Current Squad

[RedJ]

Haven't read all the posts so sorry if mentioned but Scunny did play a very high line with him in. Always got exposed. We play deeper.

[DonnyOsmond]

Haven't read all the posts so sorry if mentioned but Scunny did play a very high line with him in. Always got exposed. We play deeper.

Exactly. We know what our players are capable of and play to a way they can compete. Whoever was doing the tactics at Scunthorpe must not have understood much about football.

[wilts rover]

Who on here went to Swindon away? When they ran rings around us playing the ball on the floor and we didn't have a shot on target all game? It will be like that every week in the Championship. We need a completly new squad, Jones would be a squad player at that level, no more.

[bedale rover]

Would agree that jonesy probably wouldn't be good enough to play one division up
But if he is coaching he could still get the odd game against the more long ball orientated teams

[MartinB]

Who on here went to Swindon away? When they ran rings around us playing the ball on the floor and we didn't have a shot on target all game? It will be like that every week in the Championship. We need a completly new squad, Jones would be a squad player at that level, no more.

But we dew 0-0?

[andyst79]

If Shelton Martis can play in the championship I'm dam sure Rob Jones can, could have done with him a few years earlier ,best header of a ball we've had in years and what he lacks in pace he makes up with leadership, desire and balls do for me any day. Think last season our centre halves were Hird, Lockwood, Martis & Naylor FFs!

[1BillyBright]

But we dew 0-0?

Dew you even know what day it is?

[mrfrostsdad]

Martis couldn't and still can't, play in the Championship. Another one who's not good enough. He spends most of his time injured anyway

[MartinB]

But we dew 0-0?

Dew you even know what day it is?

No obviously not we drew 1-1....I do know how to spell (well sometimes )there is a quote from Dean Saunders at the time from the game though:

"We've got something out of the game, when we weren't anywhere near our best. My defenders were outstanding all day."-Dean Saunders.

So Billy Know It All....over to you, football genius.
 

[BillyStubbsTears]

How anyone could think Jones would be good in the Championship having seen Billy Sharp pull his pants down at Scunthorpe away I'll never know 

How anyone could think Billy Sharp would be good in the Championship after seeing Jason Shackell put him in his pocket at the Keepmoat in Feb 2011, I'll never know.

Funny old game int it?

[drfcsteve]

I think the only one of our current back 4 that would survive would be Spurr. As much as I'd love Jones to succeed in the Championship it is a million miles away from the cloggers and hoofers we've seen this year. Pacy skilful strikers playing the ball on the floor would cause us major problems.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Someone like Jones, ie BIG central defender and a strong captain, is one of the things we lacked in the championship.

[GazLaz]

Slower players than jones have played centre half in the premiership.

[drfcsteve]

Compare Jones to Ward, Shackell etc, he's a legend in league one but is he honestly the same class as them two?

[MachoMadness]

I think if we stick with the organisation and have someone with a bit more pace besides him Jones would do just fine at Championship level. Honestly, apart from his lack of mobility, which we sorted by playing him deeper anyway, I'm not seeing much in the way of him being good enough to keep us in the Championship next year. Better players in front of him would help too.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I think the only one of our current back 4 that would survive would be Spurr. As much as I'd love Jones to succeed in the Championship it is a million miles away from the cloggers and hoofers we've seen this year. Pacy skilful strikers playing the ball on the floor would cause us major problems.

And yet Sam Hird and Adam Lockwood did a job for 4 years in the Championship. You reckon Jones and McCombe are worse than them?

Which is not to say that we wouldn't need strengthening - of course we would. But the Championship is not such a massive step up. We did well in our first year there with Sam Hird playing pretty much every week. And if you are saying Jones is not good enough, then Hird were proper shit. He wouldn't get within a country mile of the first team here this year.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Who on here went to Swindon away? When they ran rings around us playing the ball on the floor and we didn't have a shot on target all game? It will be like that every week in the Championship. We need a completly new squad, Jones would be a squad player at that level, no more.

What utter rubbish ...

Did we lose?

[BobG]

No Norfolk. But they did piss all over us.

BobG

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I love Rob Jones but he if he didn't make the grade a few years ago with Scunny I doubt he'd be able to next season at 33. Strikers in this division are a bit 1 dimensional, Championship strikers have a lot more about them. Love to be proven wrong though!

[BillyStubbsTears]

No Norfolk. But they did piss all over us.

BobG

Dunt mean owt though Bob.

It happens. Teams get out played. But the really big thing with this side is that they can hang in there when they are second best.

We dropped two points at Swindon after being outplayed. But we stopped them getting all three.

If (IF) we go up, that spirit will go a fair distance towards keeping us up. We'll need some more quality, sure. But the quality will be coming into a side with some real backbone and resilience.

[BobG]

Not denying that at all Billy. Agree with it in fact. My point was made as a direct response to a stupidity uttered by Norfolk where he got his fact completely wrong.

BobG

[Norfolk N Chance]

Not denying that at all Billy. Agree with it in fact. My point was made as a direct response to a stupidity uttered by Norfolk where he got his fact completely wrong.

BobG

If you look at the stats we lose every game ???

Discuss NNC with BobG

[BobG]

Pardon? What you smoking tonight then?

BobG

[Norfolk N Chance]

Pardon? What you smoking tonight then?

BobG

Thats the game.......we soak up all the pressure and hit them when they least expect it......

Thus all stats massively against us???

We have the best shots conversion rate in league.......

[Sammy Chung was King]

For me the following are more than capable of competing at Championship level,if we got there-
Gary Woods
Tommy Spurr
Paul Quinn
Rob Jones
David Syers
David Cotterill
Kyle Bennett
James Coppinger
Chris Brown
Ian Hume
James Husband
Griffin,Harper,maybe keep as squad players
NO-Paynter,McCombe,Blake,Keegan,Martis(because of injuries,not lack of ability
NOT SURE The rest of the youth players,they haven't had enough games to judge,can't judge Sinclair or Fowler for the same reasons.

We underestimate as fans at times,just how good a side we have got,yes it's not as pleasing on the eye as before,but we've got durability,sheer dogged persistence,and a touch of class here and their,plus we are still waiting to see how Kyle Bennett and James Husband develop as players,on top of that the other young players,we've got a hell of a lot to be proud of.

[Norfolk N Chance]

For me the following are more than capable of competing at Championship level,if we got there-
Gary Woods
Tommy Spurr
Paul Quinn
Rob Jones
David Syers
David Cotterill
Kyle Bennett
James Coppinger
Chris Brown
Ian Hume
James Husband
Griffin,Harper,maybe keep as squad players
NO-Paynter,McCombe,Blake,Keegan,Martis(because of injuries,not lack of ability
NOT SURE The rest of the youth players,they haven't had enough games to judge,can't judge Sinclair or Fowler for the same reasons.

We underestimate as fans at times,just how good a side we have got,yes it's not as pleasing on the eye as before,but we've got durability,sheer dogged persistence,and a touch of class here and their,plus we are still waiting to see how Kyle Bennett and James Husband develop as players,on top of that the other young players,we've got a hell of a lot to be proud of.

NO-Paynter,McCombe,Blake,Keegan,Martis(because of injuries,not lack of ability

Paynter, Blake and indeed Martis very very capable of playing higher

[Sammy Chung was King]

I'm an admirer of the ability Martis has,but the injuries don't seem to clear up,though he has been available of late,but can't force his way in to the side,Blake still hasn't got in to shape from the summer,some of that due to us having a settled team,he hasn't shown me anything that says he can still do a job in the championship,Paynter is a decent striker,but he wouldn't cause that many problems at that level,for me he wouldn't get ten goals in the division above,McCombe for me,you have to pick between Jones and him,you can't play them both in that division,we would ship loads of goals,due to them both lacking pace,we would need a centre-half with good positional sense and a bit of pace,alongside Jones.

[BobG]

Still don't mean Swindon didn't piss on us Norfolk. They did. We got a draw. Good. We defended well against a very good side. What's wrong with admitting it? Or don't your eyes work?

BobG

[Norfolk N Chance]

Still don't mean Swindon didn't piss on us Norfolk. They did. We got a draw. Good. We defended well against a very good side. What's wrong with admitting it? Or don't your eyes work?

BobG

"They pissed all over us" So did we under SOD means f**k all!!

Did u go Blades away??

The most one sided contest i have seen in watching football i.e. they had 100% of ball!!

Did they win .........

[MachoMadness]

Of our team, I reckon the following could definitely do a job:

Griffin (depending on how his legs and fitness hold up)
Jones
Spurr
Cotts
Copps
M Woods (why is everyone forgetting him?)
Brown

Most of the rest are maybes:
Quinn
Husband (needs time to develop but definitely will be in a few years)
McCombe (like Jones he's slow but is more prone to a rick)
Syers (has good energy but unsure about his technique in the middle of the park for the level above)
Bennett (if he gets his head out his arse once in a while)
Hume (great linkup play but not a finisher, maybe we wouldn't be able to carry him at the level above unless his finishing improves)
Paynter (struggled at that level before)

Players like Woods, Keegan, Harper would be dead wood at that level. Martis is a sick note we can't afford, if we don't know that by now we never will.

I make it that most of what we'd call first team players are either capable, or have the potential to be if they iron out a few flaws. I know it's easier said than done, which is why we'd need to make a few signings. But it does show, in my opinion, that when you break it down and look at it we're maybe better suited to the level above than people give us credit for.