Why weren't we ready for the new season ?
We all knew, and Town knew, where we needed to strengthen for this season...
We knew PC was going...we needed a CB, experienced at this level.
where is he ?
We also knew Vaughan was injury prone....
as we knew Stead wasn't up to it and was a silly acquisition..
and as we knew Paterson isn't in the frame anymore...
and as we further knew, Danny Ward is not a striker....
in addition we know playing one up top, in Wells, has not worked..the lad made his name with a fellow (tall) striker to feed off....
We we needed a CF as well as a CB.
Robins knew this, in fact these 2 positions were certainly 2 of the 3 'additions to the squad' he declared we 'were after' in May...The club announced the fact we needed 3 additions...so, over to the Board to do the business then...
Zoom forward 14 weeks...0-4 1-3...24th
Robins hauled over the coals for the inept 0-4 v Bournemouth..so why did he leave..? well, probably because he said 'where the fook are the new players we agreed we needed' ...(or something like that).
What was said then, is the unknown element because no one at Town has said why we haven't recruited the said 2 key players...all we have had from Town is a rant from Deano about 'moaning fans'....and a not too well disguised threat that if we don't shut up, he's off !
So here we are...still short of the key players...but with 3 new midfielders (Coady...Majewski and Butterfield) minus player of the year Clayton...so we have 8 or 9 midfield players and one striker (Wells)...
Gerrard is out injured, for a while yet...Lynch has started the season like he's been eating pork pies all summer...and of course PC has gone.
No surprise Robins though 'fook this for a lark' and walked out...
This is not a dig at any particular individual, but more a question as to what the fook Town thought they were doing to arrive at the season start without strengthening in the key areas. ? 10 goals conceded in 3 games...?
Okay we've scored 6, but 5 of those were against League One Chesterfield...
With the Reading game coming up, and a likely defeat..we've effectively given all the other clubs 3 games start this season.
at least...
I'm not panicking, but it'll take us several weeks to catch up even if we start to win a few games...the season already looks destined for another battle against relegation...and it's all down to failing to add to the squad in the key areas...and I can't for the life in me understand why we haven't...unless Deano knew Robins was on borrowed time and is saving his money for a new manager to bring in the 2 players we need ?
Assuming the transfer deadline hasn't passed by then...in which case it will be the loan market again...and Deano can save his money...A little part of me wonders whether this was all done deliberately ..to save money....
It certainly seems the case that Dean's strategy is to survive in this league with the minimum amount of expense...and I know about FFP....it's a risky strategy, because crowds are dwindling, fans are getting restless and a drop to league one would be a disaster, a self inflicted disaster in my opinion...
Moan over....
just a little moan.............
posted on 18/8/14
Two defenders I dream we could have signed were Morrison and Kelly, totally out of our league but would have been immense signings.
posted on 18/8/14
Stange thing is sean st ledger is still training wirh us..played cb in a pre season match..which he did quite well,leading and talking to players around him...yet not signed?
posted on 18/8/14
St Ledger seems the perfect type fo player but maybe he is just too expensive? Surely if noone else is offering him big bucks he will lower his demands??
Ive gone for the Take 10 card this season as struggling to get to every game. Its a great idea but because there isnt the big commitment I do wonder how many games I will go to this season if it gets dire.
posted on 18/8/14
St Ledger isn't the answer. He peaked years ago.
posted on 18/8/14
To be fair I only go off the basis I have heard of St Ledger and where he has played before. I had never heard of Kelly or Morrison so Im sure there are some great young players out there.
I look at when we got Jamie Vincent, he in the team of the year for the division below us and was a quality player. Surely we should just look for the best League 1 defenders last season and offer a the 2014 Rhodes installment to ensure we get him.
posted on 18/8/14
MBWB..I agree, once we get (if we do) those 2 key players we'll be a decent enough outfit. Our midfield will be developing and we will have Vaughan for a few games as well.
I just think we didn't prioritise the right areas, but I don't know what goes on within the club...maybe we have the targets all lined up ready but just waiting for the parent club to give us the nod.
That seemed to have been the case with Coady, where we had tracked him for a while, then got him at £375k bargain price and no one had any idea until he signed.
It may be better if the t/f deadline ended a week before the season started, rather than 3 weeks into it.
I'm pleased with who we have brought in so far, and with Clayton gone, and Norwood and Scannell apparently on their way, being a year from the end of their contracts, maybe I need to be more patient.?
I just hope we do have the quality targets lined up, and are not still fishing around for another month of two for loanees...
posted on 18/8/14
Martin Kelly played for Town on loan from Liverpool a few seasons back. How could you have never heard of him MB?
posted on 18/8/14
I think he was saying, he'd never heard of them prior to them joining us on loan .
Like most of us. I can remember Morrison @ Swindon, but I'd never heard of Kelly before he joined us on loan.
posted on 19/8/14
is Norwood playing for Reading tonight ?
cue a 40 yard screamer
posted on 19/8/14
Yeah sorry I meant before they joined us, Kelly was amazing on loan for us and ever since I have wished we could have him back. The thing is he has gone to a Premier League club so he wouldnt have come down to this level but if we could have got him for £1.5m (which is apparently what Palace paid) then I think that would have been good use of money. I know we only normally spend big on a forward but Kelly is captain material and Kelly at CB with Coady infront would be a good spine to build from! Alas not to be!
Has Norwood actually been sold? I am so out of it at the moment as rediscovering how little sleep you get when you have a baby!!!!