Squad comparison

[streathamdave]

I have in front of me a league 1 rovers programme from 2013. Thought it might be interesting to compare squads by squad number. I realise that some positions will be different.

1) Sullivan   1)Lawlor
2)Quinn       2)Halliday
3) Husband  3) James
4) Wilson     4)Anderson
5) Jones       5) Wright
6) Syers       6) Sheaf
7)Woods     7)Sadlier
8)Paynter   8)Whiteman
9)Brown      9)
10)Blake    10)Taylor
11) Cotterill   11)Crawford
12)Lundstrum  12)Gomes
13) Maxted   13)Jones
14) Spurr   14) Sterling
15) Wakefield  15)Baptiste
16) Mccombe  16)Amos
17) Hume        17)Blair
18)Sinclair   18)Prior
19)Griffin     19)May
20) Harper  20) Blaney
21) Fowler  21)Longbottom
22)Howieson   22) Watters
23) Bennett 23)Kiwomya
24)              24)Dieng
25)Ball         25)Mclean
26) COPPS BOTH
27)               27)Greaves
28)                28)Horton
29)                29)Boocock
30)Keegan     30)Gibbons
31)                31)Ennis
32)                32) John
33)Woods       33)
34)                 34)
35)Furman      35) Hasani

In fairness programme I'm looking at is from April so after transfer window, but not sure many of our current squad gets into that one. A few would. Still I'd rather have who we have now than be in Bolton/Bury or even Coventry situation and we are only a couple of players away from another playoff challenge. We still need that main striker, but I think we all realise that.

[Barmby Rover]

"not sure many of our current squad gets into that one", I think the current squad are faster, and more skilful than that one. Would you rather have Whiteman or Keegan? No comparison, the current one can pass a ball more than 5 yards. Sadlier or Woods? Sadlier stays fit. May or Bennet? Alfie shows up and puts a shift in. James or Husband, direct comparison last week, I am happy with what we have got. There is a lot more to this team now than meets the eye, and will improve, and the quality of football is much better.

[sedwardsdrfc]

I'd rather watch the current teams thats for sure. And for all the talk of us not having a striker we never had a real prolific striker then either

[scawsby steve]

So this squad's better than the one that won the League 1 title?

Yeah, right.

[Michael Shaw]

That year Billy Paynter scored 13, Dave Cotterill 10, Rob Jones 7 and Iain Hume ( on loan from Preston) 6. So the goals came from all over when you consider Jones was a defender.

[streathamdave]

Thanks Scawsby, think the one back then had more depth despite having a few less players. Good solid pros, particularly in defence. This said, it's Furman that I miss most from that side. Him alongside Whiteman would be great. I'm not writing off this season, and yes we have pace. but I'll still stick to my original assessment of the situation. Let's hope we have a good season and some of our current crop make a name for themselves.

[Michael Shaw]

There's a big difference between a top 6 side and champions and I don't see us being champions this year.

[RoversAlias]

Easiest thing to do in this debate is compare the "Best XI" and although that's a bit tricky with it being early in the season, it is reasonably achievable. The "Best XI" I've listed is made from those who made the most league appearances/starts, save for Lundstram who joined mid-season and replaced David Syers as first choice under Flynn, and Coppinger for Bennett for the same reason. People comparing to the likes of Husband and Martin Woods are either being convenient to their argument or forgetting the level of contribution from such players.

So would you take:

G. Woods, Quinn, McCombe, Jones, Spurr, Keegan, Lundstram, Cotterill, Coppinger, Paynter, Brown

OR

Lawlor, Halliday, Wright, Anderson, James, Whiteman, Sheaf, Sadlier, Coppinger, May, Ennis

Now for me personally, the title-winning squad has it fairly easily. I'd swap Woods for Lawlor, Wright/Anderson for McCombe, Whiteman for Keegan and that's about it. With Coppinger the same obviously.

Quinn, Spurr, Jones, Lundstram, Cotterill, Brown and Paynter would all walk into this team in their 2013 vintage right now. I would say that is hard to argue against.

[since-1969]

I have in front of me a league 1 rovers programme from 2013. Thought it might be interesting to compare squads by squad number. I realise that some positions will be different.

1) Sullivan   1)Lawlor
2)Quinn       2)Halliday
3) Husband  3) James
4) Wilson     4)Anderson
5) Jones       5) Wright
6) Syers       6) Sheaf
7)Woods     7)Sadlier
8)Paynter   8)Whiteman
9)Brown      9)
10)Blake    10)Taylor
11) Cotterill   11)Crawford
12)Lundstrum  12)Gomes
13) Maxted   13)Jones
14) Spurr   14) Sterling
15) Wakefield  15)Baptiste
16) Mccombe  16)Amos
17) Hume        17)Blair
18)Sinclair   18)Prior
19)Griffin     19)May
20) Harper  20) Blaney
21) Fowler  21)Longbottom
22)Howieson   22) Watters
23) Bennett 23)Kiwomya
24)              24)Dieng
25)Ball         25)Mclean
26) COPPS BOTH
27)               27)Greaves
28)                28)Horton
29)                29)Boocock
30)Keegan     30)Gibbons
31)                31)Ennis
32)                32) John
33)Woods       33)
34)                 34)
35)Furman      35) Hasani

In fairness programme I'm looking at is from April so after transfer window, but not sure many of our current squad gets into that one. A few would. Still I'd rather have who we have now than be in Bolton/Bury or even Coventry situation and we are only a couple of players away from another playoff challenge. We still need that main striker, but I think we all realise that.

Who would win ?

[steve@dcfd]

I’m not sure what our wage bill is now but the wage bill for the squad and others in 2012/2013 was around £7m

[jmt23]

Judge it at the end of the season, we have only just begun, and the new players who will have an impact, have not had that chance yet.

[Reesielad]

This team needs a Billy Paynter type player to throw on if we’re chasing the game towards the end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RedJ]

And to shit his keks and come off at half time at random.

[drfchound]

"not sure many of our current squad gets into that one", I think the current squad are faster, and more skilful than that one. Would you rather have Whiteman or Keegan? No comparison, the current one can pass a ball more than 5 yards. Sadlier or Woods? Sadlier stays fit. May or Bennet? Alfie shows up and puts a shift in. James or Husband, direct comparison last week, I am happy with what we have got. There is a lot more to this team now than meets the eye, and will improve, and the quality of football is much better.

We have a decent squad this season but of the 2013 squad I would prefer Sullivan to Lawlor,  Quinn over Halliday,  Cotterill over Crawford,  Lundstram instead of Gomes,  Spurr over James and definitely Bennett in place of Kywomya.

Would Jones get in the modern team instead of Wright or Anderson?

However, the team from 2013 have been proven to be good enough but this team is just getting started.

[RedJ]

I'd have Rob Jones over the majority of centre backs we've had. If we're going on pure ability maybe not, but he brings more than that to the team as well as being very good at this level - obviously not now but we're talking hypothetically if both squads were the age they are now/in 2013.

[drfchound]

I'd have Rob Jones over the majority of centre backs we've had. If we're going on pure ability maybe not, but he brings more than that to the team as well as being very good at this level - obviously not now but we're talking hypothetically if both squads were the age they are now/in 2013.

I would pick Jones too RedJ but it could be argued that he had the benefit of years of experience back then while Wright and Anderson are very young in comparison.

[DRFC_TID_93]

Whatever happened to Syers? Always seemed a good player to me and he just disappeared

[Al4475]

According to wiki (yes I know) he plays currently for Farsley Celtic and is still only 31.

[adamtherover]

I’m not sure what our wage bill is now but the wage bill for the squad and others in 2012/2013 was around £7m

really? That's players getting 280k a year...    I doubt the top earner was getting that, the fringe players wud have been on 1.5k maybe...

[RedJ]

Whatever happened to Syers? Always seemed a good player to me and he just disappeared

Think he had bad injuries at Scunny that ruined him.

[Chris Black come back]

That back line of Quinn, Jones, McCombe and Spurr was probably best defensive unit I have ever seen at Rovers. Better even than Hackett, Swailes, Wilcox and Kirby.

[Al4475]

That Kirby, Hackett, Wilcox and Sales backline was immense at times. I was thinking of them while reading the thread earlier - they'd be my collective favs I think.

[Chris Black come back]

Both of them had to work hard as behind them it was Perry Suckling and Gary Woods!

[Al4475]

Suckling didn't do quite as well as I thought he would to be fair.

[Jonathan]

I thought Perry Suckling was largely decent, big gloves to fill after Andy Beasley. Harsh to compare him with Gary Woods!

[Chris Black come back]

Perhaps. Dean Williams the better option at the time mind.

[Al4475]

Agreed on both points - I was expecting suckling to be really top class tho and he never really managed it for us - it was an injury wasn't it that curtailed his number 1 career it us? Then Williams came in and did really well.

[Bristol Red Rover]

I'd take this current squad over that 2013 squad, first 11 also. There's a few players from 2013 I'd maybe like as additions, but then I'm not sure they have the right kind of ability for how we play now.

[Surrey Rover]

There's a big difference between a top 6 side and champions and I don't see us being champions this year.

I didn’t see the squad of 2012/3 as champions either (and neither did anyone else) when on the corresponding August Bank Holiday weekend of that season they lost 1-0 at home to Crawley Town. That was closely followed a week later by a miserable toothless 2-1 defeat at Yeovil Town.

[Jonathan]

Agreed on both points - I was expecting suckling to be really top class tho and he never really managed it for us - it was an injury wasn't it that detailed his number 1 career it us? Then Williams came in and did really well.

When Suckling arrived all I knew of him was that he’d been the goalkeeper that conceded 9 for Crystal Palace against Liverpool. But looking back he’d got plenty of experience at a good level so I see why the expectation was high. Dean P Williams was a great keeper. Much better than Dean A Williams was as a striker!