Midfield

I still think we lack a creative influence in the middle. There's lots of energy and I don't think many will boss our midfield. I'm expecting that we'll win the majority of second balls this season, which we've rarely done in recent memory.

I hope having Cook/Vernam dropping off the front man will negate the lack of a creative midfielder. It would be a fair argument to say that a truly creative midfielder could be a luxury, one Jolley doesn't want to take a risk on.


Despite the above, I'm fairly happy with what we've got. Last season we had such a lethargic midfield that rolled over and had its belly rubbed all the time (Summerfield aside). I really can't see that happening this season.

This season we have an effective team rather than a group of individual so called specialists ie, proven goal scorer or creative midfielder, so far so good should any emerge/sign it will be a bonus

It's a bit of a shame that Whitehouse has another 4 weeks to wait for his ACL repair. I really hope he can rehabilitate in 6 months rather than 9, as we might just get something from him in the final month or two of the season. Really, you just want him to recover fully - it's such a serious injury. The timeframe is secondary. I tend to think that we need to sign a similar player to replace him , but that's easier said than done. Poor lad.

I agree that our midfield looks solid. I think Welsh will prove to be masterstroke .

Welsh will probably provide what we hoped McAllister would do before his injury problems kept him out for his time with us. We've been needing somebody who will make tackles and win second balls to bring others into play with a clever pass. To many times we've had a weak central midfield that isn't willing to tackle and be that link between defence and moving the ball to attacking players.