Worrying over Nothing?

Devongone · 03-07-2018, 12:12

Ricky Miller at Port Vale, Grant Smith, the Boreham Wood keeper, gone to Lincoln, Jamie Jones Chester's young centre back to Salford, now Mike Fondop-Talom snapped up by Wrexham. Almost every player I've been going on about has now gone off to a new club .......... and we ...........? Have we been blinded by the fact that everyone seems to like our new manager? At the moment we seem to have one forward who was injured all last season. The players we had last season were playing in a team which would certainly have struggled in the Vanarama. We have to have a better team than that even to survive. We've dumped quite a few inhibitory contracts now, but that slow process has left us towards the back of the queue for the pick of the non-league crop. (I kept saying we should raid Kidderminster for instance - well their three most attractive players have gone :- Croasdale for £50,000 to Fylde, Ngwatala to Dundee, Sonupe to Stevenage ..... and a full back got snatched too - that perhaps leaves I think Horsfall the centre back and their centre forward Ironside only.)

I'm beginning to worry that not only aren't we looking like a promotion side, we are beginning to take on the air of strugglers. If Martin Allen stays I'm sure all will be well in that sense, but were he to leave what's the legacy looking like? Even Hartlepool with their new owner in place are making signings that look as though they've got to grips with the notion that they have to fight their way back to the Football League. John Still at Barnet has broken every promise he made not to raid Dagenham for players and looks to be building a league-winning team. Boreham Wood are replacing the players that are moving on. Chris Kinnear at Dover is following his usual process of clearing-out and bringing in new talent for another promotion challenge, Salford are splashing out, Harrogate are building, Sutton are going to be at least as good as last season, Orient have now had a season to prepare for this, Wrexham are being very picky over new signings, Ebbsfleet cotinue to improve their squad, Bromley think they have league potential, Maidstone and Maidenhead both want more than mid-table .....

Or am I worrying over nothing? Is everything under control?

**themaclad** · 03-07-2018, 13:17

Fixtures out tomorrow

Dancingwilldoit · 03-07-2018, 15:41

Blue says its all hunky dory Dev so it must be. MA says we will only have a striker plus 1 other loanee coming in and thats our lot.
Looks like Anyon will be our back up keeper so god help any keeper injuries.
I just hope MA intends to blood some of our own youngsters (I hear Amanchi is a big solid striker) it would make a nice change.

bluepooch · 03-07-2018, 19:14

Where did I say it was all Hunky Dory ? you're there again Dancing putting words in my mouth !
Dev its normal to worry when it seemingly dries up after we hit the ground running with plenty of signings but Allen has said all along he only wants a squad of about 19 and we have at least that currently .Although I agree and surely does everyone else ,even MA that we cant just rely on the so far unconvincing and injury prone Ugwu as our only out and out striker with any experience .So I expect more to leave ,Anyon included hopefully, and at least one or two more to come in .
As Ive said before but some don't listen, I will judge the team when I have seen them perform ,I don't get taken in by Allen's bluster and confidence ,he needs to back it up with success on the pitch.

Devongone · (This post was last modified: 06-07-2018, 12:56 by Devongone.)

Our defence looks fine, except that Anyon is such a bad keeper no-one has wanted to rid us of Caldwell's putrid legacy. Jalal is okay, amazingly came out a Vandy Pandy keeper of the year last season ahead of Grant Smith, but if he's really good, why in his mid thirties was he earning next-to-nowt with the Silkmen and why were they so happy to replace him?

We've brought in two important players to our midfield and Curtis Weston over whom I've got questions ....... but far our best midfielder last time was a loanee who has returned to real life.

Up front? Well I liked the idea of grabbing Gozie from Woking, but he's had a year out and unless he's changed massively he is not a lone striker. For two years we have had no plan to attack (or defend). I can see defence shaping now that we have a midfield that will tackle, but I can't yet see how we score when teams want to stop us.

I know Martin Allen talked about his squad of 19 ...... and I'm pretty sure he's trying to inspire them with his idea that you few are my chosen men, I'll look after you, and it's us against the world. That's fine, BUT there are 5 subs in this football. 5 and 11 is 16, so that will leave us three injured or pressing the 16 for places. It's not a lot as Paul Daniels wouldn't have said. I'm fine with Ofoegbu and the new Handsworth boy in the team or on the bench, but I can't forget saying last season that I couldn't see how we could score enough goals as we only had Dennis and Ugwu with any decent record of hitting the back of the net. So far we've got Ugwu back from a season out and Carter, who showed he can score teens from midfield ....... the goals record of the rest is well ........ er. BUT I am sure Martin Allen, with all his experience knows this and is old-fashioned enough not to be intending to play the kind of football that gets us 48-60% possession every week and three or four shots. Maybe MA sees Rowley combining with Carter to add goals - to be fair Rowley went back a bit last season, but that doesn't mean he isn't making huge strides forward now.

I'm just worried that when you look at the signings our opponents are making to add to already-decent squads I wouldn't pick us out as contenders.

Dancingwilldoit · 06-07-2018, 14:05

Dev, what will be will be. I have said all along we could well be heading for a hat trick of not only relegations but finishing bottom.
I hope I am wrong and I have to admit compared to Caldwell, Branston and Lester I have a bit more confidence in Allen than I had in any of the others.
We do have a strong youth set up that has been completely ignored in the main by everybody. Instead of nurturing talent we seem to be hell bent on destroying it. Who knows, maybe MA has seen we have a few gems there and I would love to see 3 or 4 of our own youth squad making up the missing places on the bench and getting game time. With a larger squad they wouldn't be getting a look in but who knows what will happen.

I don't think we will bounce straight back up and think it will be few years before we get back up again. In the meantime, look on the bright side. If DA has to pump even more funds in he might just decide enough is enough and drop the asking price and clear off along with Cashcow Carson.

Devongone · 07-07-2018, 11:47

I can only look at what is trotting out against Sheffield according to MA and think jeeeeeeez. Robbie Weir stuck in the centre of midfield like a Scouse albatross ........ Zavon up front ........... I thought these were players we'd like to ditch. A random couple of youngsters who deserve it on the bench ...........? That sounds like really calculated development. NOT.

Okay MA should indeed be trying to sign the right man up front, but some cast-off Division One player with several opinionated children ........? Is that where we should be looking?

We've made the mistake of thinking all Scotsmen are natural football managers, then we were blinded by our love of Jack Lester and his verbal fluency, are we now falling for an old-fashioned jellied-eels bit of southern, blokish charm as we head out of another division? If I believed he were really getting his own way I might be able to hold on to a little more trust.

But then, if you believed in Que Sera Sera you wouldn't be running your own business Dancing. Two relegations haven't substantially weakened DA's grip. The way things are going my old house off Peveril Road might soon be looking down on a ghost ground.

bluepooch · 07-07-2018, 23:46

So we won 5-1, not that it means anything but at least some of the players we hope will score goals actually scored .At the end of the day we couldn't do any more than win 5 -1 against a team 3 leagues below .Apparently Drew's got a slight injury so he's getting them in pre season now .I am looking forward to seeing Charlie Carter and would like to see if Charlie Wakefield has progressed ,he did show promise early last season.Joe Rowley scored a couple which will do him good and Zavron (MA's Pronunciation) Hines played up front but didn't score.
The more I listen to MA the more I think he is definitely not a full shilling, but its quite endearing the way he gets things wrong and attempts to be funny .I just hope he gets it right on the pitch because that really is all that matters.

Devongone · 08-07-2018, 12:53

The good thing about MA not being the full shilling is he never was. I think what he's achieved in football he achieved as he is.

Jack Charlton always used to say J-owhan Kruff. Perhaps Zavron gives Zavon a huge belly laugh.

Yes, I want to see if the youngsters have progressed AND I want to see them getting on the pitch. Glad Joe got two and Gozie one. Don't want to see whether Joe Anyoneanywhere can keep goal - he can't. Don't want Robbie Weir in midfield either to be honest.

Found out today another one of the non-leaguers I was going on about - Gold Omotayo is on trial at Bury. Obviously he's willing to move north from Brighton - if the Shakers hesitate we ought to move in, he can play midfield or forward and is good with a dead ball too apparently.

bluepooch · (This post was last modified: 12-07-2018, 14:47 by bluepooch.)

(08-07-2018, 12:53)Devongone Wrote: The good thing about MA not being the full shilling is he never was. I think what he's achieved in football he achieved as he is.

Jack Charlton always used to say J-owhan Kruff. Perhaps Zavron gives Zavon a huge belly laugh.

Yes, I want to see if the youngsters have progressed AND I want to see them getting on the pitch. Glad Joe got two and Gozie one. Don't want to see whether Joe Anyoneanywhere can keep goal - he can't. Don't want Robbie Weir in midfield either to be honest.

Found out today another one of the non-leaguers I was going on about - Gold Omotayo is on trial at Bury. Obviously he's willing to move north from Brighton - if the Shakers hesitate we ought to move in, he can play midfield or forward and is good with a dead ball too apparently.

So its apparently between us and Bury for the services of Jordan Archer with Bury being the favourites due to their league status .