I’ve missed a lot of games live this season due to some ongoing health issues, but somehow have managed, by hook or by crook, to catch the majority of games.
I think not going to the games as often has enabled me to take a step back and think properly about what’s happening at the football club.
I’ve never known a season with so much disruption on and off the pitch in terms of players and staff. With that in mind, I think Daniel Farke has done a pretty remarkable job and I’m looking forward to seeing how that develops.
The way James Maddison has been allowed to flourish has been the real highlight. Having him next season, even on loan, would be an unexpected bonus. It’s not impossible but is improbable. It will really come down to who is interested, if they match the valuation and if he believes he will play regularly, as it seems to me he has a very sensible head on those young shoulders.
I wouldn’t like to see him held back, however, as he’s Premier League quality. I’d just like it to be with us, at least to begin with.
Which brings me nicely on to next season. While I’d love to believe that the remodelling is done and things will be more settled, that’s simply not going to be the case.
This won’t go down well with many of my fellow fans but I’m expecting more of the same next season and am not expecting to hit the playoffs. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aim for them, I just don’t think it’s very likely. Weirdly, I’m OK with that too.
When Stuart Webber came on board he told us it would not be quick to fix, there was no quick solution and that it may take a few seasons. Note, he didn’t say one season, or indeed two, he said a few – so we all know it’s considered a long-term project.
It’s easy to see why too. Clearly, we still have players on the books on big salaries who do not seem to fit for one reason or another. Russell Martin, Yanic Wildschutt, Steven Naismith and Matt Jarvis to name four. We then have Angus Gunn and Harrison Reed heading back to their clubs and unlikely to return.
We also have some players who’s form has been intermittent – Nelson Oliveira, Timm Klose and Josh Murphy for example – and some who haven’t worked out – James Husband, Marcel Franke and Marley Watkins – and some who are likely leaving due to being out of contract and wanting larger wages: Wes Hoolahan and Alex Tettey.
What does that all add up to? Another very busy summer with lots of changes in playing staff. Webber will have to be creative too. Some of those players will not want to give up those contracts. We saw Naismith make a plea for the club to sort out his future.
Well, I have one too Stephen: agree to terminate your contract by mutual consent and move on. I think that’s best for all involved.
Among those there have been some roaring successes, none more so that Christoph Zimmermann. I’ve rarely seen a guy so humbled and honoured to play for us, and it’s great to see. Onel Hernandez looks a great acquisition and I still think Dennis Srneby could be, although I suspect with Farke pinpointing the need for a smart, pacey forward he may be used as backup next season.
In midfield, Tom Trybull has looked excellent and Marco Stiepermann has been a little mixed, but offered some positives there for sure.
Mario Vrancic is an interesting one too. He’s grown into life in the Championship and is a great asset on the ball but not so great off it. Hopefully, he can learn. Moritz Leitner looks the real deal to me; he’s one of those players that makes the game look effortless. I’d love to see him back here next season, but fear that’s unlikely.
We may well see the return of Ben Godfrey from loan, as all reports suggest he’s had a great season and the games I’ve watched he’s looked great. I feel Carlton Morris may head out on loan again, but he may figure. We also have Kenny McLean to come into the mix and I’m hopeful Louis Thompson can finally put his injuries behind him too.
I’m expecting the following to move on in some capacity:
Angus Gunn
Paul Jones
Russell Martin
Marcel Franke
Harrison Reed
Moritz Leitner
Alex Tettey
Wes Hoolahan
Yanic Wildschutt
Steven Naismith
Nelson Oliveira
Marley Watkins
But we could see the following take some of those roles:
Remi Matthews
Sean Raggett
Todd Cantwell
Louis Thompson
Ben Godfrey
Kenny McLean
Carlton Morris
That feels like another large shift for the squad and it’s likely that will mean that the redevelopment will continue next season, with results and performances being mixed as a result.
As for the style of play, I’m actually a fan of possession football, but where we’ve fallen down this season is the speed of movement and passing. When it’s slow and laboured it’s easy to defend against. I have seen enough this season to suggest it’s worth persevering with, however, and am looking forward to seeing how things transition further.
I think Farke knows his stuff and have faith he’ll move us forward. The cold hard reality though is without new owners/investment we have little choice but to embed the model we have and give it the time it needs to bed in.
To set expectations, I think that it will be the season after next when I’ll really start to judge the Webber era. It would, however, be nice to see progression next season.
So let’s all get behind the club, the players, the manager and enjoy next season.
OTBC!
Delia will love this article. Just continues her philosophy of lowered expectations. No chance of
Premier league status with her selfish ideal of family control.
Spot on Andy. This article sums up everything about our owners and the mentality of sadly many of our fans who are quite happy to accept mediocrity having had our best chance in years to have had a sustained period in the Premier League recently.. It could end up really badly for young Tom if this gamble doesn’t pay off and we’ve seen no evidence it will do based on this season’s results.
My expectations haven’t been lowered, they’ve always been level headed and realistic. I don’t really see the need for polarisation on the subject. You should read my earlier article around concerns with the succession plan.
You’ve mentioned how well some of the acquisitions have done (Zimmerman, Vrancic, etc) have done, but no mention of “one of our own”, Jamal Lewis. I trust it was just a momentary lapse? He’s been a real success, and a vindication of our Academy. Let’s hope some of the returning loanees do as well next season.
In response to Andy S above, I don’t care whether Delia loves this article or not, but I think the club is heading down the right track. Be careful what you wish for, you could end up with a Marcus Evans.
I completely agree with you in respect of Jamal Lewis. A great debut season and hopefully with the new plans the academy will get even better. The best praise I can give him is I expect him to start the season at left back. Thanks for bringing attention to me not mentioning him above.
In response to Jim Davies. I wish for someone to take the club forward. Delia and Tom can’t do it.
She is selfishly refusing to move over because of her own interests. There is no chance the club will ever prosper on a sustained basis with Delia or Tom in charge.
To quote Austin Powers and I want a toilet made of solid gold, but it’s just not I the cards now, is it! 🙂
I think that most fans would accept an improvement in the style of football we play next season, especially at home, and signs of improvement in our league position showing that we can compete in and around the play offs.
However, we are going to be without many of our better players from this season. These look likely to be replaced by players who have been playing in either lower leagues in this country (Matthews, Godfrey, Morris) or some more players from the lower leagues in Germany. I can see that good coaching and an effective playing system can make the whole better than its’ constituent parts, but it seems to be a self evident truth that most games of football are won by the team with the better players.
It may be that the scouting network will provide us with some gems to excite us next season. It may be that the academy has a couple more Murphys and Jamals coming through. There are lots of maybes. I worry about next season and have a gut feeling that we’re going to be battling nearer the bottom than the top. I really hope I’m wrong as I can’t face the prospect of another period of toxic atmospheres at CR if things are going wrong about October.
General Melchett has a word for how I’m feeling.
Very good post, Don… pretty much nails how I see it, although my expectations for next season are maybe three or four places higher than you (mid-table, again). As you say, so much relies on Webber identifying cheap players who have potential to improve, and then Farke and his team duly turning them into better players. Do-able, but an awful lot of ‘ifs’ along the way.
Bah!
I couldn’t put it better myself….and didn’t.
Good post indeed Don. I have a feeling next season will not amount to much, although I feel Gary’s mid-table assessment is possibly the more realistic of the two.
2019-2020 will be when I will get the old litmus paper out.
Scratched record but this was never a short-term project. Tempus may well fugit but we surely have to stay with it…
I’d be feeling a lot better about next season if any part of our team was functioning well and likely to be similar next season. Our defence comes closest to this but with the loss of Gunn and maybe some doubt about Pinto and Klose it is firstly not too settled and secondly not that solid in my opinion. With 16 conceded in the last 10, but only 12 scored, we still don’t look like a team going anywhere fast. I’m not saying the defence is as bad as it was, but our attack is as bad as any we have had.
I think next season we have to see much more from the team, both in league position and watchability of the football, key to both of these is moving the ball faster and having much greater movement infront of the ball. If those things don’t happen, I would question the grander plan, because after 3 windows, 2 pre-seasons, if the players aren’t still suited to doing Farke footy better then when will they ever? It’s not like we will be able to say the Freebie – £3m players aren’t quite good enough to make this work, we’ll buy those lads for £5m who can really make us tick. The pot is empty barring sales and £5m players won’t be taking our wages.
I want the new system with a DofF to work, I want us to succeed as a self funding club, but the reality is the longer we spend away from the PL the harder that gets, realistically we will unless through exceptional managment never return to the PL. with the likely losses this summer, I feel far from confident of even a top half finish will be achieved, maybe Farke is the man for next season, maybe for the seasons after that. But I have seen so little evidence that he will be so far, that with the loss of Maddison I think a relegation battle could be looming. Hope I’m wrong, probably worth waiting to see just what our squad looks like before airing my best Private Frazer impression.
so in a nut shell, I expect a similarly poor season next year, but don’t like the idea of excepting its inevitable. A better more suited head coach might get a better tune from the band. And I say that whilst supporting Farke at least starting the season.
Bah!
‘Transition’ is word used to keep fans on the hook for better days to come, despite no tangible evidence of that becoming reality.
If you search the Huddersfield forums you’ll see they’re fans were saying much the same thing. It’s not spin, the facts speak for themselves. I’d soon call it out if I thought it was. If the same is being said after third season I’d agree, but we’ve had one. Yet to see a viable alternative offered, beyond some mythical billionaire businessman with a heart of gold riding in on his unicorn to save the day ?
Why keep comparing us to Huddersfield – We’re nothing like them.
How can the club progress with Smith & Jones? It can’t.
This club deserves better, both on and off the pitch.