Seven new players

About 7 changes seems okay to me. Fewer than that doesn't alter the squad sufficiently, any more and you risk early season bedding in a new team - which may happen anyway.

To be honest 4 or 5 GOOD players and i'd be happy. Combine them with what we have and we should progress - afterall, building for the future is what we want from BM.

Fingers crossed that GFH back him and the silence from them is just shrewd business, rather than open boasting of what we'll be doing this summer.

To be honest 4 or 5 GOOD players and i'd be happy.

Last poster, please define happy as you see it.

Eric,

I made that original statement. The addition of 4 or 5 good players represents a step forwards as a squad/club for me. Too much average brought in, not enough game changers.

If we can retain those 4 or 5, then add again with similar quality next summer, if we don't attain promotion - then i believe our overall squad for the second go at promotion with BM will be a rival for any in the CCC.

I'm prepared, as long as i see improvement, to be quite patient with BM. I want long term stability, not bang then crash management. Give me that and i'm a happy fan in the stands each game............

P.S. The following isn't disloyal or lacking in ambition. We're light years away from competing for the top 6 in the Prem. We simply don't have the financial muscle or infrastructure to do it. It'll take time and patience, or a GFH with seriously deep pockets, to gate crash the higher levels. Promotion, stability and maybe some cup runs in our next few seasons is awesome in my books - given where we've been the last few years.

Spot on VOF, I think the key is giving fans some visibility of what the plan is.

After 8 years of empty rhetoric from Bates, fans need something to buy into.

Jonty ........ the only visibility i want is the signing of players that give credible evidence of intent. We all have differing views on who that'll be, i'll judge as and when they're named, not before though.

I don't want public statements or press released aspirations about particular players, discreet but good business is fine by me.

Not talking about the players, but the strategy.

ie

'We're looking to rebuild this season and give youth a chance with aim to get promotion this season or next'

for example.
What we normally have is a complete lack of timescales or what is it we're actually going for.

Only once did we get it in our promotion season from div3 when straight after Milwall playoff defeat Bates said our promotion season starts now.

I think if BM gets us promoted within 2 years he'll have done a great job.

I don't mind if its going to be three years, but would be great for club to tell us what the plan is. Takes a lot of uncertainty and therefore pressure off the club.

You're not saying Ken Bates did something right are you Jonty.....?

Blimey, I'll go to the foot of our stairs..!



Personally I'm with VOF on this, we'll see the intent when we see who Mr McDermott brings in. GFH don't need to tell us a great deal if they get that bit right. I like to think most sensible football fans can see stuff for themselves without needing to be told everything all the time.

Most aren't so needy.

I don't mind if its going to be three years, but would be great for club to tell us what the plan is. Takes a lot of uncertainty and therefore pressure off the club.

-------------------------------------

Quite the opposite Jonty. My experience of these boards is that if someone makes any sort of commitment to the club and fails to deliver, then they hung, drawn and quartered.

Not everything that GFH have done is perfect for sure, but compared to 12 months ago I feel 100x more confident about our future. Only time will tell if that feeling of confidence is proved correct or not. Personally i'm happy to provide benefit of the doubt. After all the cost of me attending next year has been reduced, so that's a great thing.

When we kick off at the beginning of next season, then i'll judge GFH a bit more objectively, once I see the starting line up. simple as it seems, after years of ground developments, it's the playing squad I want to see improved this time round - that is after all the reason I pay my money each week and turn up. Football.

Big re your first comment, this happens when there is no plan or communication as fans are looking for clues.

The one time this didn't happen was the year bates said it was our promotion season and our first season in div3 when all we hoped for was to survive.