Confirmed Graham Alexander New Manager, Chris Lucketti as Assistant

[Jürgen Krapp]

If we go down, which players do you all think would leave?

OB1 summed it up pretty well here

Devine would be a definite, but at a cut price.

Beyond him if you're a Championship club, who would you want to sign? Offiah maybe? Iversen as a back up? Small as a cheap "project"?

We also have a question of who would want to stay. Mills has already kicked off about playing League One football, who else would be of a similar mindset?

Then it's a question of how lazy our contract extensions are. Would anyone actually be shocked if we extended Lindsay because "he won't look as out of his depth at League One"?

 

[California_PNE]

If we go down, which players do you all think would leave?

Hopefully the lot of them

 

[Mortis]

There are still 111 points to play for, we have only played for 27 so far so, I refuse to throw in the towel yet.

Having said that, given that we lose players to injury regularly my biggest worry is keeping a decent team together. I really hope we bring in a centre back and striker in January (and decent ones).

Im normally pretty positive Joan but since Jan , I think it’s 5 wins in 26/27 , no clean sheets in 25 , and this squad lacks any real fight , create very little and cannot for the life of it find a clean sheet , we’ve also had a reasonably kind set of fixtures in the first 9 ( compared to the next 9 )
This isn’t on GA and the towel is never thrown in after 9 league games , but I will be surprised if this team doesn’t go down this season , we might find ourselves adrift very quickly , years and years of poor recruitment and the difference this season is Armstrong , Jebbison , Dobbin compared to Gibbs , Bergzoig and Erabi , the gulf is enormous.
I’m fully expecting and already preparing for next season in League One , hoping I’m wrong.

 

[Archie LEACH]

Why employ a manager from league 1 when we have already tried 2 from there who were found to be not good enough.

Terrible appointment, panic by Pr and IP and CH who I now think don't care about the club.

No strikers of note - who is going to score the goals that we need to gain points? apart from kenny who is injured

Who is going to defend our box? because that lot are not up to it Storey Lindsay Hughes all league 1 at best and all the championship clubs know it and exploit it

 

[monky1234]

OB1 summed it up pretty well here

Devine would be a definite, but at a cut price.

Beyond him if you're a Championship club, who would you want to sign? Offiah maybe? Iversen as a back up? Small as a cheap "project"?

We also have a question of who would want to stay. Mills has already kicked off about playing League One football, who else would be of a similar mindset?

Then it's a question of how lazy our contract extensions are. Would anyone actually be shocked if we extended Lindsay because "he won't look as out of his depth at League One"?

I think this is underplaying some of our squad as it makes it seem like we've got a squad full of L1 players, which isn't the case.

If we needed to offload players because of needing money, we could easily sell those that we bought this summer. Plus Offiah, and Small who someone would probably pay for due to his age, and would be for a profit.

The permanent players we've got as a whole IMO, is better than what it was in previous years. The issue has come with the overall squad building and where we've left ourselves light, and then the loans which have previously been where the best quality has come from, especially last season, are now subpar.

If we can survive this season, there's better foundations in the squad to actually properly start building on each season moving forward. Whilst certain players move on. Just a case of if we actually do or not. CB and Striker in January is a must.

 

[noelpne]

Then it's a question of how lazy our contract extensions are. Would anyone actually be shocked if we extended Lindsay because "he won't look as out of his depth at League One"?

The cold, heavy hand of Peter Ridsdale would still be having influence after all this time. I'm fed-up to the back teeth with the damage & scared of the potential damage he still carries.

 

[Bobbage]

Why employ a manager from league 1 when we have already tried 2 from there who were found to be not good enough.

Terrible appointment, panic by Pr and IP and CH who I now think don't care about the club.

 

[Grezzaball]

If we go down, which players do you all think would leave?

Would be a fire sale, can't afford their wages in league one.

 

[Archie LEACH]

and it was the same turgid awful football second half, nothing had changed and he had had the players for 2 weeks working on things? what were the things because it was dreadful. We played into Millwalls hands just like we did last season, clubs must be laughing their heads off at us

 

[Jürgen Krapp]

I think this is underplaying some of our squad as it makes it seem like we've got a squad full of L1 players, which isn't the case.

I think part of my concern is that a few of the championship quality players have fitness issues which I would expect to be off-putting to teams at this level

To me, the makeup of the squad has generally been 'League One standard but always available' and 'Championship standard that you won't get consistency out of'

I do agree we'd have an easier time selling the players we signed this summer though.

 

[Mushy pea farter]

Graham is an absolute genuine guy who loves our club, but our stay in the championship will sadly unfortunately end this coming May. It won’t be Graham’s fault or Heckingbottom’s or Lowe’s - and I personally don’t think under investment is the biggest issue ( though obviously could have been better) no it’s the god awful planning and recruitment that is the real issue.

How can underinvestment not be the biggest issue but recruitment is? I am not being pedantic but surely the former is responsible for the latter?

 

[Bobbage]

Terrible appointment, panic by Pr and IP and CH who I now think don't care about the club....

I should add, my BIGGEST fear about this appointment is that it's come from the new majority/minority ownership.

They do walk amongst us, but if the "BRING 'EM HOME" brigade are in charge of the Saudi money now, and after Alexander + Lucketti we're looking at a DoF role for Billy Davies, coaches of Mawene and Gallagher and a midfield of Browne and Pearson in January then fuck me... I'm done.

 

[monky1234]

I think part of my concern is that a few of the championship quality players is that a number of them have fitness issues which I would expect to be off-putting to teams at this level.

To me, the makeup of the squad is 'League One standard but always available' and 'Championship standard that you won't get consistency out of'

I don't think that would particularly put teams off buying someone, unless it's someone who's had a number of long term injuries over the last however many years. Buying players who are consistent in the Championship isn't the budget that all Championship teams have the luxury to do.

Not saying they're players that will bring us lots of money in, but they are Championship standard players, so teams would be keen if we want to offload.

 

[sw1980]

There was a moment before the game kicked off yesterday … the lads were warming up near the town end, The fans were giving the boys a good reception then Chris Lucketti stopped them all, told all the players to acknowledge the fans and the town end erupted and gave the lads a Great bit of backing before the game!!

This was all Chris Lucketti’s doing and exactly why I feel we have two good men in Graham Alexander and Chris lucketti.

Players now need to step up!!!

 

[OB1]

There was a moment before the game kicked off yesterday … the lads were warming up near the town end, The fans were giving the boys a good reception then Chris Lucketti stopped them all, told all the players to acknowledge the fans and the town end erupted and gave the lads a Great bit of backing before the game!!

This was all Chris Lucketti’s doing and exactly why I feel we have two good men in Graham Alexander and Chris lucketti.

Players now need to step up!!!

Gonna need a bit more from the coaching staff than a bit of fan acknowledgment in the warmup before proclaiming that we’ve got two good men at the helm.

Alex Neil barely mentions the fans but he wins games. That’s far more important in a manager

 

[Whist75]

I find it quite depressing going on Deepdale, yesterday was first game I’d been looking forward to in ages. The place has become pretty soulless, the entertainment value on offer is zero. To still be seeing a back 3 line up is so crap. I am bored to tears watching us.

 

[Archie LEACH]

I find it quite depressing going on Deepdale, yesterday was first game I’d been looking forward to in ages. The place has become pretty soulless, the entertainment value on offer is zero. To still be seeing a back 3 line up is so crap. I am bored to tears watching us.

and do you think it will change under this new regime? I don't.

Just what was Pr thinking in appointing GA and CL? they haven't done anything yet to justify a step up to a club in disarray and in need of a real sort out. Perhaps if they had got Bradford up and had stayed in the championship then yes.

We might as well stuck with Hecky till january,

the summer recruitment has been awful to let 5 strikers depart and only get 2 in is a disgrace. the riddler, penrose and Hemmings are a disgrace.

This is the club owned by the Hemmings family and Craig says he is fan then as a fan why can't he see how poor our backline has been for 2/3 years plus the fact that we need strikers.

I will repeat it our last 3 managerial appointments have been awful.

 

[sw1980]

Gonna need a bit more from the coaching staff than a bit of fan acknowledgment in the warmup before proclaiming that we’ve got two good men at the helm.

Alex Neil barely mentions the fans but he wins games. That’s far more important in a manager

I knew this sort of reply was coming and I totally agree would rather have wins etc. I just liked what Lucketti did (got the players to acknowledge that they are wearing the badge and to have some pride and effort and even acknowledge the tremendous fan base)

I thought to myself we have two decent men in the club now so standards should get better

 

[sw1980]

And Alex Neil has been my favourite manager so I’m all for the way Alex Neil goes about his business!

 

[Pgord]

and it was the same turgid awful football second half, nothing had changed and he had had the players for 2 weeks working on things? what were the things because it was dreadful. We played into Millwalls hands just like we did last season, clubs must be laughing their heads off at us

Yeah I agree wasn’t a few days he had them for 2 weeks and no real difference and no real new manager bounce and what’s worrying is the next set of fixtures -we could be adrift by Xmas so any takeover and money spent after that might not be enough.League 1 has a lot of biggish clubs and it could be years before we got back to Championship.I do blame Ridsdale he’s making the decisions about managers.