I realise that being able to sign on players almost throughout the season enables National League sides to limit the size of their squads, but a squad of 18 would surely be too small. Take Carter, Talbot and Wedgbury out for a large part of our season from its early days. That leaves just 15 players and one of those has to be a reliable second keeper or a new first one ……… There are always going to be players with knocks who may not be in full training for a few days too. A squad of 18-20 is going to leave the manager without the ability to even arrange an 11-a-side in training without bringing in almost half the Junior team …….
I agree that our current squad is far too big, but that is a result of poor recruitment over a prolonged period and management changes. We need to ditch quite a lot of players, but we also need to reward those who have led this season’s recovery …… so that any new recruits join a happy group. BUT the squad created does need BOTH to accommodate those developing 18-20 year olds, aiming to make that leap from fringe player to first choice, AND provide a bench of players who can not only cover for injuries but also change a game in tactical substitutions (which means they can’t all be inexperienced youngsters). By my reckoning that means a squad of perhaps 24.
The ability to bring in players throughout the season is a double-edged sword. It means you can permanently renew and freshen up a squad as well as cover for long-term injuries, but poor recruitment can also disturb a successful side and lead a manager to lose his sense of direction. In a sense that’s what worries me about Jordan Bowery. He is certainly a good enough player for us, but would he be the right player for us? He's way better than the picture Dancing paints, but his career is on a steady downward trajectory.
Throughout the season Wrexham have relied upon bringing in new players and changing managers. They’ll be in the Play-Offs. Will it work and get them into the EFL, or will they find that when push comes to shove they’ve lost something essential to a successful TEAM? We’ll see. Orient on the other hand have been pretty stable and have owed a lot to the hard-work of a very-grounded player in Craig Clay. They know what they are doing, always go the full 90, can come from behind and also proved themselves able to put a poor run behind them. They, like Solihull, have been a team.
I'm pretty certain Sheri can't expect a war chest for recruitment. That's why I keep suggesting non-leaguers, who as Dancing suggests, may be eager to fight their way to a more lucrative EFL career. That's why I like the idea of signing Alex Brown from Buxton, he's young and capable of playing higher, he clearly wants to, and his record shows he does his job every week! Get few of that kind and you might afford yourself a gamble on a more mercurial talent too.
I'd also suggest taking a look at teams who have been successful at lower levels throughout the season. Warrington's not that far. They've got at least two up-and-coming younger players in Dylan Vassallo and Ben Garritty. And if we want another forward who will score goals, rather than old-favourite Jordan Bowery, take your pick from Glen Taylor (Spennymoor), Brandon Goodship (Weymouth), Tshimanga (Oxford City), Zak Ansah (Hythe) who would all do less damage to the wage bill.
(By the way I only just cottoned on that young Percy Kiangebeni of St Albans, who I've been banging on about for two years as a player we should grab, signed a contract with Colchester United in the January window. You see I do sometimes get some things right ......... sometimes.)
I agree that our current squad is far too big, but that is a result of poor recruitment over a prolonged period and management changes. We need to ditch quite a lot of players, but we also need to reward those who have led this season’s recovery …… so that any new recruits join a happy group. BUT the squad created does need BOTH to accommodate those developing 18-20 year olds, aiming to make that leap from fringe player to first choice, AND provide a bench of players who can not only cover for injuries but also change a game in tactical substitutions (which means they can’t all be inexperienced youngsters). By my reckoning that means a squad of perhaps 24.
The ability to bring in players throughout the season is a double-edged sword. It means you can permanently renew and freshen up a squad as well as cover for long-term injuries, but poor recruitment can also disturb a successful side and lead a manager to lose his sense of direction. In a sense that’s what worries me about Jordan Bowery. He is certainly a good enough player for us, but would he be the right player for us? He's way better than the picture Dancing paints, but his career is on a steady downward trajectory.
Throughout the season Wrexham have relied upon bringing in new players and changing managers. They’ll be in the Play-Offs. Will it work and get them into the EFL, or will they find that when push comes to shove they’ve lost something essential to a successful TEAM? We’ll see. Orient on the other hand have been pretty stable and have owed a lot to the hard-work of a very-grounded player in Craig Clay. They know what they are doing, always go the full 90, can come from behind and also proved themselves able to put a poor run behind them. They, like Solihull, have been a team.
I'm pretty certain Sheri can't expect a war chest for recruitment. That's why I keep suggesting non-leaguers, who as Dancing suggests, may be eager to fight their way to a more lucrative EFL career. That's why I like the idea of signing Alex Brown from Buxton, he's young and capable of playing higher, he clearly wants to, and his record shows he does his job every week! Get few of that kind and you might afford yourself a gamble on a more mercurial talent too.
I'd also suggest taking a look at teams who have been successful at lower levels throughout the season. Warrington's not that far. They've got at least two up-and-coming younger players in Dylan Vassallo and Ben Garritty. And if we want another forward who will score goals, rather than old-favourite Jordan Bowery, take your pick from Glen Taylor (Spennymoor), Brandon Goodship (Weymouth), Tshimanga (Oxford City), Zak Ansah (Hythe) who would all do less damage to the wage bill.
(By the way I only just cottoned on that young Percy Kiangebeni of St Albans, who I've been banging on about for two years as a player we should grab, signed a contract with Colchester United in the January window. You see I do sometimes get some things right ......... sometimes.)