So DM said squad size was an issue last year and that we'd have a bigger one this year. He goes ahead and signs 7 players and did say more would follow. Then it goes quiet. It made no sense to sign goalkeepers, defenders, and forwards, have Robson retire, release Flood and send Smith on loan, and then stop. The squad is smaller and clearly unbalanced. What changed? Did the club refuse more funds, cut back, or did we bank of Aucho being the savior???

 

This doesn't make sense to me. Anyone can see the gaping hole in our squad. What happened?

The squad imbalance is one thing, a pretty huge flaw of itself.

 

It's the abject performances this season, the total opposite of our start last year that is the bigger concern.

 

And tactically, that was utterly incompetent yesterday and he did nothing to fix it as it unfolded.

Central Midfield is a huge issue and I honestly cant understand why McInnes keeps playing Kenny McLean in there, you be as well start the game with 10 men. I really hope McInnes has some form of budget left to try and get this position sorted before the window shuts.

 

In an ideal world we would get a new CB to play alongside O'Connor but that wont happen. Heck we may have to try Morris in there when he is fit.

 

When the Euro games started and we were playing with two up front I was optimistic for this season, I could see an attempt to mix or style of play up and it seemed to be working. Since the League campaign has got going we have reverted back into the same old formation and tactics from last season and teams know how to shut us out when we play like that.

 

I am frustrated because we 2 or 3 players from having a really good squad but not 2 or 3 loan players or free transfers, 2 or 3 players where we need to spend money, money we dont and probably wont have.

Yep, it's going to be an interesting few days. We must have been looking at a centre mid, we can't possibly not have been. At the moment, I'd settle for one good quality central midfielder, box to box type.

 

It'll be really interesting to see what we do in the next game if we don't get a midfielder in. With Jack and Hayes probably still out and Reynolds suspended, we're an Anthony O'Connor short because unfortunately he can't play in two positions at once (although that seems to have been the plan at the weekend).

 

I don't know how we address the more permanent flaws of McInnes' caution, at times poor tactics, and serious issue with trust in his squad and therefore substitutions. Is it something that changes in a manager over time? Do we give him the benefit of the doubt because of his excellent win record? I think managers, in general, suffer from a lack of accountability. Their rarely asked good questions surrounding their tactics and approach to games (as a result of shite reporters/interviewers), which leaves them to make the same mistakes until they eventually get sacked. McInnes needs to recognise his flaws, discuss them internally and work on them. Do we have a role at the club for questioning the manager?

Central Midfield is a huge issue and I honestly cant understand why McInnes keeps playing Kenny McLean in there, you be as well start the game with 10 men. I really hope McInnes has some form of budget left to try and get this position sorted before the window shuts.

 

In an ideal world we would get a new CB to play alongside O'Connor but that wont happen. Heck we may have to try Morris in there when he is fit.

 

When the Euro games started and we were playing with two up front I was optimistic for this season, I could see an attempt to mix or style of play up and it seemed to be working. Since the League campaign has got going we have reverted back into the same old formation and tactics from last season and teams know how to shut us out when we play like that.

 

I am frustrated because we 2 or 3 players from having a really good squad but not 2 or 3 loan players or free transfers, 2 or 3 players where we need to spend money, money we dont and probably wont have.

 

This is precisely what I have been feeling and said in another thread. It's so glaringly obvious which makes it all the more frustrating. I'm not calling for spending millions here, some shrewd signings here and there that have been as clear as daylight would make all the differnece.  This is precisely how the Arsenal fans I know have been feeling for god knows how long. The basics are clearly there but those final pieces to make the whole thing work are left before it's too late or ignored completely. DM / those dealing with transfers seriously need to get their finger out and fast.

Feel exactly the same and have said too many times already, we're 2-3 players close to a solid squad. What drives me nuts is that if we were so limited in funds why sign Morris when we have McKenna and other u20s. We have more cover at the back.......whether they are shit or not is a different story.

 

We also signed one too many forwards if we're stuck for cash. Stockley was needed for a different type of forward, but why Burns and Storey? Why not sign only Storey and give Smith and Wright more of a chance. I think it's good experience for Smith at Dundee Utd but if we were this tight Burns is a luxury we couldn't afford. Or take Burns instead of Storey.

 

And since we're playing a left back and centre back as our central midfield pairing, why sign Alexander. Make Ash Taylor the back up GK.....