What do we still need?

PMB1872

PMB1872

Well-Known Member
Looking at our first team and squad, what do we still need to be guaranteed to go toe to toe with them all season, this one and next?

Goalkeepers- Not wholly convinced by Wes to be honest. A good shot stopper but poor at crosses and corners. Alnwick pretty much untested. Needs: Probably okay compared to them for now.

Full backs - Tav improved on last season but still suspect defensively. Likewise Wallace. Hodson passable cover versus poorer opposition. No idea yet re Elton.
Needs: First choice RB and LB upgrade.

Centre halves - Alves very good; Cardoso prone to the odd error it seems. Back-up in Danny Wilson a worry. The others too raw.
Needs: An experienced back-up centre half

Centre midfield - Well covered with Jack, Rossiter, Dorrans and Pena, albeit the latter still to get up to full pace though showing more, and Dorrans still to properly impress. Holt as an ok back up to throw in for cup games or home games v relegation battlers. Niko fine against most teams, though probably preferable to use as a last half hour impact sub. Barjonas may also come through.
Needs: Nothing much at the moment.

Wide midfield - Really only Candeias, Windass and Nemane and John natural in these positions. Candeias has shown he is the real deal an Windass, to me, has surprisingly come back from what looked like an almost certain wilderness. A worrying lack of right side options though and the Nemane and John both unknowns at the moment. Niko out wide is certainly not the answer.
Needs: Another right sided wide player, perhaps one who can play in more than one position to provide squad cover.

Strikers - Morelos has started very well, and fingers crossed this continues. A real find. Herrera clearly has decent technical skill but doesn't seem to get into scoring positions often, albeit we've only seen him sporadically so far. Kenny could still do a job as a 9. He should not play anywhere else though as he's often the cause of attacks slowing or aborting when outside the box. Hardie has the potential but if Pedro is serious about this boy he has to start giving him regular 20 minute plus sub appearances. Dodoo may come back from Charlton and he has looked like he can finish but that's a wait and see.
Needs: Probably we could do with a solid experienced back-up 9 who has a reasonable goal to game ratio and who is the right side of 30.

Happy to be shot down, but just calling it as I see it so far.
 
What do we need ? A big scary cûnt to chase journalists with an axe would be a start.
 
Personally think Tav is good enough for us at RB, massive improvement defensively and one of our most creative players. He links up with Candeias really well too.
 
Necro said:
Personally think Tav is good enough for us at RB, massive improvement defensively and one of our most creative players. He links up with Candeias really well too.
Click to expand...


I agree, he's not perfect defensively but vastly improved

Going forward he is very good
 
PMB1872 said:
Looking at our first team and squad, what do we still need to be guaranteed to go toe to toe with them all season, this one and next?

Goalkeepers- Not wholly convinced by Wes to be honest. A good shot stopper but poor at crosses and corners. Alnwick pretty much untested. Needs: Probably okay compared to them for now.

Full backs - Tav improved on last season but still suspect defensively. Likewise Wallace. Hodson passable cover versus poorer opposition. No idea yet re Elton.
Needs: First choice RB and LB upgrade.

Centre halves - Alves very good; Cardoso prone to the odd error it seems. Back-up in Danny Wilson a worry. The others too raw.
Needs: An experienced back-up centre half

Centre midfield - Well covered with Jack, Rossiter, Dorrans and Pena, albeit the latter still to get up to full pace though showing more, and Dorrans still to properly impress. Holt as an ok back up to throw in for cup games or home games v relegation battlers. Niko fine against most teams, though probably preferable to use as a last half hour impact sub. Barjonas may also come through.
Needs: Nothing much at the moment.

Wide midfield - Really only Candeias, Windass and Nemane and John natural in these positions. Candeias has shown he is the real deal an Windass, to me, has surprisingly come back from what looked like an almost certain wilderness. A worrying lack of right side options though and the Nemane and John both unknowns at the moment. Niko out wide is certainly not the answer.
Needs: Another right sided wide player, perhaps one who can play in more than one position to provide squad cover.

Strikers - Morelos has started very well, and fingers crossed this continues. A real find. Herrera clearly has decent technical skill but doesn't seem to get into scoring positions often, albeit we've only seen him sporadically so far. Kenny could still do a job as a 9. He should not play anywhere else though as he's often the cause of attacks slowing or aborting when outside the box. Hardie has the potential but if Pedro is serious about this boy he has to start giving him regular 20 minute plus sub appearances. Dodoo may come back from Charlton and he has looked like he can finish but that's a wait and see.
Needs: Probably we could do with a solid experienced back-up 9 who has a reasonable goal to game ratio and who is the right side of 30.

Happy to be shot down, but just calling it as I see it so far.
Click to expand...

Yep pretty much the way I see it. I'm not saying they are necessary this instant but they would complete the team IMO.
 
Lono said:
What do we need ? A big scary cûnt to chase journalists with an axe would be a start.
Click to expand...
That is also true. Hopefully our board are making some noise behind the scenes in the direction of BBC head office to start.
 
A commanding No 1 should be on our list to take us to the next level. For all his shot-stopping ability, Wes has actually had a reasonably poor start to the season. Of 9 shots on target against us in the league so far, 6 have resulted in goals. That's quite a poor ratio. Comparably, Celtic have had 11 shots on target against them, with only 3 goals conceded.

I actually like Wes as a keeper, but we need better.
 
A creative winger out on the left for me. Jack and Rossiter could well be our midfield partnership for years to come, especially with Dorrans and Nikos experience helping them too.

If Morelos can get us 25+ goals a season, another creative winger and maybe another football and we could start challenging once everyone gels.
 
Fowz said:
A commanding No 1 should be on our list to take us to the next level. For all his shot-stopping ability, Wes has actually had a reasonably poor start to the season. Of 9 shots on target against us in the league so far, 6 have resulted in goals. That's quite a poor ratio. Comparably, Celtic have had 11 shots on target against them, with only 3 goals conceded.

I actually like Wes as a keeper, but we need better.
Click to expand...

I guess the devil is in the detail there.

For example - one of the goals conceded was an own goal. Does that count as a shot on target against us?

Of the goals we've conceded, I'd say Wes could have done better with only one of them - Murray's goal for Hibs. And that's possibly being harsh.
 
If we want to win the title I think we're still short of a quality addition in central defence, midfield and up front.
 
Too early to tell OP for most of this squad if we're honest,although the skipper will need replacing next season I suspect.
Barring that we need to give the rest a chance to perform first I feel.
 
Over the next few windows;

LB
2 x CB, eventually take over from Alves. Replace Wilson.
CM
AM - capable of playing a few roles.
LW
ST

We could potentially lose a number of players in the summer; Miller, Kranjcar, John, Nemane, O'Halloran, Holt, Forrester, Dodoo etc...
 
Think we're a ways off challenging them tbf, however squad improvement in one window has been excellent.
 
A goal scoring wide man and a replacement for Miller would see us do pretty well, assuming not too many injuries.

However to really feel confident, the majority of our team are squad level players. You'd probably want 5 or 6 new starters.
 
I'd be happy at continued improvement.

A deeper squad.

Treat no player as untouchable and if a great deal comes up for an obvious upgrade to anyone, take it.
 
For me the full backs are the weak point every time we have played them they have ripped us apart down both side, Tav is good going forward but average at defending and fails to track back as much as he should be
 
Fowz said:
A commanding No 1 should be on our list to take us to the next level. For all his shot-stopping ability, Wes has actually had a reasonably poor start to the season. Of 9 shots on target against us in the league so far, 6 have resulted in goals. That's quite a poor ratio. Comparably, Celtic have had 11 shots on target against them, with only 3 goals conceded.

I actually like Wes as a keeper, but we need better.
Click to expand...


No matter what you think of Wes as a keeper, that stat is an irrelevance.

If you insist on going down the stat road then. ... what distance were these shots from, what power were they hit with, were they straight at the keeper or in the corner and so on.

A stat like that tells you nothing mate, other than someone has got too much time on their hands.
 
garyd22 said:
For me the full backs are the weak point every time we have played them they have ripped us apart down both side, Tav is good going forward but average at defending and fails to track back as much as he should be
Click to expand...


If you look back at our games against them over the past 2 seasons then Wallace has definitely got the better of both Forrest and in particular Roberts.

Roberts certainly gave young Beerman problems in the 2 games Wallace was injured, but other than that he's done nothing against us.
 
MearnsUnionist said:
If you look back at our games against them over the past 2 seasons then Wallace has definitely got the better of both Forrest and in particular Roberts.

Roberts certainly gave young Beerman problems in the 2 games Wallace was injured, but other than that he's done nothing against us.
Click to expand...


What about Tav on the other side?
 
We need a Walters or a cooper.And a big presence in the box.Oh and a full back.Thats all for now santa and maybe a bike.
 
Tav has improved considerably and if we can play our best eleven with no injuries then we should be good enough to beat thistle twice
 
garyd22 said:
What about Tav on the other side?
Click to expand...


Certainly got exposed when we went 3 at the back against them at New Year.

He's certainly looked better this season and I think a lot of that has to do with the support he gets from Candeias and the fact we now have a proper DM.
 
Not far from my thoughts but I disagree about Fod and Miller. Fod is a quality keeper and we'll struggle to do better without spending serious money. Miller is past it and shouldn't be near the team except in an emergency, we need another striker or Hardie to be the player we want him to be
 
We need another summer transfer window that was as good as the last one.

We have brought in lots of players who have improved many different positions of our team and we look a far better team for it.

If, and it's a big if, we can improve again next summer then we'll be in very good shape.

A new left back, a central midfielder, a left sided midfielder/winger and another striker would be priority for me.
 
Better fullbacks and a better keeper are the glaring weak spots. We could potentially get away with current encumbants (Tav has improved, Fod has many qualities and LW is OK) but getting better quality in there would push us up a notch
 
Fowz said:
A commanding No 1 should be on our list to take us to the next level. For all his shot-stopping ability, Wes has actually had a reasonably poor start to the season. Of 9 shots on target against us in the league so far, 6 have resulted in goals. That's quite a poor ratio. Comparably, Celtic have had 11 shots on target against them, with only 3 goals conceded.

I actually like Wes as a keeper, but we need better.
Click to expand...
Would have to agree.
 
Jaws said:
Think we're a ways off challenging them tbf, however squad improvement in one window has been excellent.
Click to expand...
It certainly has. And it already appears that Pedro and his staff have a better eye for a player than Warburton and McParland.
 
Fowz said:
A commanding No 1 should be on our list to take us to the next level. For all his shot-stopping ability, Wes has actually had a reasonably poor start to the season. Of 9 shots on target against us in the league so far, 6 have resulted in goals. That's quite a poor ratio. Comparably, Celtic have had 11 shots on target against them, with only 3 goals conceded.

I actually like Wes as a keeper, but we need better.
Click to expand...

Another here who would like to see an upgrade on Wes.

It is astonishing how often goals from way, way out hit the back of our net. Don't know if it's his positioning, or his feet movement being too slow, but I get the fear every time a shot comes in from distance.

Having watched Lewis of the sheep against Hearts the other day, and if that is his usual standard, I'd do a straight swap tomorrow without the blink of an eye.
 
Flash81 said:
3 quality players in any position and we are off.
Click to expand...
I'd say 4 quality players, I'd like an upgrade on our keeper(an international keeper),left back,right back & a scoring midfielder(we might already have one time will tell)
I'd like us to be solid at the back and go from there,pretty much the way we did when Walter came back & got cuellar/davie weir.
 
PMB1872 said:
Looking at our first team and squad, what do we still need to be guaranteed to go toe to toe with them all season, this one and next?

Goalkeepers- Not wholly convinced by Wes to be honest. A good shot stopper but poor at crosses and corners. Alnwick pretty much untested. Needs: Probably okay compared to them for now.

Full backs - Tav improved on last season but still suspect defensively. Likewise Wallace. Hodson passable cover versus poorer opposition. No idea yet re Elton.
Needs: First choice RB and LB upgrade.

Centre halves - Alves very good; Cardoso prone to the odd error it seems. Back-up in Danny Wilson a worry. The others too raw.
Needs: An experienced back-up centre half

Centre midfield - Well covered with Jack, Rossiter, Dorrans and Pena, albeit the latter still to get up to full pace though showing more, and Dorrans still to properly impress. Holt as an ok back up to throw in for cup games or home games v relegation battlers. Niko fine against most teams, though probably preferable to use as a last half hour impact sub. Barjonas may also come through.
Needs: Nothing much at the moment.

Wide midfield - Really only Candeias, Windass and Nemane and John natural in these positions. Candeias has shown he is the real deal an Windass, to me, has surprisingly come back from what looked like an almost certain wilderness. A worrying lack of right side options though and the Nemane and John both unknowns at the moment. Niko out wide is certainly not the answer.
Needs: Another right sided wide player, perhaps one who can play in more than one position to provide squad cover.

Strikers - Morelos has started very well, and fingers crossed this continues. A real find. Herrera clearly has decent technical skill but doesn't seem to get into scoring positions often, albeit we've only seen him sporadically so far. Kenny could still do a job as a 9. He should not play anywhere else though as he's often the cause of attacks slowing or aborting when outside the box. Hardie has the potential but if Pedro is serious about this boy he has to start giving him regular 20 minute plus sub appearances. Dodoo may come back from Charlton and he has looked like he can finish but that's a wait and see.
Needs: Probably we could do with a solid experienced back-up 9 who has a reasonable goal to game ratio and who is the right side of 30.

Happy to be shot down, but just calling it as I see it so far.
Click to expand...
We need a quality keeper. Wes is average at best. We need 2 quality full backs who can defend first and foremost. Tav may be an option for us wide midfield now and again. Wallace just isn't good enough for where we need to be. Last but not least we need a Leader. Someone to kick Arse when it's needed. Again Wallace isn't a Captain or a Leader.
 
I think we have to be prepared to replace any of our team I'd we get the opportunity to bring in someone better.

If I'm choosing where we focus on right now, I'd be looking for a new left back, a left winger / midfielder, and possibly a new forward too.

Lot s based on conjecture right now though, it's a long season and we really need to see what the new guys, and the youngsters, have to offer over the season.
 
we need someone on the left, I respect the decesion to wait for walker and i really hope we strike a deal for jan but I hope being so light there doesn't end up hurting us and hurting pedro
 
Wilbour said:
We need a quality keeper. Wes is average at best. We need 2 quality full backs who can defend first and foremost. Tav may be an option for us wide midfield now and again. Wallace just isn't good enough for where we need to be. Last but not least we need a Leader. Someone to kick Arse when it's needed. Again Wallace isn't a Captain or a Leader.
Click to expand...
A Leader on the pitch is very important. All successful teams have one. And you're right, Lee Wallace isn't it.
 
A bit of luck, for once. Keep up the current momentum (starting with a win tonight). Go game by game until January and then re-assess. I think we look short out wide both in midfield and also at full back, as the OP says. We are IMO 3 injuries away from a severe drop in quality but I think we have the makings of a decent side.
 
It's still far too early to even know-we haven't faced the Beggars yet or Edinburgh away or whatever. Still a lot of questions to be answered so you can't even begin to guess. Later will the Mexicans be stars? We simply don't know.
 
Let me update my original thoughts... a left back and a centre half. Possibly both first choice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Latest posts

Back
Top