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Pre Season Shels signed Hawkins, Ryan, O'Neill, Crowe and Baker with a few squad players leaving.
The squad was strengthened, no doubt, but after the first series of games, am left wondering was the first team strengthened?
were Hawkins, Ryan, O'Neill, Crowe and Baker better than what they already had?
At full strength is this years side better than last years?
Last season the likes of Moore and Ndo added a bit of class to their side. They haven't added more.
Maybe the players didnt gel to-gether jet .Jason Byrne is having a shocking season .Richie Backer is the best person whom came (back)to the club this season .
Baker seems to have done well since coming back. He's chipped in with a few goals and was it the Linfield match where his coming off made them look blunt? Bobby Ryan has looked decent enough, had a good game against Portadown. Crowe has been poor for them, and as if that isn't bad enough Jason Byrne is in bad form too. They have the best two performing strikers of the eL for the last few seasons in bad form. Considering thy have Ger Rowe on loan at Pats who is doing decent enough there the O'Neill signing seems unecessary. Also Hawkins signing seems to have pushed Harris out of the way who was a decent performer for them last season. I think that Brennan chap they have on load is doing pretty poorly too. It seems nothing can really help them when they lose Heary. As King said on eL weekly last night they don't seem to know they're best first 11, and there's been a lot of chopping and changing and I don't think that's helping. Perhaps the big squad will come in useful later when Europe, the cups and the title run in kicks in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenderloins
The players they brought in during the off-season were far better than the players that left, meaning they did improve the squad.
All of these players, bar Crowe have played very well at some point of other in the 1st 11 games. They just have'nt geled together yet, once or should i say if they do, even cork will find it hard to contain them.
Ok of the new players in:
(Stats are including Setanta)
Richie Baker has been excellent. We really miss him when he's out.
Appearance: 12
Minutes: 864
Goals: 7
Assists: 3
Cards: 1 Yellow 1 Red
Motm: 2
Gary O'Neill has been lively and just not had enough of a run to prove himself
Appearance: 6
Minutes: 310
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Colin Hawkins had a dodgy start but is now playing very well.
Appearance: 13
Minutes: 1164
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Cards: 2 Yellow 1 Red
Motm: 1
Bobby Ryan still has the jury out somewhat on him.
Appearance: 12
Minutes: 828
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Cards: 0 Yellow 0 Red
Motm: 1
Glen Crowe has not really done much so far to be honest.
Appearance: 10
Minutes: 622
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Cards: 2 Yellow 0 Red
Motm: 0
If Crowe hasn't got confidence then he wont play well. In his first season for Bohs he was muck then the following season, dynamite!Give hime time and a couple of goals and he'll start doing well.
I've always said that Bohs started Gary O Neill too young. Had he been loaned to a first division club for a season to get a couple of goals then he'd be class. Again he plays well with confidence, he runs his socks off during games which can work to be a disadvantage to him because he tires easily towards the end.
Yeah, Aido, I was saying that to some of the lads, once Crowe gets his first competitive goal, I think it will open the floodgates!!! I hope!
Hawkins has been rock solid
Baker is absolute quality this year
Gary O'Neil has looked the most lively of all our strikers
And Bobby Ryan has looked good lately after a rocky start
The problem with O Neill is that he has to play with a big man, someone who can knock the ball down to him. I've been watching Shels a fair bit this season to see how the lads are doing and IMO if they want Crowe, Byrne and O Neill to play well then they should consider playing O Neill in the hole behind Crowe and Byrne. Its a position I always said would suit him when he was at Bohs but we always seemed to stick to the 4-4-2 rather then being a bit adventurous.
Also I [SIZE=3]shant[/SIZE] think it'll do Nutsy any harm to give Byrne a kick up the arse by dropping him, he's been shocking lately.
Aido, couldn't agree more with you on Jason Byrne. Terrible and as an opposition fan does his CONSTANT moaning annoy you too?
Even since his Bray days Byrne has always been a moaning oul ****e, its not good for Shels because if someone like Crowe has a player constantly on at him then his head will drop. I remember being out a match against Bray when Byrne started having a go at I think it was Maurice Farrell. This argument was all over a ****ty cross that Farrell had produced, before the argument Farrell was playing class, he then went on to have a shocking last half hour.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gareth
Nutsy really needs to give him a scare, Byrnes too comfortable, thinks he's untouchable because he had a good season last year.
Crowe has proven himself at this level you can't doubt him, as people have said once one goes in the floodgates will open. I'd drop Jayo as he's well off the boil this season and give Crowe a few games no matter how he plays. It may well be a case that Byrne thinks he's undroppable for the reasons Aidos said, so a spell on the bench should sort him out.
I think at times this season we've played a level above last season but we're not doing it consistently as a few key players aren't on form, espically Byrne. We've relied on him so heavily in the past so once he gets going and Crowe gets going and we play consistently at our best we'll be far better than last year imo, it's just a matter of time. I mean for a time against Cork we were superb but again the lack of an on form front man was what really cost us.
Also Ndo is pratically a new signing thanks to injuries last season - and what a signing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slash/ED
Fair play to the fella .... he was on firelast night .... could have done some real damage at times !!
Crowe's confidence seems to be down a bit, but as soon as he gets a goal I can see him being a big success at $h€£$. Unfortunately!
The other two they have signed for us will be good in fits and starts, but overall I think Shels fans will end up infuriated by their lack of consistency.
Baker has been sensational for them, the spell in the US seems to have done him the world of good.
And thats a right sided and footed player on the left!! His assist in the Bohs game shows what he's like when he gets up the right hand side!Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
His debut showed what he could do. His debut was the last four minutes against Hajduk Split, probably told to goto the corner flag and run the clock doen, and instead he did this. Absolutley brilliant.