Transfer Talk - 2018/19 Season

23 player squad, with three GKs, and 20 outfielders - two for each position.

Maybe this:

Formation

'Twin CAM' with no striker; Nichols expected to get forward. Wingers encouraged to move infield and link with the CAMS; Fullbacks to overlap. I believe those four will score goals.

Positions

Smith - the ruthless option (as used with Parkhouse) would be to have him play Handa Prem this year and bring in another keeper (and another under 20 player for the squad - three are needed). IMO whoever threw him in to the squad last year did no-one any favours.

Cacace vs Doyle - Cacace a better attacking option. Doyle overlaps well, but Cacace is better at creating and sustaining attacking moves.

Fox vs Durante vs Taylor - who starts is TBC.

DR - while Fox, Lowry and Fenton have all played there, there's a hole there - need a quality RB and cover.

DM - Quality DM needed, worth using an import slot on. Also cover for Kopczynski

Cover for Singh - another skilful creative playmaker... who?

Cover for Nichols - maybe a big strong traditional striker (with a good touch and awareness of the off-side rule), and good in the air, to give another attacking option.

Cover for Krishna - who?

Williams vs Burns - Williams starts on end-of-season form, IMO.

Fenton - being used as attacking mid in trial games; has played FB. I don't see him as a CAM though. Could cover FB, wing and DM (all R). A good sub?

Already there is genuine competitions for some positions - Burns on Williams, Krishna and Nicols, and between the centre backs. Rudan will be aiming to have pressure on all positions by the time the squad is finalised.

Would be interesting also to try Cacace at L DM, and Doyle at LB... like this:

I like this. Cacace, Singh, Nicols, Krishna and Williams are all creative skilful players. Maybe Kopetc too, TBC.

 I still don't understand when talking about creativity and skill on the ball, you rate Cacace ahead of Burns. Madness

Not surprised we took this option, I only hope he hasn't taken a hit financially by doing this

Can confirm the Phoenix are on the hunt for a third under-20 player as Keegan Smith remains on a youth scholarship and his contract doesn’t count towards the 23. Only trial player (so far anyway) in that age bracket is Callan Elliot.

— Phillip Rollo (@ByPhillipRollo) July 24, 2018

Bunter you should stop with those graphics. You've had Cacace as an attacking midfielder and Fenton as a DM. It just makes everything you say hard to take seriously after that.

Bunter you should stop with those graphics. You've had Cacace as an attacking midfielder and Fenton as a DM. It just makes everything you say hard to take seriously after that.

Wasn't Fenton playing deep in midfield in the pre-season game or did I imagine that?

Have a look at the highlights of the Nix's last few games. Burns missed  lots of chances and lost the ball trying to beat his fullback. Yes he's a very talented player, but looked to be in a slump.

Cacace on the other hand scythed through the defence from fullback a number of times (and did it again in HK and India).

Anyway, it's really a case of starting Williams ahead of Burns. Don't see Burns at DM.

Have a look at the highlights of the Nix's last few games. Burns missed  lots of chances and lost the ball trying to beat his fullback. Yes he's a very talented player, but looked to be in a slump.

Cacace on the other hand scythed through the defence from fullback a number of times (and did it again in HK and India).

Anyway, it's really a case of starting Williams ahead of Burns. Don't see Burns at DM.

23 player squad, with three GKs, and 20 outfielders - two for each position.

Maybe this:

Formation

'Twin CAM' with no striker; Nichols expected to get forward. Wingers encouraged to move infield and link with the CAMS; Fullbacks to overlap. I believe those four will score goals.

Positions

Smith - the ruthless option (as used with Parkhouse) would be to have him play Handa Prem this year and bring in another keeper (and another under 20 player for the squad - three are needed). IMO whoever threw him in to the squad last year did no-one any favours.

Cacace vs Doyle - Cacace a better attacking option. Doyle overlaps well, but Cacace is better at creating and sustaining attacking moves.

Fox vs Durante vs Taylor - who starts is TBC.

DR - while Fox, Lowry and Fenton have all played there, there's a hole there - need a quality RB and cover.

DM - Quality DM needed, worth using an import slot on. Also cover for Kopczynski

Cover for Singh - another skilful creative playmaker... who?

Cover for Nichols - maybe a big strong traditional striker (with a good touch and awareness of the off-side rule), and good in the air, to give another attacking option.

Cover for Krishna - who?

Williams vs Burns - Williams starts on end-of-season form, IMO.

Fenton - being used as attacking mid in trial games; has played FB. I don't see him as a CAM though. Could cover FB, wing and DM (all R). A good sub?

Already there is genuine competitions for some positions - Burns on Williams, Krishna and Nicols, and between the centre backs. Rudan will be aiming to have pressure on all positions by the time the squad is finalised.

Would be interesting also to try Cacace at L DM, and Doyle at LB... like this:

I like this. Cacace, Singh, Nicols, Krishna and Williams are all creative skilful players. Maybe Kopetc too, TBC.

Burns and Krishna are starters. No one else in theam can do what they can do. If the midfields feeds them goals will come.

I haven't seen much from De Jong, but Rudan is seemingly pretty ruthless with the trialists so he must see something.

Good to hear there was some truth to the Tratt rumours.

Gulley not making it is a surprise from what everyone has been saying about him and our lack of depth at FB?

Let's see how the season goes. 

One would suspect that our last two imports (Krishna being considered a local) wuld be a RB and a striker. We can change formation to use what we have for the other midfielder (Nichols as a B2B but thats stretching it)

One would suspect that our last two imports (Krishna being considered a local) wuld be a RB and a striker. We can change formation to use what we have for the other midfielder (Nichols as a B2B but thats stretching it)

Priorities:

1) DM 2)RB (Could be Tratt) 3) Striker

The core, and second DM in particular now, is Rudan's priority.

Slightly better IMO, younger and more robust too. That being said i'm upset we didn't pick up Gulley, but we can't have them all I guess

Can I just say how much I am enjoying Mark Rudan's press conferences. Loving his no bullshark approach!

I've been a bit out of touch with all the comings and goings - but did we hang onto Burns?

[quote=martinb]

How much better than Gulley is Tratt?

Slightly better IMO, younger and more robust too. That being said i'm upset we didn't pick up Gulley, but we can't have them all I guess

Rudan is setting the bar high for his recruitment. Gulley/Tratt will be competing against the possible visa options that Rudan will be looking at. Defenders are cheaper than attackers, so we would probably invest our limited resources into getting quality defenders. De Jong being an attacker, will be compared against other Aussie/Kiwis and cheaper visa option up front.

Rudan is setting the bar high for his recruitment. Gulley/Tratt will be competing against the possible visa options that Rudan will be looking at. Defenders are cheaper than attackers, so we would probably invest our limited resources into getting quality defenders. De Jong being an attacker, will be compared against other Aussie/Kiwis and cheaper visa option up front.

I know what you mean, there's something endearing about his attitude, gruff persona and the words he is spouting. I think if he can follow through on this, then we will do ok. I think the signings are good, but not great, so this team is going to have to be very well coached in order for us to do well.

I do feel compelled to add, that after watching 3 of his press conferences in a row last night (yeah, just like the rest of you, I need to get a life ;-)) I started to wonder, and only wonder - this is not (yet) my opinion, if the tough guy act would wear thin, and if he might just be a little too much of a control freak - I noticed that he really did oversee these press conferences like a school master and didn't really let the players talk a whole lot. 

Early days though and right now I agree with C-Diddy's opinion

what’s happened to Calvin Harris?