I don't think Dancing or I will be classifying ourselves as geniuses for predicting what has happened. We are down. Nothing can save us.
All I did was to play around with the names Caldwell recruited to make team as I always have done. I like doing that. It's a game. Of course I never agree with the manager's selection ....... but so what? BUT after Caldwell's two recruitments I really could not come up with a team I felt was balanced and capable of winning, whatever system or style of play I chose. Unfortunately although I think after Jack's recruitment drive I could pick a team that looks better, it isn't much like the team Jack selects and it still doesn't inspire me. I can't understand why we'd recruit a player like Dodds and not play him - he was surely signed to increase our goal power and that's hard when you spend a large part of the game sitting down.
We have accumulated our problems over a number of years. Maybe once we moved from Saltergate this disaster was financially almost inevitable, but the central moment was when Paul Cook realised he wouldn't be financed to continue building a successful side. When Eoin Doyle went I think he saw what would happen to him that if he stayed he would be expected to create similar success on a John Coleman type budget.
I've harped on about Ricky German because he seems like an example of our failure to look beyond the end of our noses. The lad was captain of the juniors, scored goals, and when he wasn't on the field that team struggled without him. When we had a reserve team he scored there too. 11 goals in three weeks! Yet his one first-team start was I think ruined by following instructions from a thug! He's barely been afforded more than a few minutes in the first team on his appearances since, he's been given loans which won't help him and now if he's even as good as he was when captaining the juniors I'll be surprised. BUT to succeed we need to develop young talent and uncover unrecognised talent from lower levels that we can develop. UNTIL we realise that is our way to be, our modus operandi, our survival mechanism, we'll continue on our downward path UNLESS some fool steps in to finance a more expensive policy.
I've said again and again, why loan in players to lose you games? We can lose with our own players and save money on the mercenaries who turned out not to be the magnificent seven. The purpose of loaned players is to win games.
Matt is so right about our contract problem for next season. Weir and Coke shouldn't even be considered for extensions. Then we need to find ways to be rid of Barry, Anyon, Wiseman, Sinnott, Brewster, O'Grady, McCourt, Hines and Kay. Hird, Evatt and Talbot DESERVE prolonged discussions about what they and we want to do next season. They are proper Chesterfield players and could play a part in our future if they wanted.
It is not only on-field where we need to economise. We cannot carry either a large backroom or a large administrative staff. Whoever is our manager has to be VERY hands-on. We have a good man in Llera, we need to hang on to him, but Tommy Wright's a flop, do we need a goalkeeping coach, our fitness regime seems to injure players in training without outrunning any opposition ......... questions need to be asked and without wanting to turn into George Osborne, CUTS HAVE TO BE FACED.
IF as Matt suggests we stay loyal to Jack Lester we need to recruit an assistant who knows non-league inside-out. If we go into next season like a fluffy-headed old EFL team we'll get taken apart. As Matt says the Proact will look like Wembley to them, it'll be worth a goal start to everyone we play! And when we get our team together it needs to be capable of withstanding physical challenges and be willing to scrap, possess speed, athleticism and power AND footballing ability is an absolute requirement, because there are a lot of good players in the Vanarama.
I'd like to read what a practical business man like Dancing would do. At the root of our decline is our owner's disenchantment with us. If he achieves the miracle and sells the club at a price that satisfies him then that changes everything (and not necessarily for the better). BUT we HAVE to plan on the basis of a club remaining in chaos, in which finance will be unwillingly provided in limited amounts. It looks like we'll have to find a way back from a HARD EXIT. And we'll have to succeed despite Mr Allen, not because of him. So we're going down with a Stockport attitude and we need to get a Bristol Rovers outcome!
Just read Pooch as I was posting! You are right - by not playing Rowley we are reducing his value and possibly ruining his development. I can see the point in resting a young player. But I can't see the point of putting him on the bench, leaving him there, and sending him the message - anyone is more likely to win us a game than you! And that makes me doubt Jack Lester.
All I did was to play around with the names Caldwell recruited to make team as I always have done. I like doing that. It's a game. Of course I never agree with the manager's selection ....... but so what? BUT after Caldwell's two recruitments I really could not come up with a team I felt was balanced and capable of winning, whatever system or style of play I chose. Unfortunately although I think after Jack's recruitment drive I could pick a team that looks better, it isn't much like the team Jack selects and it still doesn't inspire me. I can't understand why we'd recruit a player like Dodds and not play him - he was surely signed to increase our goal power and that's hard when you spend a large part of the game sitting down.
We have accumulated our problems over a number of years. Maybe once we moved from Saltergate this disaster was financially almost inevitable, but the central moment was when Paul Cook realised he wouldn't be financed to continue building a successful side. When Eoin Doyle went I think he saw what would happen to him that if he stayed he would be expected to create similar success on a John Coleman type budget.
I've harped on about Ricky German because he seems like an example of our failure to look beyond the end of our noses. The lad was captain of the juniors, scored goals, and when he wasn't on the field that team struggled without him. When we had a reserve team he scored there too. 11 goals in three weeks! Yet his one first-team start was I think ruined by following instructions from a thug! He's barely been afforded more than a few minutes in the first team on his appearances since, he's been given loans which won't help him and now if he's even as good as he was when captaining the juniors I'll be surprised. BUT to succeed we need to develop young talent and uncover unrecognised talent from lower levels that we can develop. UNTIL we realise that is our way to be, our modus operandi, our survival mechanism, we'll continue on our downward path UNLESS some fool steps in to finance a more expensive policy.
I've said again and again, why loan in players to lose you games? We can lose with our own players and save money on the mercenaries who turned out not to be the magnificent seven. The purpose of loaned players is to win games.
Matt is so right about our contract problem for next season. Weir and Coke shouldn't even be considered for extensions. Then we need to find ways to be rid of Barry, Anyon, Wiseman, Sinnott, Brewster, O'Grady, McCourt, Hines and Kay. Hird, Evatt and Talbot DESERVE prolonged discussions about what they and we want to do next season. They are proper Chesterfield players and could play a part in our future if they wanted.
It is not only on-field where we need to economise. We cannot carry either a large backroom or a large administrative staff. Whoever is our manager has to be VERY hands-on. We have a good man in Llera, we need to hang on to him, but Tommy Wright's a flop, do we need a goalkeeping coach, our fitness regime seems to injure players in training without outrunning any opposition ......... questions need to be asked and without wanting to turn into George Osborne, CUTS HAVE TO BE FACED.
IF as Matt suggests we stay loyal to Jack Lester we need to recruit an assistant who knows non-league inside-out. If we go into next season like a fluffy-headed old EFL team we'll get taken apart. As Matt says the Proact will look like Wembley to them, it'll be worth a goal start to everyone we play! And when we get our team together it needs to be capable of withstanding physical challenges and be willing to scrap, possess speed, athleticism and power AND footballing ability is an absolute requirement, because there are a lot of good players in the Vanarama.
I'd like to read what a practical business man like Dancing would do. At the root of our decline is our owner's disenchantment with us. If he achieves the miracle and sells the club at a price that satisfies him then that changes everything (and not necessarily for the better). BUT we HAVE to plan on the basis of a club remaining in chaos, in which finance will be unwillingly provided in limited amounts. It looks like we'll have to find a way back from a HARD EXIT. And we'll have to succeed despite Mr Allen, not because of him. So we're going down with a Stockport attitude and we need to get a Bristol Rovers outcome!
Just read Pooch as I was posting! You are right - by not playing Rowley we are reducing his value and possibly ruining his development. I can see the point in resting a young player. But I can't see the point of putting him on the bench, leaving him there, and sending him the message - anyone is more likely to win us a game than you! And that makes me doubt Jack Lester.