Brad Holmes...

S

Seasider89

Well-known member
Scored two already in the development game and it's not even half time. We are looking (if rumours are to be believed) to sign Kylian Kouassi who has a grand total of 10 goals in 64 games including stints in the leagues beneath the Conference..

Holmes is over 6ft, strong and isn't scared of a header.

Is the solution to who plays with Lavery right under our noses? Why not give the boy a shot on Saturday and see if he makes the grade?
 
Critch arrived after Brad's goals.

It looks like he's decided that Apter is the one dev squad promotee.
 
I'm at the development squad game, his first was from half a yard, his second a decent finish, currently I can't see him anywhere near, but he has bulked up a bit since I last saw him, needs a loan spell imo. Stand out player for us so far is Jake Daniels, playing wide on the left and having a good game. Mariette is doing well too. 2-2 at half-time, way more entertaining than Saturday! 🤣
 
Victorsponge said:
How much have you actually seen him play?
Click to expand...
Why is this always the question when anyone has an opinion on Brad??

I've not seen a lot of him, but I've seen enough to know he's miles away from first team ready,

He needs a decent conference national or L2 loan (I don't think he'll have any takers at L2 level though) to play every week in men's football (not U21/23/development) and prove he belongs there (Same as Apter did at Chester then Scunny), as yet Brad's done nothing to show that, it says it all when the only manager (out of 4) who's played him is Dobbie who's obvs gonna have a soft spot for lads from his development squad hence Apter and Lankshear being in there as well, although Apter should be in and around the 1st team imo

I sincerely hope he gets the loan he needs and comes back ready to kick on.
 
Marton Monorail said:
Why is this always the question when anyone has an opinion on Brad??

I've not seen a lot of him, but I've seen enough to know he's miles away from first team ready,

He needs a decent conference national or L2 loan (I don't think he'll have any takers at L2 level though) to play every week in men's football (not U21/23/development) and prove he belongs there (Same as Apter did at Chester then Scunny), as yet Brad's done nothing to show that, it says it all when the only manager (out of 4) who's played him is Dobbie who's obvs gonna have a soft spot for lads from his development squad hence Apter and Lankshear being in there as well, although Apter should be in and around the 1st team imo

I sincerely hope he gets the loan he needs and comes back ready to kick on.
Click to expand...
It just baffles me why were looking at a lad from Sutton with 10 goals to his name and who did very little in division 1 with Lincoln when we have this "development squad"
 
So Brad Holmes isn't up to it, but we're supposedly bringing an untested kid from Sutton in whose stats don't match up.
Might not be the most gifted footballer, but Holmes knows where the net is and would the team to so much worse if he replaced Beesley.
 
Ping Pong said:
fb.watch

Subscribers to Tangerine TV can now watch highlights of today's 2-2 draw with Salford City in the opening match of the Central League.... | By Blackpool FCFacebook

Subscribers to Tangerine TV can now watch highlights of today's 2-2 draw with Salford City in the opening match of the Central League....
fb.watch fb.watch

I was there Brad had a good game & 2 goals.
Marriott & lankshear were decent too.
Hopefully Brad & Apter in squad on Saturday, give them a chance!
Click to expand...
Luke Mariette has had some really good games for us but I didn't think today was one of them.
 
Seasider89 said:
The bar to be in the matchday squad is pretty low when we have CJ and Bees starting. I'd be calling Big John Murphy to see if he's still available.
Click to expand...
I think that's sadly the case that the bar is low and it would seem our targets aren't raising that bar!
 
Victorsponge said:
It just baffles me why were looking at a lad from Sutton with 10 goals to his name and who did very little in division 1 with Lincoln when we have this "development squad"
Click to expand...
Because you always have to look to improve and clearly Critch thinks Kouassi potentially has a higher ceiling and more chance of becoming that player than Brad.

Whether that's true remains to be seen, but until Holmes has played the same games at league level as Kouassi has, to compare their respective records, there's no real comparison to be made.

Brad has been poor (goals wise) at several non league loans, that's probably what holds him back from getting the higher level loan he needs tbh.

As I said, ATM he needs that successful loan, whether he'll get it I'm not sure.
 
Dobbie was slightly critical of Holmes’s performance in his post match assessment. If Dobbie thinks he needs to up his game in a development squad match why should he be ready for the first team?
 
Marton Monorail said:
Because you always have to look to improve and clearly Critch thinks Kouassi potentially has a higher ceiling and more chance of becoming that player than Brad.

Whether that's true remains to be seen, but until Holmes has played the same games at league level as Kouassi has, to compare their respective records, there's no real comparison to be made.

Brad has been poor (goals wise) at several non league loans, that's probably what holds him back from getting the higher level loan he needs tbh.

As I said, ATM he needs that successful loan, whether he'll get it I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
You obviously know more about Brad than me, but our development squad seems to be a conveyor belt to the football dustbin at the moment.
 
Last edited:
rememberlesshannon said:
And yet Dobbie who played the mist attacking football we've seen in a few years included,Holmes, Apter and Lankshear in his squads
Click to expand...
That was down to injuries rather than anything else, and away to Birmingham, with Yates, Madine, Lavery and Beesley all out, he still preferred to play Rogers as a lone striker ahead of Holmes.
 
So Dobbie and Critchley will discuss the dev and youth teams on a weekly basis. So either Dobbie believes they are not ready yet or is too weak to impose his positive view of these players on Critchley?

I’d very much doubt that Dobbie is a shrinking violet and if he is saying to Critchley you must watch X they are ready to transform the team, I’d doubt Critchley would tell him to sod off.
 
Holmes and Apter have advantage of both being naturally left sided. This seems however to be lost on our Head Coach.
 
I'd like to see him play in the pizza trophy, he needs to be given a few chances in the first team to show if he can make the step up and i think thats the perfect competitionfor him. He's obviously a natural goal scorer, you don't score as many as he has at youth level with out being.
 
I bleed Tangerine said:
I'd like to see him play in the pizza trophy, he needs to be given a few chances in the first team to show if he can make the step up and i think thats the perfect competitionfor him. He's obviously a natural goal scorer, you don't score as many as he has at youth level with out being.
Click to expand...
There is a massive difference between scoring goals at youth level and stepping up into adult football. Physical size can play a part but that diminishes as you move up the levels into senior football.

Off the top of my head Matthew Blinkhorn, Danny Mitchell, Louis Almond and more recently Joe Nuttall (at Blackburn) and Ewan Bange have all scored for fun in junior/U-21 level. I do agree though that Holmes and Apter should be given a chance to play with better players in meaningful senior games.
 
Seainsea said:
I do agree though that Holmes and Apter should be given a chance to play with better players in meaningful senior games.
Click to expand...
I've been saying this for a long time. We won't see if they are good enough until they play alongside our "best" players.
We just don't seem to be brave enough to give them the opportunity.
Despite continually banging the drum for our young players to be given a chance I obviously don't know how good they will be in League 1. I know what I see at the level they play at and occasionally against players at one or 2 levels above.
I do know that Accy, Fleetwood, Wigan and PKE who we do play against regularly at u18 level, and regularly beat, are giving their kids opportunities at League level.
 
Last edited:
Marton Monorail said:
He's been playing at Wing Back not Right Back but that's got absolutely nothing to do with Brad Holmes not being ready for the first team
Click to expand...
You brought Critchley into it and if you think he or Lyons are playing as wing backs you are watching different games to me, although i agree that in principle and in that formation they should be.In my opinion I have not seen any evidence that Beesley is any better for the first team and that's what it is, my opinion.
 
I bleed Tangerine said:
I'd like to see him play in the pizza trophy, he needs to be given a few chances in the first team to show if he can make the step up and i think thats the perfect competitionfor him. He's obviously a natural goal scorer, you don't score as many as he has at youth level with out being.
Click to expand...
He’s not good enough for this level
 
My view on Holmes from what I've seen (not as much as @Insider or some others, but a bit) is that he's definitely not ready to be a starter but in circumstances where there is no one else or we need the late energy and finishing skills such as Saturday (tiring players versus a tiring defence) it seems bizarre not to give him some minutes as not having ANY strikers spare seems worse than having one with some rough edges.
 
rememberlesshannon said:
You brought Critchley into it and if you think he or Lyons are playing as wing backs you are watching different games to me, although i agree that in principle and in that formation they should be.In my opinion I have not seen any evidence that Beesley is any better for the first team and that's what it is, my opinion.
Click to expand...
Yes I did, in relation to Brad Holmes
 
I don't know much about Holmes but on Saturday we only had Dale on the bench who could change things up top and the rest were mainly midfielders in the same mould as what we already had on the pitch. I'd have had Holmes and Apter on there just for something different.
 
Hope Brad Holmes doesn't read what's said on Avfft. People who have never seen him play saying he's not good enough must do wonders for his confidence. We seem to want to give other teams youth a chance rather than our own.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top