[Devongone]

We've taken Haydn Hollis on loan from Forest Green.

Who'd have thought we'd end up loaning players from a vegan village team ....... how the never-were-mighty have fallen.

All the rumours were that he was coming last season as he lives fairly locally and specialises in heading the ball away and scoring own goals.

I do however think he will add a bit of steel and is a lot younger than one of our defenders.

I wonder if we are going to loan in a midfielder, or even slot in Amantchi up front at some point. Certainly I don't think we can keep expecting Zavon Hines to keep carrying us.

[spireitematt]

We've taken Haydn Hollis on loan from Forest Green.

Who'd have thought we'd end up loaning players from a vegan village team ....... how the never-were-mighty have fallen.

All the rumours were that he was coming last season as he lives fairly locally and specialises in heading the ball away and scoring own goals.

I do however think he will add a bit of steel and is a lot younger than one of our defenders.

I wonder if we are going to loan in a midfielder, or even slot in Amantchi up front at some point. Certainly I don't think we can keep expecting Zavon Hines to keep carrying us.

Be interesting to see if Forest Green will ever be sustainable on their own without a rich owner.

[Devongone]

Is Forest Green sustainable? What a genius question Matt.

Well their crowds are creeping up, but Cheltenham's experience suggests there is a limit in that whole area. Cheltenham and Gloucester are closer to joining up than Chesterfield and Sheffield. It is a pretty decent population but they only have Gloucester Rugby at a pretty run-down ground, Cheltenham FC at Whaddon Rd which is not much and Gloucester City are currently sharing after being flooded out a few seasons back ....... and then there's Forest Green down in the Forest ..... Between Bristol and Swindon there are quite a lot of people but it's more of a football desert than a forest.

But you get 50,000+ at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham Racecourse .....

[bluepooch]

But those 50k are mainly from Ireland...
So MA goes on record saying he's happy with the squad and doesn't need to sign anyone, then signs Reid and Hollis ,who ,by the way are both good additions .I guess MA is still discovering his squad but why come out and say he's happy in the first place ?.

[SaltergateBorn]

Probably, Blue, because he didn`t want to undermine the confidence or the morale of the squad; that`s usually why managers say these things.

I can`t see any mention anywhere of how long the loan is for. Anybody have any idea?

[spireitematt]

Is Forest Green sustainable? What a genius question Matt.

Well their crowds are creeping up, but Cheltenham's experience suggests there is a limit in that whole area. Cheltenham and Gloucester are closer to joining up than Chesterfield and Sheffield. It is a pretty decent population but they only have Gloucester Rugby at a pretty run-down ground, Cheltenham FC at Whaddon Rd which is not much and Gloucester City are currently sharing after being flooded out a few seasons back ....... and then there's Forest Green down in the Forest ..... Between Bristol and Swindon there are quite a lot of people but it's more of a football desert than a forest.

But you get 50,000+ at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham Racecourse .....

That 50,000 will be race goers from around the country and people from Ireland.

Only team you mentioned there which is big is Bristol Rovers. Cheltenham, Swindon and Gloucester won't have big attendances.

---

But those 50k are mainly from Ireland...
So MA goes on record saying he's happy with the squad and doesn't need to sign anyone, then signs Reid and Hollis ,who ,by the way are both good additions .I guess MA is still discovering his squad but why come out and say he's happy in the first place ?.

Think he's signed them due to injuries we have in the squad.

[bluepooch]

But the injuries weren't in the positions these two play in Matt .I couldve understood it if they had been central midfielders
Salty ,I think Its a season long loan and you're right it will have been a morale thing but it makes him look like he doesn't know how bad or good his squad is .
For what its worth I do think they will improve us ,what little I've seen of both of them .

[SaltergateBorn]

I`ve just seen MA`s interview on Spireites Digital and it turns out that the initial loan is until mid-January, but `with options`.

From what MA says about HH, and thinking back to Saturday`s game (the first 2 Salford goals in particular) his signing makes sense. I said in my post I thought Laurence Maguire was too narrow for their first goal, but perhaps I was being a bit unfair. Like all our back line he`s right footed, so his left side is always going to be where he`s more vulnerable. Also, he didn`t have JBW to give defensive support outside him. I think Kyel Reid has more attacking potential but not defensively, where JBW looks a lot stronger. With HH, MA now has more options when JBW comes back; he can play Maguire more centrally with JBW outside him and KR further forward or he can play Hollis in that `left centre-back` spot where, being left-footed, he won`t be as vulnerable on his left side. All managers like to have options.

Apparently, he`s also a `leader` who can organise to defend set-pieces. After those free headers on Saturday, that will certainly be an asset.

At the risk of being flippant, you could say that you can`t have a weakness in something you don`t have; that would be a midfield, in our case. Whether MA decides to strengthen there depends, I suppose, on what style of play he prefers and whether anybody is available - and affordable - who fits into that style. If he doesn`t strengthen our midfield I`m afraid we may be in for more hoofball, especially whilst we`re without Charlie Carter.

Having said that, I`m still going to be coming up again tomorrow. Decision made, ticket bought. I really must renew my membership of `Friends of the M1` some time soon.

[Devongone]

Although your analyses are excellent we do still have Weston, Weir and Rowley available in midfield, we have at least three players who would be more suited to wingback than pure full back or midfield, and we now have four players whose best position is centre back ....... so there are combinations available .......

Not to harp on it about it, but to me the bugbear seems to be accommodating Weir in the long run. I once asked what he actually does and no-one really answered ........ He doesn't have the energy to be a box-to-box midfielder, he lacks the pace, power or trickery needed to be a wide midfielder, he lacks the vision of a passing midfielder, he doesn't tackle well enough to justify himself as a purely defensive midfielder. To me he seems a bits and pieces midfielder who might be your fourth pick in a four-man midfield if you lacked a more exciting option. He's unlikely to get you a goal, slightly more likely to make the odd one, will put in the odd tackle and will try and contribute to a passing move ......... But MA seems to have lumbered himself with him as captain, which to me says more about Weir's personality than his play. OR is that very unfair?

I agree that MA's statement about his squad must have been made for psychological effect. He knows the game and must have guessed it could only be a matter of time before his team was found out ....... unless he was very lucky.

But I do disagree with this football-manager trope of playing the left-footed centre back on the left. I want his stronger foot on the inside (because that is where the goal is!) & so he pushes his opponent out wide. Why on earth would you want to make cutting inside the best option for the opposition? If he can't tackle with both feet why is he a pro', and you seriously don't want a defender who squares himself up to the oncoming forward, you want one who forces him away from the goal and is angling himself to make that the more tempting option and is ready to run with his man rather than standing square like a bollard.

[Dancingwilldoit]

Dev,
Weir has played well in the games I have seen. Last season he was woeful but seems to have got "stuck in" this time around.
He has shown he can tackle and pass but MA seems to prefer the long ball option. He has improved no end and does seem to be the player that gets us moving forward. He runs into spaces and lays the ball off. He is still prone to the odd mistake but that's only the same as everybody else at this level.