So we are 3 games in..

Its early days granted but i want to give a quick run down on my assesment or feelings you could say so far..

Well one area i think MJ has got right is the midfield , i love welsh and hessenthaler no doubts there and a real shame about whitehouse as i really think we would have been sorted with arguably  one of the best midfields in our league.

The start of the pre season was for all to see we was going 352 which tbh i had no real issue about and was looking forward to it IF we were to sign the wingback/fullbacks to play it as thats a given for that formation, you need dynamic players there who can run up and down , we didnt have them in fox or dixon RHJ could do that so imo we needed two players bringing in there but we didnt get it so we started the season with dixon and clifton which was never going to work, that was strange as if MJ knew that was the formation he wanted why didnt he make them areas a priority as if you look at rochdale last night for example thats how to play a 352 with attacking yet wingbacks who can get back when needed, i have seen enough of paul dixon to see he is not good enough to be in a L2 team challenging and no one will persuade me any different.

Then there is the striker situation, every striker in the land seems to turn us down , you cant really blame MJ for this as that is the players choice so we go with cook whos preffered position is just behind a striker but like i say we go with what we have got, we play awful against FGR and we quickly switch back to a 433 the formation which arguably kept us up last season and win at macc in an excellent performance against a team after seeing them will imo be relegation contenders but we win and deservedly so but the opposition has to be taken into account , we play rochdale tonight and imo we were shown how if you want to play a 352 thats how you do it , attacking wing backs and a big man playing off a small man up top and they always looked a threat.

My point being MJ put all his eggs in one basket in a 352 hoping it would work it didnt and then changed it to a 433 and again we dont really have the players here for it in example vernam out wide cook up top hooper out wide who i must say has not started this season well at all for me, davis at RB who really is a CB , its a bit all over the place atm and i find it frustrating that we are into the season without a settled first 11 and knowing what we are doing, we got rid of every wide player at the club if that was selling them or not renewing a loan and no wide players were signed but now we are playing a 433 which is were you need wide players not strikers trying to do a job out there, again frustrating and not what you want going into the season with the transfer window closed for permanent signings.

Plenty will see this as me having a dig at MJ here but im not i like the guy but apart from the midfield and cook i dont think we have recruited well at all and the way we look atm i honestly dont know what we are trying to do, i definitely think we must see were we are in the next transfer window and MJ deserves the time to get his team out there but there is no hiding the point we look way off in terms of a team and in how we want to go forward this season.

Fair points Johnny, constructive criticism should always be appraised fairly. I have faith in MJ to slowly, and I mean SLOWLY turn this ship around, but there's so many holes to plug to stop the ship from sinking in the first place. I hope the fans are prepping themselves for this, a season that in all likelihood wont result in a play-off challenge nor an exciting cup run. It's an almost impossible task for the management, it's like asking an artist to come round and restore a stately home to its former glory, oh but first could you glue all the china back together that was smashed by the previous owner.

I'll be patient, but in all honesty asking the Town fans to be patient for 15+ years running is wearing thin. We can talk tactics and playing roles all day long, my gut feeling is that this club might never recover from the idiotically destructive Slade period.
Comparisons to the current Lincoln setup are valid, they too had a rather hapless, out of his depth (though fan-friendly) chairman who finally took a risk in an unlikely foreign investor, before taking a risk on an upcoming management setup. The Fenty boards idea of a risky appointment? Slade. The mind boggles.

Not what you wanted to read, probably, but I'm hanging on to my club out of sheer loyalty, though angry at the realistic conclusion of my post..that after 15+ years of shite we're all desperate to just steady the ship and achieve a safe mid-table position at the season's end. We should be aiming for and achieving so much more.

To Michael, the best of luck I'm completely behind you and your team.
To Fenty and the board, please keep us updated on any attempts to sell to potential new investors.

Michael Jolley worked a miracle last season in turning a rubbish squad put together by Slade into a half decent team,

We can not expect him to perform a miracle every week,

It will take time and we still need 3 or 4 more players in,

John Fenty ( bless him ) will give Michael the time and the money to get us up,

Please let us give him time as well and not call him while he is building for the future.

We have been hammered after pressing the self destruct button by a team I think will flirt with the Play Offs.
Beaten a newly promoted team comfortably.
Lost to a team higher in the league pyramid.

A bit of a mixed bag but nothing really shocking. I am bitterly disappointed with our cup results since getting back in the league we must do better on that front.Our current league position is where I expect us to stay til around Xmas when I see us pushing on and being a good outside bet for the Play Offs.After 2 home defeats a draw or better still a win on Saturday will galvanize the support .Lincoln look a good bet for automatic promotion so any result vs them will be well deserved.MK Dons away another tough game then it eases off a bit and I expect us to start gaining points?

I keep reading that we haven't got the players to play 3-5-2, and we haven't got the players to play 4-3-3. To my mind, we just simply haven't got the players full stop, regardless of formation. Not enough quality throughout the team, or throughout the squad in general. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, regarding budget and player recruitment, but it's again apparent that the better players just don't want to come here, judging by the ones that have turned us down that we know about. Maybe Jolley will be the one to finally turn this ship around, given time, but we have been waiting a long time now to see this transformation, and i suspect we will have another while to wait yet, should it happen at all.

Can’t disagree with much of what is being said at the moment. We’ve been unlucky with injuries to Fox, Whitehouse, etc but the squad depth isn’t currently there.

I do want to give praise to MJ for instilling trust in the youth players...injuries may have forced his hand, but last night we had 4 youth team graduates on the bench, one just 17 years old. It’s a promising sign...including these players is a process and they will make mistakes, and they won’t always make the right decisions, but they only way to slowly get them involved is by doing just that.

I'd disagree with Jonnyboy that the midfield looks good - we've been comprehensively outplayed there in both of the two home games. Welsh and Woolford just don't have the pace to play together in the middle - it's got to be one or the other. A real pity about Whitehouse as he sounds like the sort of player we have been missing but Hessenthaler looks lively and has been surprisingly good running with the ball at his feet. Just a pity he's not been able to find the man with the final ball after he's dribbled through half of the opposition defenders! Assuming we're going to be playing a midfield 3 against Lincoln, I'd bring Clifton in for Woolford to give a bit more mobility.

We're at least one forward short as last night showed - Robles the only option on the bench and, though he looked game when he came on, I can't really see him being the answer to our problems. Cardwell might not have managed to score during his run in the team last season, but in his absence, you can appreciate the work he did occupying the opposition defenders. Hopefully, Jolley has his eye on a striker before the loan window closes.

At the back, I thought Whitmore did well last night so he looks like he'll be OK after what I thought was a difficult start against FGR. Davis doesn't look a full-back to me so, if we're going to stick with 4-3-3, I'd hope that RHJ will come in and do well. The decision to release Mills was an odd one for me and I disagree with Jolley's assessment of him. I'd much rather have seen him playing right wing-back and full-back in the games I've seen than Clifton or Davis. Collins struggled against Andrew but that just happens from time to time so hopefully Famewo is pushing him in training and whoever is doing best will get the place.

I know Famewo is nominally a central defender, but he's reportedly strong and quick, so it wouldn't be a problem for me to try him at left-back. Dixon did well enough last night, but I think the lack of pace on that side is a real issue, especially if Woolford is also playing. Fox is a decent full-back and I'd be happy to see him on the left if fit.

I was surprised that Vernam was awarded MoTM last night as I didn't think he achieved much other than the odd run in the first half. The key thing is to find a way to get both him and Cook on the ball in good positions as opposed to receiving it under pressure and surrounded by defenders.

Definitely lacking that certain something at the moment. Hopefully one or two loan signings can resolve most of the weaknesses.

Quoted from jonnyboy82

Its early days granted but i want to give a quick run down on my assesment or feelings you could say so far..

Well one area i think MJ has got right is the midfield , i love welsh and hessenthaler no doubts there and a real shame about whitehouse as i really think we would have been sorted with arguably  one of the best midfields in our league.

The start of the pre season was for all to see we was going 352 which tbh i had no real issue about and was looking forward to it IF we were to sign the wingback/fullbacks to play it as thats a given for that formation, you need dynamic players there who can run up and down , we didnt have them in fox or dixon RHJ could do that so imo we needed two players bringing in there but we didnt get it so we started the season with dixon and clifton which was never going to work, that was strange as if MJ knew that was the formation he wanted why didnt he make them areas a priority as if you look at rochdale last night for example thats how to play a 352 with attacking yet wingbacks who can get back when needed, i have seen enough of paul dixon to see he is not good enough to be in a L2 team challenging and no one will persuade me any different.

Then there is the striker situation, every striker in the land seems to turn us down , you cant really blame MJ for this as that is the players choice so we go with cook whos preffered position is just behind a striker but like i say we go with what we have got, we play awful against FGR and we quickly switch back to a 433 the formation which arguably kept us up last season and win at macc in an excellent performance against a team after seeing them will imo be relegation contenders but we win and deservedly so but the opposition has to be taken into account , we play rochdale tonight and imo we were shown how if you want to play a 352 thats how you do it , attacking wing backs and a big man playing off a small man up top and they always looked a threat.

My point being MJ put all his eggs in one basket in a 352 hoping it would work it didnt and then changed it to a 433 and again we dont really have the players here for it in example vernam out wide cook up top hooper out wide who i must say has not started this season well at all for me, davis at RB who really is a CB , its a bit all over the place atm and i find it frustrating that we are into the season without a settled first 11 and knowing what we are doing, we got rid of every wide player at the club if that was selling them or not renewing a loan and no wide players were signed but now we are playing a 433 which is were you need wide players not strikers trying to do a job out there, again frustrating and not what you want going into the season with the transfer window closed for permanent signings.

Plenty will see this as me having a dig at MJ here but im not i like the guy but apart from the midfield and cook i dont think we have recruited well at all and the way we look atm i honestly dont know what we are trying to do, i definitely think we must see were we are in the next transfer window and MJ deserves the time to get his team out there but there is no hiding the point we look way off in terms of a team and in how we want to go forward this season.

Does one reported case in Lee Angol represent every striker in the land?

I agree with many of your points Johnny but we have to have faith in the players and trust Jolley's judgement.

I'm confident he will get in the right loan players. The lad at Cardiff looks a good shout if that comes off.

I agree that with Whitehouse this would have been an awesome midfield.

I was resigned (hopeful?) to being mid table a long time ago. We're at least two seasons behind Lincoln. This will be a year of consolidation and I have no doubt there'll be more players arriving on loan and in January. Hound Jolley out and we're on our backsides. I still think he's the best thing to happen to the club in years. Stick with him. We'll regret it if we don't.

Quoted from marinerdazza

I agree that with Whitehouse this would have been an awesome midfield.

I was resigned (hopeful?) to being mid table a long time ago. We're at least two seasons behind Lincoln. This will be a year of consolidation and I have no doubt there'll be more players arriving on loan and in January. Hound Jolley out and we're on our backsides. I still think he's the best thing to happen to the club in years. Stick with him. We'll regret it if we don't.

Don’t see or hear anyone wanting MJ out, personally I would just like to see him build a competitive squad. We should be able to manage to create a goal threat in 180 minutes of football at Blundell Park but if we have then I must have missed it.

Whitemore had a header that hit the post and a header cleared off the line last night (when I thought he ought to have scored). That counts as a goal threat for me, albeit not one from open play. Collins also blazed a shot over in the penalty area near the end.

I thought we did better against Rochdale last night than against FGR which was an improvement over the first game, at least.

Suppose hitting the bar and the odd goal mouth scramble does not count as goal threat then, we need a target man up front for others to feed off then we will look better

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Don’t see or hear anyone wanting MJ out, personally I would just like to see him build a competitive squad. We should be able to manage to create a goal threat in 180 minutes of football at Blundell Park but if we have then I must have missed it.

My comments more related to supporting him, expecting (and accepting) more bumps, rather than just throwing our collective boll0cks at the clock and saying "we're shite, we'll never get anywhere, we're going down etc etc".

Quoted from ginnywings

I keep reading that we haven't got the players to play 3-5-2, and we haven't got the players to play 4-3-3. To my mind, we just simply haven't got the players full stop, regardless of formation. Not enough quality throughout the team, or throughout the squad in general. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, regarding budget and player recruitment, but it's again apparent that the better players just don't want to come here, judging by the ones that have turned us down that we know about. Maybe Jolley will be the one to finally turn this ship around, given time, but we have been waiting a long time now to see this transformation, and i suspect we will have another while to wait yet, should it happen at all.

I am sure our league position last year will put some players off. Everyone wants trophies and promotions on their CV, plus playing in a winning side has to be a better crack than facing a relegation battle and getting stick from the stands every game. Rome wasn't built in a day, we really need to give Jolley time to turn things around. If you build it [a side that looks like they are going places] they will come!

Well this season has largely started of how I anticipated it would.

Inconsistent performances. It's to be expected with a new manager, new systems and new players. Sometimes teams just click from day one most of them take time to gel.

I suspect we will have a few months of these types of performances but I also think we will slowly improve as the season goes on. We'll spend a few months in the lower half of the league before ending the season in reasonable fashion. Finishing somewhere around mid table.

That for me was always our most likely destination, people thinking MJ was a miracle worker who was going to turn us into promotion contenders in a single season where always going to end up disappointed in my opinion. He's just a young promising manager who will make mistakes but in the long term I think will improve us.

Having a reduced squad at this stage after the past 2 Season`s is a good thing in my eyes.The money we wasted on wages for people not getting anywhere near kicking a football was nothing short of criminal.MJ has done great in sorting that problem out and he will have money to spend when he needs it where he needs it.I fully expect 1-2 loanees in over the next week or so and promoting our own youngsters like last night is a step in the right direction also.We need to show patience as fan`s clearly MJ is building some proper foundations after his 2 predecessors had used a wrecking ball with the budget.

Managers at this club can't win. Jolley seems to only want to sign players he thinks will add to the squad whereas some of those before him would panic and sign any player.

Healey looks like a good prospect and we could just do with someone up front who has been described as a rash. Vernam and Cook aren't afraid to close down and we know Cardwell is the same; but Hooper appears a bit slower at this part of this game.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Having a reduced squad at this stage after the past 2 Season`s is a good thing in my eyes.The money we wasted on wages for people not getting anywhere near kicking a football was nothing short of criminal.MJ has done great in sorting that problem out and he will have money to spend when he needs it where he needs it.I fully expect 1-2 loanees in over the next week or so and promoting our own youngsters like last night is a step in the right direction also.We need to show patience as fan`s clearly MJ is building some proper foundations after his 2 predecessors had used a wrecking ball with the budget.

Every year we start the season saying we are going to have a squad of 25 and end up with 40. It's so much more sensible giving everyone a chance and then slowly recruiting than it is just signing dozens of players for the sake of it and barely using them. I have no problem with the odd failure, as no recruitment process is perfect, but to pay people to sit in the stand from day one is pointless.

Quoted from GrimRob

I am sure our league position last year will put some players off. Everyone wants trophies and promotions on their CV, plus playing in a winning side has to be a better crack than facing a relegation battle and getting stick from the stands every game. Rome wasn't built in a day, we really need to give Newell, Woods, Hurst, Bignot, Slade Jolley time to turn things around. If you build it [a side that looks like they are going places] they will come!

After 3 games this is my take. We are a midtable league 2 team that will probably look over our shoulder at the relegation battle more rather than looking up to the promotion battle.

We've got a good manager, a good keeper and good midfield. This will be enough to keep us up. Our defence is ok but we won't score enough to trouble top teams.

Quoted from horsforthmariner

After 3 games this is my take. We are a midtable league 2 team that will probably look over our shoulder at the relegation battle more rather than looking up to the promotion battle.

We've got a good manager, a good keeper and good midfield. This will be enough to keep us up. Our defence is ok but we won't score enough to trouble top teams.

Midfield is suspect in my eyes....Welsh still to convince me by and large... having to slide in to get to the ball more often than not, slow by comparison, sits so deep as he doesn't want to get done by pace, cant do the legwork to close down quickly.......but in his favour very experienced, calm on the ball, positionally disciplined...i think he needs two runners around him to get the best out of him but that in my mind makes him almost a luxury.  

Woolford is past his prime , last season with Summerfield and Rose alongside him he could let them do the physical and chasing side and he could be the luxury ball player, with Welsh sitting deep Woolford now has to provide the physical and chasing side which just isn't his game.

With one suspension the centre mid looks slow and weak, Whitehouse situation obviously hurts us but Harry Clifton wont have a better opportunity to break into that centre mid role than right now so needs to be staking his claim and trying to oust Woolford.

We have what we now have, the manager has had his free reign to rebuild/retain by and large which he has done, win some then  lose some i think will be the pattern for us and then the January window to consolidate whatever position we hold by then.  

We lack pace in key areas and that holds us back on the counter and leaves us susceptible to the counter.  

But any points out of the next two games and we will have had a better start than either of the previous two seasons so not all bad.

My observation is that MJ would appear to want 1-3 more players in the squad but isn't going to be bounced into signing squad fillers.  Instead, he would rather 'blood' some youngsters and it was very encouraging to see Buckley, Rose and Wright in the squad last night.  We have been crying out for a manager to try out younger players so full marks for that vs signing journeymen.

Secondly, he's been unlucky with the injury to Whitehouse and then some knocks to other players.

He's clearly wanting to play 532 but hasn't got the players signed or fit to do so.  Against FGR it seems like he decided to stick with 532 despite the players at his disposal whereas vs Macc he's adapted tactics to the players he has available.  There was a similar approach at the end of last season where he tried a few things and then settled on 433 to get by.  

What I like is that he is calm and steadily going about his business.  After Bignot and Slade nearly conspired to kill the club, mid table would be progress this season, with a tilt at something better next year.  We can expect continuity not revolution for 2-3 years with some many players on longer contracts and younger players coming through.  All very sensible but patience from the fans is needed.

All managers should be given time, but sometimes results spin out of control, forcing the board's hand.

Newell - self-destructed
Woods  - not given time
Hurst - given time, and look what it achieved!
Bignot - NOT given time
Slade - not given time

The only one who can really claim he did not get a chance is Bignot. All MJ has to do is avoid the bottom third and he should be given plenty of time. All Hurst had to do was stay in and around the play-offs, which was a lot harder than many fans thought, but he managed it and he eventually assembled a side which he has built his career since around.

Quoted from GrimRob

All managers should be given time, but sometimes results spin out of control, forcing the board's hand.

Newell - self-destructed
Woods  - not given time
Hurst - given time, and look what it achieved!
Bignot - NOT given time
Slade - not given time

The only one who can really claim he did not get a chance is Bignot. All MJ has to do is avoid the bottom third and he should be given plenty of time. All Hurst had to do was stay in and around the play-offs, which was a lot harder than many fans thought, but he managed it and he eventually assembled a side which he has built his career since around.

That's very easy to say but not so easy to do if you haven't been given the budget to do so. I'm all for MJ - I think he knows, as many of us do, that the club is in a rut and has done things in the same way, year in, year out. Now, on the basis that the board seems stubborn (for want of a better word), it may be a case of the immovable object versus the irresistible force but, unless & until the club changes, the same frustrating relationship between club & fans will endure.

Like many I feel, I support the club, the manager & the players but not the people who run it.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

That's very easy to say but not so easy to do if you haven't been given the budget to do so. I'm all for MJ - I think he knows, as many of us do, that the club is in a rut and has done things in the same way, year in, year out. Now, on the basis that the board seems stubborn (for want of a better word), it may be a case of the immovable object versus the irresistible force but, unless & until the club changes, the same frustrating relationship between club & fans will endure.

Like many I feel, I support the club, the manager & the players but not the people who run it.

We don't know that he hasn't been given the budget though do we? I think it's fair to say that we still have a budget for more players, so we haven't seen what he has decided to spend it on yet.

If I was going to guess where we are in the budget league table, I'd go somewhere between 15 - 24th, so maybe that's where we'll bobble about in the table. For me, we've got two or three good players and the rest look only decent at this level. One or two are actually short of it IMO.

What we need is continuing/improving investment and time for Jolley to assemble a squad and team that can make a mark in the top half.

Personally, I'll find it easier to be patient now we are in the EFL as we were continually asked to be so in the conference, and the lack of conviction and ambition used to grate massively, so I'll look for improvements and at least some good performances and results whilst all that comes together.

We must stay clear of the bottom 2 or things will get tense and nasty, and nobody likes or wants that. Which leads me to say that we need at least 2 or 3 good signings, especially a striker ASAP as I suspect we might struggle a bit until we do and that's hard to endure. We should be aspiring to be a genuine play off team as soon as possible, and that objective needs backing up.

Quoted from chaos33

If I was going to guess where we are in the budget league table, I'd go somewhere between 15 - 24th, so maybe that's where we'll bobble about in the table. For me, we've got two or three good players and the rest look only decent at this level. One or two are actually short of it IMO.

What we need is continuing/improving investment and time for Jolley to assemble a squad and team that can make a mark in the top half.

Personally, I'll find it easier to be patient now we are in the EFL as were continually asked to be so in the conference, and the lack of conviction and ambition used to grate massively, so I'll look for improvements and at least some good performances and results whilst all that comes together.

We must stay clear of the bottom 2 or things will get tense and nasty, and nobody likes or wants that. Which leads me to say that we need at least 2 or 3 good signings, especially a striker ASAP as I suspect we might struggle a bit until we do and that's hard to endure. We should be aspiring to be a genuine play off team as soon as possible, and that objective needs backing up.

Good summary, especially the last paragraph. I'm pretty sure we're 2-3 players away from being a decent team. We have time to build up to that and whereas normally the problem may be in that turning into complacency I don't see it as a problem because of Jolley.
Yes, it hurts that we're basically building towards making a 'decent' team that can safely hold its own in mid-table of League 2 but in the bigger picture, if Jolley can achieve that by around Xmas then it'll be a remarkable achievement in (technically) less than one season in charge.

Quoted from GrimRob

All managers should be given time, but sometimes results spin out of control, forcing the board's hand.

Newell - self-destructed
Woods  - not given time
Hurst - given time, and look what it achieved!
Bignot - NOT given time
Slade - not given time

The only one who can really claim he did not get a chance is Bignot. All MJ has to do is avoid the bottom third and he should be given plenty of time. All Hurst had to do was stay in and around the play-offs, which was a lot harder than many fans thought, but he managed it and he eventually assembled a side which he has built his career since around.

All managers should certainly NOT be given more time!

It just does not happen anymore, and when it does it is the result of the law of averages more than anything else. Had we dispensed with Hurst much sooner, we may have won promotion earlier. I liked Hurst, but keeping him meant he just had several goes at getting a good enough team together to win a play off. He didn't "build" anything as such.

Most supporters these days want results, and they want them quickly. Our case is slightly flawed because the club is not run properly, it hasn't got the investment it needs, and has been punching BELOW its weight for nearly two decades and for modern day players we are just a struggling League 2 club flirting with the Conference.

We are in a pickle, mainly due to Fenty's incompetence for events on and off the field. If he is staying come what may, could I ask the obvious question...why? He has achieved the square root of f**k all up to now, and what makes him think anything will change?

Michael Jolley seemed our best hope for some time, but if the two home games are anything to go by he might be struggling; I don't blame him I blame the man at the top who has presided over a serious decline which is really hitting home the longer it drags on.

A heavy defeat on Saturday will be the start of more rumblings of discontent from the long suffering fans and it should all be aimed at the boardroom.

Why do people think our budget is not proportionate to our gate receipts?  For League 2 clubs this is the main source of income and we are in the top third for home attendance and I would imagine we have a good income from selling shirts etc relative to some.

I would imagine our budget is top third.  The club doesn't make money so we are spending on wages what we get in income.

There may be some clubs with owners who are willing to fund losses but they are relatively scarce at this level and, in the long run, I'd rather we build a club that lives within its means.  Then we aren't vulnerable to a plug being pulled and going bankrupt.  It means we have to wait around for golden periods of great management and maybe great youth talent coming through but that is better than a flash in the pan followed by death.

Our signings certainly suggest we have a lower end budget.

Maybe we do have a middle or even top 10 budget and there's plenty left to spend? I don't actually know and won't presume. Welsh won't have come cheap and probably neither Hess, and maybe not Cook. Macca has a good deal. It's no coincidence though that these are our 'good' players, and I should imagine, by contrast, that the deals/wages of the likes of Clifton, and Whitmore, and Robles, plus Fox and RHJ plus plenty of those already here from last season are relatively modest.

Whatever the truth of it is - we don't have enough players, and 3 or 4 good new ones, who might cost a bit, could well be decisive in terms of us looking up or looking down the table as we go into Autumn.

Not sure what the exact situation with moneybags in the division is this year?

We know that Mansfield, Notts County, FGR, MK Dons and Lincoln have all spent a lot on players - or it has at least been reported as such. Exeter have had a lot of money in from transfers in recent seasons so you'd think they have probably used the money That's a fifth of the division and it's no surprise they are up around the top of the table even after just a couple of games. I'm not sure if many other clubs are chucking a lot of money around.

Other than those 5 mentioned, there are one or two clubs which you would guess would have a bigger budget than us due to their circumstances (eg. Exeter with the transfer fees they have received from selling good players in recent years). After that, you'd say there are several clubs about the same 'size' as GTFC and quite a few who are 'smaller'. All in all, you'd expect a mid-range budget, possibly upper mid-range if the size of the crowd gives an indication of the funds available.

We have heard that Jolley perhaps plans to make signing(s) from Sweden in January and we know the squad we have is pretty light on numbers. We reportedly had a 6 figure offer for Angol accepted which would indicate there is plenty left in the budget so I don't think we need to be panicking too much yet. If we don't get a couple of players in during the loan window and struggle to get results (even with our tough start to the season) that would be a concern. As I've said in the past, if Jolley isn't expecting to have a full-strength squad available until January, it's a hell of a gamble, especially as Whitehouse, one of the better signings is out for probably the whole season.

We definitely don't want to be putting all our hopes on signings to be made half way through the season!

Absolutely

Great post Jonnyboy82, I agree with every word. The lack of wide players if we are to play 4-3-3 is a particular concern as is the lack of a left wing back if we are to play 3-5-2. We can't play 4-4-2 as we don't have any wingers. I trust in MJ, but it is frustrating at the moment.

To be honest, the way that Hessenthaler has tricked his way past defenders in his home appearances makes me think he could certainly do a decent job out wide. He's got a few tricks in the bag and has decent pace as well.

Didn't Jolley say the other day in the last 15 years we've only finished in the top half of a football league table just once ( non league not counted).

We've been shite for Fenty's entire tenure, this will take time. Hurst had what 10 transfer windows to get us out of the conference, if Jolley gets us to league one in less than that it will be good progress,   even more so given the wrecking job Bignot and especially Slade inflicted .

Off the field progress in staff infrastructure and the academy appears good,  on the field may take a little longer  unless, and very unlikely, somebody spunks money at it.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Didn't Jolley say the other day in the last 15 years we've only finished in the top half of a football league table just once ( non league not counted).

We've been shite for Fenty's entire tenure, this will take time. Hurst had what 10 transfer windows to get us out of the conference, if Jolley gets us to league one in less than that it will be good progress,   even more so given the wrecking job Bignot and especially Slade inflicted .

Off the field progress in staff infrastructure and the academy appears good,  on the field may take a little longer  unless, and very unlikely, somebody spunks money at it.

You were doing so well in that post till you mentioned the F word.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

You were doing so well in that post till you mentioned the F word.

Sorry lol the F word!!!

Quoted from marinerdazza

I agree that with Whitehouse this would have been an awesome midfield.

Any midfield that includes Woolford can never be described as awesome.

After Saturday we will be in for Rhead ......

44 more games to go and we're in analytical meltdown already. It's what makes the Fishy so special.

Quoted from jock dock tower

44 more games to go and we're in analytical meltdown already. It's what makes the Fishy so special.

On paper we should get naff all from the next two games but the games played on grass so I live in hope.We will start to pick points up after the MK Dons game .

Quoted from GrimRob

All managers should be given time, but sometimes results spin out of control, forcing the board's hand.

Newell - self-destructed
Woods  - not given time
Hurst - given time, and look what it achieved!
Bignot - NOT given time
Slade - not given time

The only one who can really claim he did not get a chance is Bignot. All MJ has to do is avoid the bottom third and he should be given plenty of time. All Hurst had to do was stay in and around the play-offs, which was a lot harder than many fans thought, but he managed it and he eventually assembled a side which he has built his career since around.

If Bignot and Slade had been given more time we’d have either been in administration or the National League, maybe both.

I’ve only seen 1 game this season versus Macclesfield and a bit of footage. Look beyond the match day squad last Saturday and the overall playing squad is quite thin. MJ is looking to bring in young players to be honest I think that’s great but I also don’t think he has much choice if he wants a reasonable first 11.

We’ve been through some real instability since Hurst left and in terms of building a decent playing staff stupid decisions have been made on both comings and goings during the tenures of Slade & Bignot, possibly they are not to blame for all of them but they’ve had an impact.

So the recent chaos will take a long while to mend as I believe the budget is based upon income rather than benevolence or good cup runs. The difference between MJ and his 2 predecessors is that he has the intelligence to pull together a decent plan on and off the pitch, he’ll be given time as JF and the boys have no choice my concern is will MJ give us time if the negativity begins to breed after a couple of poor results.

So in summary this season? Lower mid table, we’ll struggle versus the bigger/better teams but pick up enough points versus the rest to never truly be in danger if the drop ..... I hope!

Quoted from GrimRob

All managers should be given time, but sometimes results spin out of control, forcing the board's hand.

Newell - self-destructed
Woods  - not given time Had a hard task but we weren't progressing with him at all.  The goals of Connell masked a very, very poor side.
Hurst - given time, and look what it achieved! We were getting the same results year on year, close but not close enough.  More often than not ran out of steam by the time March came around.  We fell over that line, with a massive chunk of fortune at Braintree and also Monkhouse getting injured
Bignot - NOT given time Jesus.  If we had given the guy more time he would have destroyed us.
Slade - not given time Had he stayed in post for a couple more games we would have got relegated last season.  He was given too long!

The only one who can really claim he did not get a chance is Bignot. All MJ has to do is avoid the bottom third and he should be given plenty of time. All Hurst had to do was stay in and around the play-offs, which was a lot harder than many fans thought, but he managed it and he eventually assembled a side which he has built his career since around.

Thing is, look at the likes of Pompey, Exeter, Bournemouth and others who went into administration, and very nearly out of the game. They got squads together from non league youth players, and discards from League clubs. Throw them all together, give them a "it's us against the rest" mentality and you basically have what we have at BP right now, and there's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be successful too on the back of it.

Quoted from jock dock tower

Thing is, look at the likes of Pompey, Exeter, Bournemouth and others who went into administration, and very nearly out of the game. They got squads together from non league youth players, and discards from League clubs. Throw them all together, give them a "it's us against the rest" mentality and you basically have what we have at BP right now, and there's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be successful too on the back of it.

For every Bournemouth and Portsmouth there is a Darlington and Stockport

Quoted from Cloudy

For every Bournemouth and Portsmouth there is a Darlington and Stockport

Yeah - but there's still Bournemouth & Portsmouth and Leicester for that matter.

In his "Pre Lincoln Press Conference" MJ says he is confident of bringing in more players before the end of August.

Not suggesting at all that we are after signing him but I saw Josh Gowling in Grimsby today, I think Torquay released him at the end of last season.

Quoted from promotion plaice

In his "Pre Lincoln Press Conference" MJ says he is confident of bringing in more players before the end of August.

Not suggesting at all that we are after signing him but I saw Josh Gowling in Grimsby today, I think Torquay released him at the end of last season.

He's at Alfreton.

Radio Humberside were reporting that Jolley had said that he has lost out on some signings due to 'finances and location'. I haven't heard the interview myself.

Quoted from promotion plaice

In his "Pre Lincoln Press Conference" MJ says he is confident of bringing in more players before the end of August.

Not suggesting at all that we are after signing him but I saw Josh Gowling in Grimsby today, I think Torquay released him at the end of last season.

Clee Town's next signing?

Quoted from chaos33

Radio Humberside were reporting that Jolley had said that he has lost out on some signings due to 'finances and location'. I haven't heard the interview myself.

Oh dear. You kind of got the impression that this was the case, but it's still sad to hear it.  

Quoted from marinerdazza

Oh dear. You kind of got the impression that this was the case, but it's still sad to hear it.  

Afraid Chaos is paraphrasing there, he actually said there were many contributory factors to not getting the players he wanted and location/money were 2 of said factors

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Afraid Chaos is paraphrasing there, he actually said there were many contributory factors to not getting the players he wanted and location/money were 2 of said factors

Maybe I should actually listen to it before I spout shite.  

Quoted from marinerdazza

Maybe I should actually listen to it before I spout shite.  

Funnily enough, those are the words that come out of our lasses mouth, on a regular basis...oh, sorry that what's she tells me I should do!!..
.tbh tho, I do think these 2 factors are more than likely the biggest reason why we can't attract a fairly decent calibre of player, certainly a front man anyway

I'm not paraphrasing. I'm quoting Radio Humberside sports bulletin yesterday tea time who said that Jolley had indicated he had missed out on players due to finances and location. These are the actual words RH used. If there was any paraphrasing, then RH have done it. As I said, I haven't heard the Jolley interview myself.

Quoted from chaos33

I'm not paraphrasing. I'm quoting Radio Humberside sports bulletin yesterday tea time who said that Jolley had indicated he had missed out on players due to finances and location. These are the actual words RH used. If there was any paraphrasing, then RH have done it. As I said, I haven't heard the Jolley interview myself.

That's fair enough, not like radio hullberside to exaggerate or sensationalize a statement now is it,....he says, tongue firmly in cheek..!!

That's accurate but not really in context as he said there were a range of factors two of which were finance, location but also division and then many other things players need to be right when signing on.

So yes accurate but non news as finance and location affect recruitment for not only every club  in football but also every job you could think of.

It was JT who asks MJ the question of the reasons he gets knocked back by targets and asks if its finances and geography.

MJ responds by saying that there's a host of factors that come into it, as with any deal and any club. He lists some of them and includes the two that JT had prompted him about. If R.Humberside are making a story out of that in the context Chaos suggests, then it's a load of rubbish.

However, aren't the two main reasons every player chooses a club money and location anyway? Hardly a story even if MJ had said it like that.

Here's the interview if anyone hasn't heard it:

https://twitter.com/HumbersideSport/status/1030092219716431872