Humble Pie

Quoted from Tommy

I know you're only asking the question Rik, but a lot of people seem to have this idea and I really don't know what it's based on other than wildly guessing or putting 2+2 together from some loosely-made comments in past interviews.

Tbf to Rik MJ did say he had a couple of players from Sweden lined up but our summer was a difficult time to do deals as it is mid season in Sweden and that he hoped to do something once their season was over in late Nov/ early Dec.
Jolley said this in a recorded interview /open forum

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Just good to see our younger players given the chance to play in their preferred positions, notably Vernam & Clifton. Harry looks so much more at ease in a central position and barely wasted a pass all game.

Some on here we’re doubting Clifton’s quality without seeing him in his preferred position , he’s still got plenty to learn but how can MJ leave that energy out of the team

Quoted from promotion plaice

Must admit a week ago I was asking for Jolley to be sacked on here but after our last two performances I'm happy to eat humble pie and admit I was wrong (for now).......... it's a funny old game.

Football is a funny old game.I was optimistic about Jolley at the start of the season given what he had accomplished at the end of last season and  not to mention  his impressive array of  coaching and educational qualifications.Given what transpired at the start of this season I was surprised at how we were initially struggling as I didnt expect it.I am happy that he has got 2 wins on the bounce now and hope he can steady the ship.I feel for him though and the players as football is so pressurised nowadays and  more so with the the advent of social media.

Quoted from Cloudy

Tbf to Rik MJ did say he had a couple of players from Sweden lined up but our summer was a difficult time to do deals as it is mid season in Sweden and that he hoped to do something once their season was over in late Nov/ early Dec.
Jolley said this in a recorded interview /open forum

That's fair enough if that's the case.

All I remembered was him making some vague comments about sometimes not being able to do certain deals until certain windows. Or something along those lines without giving any detail. But if he specifically mentioned Sweden and players from there then my apologies.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

A couple of hard fought wins doesn’t deal with the problems in the boardroom.
We’ve had a few good results and then the murmurings about the manager will begin again when we lose a couple.

The squad is thin and cheap. Hopefully MJ will get the best out of them, but I feel it will be an uphill battle.

Maybe you would like to expand on this statement?

I think it’s fairly clear the squad was cheap. Akinde and O’connor turned us down (presumably due to money) and we mostly signed players who were either on their down or already there! I’m rooting for Town as always but let’s be realistic about the quality we have.

Reread my last post and it’s a bit OTT. All I meant was like a lot of others I was underwhelmed by our recruitment in the summer - especially after selling our most creative player for a half decent fee.

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Some on here we’re doubting Clifton’s quality without seeing him in his preferred position , he’s still got plenty to learn but how can MJ leave that energy out of the team

Honestly, I thought Harry was absolutely superb on Saturday. I'll be honest, there have been occasions when I've felt games have passed him by a little and I've wondered to myself whether he truly had the ability to grind out a successful career in the professional game. I suspect a lot of that can be attributed to being played out of position.

The way he played and carried himself against Port Vale was hugely encouraging though; it was such a mature and confident performance in which he showed some real moments of quality. Bear in mind that was only his 19th senior league appearance, yet it looked more like his 190th.

On that showing you'd be hard pushed to say that Elliot Embleton (who also impressed me) is a markedly better player, and he's been involved with England at just about every youth level he's been eligable for. It bodes well for the lad if he can keep on developing - it's an absolute travesty that you have to go back as far as 1997, to John Oster, since the last time we were able to sell on a product of our own youth system for a sizeable fee.

Quoted from psgmariner

I think it’s fairly clear the squad was cheap. Akinde and O’connor turned us down (presumably due to money) and we mostly signed players who were either on their down or already there! I’m rooting for Town as always but let’s be realistic about the quality we have.

I think with hindsight, our summer recruitment had hallmarks of a restricted budget. Apparently missing out on numerous targets, obscure signings such as the likes of Robles (no disrespect to the lad intended) and in particular our inability to sign a physical striker (which presumably we were trying to given our interest in Akinde, Fortune and Bowman).

Which does kind of beg the question why, given that we have top 6 average gates, and that's even with our abject home form - I reckon we'd be pushing top 3 if we were playing decent football and in with a genuine shout of promotion. Are we being more sensible than other clubs, or do they simply have more investment from directors than we do?

Whilst I don't condone clubs spending beyond their means, it's true that you have to speculate to accumulate and I do wonder if a little more ambition in the transfer market would be a risk worth taking. You can't guarantee success, but another 1,000 on our average gate would equate to roughly £300k - £350k in the coffers over the course of the season. Like it or not, Lincoln are a testament to what forward momentum can do.

Well, we did have a 'six figure' offer for Angol accepted, but he obviously didn't want to come and used our interest to get a move elsewhere. The loss of Whitehouse, who will be one of our biggest earners shouldn't be forgotten either.

I do think we started the season several players light though of course the arrival of Thomas, Pringle, Hendrie and Emberton added much-needed numbers. However, I don't think the players we've signed indicate we've been exactly pinching the pennies. Not that we'll be spending as much as several of the teams.

Hopefully, Hooper and the returning Cardwell can offer enough support to the likes of Thomas/Cook to get the goals we need. Regardless of whether or not Jolley has Zlatan Mk. II ready to sign in January!