Squad

Got to say that I'm massively concerned and somewhat shocked by the squad RS has put together. It looks massively overloaded in some areas, and hugely lacking in others. We have 2 centre backs over the age of 33 who surely won't both be playing 50 games each, Osborne who has barely played in the last 2/3 years due to constantly being injured and a young lad in Keeble who's untried. I can't believe this hasn't been addressed. Boy couldn't we do with Pearson!

As for left back we have no real cover? Ok Kelly, davies and even woolford could probably do a job if needed but none of these are genuine left backs. As for midfield, we have rose who is the defensive type but other than him it's all attack minded players? Sean mac is a defensive type also but in be amazed if we saw him for more than 5 games this season. So if rose gets injured/suspended then we look a little lacking. Summerfield/berrett don't look natural replacements.

Then in terms of wingers/forwards we look massively overloaded now. 5 wingers plus possibly max Wright who's out on loan. Surely 4 including Wright would of sufficed? 4 strikers plus Asante seems excessive especially when RS has been going with a lone striker? Perhaps if we start go with 2 up top the numbers will make sense.

In terms of overall quality, not bad, but not great either. There's a few signings that stink of 2009/2010 but it's early days and I could be wrong. Summer signings just seem desperate. Cardwell and hooper on 2 year deals? Couldn't we have put there wages together to get 1 higher calibre player? Kelly and woolford the same.

I honestly don't believe the squad RS inherited needed major surgery. We had a good core, it probably just needed 5/6 quality additions. 12 is a complete overhaul. If anything I thought the squad from last year needed trimming down.

I think the number is 30 which is a lot. Again a lot of churn so people will need to learn to play together as a unit.

Surely, some must be on the way out to National league via loans to get the number down.

My biggest concern is defence, very light and shipping goals for fun currently. However, let's not forget we can still sign free agents still (Danny Collins last year)

I'd rather have more than less, the 2 year deals both last year and this year are what they are and now the team need to roll their socks up and get on with it.

With a squad of 30 - nobody can have any excuses not to progress year on year.

It's now about ACTION.

You have to wonder what the management team were doing during the close season, we have gone for quantity rather than quality,it makes some of the signing look like panic signings. I genuinely fear for this season.

Remember there are 3 youth players in that who'll be on peanuts. Plus Asante and McAllister have played under 10 games between them in 18 months so we obviously need to assume that them being fit is a bonus rather than relying upon it. I agree though, I'm not sure what the point is (excluding Asante) of having 4 strikers plus Jones when we play one up front, plus Kelly seems a complete waste of money to me, Woolford looks like (dare I say it) a "ooh, he's available, we must sign him." 5 wingers and 5/6 strikers, so 10/11 players to play 3 positions. To me Kelly and Hooper seem like wastes of budget, they might come good I don't know but 28 including 3 youths and Ahkeem Rose doesn't look too bad but 30 looks like Bignot all over again.

I can't stand the way some individuals get singled out for criticism on here when they have had no chance to prove themselves but taking the squad as a whole it seems weaker than last season and seems to be made up of journeymen, injury prone and callow youth.  On the other hand, that might be a perfect blend of experience, quality players obtained cheap due to recent injuries and exciting young players bursting on to the scene.  Whether it's the depressing former or the exciting latter will depend on the man management and coaching skills of RS and Wilko.  Overall though, I'd take mid table now if I could.

I just don't get the strategy with all the signings we have made. There are going to be plenty of them sitting in the stands with me. Can this be right?

Agree with the concerns. Feels like we've signed a load of journeymen on the way down. The squad is unbalanced and I question the quality of the players that he's brought in. I think we're in trouble, even at this early stage.

We can only name 18 players in a matchday squad - and at least four of those won't set foot on the pitch. Then we have another 10 or 12 who won't play because they're injured or not selected.

I'm not even that old but I sound old when I say 'it wasn't like that in my day'!

I don't think a squad of 30 was anyone's intention, so it makes you believe many of these will, in time, look like panic signings, or signings made simply because they were available and the transfer window was about to close.

I don't think the transfer window is healthy at all. I think that's contributed to this trend of stockpiling players, just in case a few of them get injured because you can't just go out there and get a replacement any time you want.

Could be a good thing the size of the squad specially if we get injuries, clearly Fenty has given sladey and wilko a decent enough budget to have this many players, I guess time will tell
In Slade and Wilko we trust !!

Cynical but come Xmas when Slade has gone...

"we supported them at every opportunity, if they truly needed a player we never turned them down" ...

i think JF as a supporter will have been as disappointed as each of us has with performances and tactics to date, he can at least stand there and say that the club has supplied over and above the pre season squad limits to try and address this....that way he can try and deflect any shite if we continue as is and he is forced to remove Slade.

Whether the budget and squad estimates were actually sufficient /realistic to achieve the stated play off ambition in the first place is a different argument and we wont know until season end when we see who is up there and what they had to spend.

Still early days but i have seen little to inspire me that our current first 11 and tactics are upto it, maybe the two latest signings will spark something.