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How Low(e) Can We Go?

SELL OFF Evans,Maguire and Johnson! Who to? What clubs would BUY the first 2? On current form we might just get our money back for Johnson.
DJ is OOC end of season so why would any club pay anything for him in January when at the end of the season they can get him for free. šŸ™„šŸ¤”
 
DJ is OOC end of season so why would any club pay anything for him in January when at the end of the season they can get him for free. šŸ™„šŸ¤”
He's 30 in a couple of weeks and though he looked strong and fast when he came on as sub against Sheff Utd he had looked a bit slower in prior games. I don't think it's because he doesn't care or got lazy, I think he's past his peak physically and is slowing down. We saw this with Sinclair, we signed him when he was well past his peak physically. DJ is a top player but I would question anything beyond a one year extension. That said he'll no doubt get a 2 year contract somewhere in the Championship.
 
He's 30 in a couple of weeks and though he looked strong and fast when he came on as sub against Sheff Utd he had looked a bit slower in prior games. I don't think it's because he doesn't care or got lazy, I think he's past his peak physically and is slowing down. We saw this with Sinclair, we signed him when he was well past his peak physically. DJ is a top player but I would question anything beyond a one year extension. That said he'll no doubt get a 2 year contract somewhere in the Championship.

DJ's game was never all about physicality though, so it shouldn't be a major issue if he loses a half step of pace. Wanna see how he links up with Alvaro.
 
DJ's game was never all about physicality though, so it shouldn't be a major issue if he loses a half step of pace. Wanna see how he links up with Alvaro.
Not physicality as in muscular and tough, I'm talking speed and stamina which you need in the Championship. In the end derioriation in these areas takes everyone out or we'd have seen Finney and Charlton play into their 60's.
 
Not physicality as in muscular and tough, I'm talking speed and stamina which you need in the Championship. In the end derioriation in these areas takes everyone out or we'd have seen Finney and Charlton play into their 60's.

Some positions it matters a lot more than others. You can play centre midfield without much pace if you have quality. Wheras for a winger who relies on beating their man down the line, once its gone, the drop off is huge.
 
I presume the OP is a lasher, our home attendances are at least 5,000 more than yours
 
DJ's game was never all about physicality though, so it shouldn't be a major issue if he loses a half step of pace. Wanna see how he links up with Alvaro.
Iā€™d be surprised if a Championship club offered a contract to DJ, who canā€™t get a regular berth in a struggling North End side.
 
Iā€™d be surprised if a Championship club offered a contract to DJ, who canā€™t get a regular berth in a struggling North End side.

I'd be astonished if he ended up at a level lower than this or Rangers. I expect he will have multiple championship clubs offering him a deal.
 
Nobody is giving us cash for Johnson, Maguire or Evans.

Identifying targets is not landing and signing targets, because literally anyone can identify targets.

"We'll be able to buy targets that we have consistently failed to buy in the past, if first we get another 3 players off the wage bill" is not a recipe for success, it's a recipe for yet more Hemmings cost-cutting with no guarantee they'll sign anybody - it's a recipe for an even worse (but much cheaper to pay) squad than the one we've got now.
i am trying to be just a little bit positive and optimistic to lift the mood of this forum. I just wanted to state what could/might happen, for all i know we could sell all our best players and get David Nugent back on a 50k a week contract.
 
A few have said this before, people bought the season tickets because they were cheaper than usual, I, like many other pne fans were always going to buy a season ticket regardless if they were reduced or not. We are all disappointed but fortunes can change quickly in this league, I don't think a lot of the teams we have faced have been particularly good at all if you ask me, Sheff Utd were pretty awful yesterday but they still won, we still pick up consistent points and are not at the relegation zone, Yes the goals are a point of concern but by January if we sell off Evans, Maguire and Johnson then that cash could be used to get that proper quality player we have been crying out for, I firmly believe if that cash was there this summer then this team would be fucking flying in the league since a lot of the targets we identified this summer and doing very well for their clubs. Also just want to say that i think the club knew that they could not lower the wage bill low enough to be able to get in that extra personnel, Johnson, Maguire and Evans have all been handed new contracts since they joined the club meaning they are probably among the highest earners, once they are gone and get a bit of cash for them then I think this team can really flourish.
There are usually some signs of when this is likely to happen though, couple of key players coming back from injury for instance, which isn't the case for us - we are & have been at pretty much full strength nearly every game so far & if we're not taking advantage of teams not being particularly good against us, how do we then cope when they are?! Like you, I'm desperate for our fortunes to change, particularly in front of goal, but just not seeing it right now unfortunately.
 
Objectively speaking, if North End finishes the season above 16th in the championship, it would represent a significant achievement for the club.
 
There are usually some signs of when this is likely to happen though, couple of key players coming back from injury for instance, which isn't the case for us - we are & have been at pretty much full strength nearly every game so far & if we're not taking advantage of teams not being particularly good against us, how do we then cope when they are?! Like you, I'm desperate for our fortunes to change, particularly in front of goal, but just not seeing it right now unfortunately.
Lets just hope and pray that Parrott does well for Ireland in their nations league games, he needs the confidence more than anyone else and i am interested to see how Brady peforms, maybe he will be played in a different role than usual?
 
Lets just hope and pray that Parrott does well for Ireland in their nations league games, he needs the confidence more than anyone else and i am interested to see how Brady peforms, maybe he will be played in a different role than usual?
Brady for me performs admirably as a wing back but I canā€™t help but think he should be played elsewhere. Watching the last game I was more impressed with what Hughes had to offer down that side albeit not very often. Brady is a very accomplished player, cool on the ball, not particularly pacy and canā€™t really beat a man. He has one hell of a left foot which will be wasted time and time again if the ball is lifted. We are a ball to feet team and should be opening teams up through the middle with ease. With a high press we would be very effective. Its players like Brady and DJ that we need to move the ball on quickly but we constantly take so many touches enabling the opposition to keep their defensive shape.
 
Some positions it matters a lot more than others. You can play centre midfield without much pace if you have quality. Wheras for a winger who relies on beating their man down the line, once its gone, the drop off is huge.
Good job we haven't got any, then.
 
Lets just hope and pray that Parrott does well for Ireland in their nations league games, he needs the confidence more than anyone else and i am interested to see how Brady peforms, maybe he will be played in a different role than usual?
Yeah that's a fair point, maybe having different players around him in a different set up for a week could work to his & our advantage. Looks like there's still all to play for in that Scotland & Ireland group anyway so I'd like to think they'll really be going for it, especially for potential bragging rights over the Scots again.

As for Brady, from what I've seen/read I've been under the impression he's been one of our 'better' performers so far this season, injecting a bit of energy into the team, & believe he's experienced enough that an international break wouldn't really make much difference regardless of where he's played. I imagine his minutes will be fairly limited anyway.
 
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