t realise.

We had an unprecedented amount of injuries in CB last season though. We didnt the season before. Or before that.

I find it hard to believe I've had to explain that.

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1 hour ago, Fiery Zac said:

That’s because of injuries. I find it hard to believe you were paying attention last season.

If all our defenders are fit, we have enough (and for the championship they are more than good enough). 
 

 

That’s what the club thought at the start of last season and look how that turned out. Many more games in a short period of time this season. Add our defenders injury history to that and no we don’t have enough defenders for next season as it is. We’re talking more about Tettey or Sorensen or Quintilla deputising but that should be plan C not plan B. 

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I think it is absolutely clear that the management team feel we need an extra CB or they wouldn't be trying to get Gibson.

There are people on this thread who always 100% back whatever the management team do (which is fair enough) but who are now arguing that we don't need another CB when that very same management team are trying to bring one in.

If you back our management team, then you have to believe we need an extra CB.......... right ??

 

 

That's a lot of "management team's" in a small amount of words 🤣

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1 minute ago, Mark .Y. said:

I think it is absolutely clear that the management team feel we need an extra CB or they wouldn't be trying to get Gibson.

There are people on this thread who always 100% back whatever the management team do (which is fair enough) but who are now arguing that we don't need another CB when that very same management team are trying to bring one in.

If you back our management team, then you have to believe we need an extra CB.......... right ??

 

 

That's a lot of "management team's" in a small amount of words 🤣

...the question is though ..is it Gibson or nobody?

If we dont get him, will it be that dreaded line "We'll go with what we've got" ??

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3 hours ago, pete said:

2 years it has been since Farke in charge.  Milwall 4-0 I was there and it was awful

Yet he's just taken charge of his 4th pre-season.

#maths

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3 hours ago, Rolf Harris said:

Wasn't it our poor midfield which left our defence exposed last season. Centre back is desirable but not a necessatiy. Still got to see if the youth lad can step up. 

Exactly. Sorting the protection in from of the back four was the priority for the close season. 

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1 hour ago, Mark .Y. said:

I think it is absolutely clear that the management team feel we need an extra CB or they wouldn't be trying to get Gibson.

There are people on this thread who always 100% back whatever the management team do (which is fair enough) but who are now arguing that we don't need another CB when that very same management team are trying to bring one in.

If you back our management team, then you have to believe we need an extra CB.......... right ??

 

 

That's a lot of "management team's" in a small amount of words 🤣

Thats assuming the management team are generally looking for a CB rather than specifically after Gibson because hes available and a genuine improvement on our back four.

I understand Gibson for that reason, but it doesn't necessarily mean the management team are after a CB regardless.

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10 hours ago, hogesar said:

We had an unprecedented amount of injuries in CB last season though. We didnt the season before. Or before that.

I find it hard to believe I've had to explain that.

The season before we did have an injury crisis. That was the reason Godfrey came in against Bolton.

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1 hour ago, Dr Greenthumb said:

The season before we did have an injury crisis. That was the reason Godfrey came in against Bolton.

That wasn't a crisis. That was just managing a normal footballing situation where injuries happen and we were never short of two  decent centre backs to call on. So four centre backs should be enough for most seasons and to have three cbs out in the PL season was unprecented in that sense. All four were injured at one point, with Godfrey playing several games with his injury.

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54 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

That wasn't a crisis. That was just managing a normal footballing situation where injuries happen and we were never short of two  decent centre backs to call on. So four centre backs should be enough for most seasons and to have three cbs out in the PL season was unprecented in that sense. All four were injured at one point, with Godfrey playing several games with his injury.

Last season wasn’t a crisis either then. There has been 2 bodies at the back every time.

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We definitely need a solid CB to come in. Last season definitely showed us that. Yes it was unprecedented, now it isn't. These injuries might reoccur in those players. 

What we really need is a decent partnership in CB and a decent back up partnership as we have a more compact season. 

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1 hour ago, Dr Greenthumb said:

Last season wasn’t a crisis either then. There has been 2 bodies at the back every time.

There hasn't. At one point didnt we need both Tettey and Amadou as we didnt have one natural CB fit?

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Wouldn't surprise me if we need somebody to match our valuation of one of our young stars before we can resume spending.

Perhaps at least want a few off the wage bill, like Trybull, Leitner and Drmic? 

Lets hope a couple leaving will open the door up to Ben Gibson or whoever else it is we have lined up. 

Currently sitting on a very big squad. 

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14 minutes ago, The Bristol Nest said:

When Godfrey leaves we will only have three senior centre backs.

I think our appalling 10 game run of defeats would have turned a lot of clubs off of a lot of our players, look at Liverpool being willing to pay £10m for Jamal Lewis but going elsewhere to spend £14m on a Greek when we asked for more.

Edited by TeemuVanBasten

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