Who is the weakest link?

[The 17 Bus]

This team is really in its first season together, had they been the players that had comedown last season I would feel more confident, reminds me of season 04/5 when Coppell said they were not really ready, it feelis like that.

If this team can improve then we could do well next season if they stay together.

There is a bit of age that will need replacing, but by the same token those aging can give good cover next season.

[Royal With Cheese]

The weakest link?

Half of the idiots that post on here.

[Sarah Star]

I thought everyone who posted here was an 'expert'.

You've ruined the illusion now.

[winchester_royal]

If we go up, the only ones who IMO are good enough for a starting place are Fed, Rosie, BK, Kebe, Cisse, SHunt and Doyle. The rest will offer good back-up.

[Cookie]

Who is the weakest link? Who is underperforming and needs replacing? Who's studs should be put out to stud? Who's passing game is past it?

Greaham Murty you are the weakest link goodbye!



All said in humour of course.

[RoyalBird]

Personally, at the moment, I can't see any weak link in the team, and would be fairly happy with a team like that in the Premiership, except bringing in a new centre back in the summer to fill in for an aging Ivar and Doobs. The one thing that worries me is some of the squad depth, particularly out wide. We have SHunt and Convey on the left, and Kebe & Henry on the right, all can do fairly well but one more who can play in either position would be good (unless Robson-Kanu can play that role). I'm worried about how Kebe may take on the Premiership and if he'll turn like Convey did. After all, Convey was excellent in our promotion season, but was poor in the premiership, fully fit or not, so maybe someone like Eagles to challenge him or rotate the role.

The one thing that worries me are our depth of full backs. I'm confident that Rosenior and Armstrong can play well as starters, but Murty, if he comes back or not, is injury prone, and both Kelly and Golbourne aren't good enough to occupy the roles in case of injury. So if I was the gaff, I would go for a winger who can play both sides, a LB and RB, and a CB.

[test icicles]

I don't really think that many people need to be replaced. It's more a case of strengthening so we have more depth. But I geuss I come under the "Harper-haters" catagory but I just think he sits way to deep and is basically a fifth defender. That then leads to the oppositions centre mids running at our defence and causing havoc. He either needs to stop dropping so deep, or be swapped for someone who is more likely to stand their ground in the midfield rather than fall back. I suppose it could well be the instructions from the bench that are making him drop back, and if so then their mentality will have to change.

And where does Cisse fit into all of this?

(from a non Harper hater)

Just to clarify, I don't actually hate Harper, just said I would come under the catagory as it seemed that everyone was going to be put into their own section right from the off. But feel if their is a slight weakness in the side it is Harpers tendancy to fall back too deep. And from what I've seen, Cisse is a lot better at being more in the face of the opposition. Harper is good at hassling the midfield aswell, but his starting point is too deep so by the time he moves up from the defensive line to close a player down, they have picked their pass and played it. Or sometimes he seems to just sit in the defensive line and allow the midfielders to flood in.

[SteveRoyal]

No 'weak link' as such.
We do have a few old players in defence, though (Ingi and Doobs); So maybe we can buy/bleed in younger defenders for the future?
Could do with another all-round midfielder, Marek is AM, Gun is DM... you get me?

[Far Canal]

No real weak links, but Rosenior's defending sometimes gives cause for concern.
There is no questioning his attacking play. He passes well with Kebe and others, has pace and is a decent crosser, but at times I long for the defensive positioning sense and tackling of Murty.
I don't have statistics to back this up, but it seems to me that a large percentage of opposition goals come from this position.

[Ian Royal]

If we go up, the only ones who IMO are good enough for a starting place are Fed, Rosie, BK, Kebe, Cisse, SHunt and Doyle. The rest will offer good back-up.

Funny really, because Cisse and Kebe are two I have some of the greatest doubts about. I'm not totally convinced by Bikey either, but that's for a different reason. I'd also question Fed. He's looking a decent player, but he'll need the rest of the season in goal to have a prayer of being ready for the Premier League IMO.

[Bath Hoops]

I'm not sure that we have a weak link as such with the players, but I do think we have one with tactics. We just don't seem to have a plan B when things arent going well, if we break the team down then things seem to rollercoast from there even if we're not firing totally like last night. But we do struggle when teams hold out against us and we don't seem to have alot of other options to change things.

[Southbank Old Boy]

We don't have many weak links for this level

If we took this squad into the Prem I think we'd have almost a team full though

It'll be interesting to see if Cisse can make the step up after looking miles away from being Prem standard last season. He's looked a lot better this season (although still suspect at times) at this lower level and maybe by adjusting to the english game he'll be able to step up

I can't see Kebe or Armstrong being good enough either, and NHunt doesn't look like anything but a squad player at Prem level

[winchester_royal]

If we go up, the only ones who IMO are good enough for a starting place are Fed, Rosie, BK, Kebe, Cisse, SHunt and Doyle. The rest will offer good back-up.

Funny really, because Cisse and Kebe are two I have some of the greatest doubts about. I'm not totally convinced by Bikey either, but that's for a different reason. I'd also question Fed. He's looking a decent player, but he'll need the rest of the season in goal to have a prayer of being ready for the Premier League IMO.

It wouldn't be an HNA? thread without us disagreeing IR..

[Ian Royal]

If we go up, the only ones who IMO are good enough for a starting place are Fed, Rosie, BK, Kebe, Cisse, SHunt and Doyle. The rest will offer good back-up.

Funny really, because Cisse and Kebe are two I have some of the greatest doubts about. I'm not totally convinced by Bikey either, but that's for a different reason. I'd also question Fed. He's looking a decent player, but he'll need the rest of the season in goal to have a prayer of being ready for the Premier League IMO.

It wouldn't be an HNA? thread without us disagreeing IR..

The sky is blue.

[winchester_royal]

Not at the moment it isn't.

[Ian Royal]

Not at the moment it isn't.

Good lad

[Millsy]

Excuse the resurrection of this thread but good point well made by Franchise FC.

My similar 2p worth:

It's laughable really that with arguably the best team in this division having gotten us to second spot after a very demoralising relgation we still feel the need to slag off almost every player.

USA - not good enough, poor distribution fed needs to come in
Fed - but he's not good enough
Armstrong - not as good as shorey, sufc reject
Duberry - too old and slow
Ingi - too slow
Bikey - too violent/unpredictable
Rosenior - inexperienced, can't defend as well as Murty
kebe - one of the worst players to play for rfc
Hunt - the worst player to play for rfc
Harper - anonymous in midfield, does nothing, cant tackle
Gunnar - old, slow
Matejovsky - lightweight, not on same wavelength
Convey - not good enough
Cisse - ineffective
Doyle - ok can't think of anything against doyle but last season everyone was having a field day over his lack of goals.
Nunt - again, don't think there' been much criticism of this lad
Long - waste of space
Lita - officially bored of.

It really is interesting that with such a team of absolute losers we're the envy of the whole division and are doing so well.

God knows how we'd do if we had some decent players eh?

[Vision]

Not forgetting Coppell's a clown, Downes is an insensitive bullying neanderthal, Dillon's a Joke, Jm is all ego , lacks ambition and is only interested in walking away with as much cash as he can get away with and our fans are the worst in England!

Oh and our style of play makes the 80's Watford and Wimbledon look like the 70's Ajax team.

[loyalroyal4life]

If we go up, the only ones who IMO are good enough for a starting place are Fed, Rosie, BK, Kebe, Cisse, SHunt and Doyle. The rest will offer good back-up.

I wouldnt even class rosenior, kebe or cisse as being good enough for the prem!! rosenior's defensive frailties will get found out, cisse's loss of possession will cost us and kebe will only be able to do something once every 4 games!!

[SeniorRoyal]

In the premiership we would need a quick centre back so that we do not have to defend so deep.By defending deep we expose our two central midfielders,and unless they have an engine like Steve Sidwells they can not get forward into the box, and back to help in defence.

Bikey would be the man,assuming he could concentrate the full match.Look at the way he played against Andy Johnson,when he was playing for Everton last season.The only time in my memory that he had not terrorised our defence.