[gazberg]

Rather than potentially derail the CC thread i thought i'd list my top 6 squads ( on paper )

1) Leicester
2) Leeds
3) Southampton


4 and 5 i would say WBA and Boro, tied really, can't choose.

6) Sunderland

[KYA]

You say we have a top six squad yet below  are comments of yours from some of the games.

Regarding Kipre  and Ajayi ...CC needs to accept he can't pick those 2 at CB unless absolutely unavoidable. Really poor from him.
I think CC is trying to get Kipre in the CB spot as he's the only one who can play out from the back. Long season if he sticks with this.
Kipre isn't ever getting dropped whilst fit regardless of how rubbish his defending is. He is key to CC plan
Pieters needs to be removed from this team.

I'm confused on the one hand you say we have a top six squad and yet it appears you don't rate 3 out of four of our experienced centre -backs?  or have you had a change of heart?
 

[NJS]

Rather than potentially derail the CC thread i thought i'd list my top 6 squads ( on paper )

1) Leicester
2) Leeds
3) Southampton


4 and 5 I would say WBA and Boro, tied really, can't choose.

6) Sunderland

So Ipswich 9 points better than Albion are nowhere in your list?  Cardiff and Blackburn not in the same league?

[gazberg]

So Ipswich 9 points better than Albion are nowhere in your list?  Cardiff and Blackburn not in the same league?

I said on paper. Ipswich are definitely over achieving but they are getting the results.  Cardiff and Blackburn i don't rate, same with Norwich and Watford.

You say we have a top six squad yet below  are comments of yours from some of the games.

Regarding Kipre  and Ajayi ...CC needs to accept he can't pick those 2 at CB unless absolutely unavoidable. Really poor from him.
I think CC is trying to get Kipre in the CB spot as he's the only one who can play out from the back. Long season if he sticks with this.
Kipre isn't ever getting dropped whilst fit regardless of how rubbish his defending is. He is key to CC plan
Pieters needs to be removed from this team.

I'm confused on the one hand you say we have a top six squad and yet it appears you don't rate 3 out of four of our experienced centre -backs?  or have you had a change of heart?
 

Pieters is spent.

CC has since made changes from my comments you have picked out and as a result the players that CC tactics made rubbish are now better. Criticism and praise in equal measure no?

[KYA]

I said on paper. Ipswich are definitely over achieving but they are getting the results.  Cardiff and Blackburn i don't rate, same with Norwich and Watford.

Pieters is spent.

CC has since made changes from my comments you have picked out and as a result the players that CC tactics made rubbish are now better. Criticism and praise in equal measure no?

That doesn't wash, what changes Bartley ? I only glanced at a couple of games maybe you don't rate him either you clearly didn't rate Kipre .
I also noticed you have a major downer on CC from the start of the season just as well he saw something in Kipre I guess that's why he's a football manager. 

[gazberg]

That doesn't wash, what changes Bartley ? I only glanced at a couple of games maybe you don't rate him either you clearly didn't rate Kipre .

What do you mean it doesn't wash? You went back and picked out comments from me during CC daft period. Most players were rubbish then as the tactics were rubbish.

CC is performing better so the players generally are too.

Bartley is good at this level as long as you keep him to just the basics.

Whats your top 6 anyway KYA? That is what the thread is about

[KYA]

What do you mean it doesn't wash? You went back and picked out comments from me during CC daft period. Most players were rubbish then as the tactics were rubbish.

CC is performing better so the players generally are too.

Bartley is good at this level as long as you keep him to just the basics.

Whats your top 6 anyway KYA? That is what the thread is about

I already gave my two penneth in the CC thread. Stands to reason the teams down from the prem plus the teams who made top six last season and anyone who has spent heavily  in the summer, that to me is logical.
Coventry who finished in the top six have spent 30 Million this year and yet you think our squad is
better.They must have bought some right rubbish then.

[gazberg]

I already gave my two penneth in the CC thread. Stands to reason the teams down from the prem plus the teams who made top six last season and anyone who has spent heavily  in the summer, that to me is logical.
Coventry who finished in the top six have spent 30 Million this year and yet you think our squad is
better.They must have bought some right rubbish then.

Sorry -  missed your six in the CC thread. Thanks.

Coventry have sold their 2 best players (and done well for both with only 12 months left on their deals) and i don't think the players they have bought in are as good. I don't think they are poor replacements, just not as good. I think Cov will finish top half. Cov are better than where they are but i don't see them in the play offs this season.

[KYA]

Sorry -  missed your six in the CC thread. Thanks.

Coventry have sold their 2 best players (and done well for both with only 12 months left on their deals) and i don't think the players they have bought in are as good. I don't think they are poor replacements, just not as good. I think Cov will finish top half. Cov are better than where they are but i don't see them in the play offs this season.

They signed two forwards for 15Million we have  a 300,000 kid from Salford and a freebie I don't know of them but assume they are better than Asantie and Maja.

[gazberg]

They signed two forwards for 15Million we have  a 300,000 kid from Salford and a freebie I don't know of them but assume they are better than Asantie and Maja.

The squad is bigger than 2 forwards though and we signed Dike for 7m or so too. BTA is worth a lot more than 300k we paid even with his limitations

[KYA]

The squad is bigger than 2 forwards though and we signed Dike for 7m or so too. BTA is worth a lot more than 300k we paid even with his limitations

Asante is worth about £3M tops and Dike similar if anyone would buy him with his injury record.
Coventry also spent 4.6M  and 2.3M on a centre-backs and 4.3 M on a right-back do we have any players barring Grady who would command that sort of money?

 









 

[gazberg]

Asante is worth about £3M tops and Dike similar if anyone would buy him with his injury record.
Coventry also spent 4.6M  and 2.3M on a centre-backs and 4.3 M on a right-back do we have any players barring Grady who would command that sort of money?

Simply looking at transfer value doesn't guarantee a good squad though.

We paid 15m for Burke, 4-8m for Zohore etc

[KYA]

Simply looking at transfer value doesn't guarantee a good squad though.

We paid 15m for Burke, 4-8m for Zohore etc

That's fair comment but probably the two worst signings in our history I imagine Coventry has more sense!

[gazberg]

That's fair comment but probably the two worst signings in our history I imagine Coventry has more sense!

Oh yeah they won't make signings as bad as those 2

[KN22]

I said on paper. Ipswich are definitely over achieving but they are getting the results.  Cardiff and Blackburn i don't rate, same with Norwich and Watford.

Pieters is spent.

CC has since made changes from my comments you have picked out and as a result the players that CC tactics made rubbish are now better. Criticism and praise in equal measure no?

Here we go again. Pieters is not spent and has played his part in several of the clean sheets we have recently achieved. I recall you saying Bartley was finished here a while ago. How did that work out?

[johnny Cash]

Dyke, Maja and Swift back on grass and doing ball work. There are not too many squads have that talent to come back in on paper

With that said I think ours is probably 6th-10th. There’s are definitely times in the past couple of seasons where our squad and depth has been down played (and injuries played up)  and other squads have been talked up.

Our depth in particular has been talked down in the past, with people suggesting other championship teams had incredible subs benches. At one stage last season people were talking about the amount of injuries we had causing issue, but the majority of  those players had played  minimal minutes when fit.

[wba_1996]

Interesting thread. Even more interesting that someone can argue which players are better whilst openly admitting they don't know them

My answer would swing wildly depending on whether the question was best starting XI or best squad as a whole. I'd like to think I have a pretty solid knowledge of the league and tried to give it a shot for the full squads but beyond the top 3 there isn't that much to chose between them.

1. Leicester
2. Leeds
3. Southampton

4. Norwich
5. WBA
6. Sunderland/Boro

Top 3 are miles ahead of the rest. You could chuck about 5-6 different teams in that 6th spot and I wouldn't argue. Sunderland have the best young squad, and I think we have the best experience. If we somehow get Dike and Maja fit and in good form then I think it's a comfortable top 6 squad despite it's limitations.

[gazberg]

Here we go again. Pieters is not spent and has played his part in several of the clean sheets we have recently achieved. I recall you saying Bartley was finished here a while ago. How did that work out?

Pieters is spent. His performance levels are way down on last season's. Not his fault. He's getting on. All part of getting older.

CC wasn't playing Bartley at the time. Can you remind me of the date I posted that comment roughly?

What's your top 6 and where you would place us outside of it?

[KN22]

Pieters is spent. His performance levels are way down on last season's. Not his fault. He's getting on. All part of getting older.

CC wasn't playing Bartley at the time. Can you remind me of the date I posted that comment roughly?

What's your top 6 and where you would place us outside of it?

We will agree to disagree on Pieters. He is not spent and still has a part to play. Let's wait and see. The comment about Bartley was late last season and I disagreed then.

My top 6

Leicester
Leeds
Southampton
Sunderland
Norwich
Ipswich

I would have us amongst a bunch of 4 or 5 including Coventry, Middlesbrough and Blues. Expectations for me were 8th to 12th at start of season.

[johnny Cash]

Not sure Ipswich is a top 6 squad. They’ve had an incredible start to the season but I struggle to see based on their signings how they’ve created a top 6 championship squad fresh out of league 2. They have a highly rated manager  and they may well make the play offs but we know the best squads don’t always perform. I don’t think they’ll get automatic.  I think we will beat them in two weeks

[Atomic]

Pieters is spent. His performance levels are way down on last season's. Not his fault. He's getting on. All part of getting older.

CC wasn't playing Bartley at the time. Can you remind me of the date I posted that comment roughly?

What's your top 6 and where you would place us outside of it?

Bit harsh on Pieters mate. Don't forget his wife is suffering from Cancer. None of us have any idea what affect that is having on him / his homelife etc.

As for this debate its all subjective, there are no right or wrong answers nor any real way of measuring squad strengths so I'm not really going to get involved in the discussion everyone will be pleased to know 

[gazberg]

Bit harsh on Pieters mate. Don't forget his wife is suffering from Cancer. None of us have any idea what affect that is having on him / his homelife etc.

As for this debate its all subjective, there are no right or wrong answers nor any real way of measuring squad strengths so I'm not really going to get involved in the discussion everyone will be pleased to know 

Total sympathy for him and his wife..I wished them well when the news came out on here but , for me , he's not been anywhere near it this season.

Yeah it's just an opinion thread. I'm not looking to change anyone's opinions or vice versa hopefully



EDIT- Going back to Pieters quickly now i have a bit more time, in my view i think he should have been given some time off for the circumstances as i agree it would have an effect but if he insists that he wants to play then so be it.

[gazberg]

We will agree to disagree on Pieters. He is not spent and still has a part to play. Let's wait and see. The comment about Bartley was late last season and I disagreed then.

My top 6

Leicester
Leeds
Southampton
Sunderland
Norwich
Ipswich

I would have us amongst a bunch of 4 or 5 including Coventry, Middlesbrough and Blues. Expectations for me were 8th to 12th at start of season.

Thanks for replying KN22, it's all about opinions.

A few people have said Norwich, not just yourself,  but i don't see the fuss over them. Strike me as very mid-table from what i've seen. Is it more a case of bad management there?

[gazberg]

Not sure Ipswich is a top 6 squad. They’ve had an incredible start to the season but I struggle to see based on their signings how they’ve created a top 6 championship squad fresh out of league 2. They have a highly rated manager  and they may well make the play offs but we know the best squads don’t always perform. I don’t think they’ll get automatic.  I think we will beat them in two weeks

Ipswich, on paper, look mid-table to me but they do have a very good manager. I think it will be interesting to see what happens to Ipswich once they hit a blip and how they handle it.


At the moment they are flying, running on confidence but i've watched them a few times this season on Sky and i've not been OVERLY impressed. I watched them against Rotherham last night and didn't seem to be anything special about them. A lot of energy but that was about it. Maybe that's enough these days in the EFL.

[liverbaggie]

Who decides who has best squad?
Its only a personal choice so there is nothing definitive about this
So, why dont we say every 10 games as a measurement that the top 6 are in fact the best squad
Obviuosly tge best 6 will be the top 6 at the end of the season
Its no good saying this squad is the best if they arnt in the top 6 get it?