Bristol Rovers' intent !

Just seen that they have signed Jermaine Easter as a new striker to the end of the season.

Showing intent to pursue Barnet !

Good Signing

This has been on the cards for a few months. I read somewhere that Easter actually contacted Rovers direct to see if they would be interested as he needed to get back closer to Cardiff for personal reasons.

They were trying to sign Matt Tubbs as well before he chose to join Portsmouth instead. Wish we'd show a bit more intent in the transfer market...

Quoted from Chrisblor

They were trying to sign Matt Tubbs as well before he chose to join Portsmouth instead. Wish we'd show a bit more intent in the transfer market...

I'm afraid you are expelling some liquid into the wind and the hairs on the back of your neck will stay resolutely flat.

I think brizzle realise the longer your down here the harder it is to get out I expect them to challenge barnet

I've just read two threads - one showing a rival making an ambitious signing of a proven striker, and the other a near neighbour moving forward with another new stadium. You'll forgive me if I express feelings of jealousy, exasperation and rage!

Other people make it happen don't they. Meanwhile, in Grimsby........

I hear we are looking at an unknown 19 year old from somewhere in Yorkshire!  

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I'm afraid you are expelling some liquid into the wind and the hairs on the back of your neck will stay resolutely flat.

Its a terrific line is that!

Seriously though, transfer policy is just one of the reasons why fans patience is wearing thin.

We never seem to be in for anyone with any pedigree. The manager always says we wont get anyone in for the sake of it, and then sure enough gets a reserve player in (from York usually) and then people wonder why we aren't cheering to the rafters every home game.

Message to GTFC - for goodness sake give us a player to be excited about.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Its a terrific line is that!

Seriously though, transfer policy is just one of the reasons why fans patience is wearing thin.

We never seem to be in for anyone with any pedigree. The manager always says we wont get anyone in for the sake of it, and then sure enough gets a reserve player in (from York usually) and then people wonder why we aren't cheering to the rafters every home game.

Message to GTFC - for goodness sake give us a player to be excited about.

Hursty's computer says no

Location, location, location !!!

Quoted from acko338

Location, location, location !!!

Ambition, ambition, ambition

Quoted from acko338

Location, location, location !!!

Was in the same locality when we signed Hit man Hearn

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

I hear we are looking at an unknown 19 year old from somewhere in Yorkshire!  

And he's been following him with great interest for many years.

Bristol:
Big city,plenty of jobs,better and bigger shops art and culture,theatres,nice architecture,  direct rail link to the capital

Grimsby....................................................................................cheep housing, skint? to be fair unless we offer mega wages we haven't  many pluses always been a major stumbling block always will be.

This whole debate creases me up. There are people advocating a boycott of future games and others (not necessarily different people ) wanting us to splash the cash.....

Utterly hilarious....

Quoted from barralad

This whole debate creases me up. There are people advocating a boycott of future games and others (not necessarily different people ) wanting us to splash the cash.....

Utterly hilarious....

this will be the same group who want us to live within our means and not be reliant on a certain director but also want us to splash the cash and throw caution to the wind,
simple economics states you cannot spend what you don't have unless you borrow.

There's no way GTFC can't attract a decent calibre of player from the non league . I don't buy this location bollox thing . Were a massive step up for a player who wants to further his career due to the clubs size and history .
I can't understand this policy of signing young lads and hardly playing them . Complete waste of time IMO unless the club completely changes it's signing policy .

Quoted from acko338

Just seen that they have signed Jermaine Easter as a new striker to the end of the season.

Showing intent to pursue Barnet !

looks like they are putting all their eggs in one basket!  

Quoted from barralad

This whole debate creases me up. There are people advocating a boycott of future games and others (not necessarily different people ) wanting us to splash the cash.....

Utterly hilarious....

Well I for one am certainly not advocating boycotting games - if its in the blood its in the blood so to speak.

What I am advocating though is for the club to get off its backside and find players that will make a difference and excite the fans.

Christ on a bike its not too much to ask is it??

What is the point of having a supposed rich chairman if all we keep getting is run of the mill players who dont make a difference,even at this very low level?

Nobody is asking us to pay a kings ransom, but where is the ambition to get us out of this league?

I think we are all fed up with chunting along in the slow lane and the only thing Fenty is doing is propping us up, whilst adding to the overall debt in return for well, not a lot!  

Quoted from cmackenzie4

looks like they are putting all their eggs in one basket!  

Jeez Cmac, just noticed that you are now a meths drinker and are the first poster to have reached 20,000 posts. That's some going.

Always wondered what drink would come up at 20,000.  

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

There's no way GTFC can't attract a decent calibre of player from the non league . I don't buy this location bollox thing . Were a massive step up for a player who wants to further his career due to the clubs size and history .
I can't understand this policy of signing young lads and hardly playing them . Complete waste of time IMO unless the club completely changes it's signing policy .

I agree. Wages are being wasted. "Two players for the price of one" seems to be our transfer policy* and I think we can safely say it isnt working too well.

*If we have a transfer policy that is.  

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Well I for one am certainly not advocating boycotting games - if its in the blood its in the blood so to speak.

What I am advocating though is for the club to get off its backside and find players that will make a difference and excite the fans.

Christ on a bike its not too much to ask is it??

What is the point of having a supposed rich chairman if all we keep getting is run of the mill players who dont make a difference,even at this very low level?

Nobody is asking us to pay a kings ransom, but where is the ambition to get us out of this league?

I think we are all fed up with chunting along in the slow lane and the only thing Fenty is doing is propping us up, whilst adding to the overall debt in return for well, not a lot!  

This in spades. Speculate to accumulate.

If we are going to sign unknown players, get the hot shots from lower down who have ambition to move up the food chain. Develop them and sell them on.

Everything about his club screams mediocrity.

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Bristol:
Big city,plenty of jobs,better and bigger shops art and culture,theatres,nice architecture,  direct rail link to the capital

Grimsby....................................................................................cheep housing, skint? to be fair unless we offer mega wages we haven't  many pluses always been a major stumbling block always will be.

That explains why the Bristol Clubs lead the way in British football.

You could say the same things about lots of clubs that are in the football league but still attract players.

We used to, after all.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Well I for one am certainly not advocating boycotting games - if its in the blood its in the blood so to speak.

What I am advocating though is for the club to get off its backside and find players that will make a difference and excite the fans.

Christ on a bike its not too much to ask is it??

What is the point of having a supposed rich chairman if all we keep getting is run of the mill players who dont make a difference,even at this very low level?

Nobody is asking us to pay a kings ransom, but where is the ambition to get us out of this league?

I think we are all fed up with chunting along in the slow lane and the only thing Fenty is doing is propping us up, whilst adding to the overall debt in return for well, not a lot!  

Fantastic post and exactly what I was saying to my son just yesterday.

Hearn was a perfect example of good scouting - and getting him to sign.  Scunny have been very get at getting good strikers in.  It is not Milan!  

P.H.'s horizion do not seem to extend beyond York.

Quoted from ginnywings

Jeez Cmac, just noticed that you are now a meths drinker and are the first poster to have reached 20,000 posts. That's some going.

Always wondered what drink would come up at 20,000.  

At least half of my posts are on the word games (non football) ginny,  

Grimsby Pete is on nearly 25,000 mate but he goes on the word games too.

I wonder what will be on 30,000 posts.... Battery acid?

Quoted from barralad

This whole debate creases me up. There are people advocating a boycott of future games and others (not necessarily different people ) wanting us to splash the cash.....

Utterly hilarious....

I think there's an explanation. The manager and chairman (unlike those of other clubs) do not appear to be showing any great intent in improving on-field matters. As a result, those of us without bottomless pockets feel that watching GTFC is a waste of time and money in those circumstances as it would appear that the managers main tactic is to bore the opposition into submission.

His latest tactic appears to be to drop any of our squad who have any flair (Nielson, McLaughlin, Thomas). Let's now do the maths - if we look like a team trying to get promotion our average gate will go up, say roughly 1000 compared to if we are playing 'dead' games between now and the end of the season. That's 8 games x 1000 at £16 which equals £108,000, add a home play-off semi 5000? x £16 = £80,000 and a potential 40% of a Wembley gate (say 30,000 x £30) which would be another £360,000.

Add all this up and you get a financial reward of over £500,000 (admitted there's a bit of guesswork) to play for between now and the end of the season, of which there is a possible 18 weeks left which is in addition to the prizemoney and kudos for getting promotion.

Quoted from chaos33

I've just read two threads - one showing a rival making an ambitious signing of a proven striker, and the other a near neighbour moving forward with another new stadium. You'll forgive me if I express feelings of jealousy, exasperation and rage!

Other people make it happen don't they. Meanwhile, in Grimsby........

The exact same came to my mind

Quoted from cmackenzie4

looks like they are putting all their eggs in one basket!  

Congrats mate 20 k posts that's some major bullshit youve read

Just put the TV on and watching coventry v Swindon and note that Swindon have a young lad playing who they signed from Marlow. I dont know if he is any good but he has played 15 games this season in a side at the top end of League one.

Just shows there is potential out there

Quoted from BIGChris

Just put the TV on and watching coventry v Swindon and note that Swindon have a young lad playing who they signed from Marlow. I dont know if he is any good but he has played 15 games this season in a side at the top end of League one.

Just shows there is potential out there

Do we have any scouting network anymore

Would immediately of been labelled a journeyman had we signed him, now he's gone to Bristol he's the messiah

Yeah there's talent out there for def , a club like town should be scouring the non league stats to find the players with potential . It doesn't take a lot to go and have a look .

Too late. We missed the boat for name signings when JF handed the biggest budget we have ever had in the Conference in the first year, to a youth coach.

If we want one now it means hand in pocket time and that just isn't going to happen.

Nevertheless there are good players out there. They don't all cost a fortune and can be arm twisted by a persuasive manager. We were only one league higher when Buckley signed Birtles and McMenemy signed Lew Chatterley. They will come ........ if they fancy the football prospects on offer.

Our scouting network seems to consist of looking at the teams who have been promoted out of the conference and sign anyone in their squads who is available, or any player who played any part in a promotion out of the conference. Not a lot of imagination.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Too late. We missed the boat for name signings when JF handed the biggest budget we have ever had in the Conference in the first year, to a youth coach.

If we want one now it means hand in pocket time and that just isn't going to happen.

Nevertheless there are good players out there. They don't all cost a fortune and can be arm twisted by a persuasive manager. We were only one league higher when Buckley signed Birtles and McMenemy signed Lew Chatterley. They will come ........ if they fancy the football prospects on offer.

The days when players who have spent time in the top tier dropping down to League 2 or below have long gone because of the money they will have earned.

Two of our best signings in recent years have been Liam Hearn and Shaun Pearson both of which came from lower down the pyramid but with something to prove.

I understand Ilkeston have some very promising young players, one of whom has just moved to Fleetwood. I would hope we have been watching them as they can often come with real desire and without the price tags and baggage from those who have been round the block.

TBF we at least seem to got out of the practice of signing aged  journeymen, the majority of our signings are around the 22-26 age range

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

There's no way GTFC can't attract a decent calibre of player from the non league . I don't buy this location bollox thing .
.

I do. If you had a family and you weren't really setled anywhere and Grimsby offered me £2k per month and Bristol Rovers offered you the same then you along with 99% of other people would choose Bristol. Like someone has stated there is so much more in and around Bristol. Grimsby isn't that bad, but from the outside looking in it's not great (the programme 'skint' didn't help)

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

They don't all cost a fortune and can be arm twisted by a persuasive manager. We were only one league higher when Buckley signed Birtles and McMenemy signed Lew Chatterley. They will come ........ if they fancy the football prospects on offer.

Modern day analogy on the Birtles front;
he signed for us 9 yrs after playing for England and 7yrs after leaving a top club in Man Utd....the only modern day equivalents from an England squad from 9 yrs ago would be...

Michael Owen      Retired
Peter Crouch       Premier League
Emile Heskey      Championship
Darius Vassel      Retired (?) following injury in 2012

Birtles was an exception rather than a rule.

Quoted from EarAche

Would immediately of been labelled a journeyman had we signed him, now he's gone to Bristol he's the messiah

I was wondering if he was actually still good.

Quoted from moosey_club

Modern day analogy on the Birtles front;
he signed for us 9 yrs after playing for England and 7yrs after leaving a top club in Man Utd....the only modern day equivalents from an England squad from 9 yrs ago would be...

Michael Owen      Retired
Peter Crouch       Premier League
Emile Heskey      Championship
Darius Vassel      Retired (?) following injury in 2012

Birtles was an exception rather than a rule.

No doubt Moosey, getting someone of the Birtles ilk is most unlikely. Chatterley came here because he knew McMenemy at Doncaster. I only use them as well known examples of getting a "name". Sometimes it doesn't work, look at Buckley signing that loser who got a bad back commuting from the midlands.

My point though is that good players are not always swayed by money but by the quality of the person who signs them.

[quote=

My point though is that good players are not always swayed by money but by the quality of the person who signs them.

[/quote]

Anyone in mind?

Quoted from BIGChris

The days when players who have spent time in the top tier dropping down to League 2 or below have long gone because of the money they will have earned.

Two of our best signings in recent years have been Liam Hearn and Shaun Pearson both of which came from lower down the pyramid but with something to prove.

I understand Ilkeston have some very promising young players, one of whom has just moved to Fleetwood. I would hope we have been watching them as they can often come with real desire and without the price tags and baggage from those who have been round the block.

TBF we at least seem to got out of the practice of signing aged  journeymen, the majority of our signings are around the 22-26 age range

There's a young lad scoring a few goals for Boston.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Too late. We missed the boat for name signings when JF handed the biggest budget we have ever had in the Conference in the first year, to a youth coach.

If we want one now it means hand in pocket time and that just isn't going to happen.

Nevertheless there are good players out there. They don't all cost a fortune and can be arm twisted by a persuasive manager. We were only one league higher when Buckley signed Birtles and McMenemy signed Lew Chatterley. They will come ........ if they fancy the football prospects on offer.

What a player that Lew Chatterley was!

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

No doubt Moosey, getting someone of the Birtles ilk is most unlikely. Chatterley came here because he knew McMenemy at Doncaster. I only use them as well known examples of getting a "name". Sometimes it doesn't work, look at Buckley signing that loser who got a bad back commuting from the midlands.

My point though is that good players are not always swayed by money but by the quality of the person who signs them.

Agree...i remember a sought after Michael Reddy saying (slightly tongue in cheek) that he only signed for us to stop Russell Slade ringing his house after he had been harrassing him all summer..

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

What a player that Lew Chatterley was!

He was. Almost as good as Ron Rafferty.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Too late. We missed the boat for name signings when JF handed the biggest budget we have ever had in the Conference in the first year, to a youth coach.

If we want one now it means hand in pocket time and that just isn't going to happen.

Nevertheless there are good players out there. They don't all cost a fortune and can be arm twisted by a persuasive manager. We were only one league higher when Buckley signed Birtles and McMenemy signed Lew Chatterley. They will come ........ if they fancy the football prospects on offer.

I've no wish to quibble-especially as I:- 1. Agree with much of this post and 2. I'm not 100% sure of my facts and cannot be bothered to google it but didn't we sign Chatterley from Northampton...? I'm also pretty sure that Buckley and Birtles came from roughly the same part of Nottingham.  

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

He was. Almost as good as Ron Rafferty.

But not in the same league as....you get the jist

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Bristol:
Big city,plenty of jobs,better and bigger shops art and culture,theatres,nice architecture,  direct rail link to the capital

Half your life stuck in a traffic jam,  I know where I prefer to live a nice quiet life.

Nah, traffic in Bristol is quite manageable if you know where you're going.

Bristol is a pretty nice place to live (especially if you have some money) but, regardless, as BIGChris noted, Easter is from Cardiff and wants to live in that neck of the woods. Exactly the same situation as when people moaned because Pipe (from South Wales) had crazily signed for FGR instead of moving across the country to play for us for less money!

The only way we could ever sign a big(gish) name player is if he lived in the Sheffield area (or perhaps as far afield as Leeds) and was willing to commute across here. Doesn't seem likely at present, especially as there aren't any big names playing for the Sheffield clubs or Leeds, not to mention our financial limitations.

I've just realised he could've resurrected our season etc.

I hope they catch Barnet and go up this season because I expect them to run away with it next year if they dont

Quoted from Abdul19

I've just realised he could've resurrected our season etc.

Really wish we could have egged him on for us.

If we'd splashed the cash to get him and it hadn't worked out Hurst would get crucified.

Quoted from barralad

I've no wish to quibble-especially as I:- 1. Agree with much of this post and 2. I'm not 100% sure of my facts and cannot be bothered to google it but didn't we sign Chatterley from Northampton...? I'm also pretty sure that Buckley and Birtles came from roughly the same part of Nottingham.  

Lew made his name at Villa but was loaned to Doncaster for a while when McMenemy was manager there. Chatterley went to Northampton from Villa/Doncaster but was only there a few months before he signed for us. Final piece in the promotion team jigsaw, he just gave us the impetus to take us up as his class made an immediate impact. A similar situation to today?

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

If we'd splashed the cash to get him and it hadn't worked out Hurst would get crucified.

Alternatively he may have shot us to the top ?

I can understand to a degree those who are berating our lack of exciting signings, I wouldn't say Easter is a player I would be desperate to have here.

He's done jaff all for the last four or five years.

If we had signed a guy who came here with a goals to games ratio over the last five years of 13 in 94 (no idea how many of those are sub appearances) no-one would be happy.

This summer we signed Brown, Toto and Mackreth.  All great signings according to most on here.  In addition we brought in Clay and Pittman.  Clay's signing was met with outrage although this was soon retracted at the sight he was actually a good signing.  I think there was as bit of reservation about Pittman due to his injuries but in general deemed a good addition to the side.    Arnold came on loan and because of his earlier injury problems was probably correctly labelled a bad signing but he has since offered something to the squad (last few weeks aside).

Some will say Parslow, some will mention Oates as bad signings. Fair points, but they are cover players.  Especially in Parslow's case he's there to offer versatile cover. He won't be anywhere near the back four when everyone else is fit/not suspended.  For cover at this level and probably relatively cheap, he's fine.

The problem isn't the players we've got in.  We've got some quality players and for all his faults, Hurst can spot a player.  His track record at bringing players to the club is good.
The problem is how we use those players and get the best out of them.  

Quoted from diehardmariner

I can understand to a degree those who are berating our lack of exciting signings, I wouldn't say Easter is a player I would be desperate to have here.

He's done jaff all for the last four or five years.

If we had signed a guy who came here with a goals to games ratio over the last five years of 13 in 94 (no idea how many of those are sub appearances) no-one would be happy.

This summer we signed Brown, Toto and Mackreth.  All great signings according to most on here.  In addition we brought in Clay and Pittman.  Clay's signing was met with outrage although this was soon retracted at the sight he was actually a good signing.  I think there was as bit of reservation about Pittman due to his injuries but in general deemed a good addition to the side.    Arnold came on loan and because of his earlier injury problems was probably correctly labelled a bad signing but he has since offered something to the squad (last few weeks aside).

Some will say Parslow, some will mention Oates as bad signings. Fair points, but they are cover players.  Especially in Parslow's case he's there to offer versatile cover. He won't be anywhere near the back four when everyone else is fit/not suspended.  For cover at this level and probably relatively cheap, he's fine.

The problem isn't the players we've got in.  We've got some quality players and for all his faults, Hurst can spot a player.  His track record at bringing players to the club is good.
The problem is how we use those players and get the best out of them.  

Great post, sums it up really.  We wouldn't be moaning about our lack of ambition on here if we could get our squad to play like we all think they are capable of doing. But this has probablly been the case for the past couple of years.  About this time of year our good squad has got us there or there abouts in terms of being in contention for the playoffs and 2 years ago even looking like we could go up automatic.  But then at this time of year we seem to do very little and drop away, leading to a second half of the season where we stumble into the playoffs in poor form, and have semifinal heartache.  With us still looking miles away from automatic and just about in the playoff mix this seems to continue a worrying trend.

To be fair, if the return of Alan Connell had worked, we wouldn't be having this debate, likewise if Liam Hearn had been loyal and not re-injured, how many more goals would have been scored?

Hannah will never reproduce his loan form without changing tactics and giving him playing time.

Would Southwell have progressed at this level, or always been seen as the cheap option as often stated on here?

Could we find a goalscorer and give them one year to prove they are worth the next move up into the league or fire us back there?

Names in the frame would then be the likes of Brett Williams, or Omar Bogie, who both seem loyal to their local clubs for now !

Do the regions' clubs with youth teams not have any budding talent ? - like Conor Townsend on loan the other season, now regularly playing in the Scottish Premier League!

However, we have dropped back on midfield again lately, and this was our strength at the season start.

Brown, Disley and Clay all need to be fit, and Neilsen in for variety and skills to unlock stubborn defences.

We have good players here, but they need to be all playing together on form.

Quoted from lukeo

I do. If you had a family and you weren't really setled anywhere and Grimsby offered me £2k per month and Bristol Rovers offered you the same then you along with 99% of other people would choose Bristol. Like someone has stated there is so much more in and around Bristol. Grimsby isn't that bad, but from the outside looking in it's not great (the programme 'skint' didn't help)

Sorry but don't agree . If you were a decent non league player living somewhere like Sheffield or Leeds then we'd be a better move if they didn't want to relocate far

Quoted from acko338

To be fair, if the return of Alan Connell had worked, we wouldn't be having this debate, likewise if Liam Hearn had been loyal and not re-injured, how many more goals would have been scored?

Hannah will never reproduce his loan form without changing tactics and giving him playing time.

Would Southwell have progressed at this level, or always been seen as the cheap option as often stated on here?

Could we find a goalscorer and give them one year to prove they are worth the next move up into the league or fire us back there?

Names in the frame would then be the likes of Brett Williams, or Omar Bogie, who both seem loyal to their local clubs for now !

Do the regions' clubs with youth teams not have any budding talent ? - like Conor Townsend on loan the other season, now regularly playing in the Scottish Premier League!

However, we have dropped back on midfield again lately, and this was our strength at the season start.

Brown, Disley and Clay all need to be fit, and Neilsen in for variety and skills to unlock stubborn defences.

We have good players here, but they need to be all playing together on form.

Midfield have been our strength in making us hard to beat but also our weakness in scoring enough goals IMO.

I know i sound like a broken record but we really need to find someone different in midfield if we are to be creative and even exciting. An attacking central midfielder with an eye & the skill for running in beyond our strikers on timed runs would make a huge difference.

Nielson remains the one player who can beat a player regularly. His issue is 1) getting in the team and 2) knowing when to release it for maximum effect

Quoted from chaos33

I've just read two threads - one showing a rival making an ambitious signing of a proven striker, and the other a near neighbour moving forward with another new stadium. You'll forgive me if I express feelings of jealousy, exasperation and rage!

Other people make it happen don't they. Meanwhile, in Grimsby........

Ambition

Quoted from BIGChris

Midfield have been our strength in making us hard to beat but also our weakness in scoring enough goals IMO.

I know i sound like a broken record but we really need to find someone different in midfield if we are to be creative and even exciting. An attacking central midfielder with an eye & the skill for running in beyond our strikers on timed runs would make a huge difference.

Nielson remains the one player who can beat a player regularly. His issue is 1) getting in the team and 2) knowing when to release it for maximum effect

Step forward the player never given a chance in his best position.

Paddy McLaughlin.

Indeed. What are his strengths?....running beyond the strikers, scoring goals, running with the ball and passing. BUT, because most including Hurst see him as lacking in defensive qualities, he's simply frozen out.

Quoted from chaos33

Indeed. What are his strengths?....running beyond the strikers, scoring goals, running with the ball and passing. BUT, because most including Hurst see him as lacking in defensive qualities, he's simply frozen out.

Exactly.

I still can't believe that we pursued Paddy and gave him a 2 year deal, only to leave him out of the team, while we constantly bring in average loan players, who are no better.

Harry Pell anyone?

Paddy must be seething, if not baffled.

Quoted from ginnywings

Exactly.

I still can't believe that we pursued Paddy and gave him a 2 year deal, only to leave him out of the team, while we constantly bring in average loan players, who are no better.

Harry Pell anyone?

Paddy must be seething, if not baffled.

Doesn't it seem that all Town's midfield players are expected to be able to do everything? Tackle, pass intelligently, run all day ......?

The art of team building is to take what individual players do best and compensate for what they do badly. If you have an inventive and skilful forward looking midfielder who can't tackle you surround him with players who can. Perhaps we should club together to buy the manager a set of Brian Clough dvds to see how it's done.

Quoted from acko338

To be fair, if the return of Alan Connell had worked, we wouldn't be having this debate, likewise if Liam Hearn had been loyal and not re-injured, how many more goals would have been scored?

Hannah will never reproduce his loan form without changing tactics and giving him playing time.

Would Southwell have progressed at this level, or always been seen as the cheap option as often stated on here?

Could we find a goalscorer and give them one year to prove they are worth the next move up into the league or fire us back there?

Names in the frame would then be the likes of Brett Williams, or Omar Bogie, who both seem loyal to their local clubs for now !

Do the regions' clubs with youth teams not have any budding talent ? - like Conor Townsend on loan the other season, now regularly playing in the Scottish Premier League!

However, we have dropped back on midfield again lately, and this was our strength at the season start.

Brown, Disley and Clay all need to be fit, and Neilsen in for variety and skills to unlock stubborn defences.

We have good players here, but they need to be all playing together on form.

Mark Cullen was at Hull at one point, scored a load for Stockport in this division then Luton signed him and he's sat on the bench there ever since as far as I'm concerned, someone might know more about him since Luton went up?

Quoted from jonnyboy82

Step forward the player never given a chance in his best position.

Paddy McLaughlin.

Not convinced that Paddy is one to may runs beyond the strikers on a regular basis.

I think he is another player who gets better the less he plays!

Quoted from BIGChris

The days when players who have spent time in the top tier dropping down to League 2 or below have long gone because of the money they will have earned.

Two of our best signings in recent years have been Liam Hearn and Shaun Pearson both of which came from lower down the pyramid but with something to prove.

I understand Ilkeston have some very promising young players, one of whom has just moved to Fleetwood. I would hope we have been watching them as they can often come with real desire and without the price tags and baggage from those who have been round the block.

TBF we at least seem to got out of the practice of signing aged  journeymen, the majority of our signings are around the 22-26 age range

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

There's a young lad scoring a few goals for Boston.

EXACTLY what I was going to say.

Quoted from BIGChris

Not convinced that Paddy is one to may runs beyond the strikers on a regular basis.

I think he is another player who gets better the less he plays!

Spot on!

I think Paddy's an half decent player and would be quite justified if he was upset at not getting a fair crack of the whip lately, especially when no-one else has really ripped trees up in his role.

That said, can anyone please update me as to when he became the world beater this forum has turned him into?  

For me he's tidy in a midfield three, especially as he gives you a bit of balance.  He can do a job out wide in emergency and I wouldn't actually mind seeing him at left-back rather than Magnay shifting across.  In a midfield four he's not dynamic enough for me, far too languid.  Personally he's a step back from the guy he replaced, Frankie Artus.

Paddy playes a few games last month i believe ? and if i remember correctly, received a lot of stick

He got a few sub appearances over the Xmas period (five minutes here and there). Before that he wasn't even on the bench.  

Can't imagine anyone would give him stick.

Quoted from BIGChris

Midfield have been our strength in making us hard to beat but also our weakness in scoring enough goals IMO.

I know i sound like a broken record but we really need to find someone different in midfield if we are to be creative and even exciting. An attacking central midfielder with an eye & the skill for running in beyond our strikers on timed runs would make a huge difference.

Nielson remains the one player who can beat a player regularly. His issue is 1) getting in the team and 2) knowing when to release it for maximum effect

If there are no more signings in midfield,  IMO Clay properly coached could be the answer for this role

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Doesn't it seem that all Town's midfield players are expected to be able to do everything? Tackle, pass intelligently, run all day ......?

The art of team building is to take what individual players do best and compensate for what they do badly. If you have an inventive and skilful forward looking midfielder who can't tackle you surround him with players who can. Perhaps we should club together to buy the manager a set of Brian Clough dvds to see how it's done.

Interesting take as always. It would appear tackling (supporting his full back defensively) isn't Arnold's strength but when he has the ball he has the ability to make things happen.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Spot on!

I think Paddy's an half decent player and would be quite justified if he was upset at not getting a fair crack of the whip lately, especially when no-one else has really ripped trees up in his role.

That said, can anyone please update me as to when he became the world beater this forum has turned him into?  

For me he's tidy in a midfield three, especially as he gives you a bit of balance.  He can do a job out wide in emergency and I wouldn't actually mind seeing him at left-back rather than Magnay shifting across.  In a midfield four he's not dynamic enough for me, far too languid.  Personally he's a step back from the guy he replaced, Frankie Artus.

Mate, much as I respect your assessment and generally agree with most things you post, surely you have to admit that saying the forum has 'turned him into a world beater' is something of a peevish and dramatic overstatement.

Let's not be daft. Nobody is doing that. People have pointed out his strengths as a player and bemoaned the lack of fairness in the treatment he's seemingly been given by not having a run of games in his favoured centre midfield position. He's done well for us in little spells and his record at York in their promotion winning side was excellent. Some folk said we lacked a midfielder with certain qualities - a few of us merely pointed put that we feel he may have some or all of those credentials.

Obviously not everyone will agree - nowt wrong with that - I don't see him as a watered down version of Frankie Artus (he scores more goals than Artus ever would) and nor do I think anyone sees him as a 'world beater', just a good conference midfielder in the right midfield blend, and, as far as we're concerned, a wasted resource.

Quoted from Garth

If there are no more signings in midfield,  IMO Clay properly coached could be the answer for this role

I've not seen anything in Clay's play which would indicate he is an attacking sort of central midfielder and I'd say much of his game is very similar to that of Brown. I don't think they are a great pairing in the middle.

I'd be happy for us to sign a big, athletic unit in the middle of the park to offer us something different and perhaps allow us to play 4-3-3 more effectively. Somebody a bit like Niven from the other year, but without the propensity to kick every second ball either into touch or direct to the opposition. Actually, what am I saying? That description matches half of our players this season!  

Wasn't Pell a 'big athletic unit'? Didn't really work too well for us. For me, this is about principles as much as players - IMO Hurst needs to be willing to play an attacking midfielder in his system in much the same way as TheRRFC outlined it earlier in the thread.

Disley and McLaughlin are our only two midfielders who will get into the box and score goals. If they were ever-present they could probably make a claim on 15-20 goals between them. Clay and Brown will be very hard pushed to score half a dozen between them.

In short, if we want more movement, more attacking intent, more energy and dynamism and more goals from centre midfield, we need a new player or a new way of thinking in my view. What we can't keep doing (because it isn't working), is perming 2 or 3 from Brown, Clay, Disley and Parslow and expect to see goals or someone willing to take players on and make things happen.

Pell was certainly tall, but athletic? Don't think so. The ease in which he was shrugged off the ball before Kidderminster's first goal in his last game for us sealed his fate and saw him shipped out back to Wimbledon pretty quickly. A stronger player wouldn't have lost the ball and we, perhaps, wouldn't then have lost the game. (Interestingly enough, I see his last appearance for them came against Liverpool the other week!)

My issue with our midfield options is that we have absolutely no pace in the middle of the park. Disley is probably the quickest of them over distance. Brown nippier over a few yards, yet not nearly quick. All of the players have decent enough attributes individually, but I agree that there is not enough different about them.

I don't think we can simply change our attitude to improve the performances of the midfield enough to make the difference this season. As you note, Disley and to a lesser extent Paddy will score goals if they have the chance to push forward more often but, if we play a middle two this will leave us exposed at times as we don't have the pace in the squad to cover. If we try to play a central 3 (in a 4-3-3 formation) the lack of pace throughout the midfield area will leave us lacking either in attack (if we take a defensive view) or defence (if we push on forward). My view is that a Niven-style athletic player would allow us to push forward in greater numbers regardless of the formation.

Of course, it would be helpful if our wide players (assuming we have them on the pitch) were all playing well and pushing the opposition defence back!

Not the sort of player I said we needed but Matty Blair has been released from Fleetwood.

He looked great, imo at Kiddy before scoring for York in the play off final (that alone may make him a target for Hurst   )

Blair is a good attacking wide player. Why has he been released mid-season from Fleetwood though?

Quoted from chaos33

Mate, much as I respect your assessment and generally agree with most things you post, surely you have to admit that saying the forum has 'turned him into a world beater' is something of a peevish and dramatic overstatement.

Let's not be daft. Nobody is doing that. People have pointed out his strengths as a player and bemoaned the lack of fairness in the treatment he's seemingly been given by not having a run of games in his favoured centre midfield position. He's done well for us in little spells and his record at York in their promotion winning side was excellent. Some folk said we lacked a midfielder with certain qualities - a few of us merely pointed put that we feel he may have some or all of those credentials.

Obviously not everyone will agree - nowt wrong with that - I don't see him as a watered down version of Frankie Artus (he scores more goals than Artus ever would) and nor do I think anyone sees him as a 'world beater', just a good conference midfielder in the right midfield blend, and, as far as we're concerned, a wasted resource.

World beater was tongue in cheek.  As BIGChris said, he appears to have got better in the fans eyes with each game he hasn't played, I think the same could be said for the likes of Caine Winnfarah.   As said I do think he's an ok player and can be more than justified in feeling a bit drunk off at the minute.  

All cylinders firing, I wouldn't see Paddy anywhere near our first XI.  Problem is we're not firing on all cylinders, or even close to it.  

For the record I think the bringing him on with a few minutes to go is absolutely pathetic.  

Blair has signed for Mansfield.

Has he? Good info mate. Probably an unrealistic target anyway.