Tom_1992 wrote:El_Nombre wrote:Tom_1992 wrote:
Errr why's that? Cutler will have definitely had a large hand but that's not to say Whitney didn't too.
And what's Leahy done that's so bad? I think he's had one bad half in the 3 games I've seen him and played very well second half against Oldham. Set up Bakayoko and bombed forward seemingly non stop second half and I don't remember them taking him apart defensively.
No they are put off by money, simple as. We still play more grounded football than most of the division. If anything not having many big strong units means we have to play that way. People don't look at Oztumer, Jackson, Edwards, Chambers and Morris and think "what a team of hoofers" do they? What players say and what players do are two separate things. Oztumer signed because we were a top 3 side that offered him enough money and the former is why he wouldn't sign now. Style of play and all that is lip service. Offer footballers enough money, they won't turn it down.
Oztumer signed because of the style of play and reputation that Smith built up - he simply would not have signed for Jon Whitney this summer.
I've also seen Leahy in all three of our competitive games, and the consensus with those who I've been at the games with is that he looks a bit slow for a wing back and got beat all too easily on both the inside and outside against Bury. Distribution also looked a bit shaky on Saturday - this would back up what some of the Falkirk fans were saying about him. Obviously it's early to judge, but Devlin looks the more impressive of the two so far.
I really hope Jon Whitney isn't signing our goalkeepers, that's Cutler's domain and I trust him 100% to get it right. Whitney might have the final say, but you can bet the research and groundwork is all done by Cutler.
With regards to style of play, it's obvious that there's been a change of approach - I even asked Dan Mole about this and he confirmed it at the fans focus meeting - and I actually have no problem with it as long as it's done in the right way. Direct football can still be exciting, unfortunately last season and so far this season - second half on Saturday apart - we have been long-ball and boring, which isn't a good combination.
I agree he wouldn't have signed but that's purely because of where we finished. Literally nothing to do with style of play. I don't believe it to be that drastic a change that players would turn do good money, decent offers. No chance at all.
Being a wing back isn't just about pace. He's every bit as quick as McCarthy was last year and easily as quick as Laird. I admitted he had a bad half against Oldham but there was nothing wrong with his distribution second half and I didn't see any bad reviews from Falkirk fans, and even if there were that's a very dangerous thing to trust. Troy Deeney is fat and useless, remember? I wasn't actually at the Bury game I was referring to the Villa game in preseason, where he looked absolutely fine, I'll have to take your word for Bury.
I agree Devlin looks the better player but they are not in competition with each other, they are both on the same team. I don't see the relevance. That doesn't make Laird poor.
I really hope the manager is signing all of our players personally. It's one of the things he's paid to do. If he just said "I trust you Neil" and sent him off to sign somebody then that's a pretty dangerous thing to do.
Boring yes, but long ball is very harsh considering the style of the division as a whole. I've listed the players we have in the final third, I can't seem them just being labelled by anybody as "long ball" players. If that's what Dan Mole said then he has about as much of an idea about football as you'd expect a board member that thinks you can replace a player with half the funds to do.
Our style of play 100% had an impact on Oztumer's decision to join. He would've just watched Romaine Sawyers thrive in that role and earn a move to the Championship after playing as the axis in an attacking, dynamic and expansive team. What number 10 wouldn't want to get in on that action? It's also worth remembering that when Oztumer signed, a certain Tom Bradshaw was still on the books with many still believing that he would start 16/17 in a Saddlers shirt...
He's not as quick as McCarthy - who was our paciest player last season - and Laird only got used as a 'wing-back' once away to Fleetwood and the rest of the time he slotted in as a third CB so it's not fair to compare. Like I say it's early to judge, but watch the highlights of the Bury game gets turned way too easily for the second pen and generally struggled in that game. You list those players, and I agree that they're all technical(ish) footballers, which is why it's confusing as to why we've adopted the more direct approach when we don't really have the tools to implement it.
Smith managed to get us playing with the likes of Baxendale, Featherstone and Ashley Hemmings, whereas Jon Whitney couldn't even find a place in his team for Oztumer at times last season. Whitney clearly wants us to be more direct, we'll just have to see whether it works...
That is revisionist history of the highest order. Who on earth expected Tom Bradshaw to still be at Walsall the following year? Absolutely nobody. As soon as we stayed down he was as good as gone! As far as the style goes, as I keep trying to point out to you, yes it has changed but not to the extent you are talking. It's just not being coached and executed properly. We haven't just turned into a hoofball team. It's hardly like going to watch a Chris Hutchings team play. We are still one of the smallest teams in the league!
And nonsense on Laird too. He might not have been termed a wing back but there were plenty of games he was deployed as an attacking full back at least. He got forward plenty of times and to be fair Leahy has played that role too (fullback) if you really want to compare. He was brought so that Whitney could switch between the two formations, as was Devlin. Don't know where you get that McCarthy was so much quicker. If he was it's hardly like we are comparing a Ferrari to a milk float.
If you want a debate over who was the better manager with tactical nous then I'm not arguing that. But you seem to want to make out we've gone from Barcelona to Dog and Duck in the space of a year or so in terms of style of play which really isn't the case...
If we offered decent wages players would sign. Simple as.