Starting 11 -first round- new season

I'd be thinking this starting 11 and formation, except move Krishna to striker and play Williams on a flank, and a new RB instead of Gulley.

Tratt?

If we were starting a game with our current squad tomorrow Lowry would be our right back.

Lowry was a servicable footballer for us in the 16/17 season. Its just last year, the coach had no time for him so people forgot that he can do a job

Comments Rudan has made would appear to reflect that.

Had me at "fourteen times".

This is one of the greatest ever posts on this forum imo

Can't argue with that!

14 times! Go Patrick. Surely there's an analyst role for you at the Phoenix somewhere

My take on Lowry was that he had 1 1/2 legs that were only for standing on, but knew how to defend and had good pace. 

Players change, so here's hoping he can be an option

Back line of Ridenton, Lowry, Rossi and Doyle, Rodriguez at RDM. Fox on the bench. Coach Buckingham. 

Wasn't all Lowry's fault; decent player when last sighted.

Think Lowry can definitely do a job as CB/RB cover.

At the very least, there's no reason to cut him

I've been very curious of this TWGOAT podcast, haven't quite taken the plunge yet, I can't help but think to myself, is this a constructive use of my time??? hahahaha

If someone could recommend a particular episode, I'd prefer to try that first rather than start at the beginning and go through the whole lot... which one is the most enjoyable listen in your opinion Patrick?

Edit: sorry getting off-topic here, I will go and post the question in the TWGOAT thread

Is this years' squad shaping up as better or worse than last year's?

Players signed to date look a bit stronger than their equivalents at the end of last year.

Red = under 20 and full contract; Y=youth scholarship; + means better off this year than last.

Smith included based on a rumour he's getting a youth scholarship position. Taylor better than Rossi, and Williams > Rogerson, you'd hope. Nichols has the potential to be better than Ljujic but I'm guessing not. Kopa vs Paracki might be close.

So there are up to seven positions from last year for which there's no signing this year to compare with, as yet.

I think the Rudan will struggle to find a better striker than Kalu - probable loss there, and with McGlinchey.

Tratt was great last time round but the slowness of the signing raises the question of whether he's still at that level.

Likely large gains (IMO) with Ridenton, Patterson and even McGarry's replacements.

Galloway - they'll be doing well to sign someone as good.

Strong third and fourth CDMs needed, after Rufer's signing. Don't think he's A league level as yet (nor TAHW), and Rudan used words like 'improve' and 'potential' when discussing the signing. Wondering if the club pressured him to sign a Kiwi. Still would like to see Cacace tried there in pre-season (bonus: Doyle can then play).

Matt Conroy - created so many chances for the under-19s. Matchwinner in two of the three games he played. The best and most dangerous player in the U-19 squad IMO - fast, great touch and vision. Needs to get stronger. Good project, bench option later in the season.

Ah... um... maybe they could look at Masters 4 or 5?

Biggest loss for me is Kalu; but depends on final signings. On first looks, Paracki was better than Kopy, but we'll see. I also think Ridenton is a bad loss for us.

Ruthven is ++ better than Ridenton, based on what - a highlights package of him playing at a lower level.

I have no idea how good Ruthven is and will wait and see if irstly he trials, earns a contract and then plays before making such a bold call.

Ridenton is good enough to take up an import sport at a club who almost won the thing. Enough said.

The Nix scored twice as many points per game when Ridenton didn't start as when he did - but why let facts get in the way of a good opinion?

A chocolate fish says in 2018/19:

a) no new signing scores more than 0.4 goals per game (Kalu's record last year). Minimum 10 games.

b) Galloway gets more game time than Ridenton.

Any takers?

Looking at how we lined up against Bentleigh and also what I saw last Saturday in the practice game. I am beginning to think that Ruden is going to look at a back five system with three central defenders and the full backs playing very high virtually as wide midfielders.

In the practice game he had Taylor, Doyle and Lowry in the white team and Dura in the black team. Does that signify that Dura is on the outer or just trying out different combinations?

I cannot be in PN this Saturday due to a long standing commitment. Looking forward to comments on here if the same idea is tried and more significantly, who was deployed

I don't bet against my team man

Ridenton started 24 games out of 26 he played, meaning there was only 1 game he didn't play and 3 he didn't start. So already you are using bad stats to try make an example. Comparing 24 games to 3 games of course you have better odds of PPG.

Just even a quick browse using games he played a full 90 minutes in (19 of them), he was in games that gained 17 points (4 wins and 5 draws). For a season where we only got 21 points, that isn't bad... Oh and those are facts, backed up by http://www.ultimatealeague.com/

What profith a man if he has faith not in the wind the rain and the phoenix?

As for the striker we f- better 

It's false to say a player has a better chance to get a high points per game if he plays 3 games than if he plays 24.  

I'll admit that 3 games is a small sample size, if that's the point you're trying to make. But I don't think it is.

Started in 24 - Nix got 17 points out of a possible 72 = 24%

Didn't start in 3 - Nix got 4 points out of a possible 9 = 44%

You're kidding right... are you really trying to make a point out of the above?

Of course they have a lower % out of possible points, the more games a player has the more likely they'll have a lower number of points made. The best judge is he played 26 games out of 27 and started 24, that an Australian team would spend a visa on him, not some arbitrary stat from the 3 games he didn't play last year in a team that overall was poor. 

I love math!

FFS is the off season over yet.Bloody hell there has been some shark posted at times.Shark im glad i dont live in some of your guys heads.

Hurry up and start so we can start the real shark like finding a scapegoat for every bloody thing.

He's basically saying that because Singh's deflected shot luckily squeezed in, the Phoenix are better off without Ridenton.

Wake up el grap, the stats speak for themselves

There were indeed some random comments up there, but I think the concern that we won't get a striker better than Kalu is valid

That's our key signing 

We've already got one. Krishna. Play him there!

Three/five at the back makes sense to me with the squad as it currently stands - it provides cover for our lack of steel in midfield and allows Krishna and Burns/Williams to play narrower in the absence of a #9. 

This could well change if we sign another DM or forward though.

Kurto

Fox  Taylor  Doyle

Tratt                        Cacace

Kopczyński Nichols

Burns                      Williams

Krishna

We really need another starting CM. I miss Ridenton, Rodriguez, Roly and Riera. 

I reckon Ridenton will be a flop at Newcastle.

Krishna has lost his form. Still waiting to score 1 goal to be leading Nix goalscorer. From what I saw last Saturday, he'll be waiting a while longer.

Krishna is a winger or a second striker. Can we stop pretending he's good enough to carry us through as our only No. 9.