Devitt to Barrow

Quoted from RichMariner

The thing I like about Hurst most is his ability to bring in players who have the right balance of experience and attitude.

Both Habergham and Menayesse have backstories that make them want to play and prove to themselves - if no one else - that they are good enough and worthy enough of being FL players.

It's a bit different from bringing a young, unexposed kid in from Bristol City because you've got a mate there who says he's good. He might be brilliant, but if he doesn't fit your system, your philosophy or your culture, he's not going to shine.

Holloway recruited a bunch of individuals. Not even a darts tournament could get them to gel on the pitch.

Hurst seems more methodical and attentive to the mental side of the game. He's not without his faults, but he's a good judge of character. I remember questioning his decision to release Aswad Thomas and Scott Nielsen when, on their day, they were match winners.

12 months later we'd won promotion. Not saying they were bad apples but we knew there was nothing wrong with their footballing abilities. Hurst obviously didn't think that was enough.

Agreed, perhaps Holloway's recruitment policy was formed around hurling darts at his board with names attached  

The signings made no sense, but as an optimist myself you always try and understand why they have been signed and look at the positives of having them here. It just seemed like blind recruitment to me. A scout told him of a few decent Non-League players and he was dishing out contracts before watching them play, and then that was sprinkled with unfit veterans who on their day were decent a year or two ago.

After Burnley turned down the approach to take back Glennon and Benson it just seemed to be a case of any young player who was available to bring in on loan. He was rattling on about bringing in a new striker (just weeks after bringing in Jackson, Gibson and Touray) to freshen up the ranks and all of a sudden we end up with Virgil Gomis who had 1 goal to his name in around 30 first team appearances. Itn just seemed like there was no thought to it and before we knew it we had 39 players.

Hurst like you say is going after the right players at the right time. Yes, it's disappointing that we haven't managed to bring in anyone else yet and especially a forward but I am confident that Hurst is navigating through the dead wood at the moment trying to uncover a gem. Who knows, we may not find that gem but I would rather us not find it than dish contracts out to inadequate players for the sake of it.

I seem to recall Hurst saying that if couldn't get the 'main' players in he wanted; then he would get others in and build around them. These were not his exact words but but 'gist' of his statement.

Given that I think he not only knows the weakness's of the team but has a plan B if the strikers he likes don't want to come here.

Quoted from DB

I seem to recall Hurst saying that if couldn't get the 'main' players in he wanted; then he would get others in and build around them. These were not his exact words but but 'gist' of his statement.

Given that I think he not only knows the weakness's of the team but has a plan B if the strikers he likes don't want to come here.

I’m not saying it’ll happen this January but for the majority of his January windows in the Conference, Hurst struggled to get what he needed. The one season he got it right was the season we went up.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I’m not saying it’ll happen this January but for the majority of his January windows in the Conference, Hurst struggled to get what he needed. The one season he got it right was the season we went up.

As log as we stay up I'll go along with any signing

Quoted from Gainsbro_Mariner

Agreed, perhaps Holloway's recruitment policy was formed around hurling darts at his board with names attached  

The signings made no sense, but as an optimist myself you always try and understand why they have been signed and look at the positives of having them here. It just seemed like blind recruitment to me. A scout told him of a few decent Non-League players and he was dishing out contracts before watching them play, and then that was sprinkled with unfit veterans who on their day were decent a year or two ago.

After Burnley turned down the approach to take back Glennon and Benson it just seemed to be a case of any young player who was available to bring in on loan. He was rattling on about bringing in a new striker (just weeks after bringing in Jackson, Gibson and Touray) to freshen up the ranks and all of a sudden we end up with Virgil Gomis who had 1 goal to his name in around 30 first team appearances. Itn just seemed like there was no thought to it and before we knew it we had 39 players.

Hurst like you say is going after the right players at the right time. Yes, it's disappointing that we haven't managed to bring in anyone else yet and especially a forward but I am confident that Hurst is navigating through the dead wood at the moment trying to uncover a gem. Who knows, we may not find that gem but I would rather us not find it than dish contracts out to inadequate players for the sake of it.

He deserves no defence at all, but what I would say about Holloway's approach is that it seemed to be adopting the approach that the season would be curtailed.  Hence the lack of recruiting a spine to build around, which is probably the most expensive part of your squad.

It seemed to me that he/the club took the route of bringing in a lot of young and/or raw talent to develop them with a view to the future.  With regards the mass of loan signings, none have, with the exception of the far more experienced Bennett, looked quite ready for the demands of League Two football.  Neither at the standard of the likes of Glennon and Benson, or even Embleton and Robson from previous years.  I took it more that getting them in was sort of like an extended trial for maybe having the successful ones back the following season, either be it on loan or once released from their clubs.   I'd then have expected that this coming summer (assuming the 21/22 season is the one when everything is back to 'normal') he would have recruited his backbone.

Either way, it failed and it's left us in the proverbial.  Holloway massively disappointed me and I felt incredibly let down by him.  But I believe he was and still is capable of building a good squad.  This time last year he took a struggling squad but he quickly identified what it really lacked and addressed it.

Quoted from pontoonlew

If we'd made these signings we'd all be pretty pleased and based on previous form, 2 of them would definitely improve our squad.

So the point remains, if we fail to sign decent players in January, not only will we go down but we'll not be able to use the 'nobody wanted to come here' excuse.

I'd take issue with that as I think it's far from certain at this stage. The standard in this league is not that high, and I feel with all our best players on the pitch, fit and firing, we don't have too bad a side. We need numbers as much for competition and back up as anything else, because after a first choice 11, we don't have much in reserve. We definitely need a striker or two though, but then so do most teams who are struggling.

I'd also take issue with your "no one wants to come here" being an excuse, based on the fact that Barrow have made a handful of signings, none of whom look like the "quality" signings you seem to think they are. I rather think it's not a case that no one wants to come, but that no one decent wants to come, and that's the nub of it. Hurst could sign any number of players and loanees desperate for a game/contract, but what's the point if they don't improve on what we have? Holloway did that and look where it got us.

Quoted from ginnywings

Two of those were not exactly met with glee were they? Toto was a free agent, picked up by Southport, for whom he played less than 20 games before he came here. Amond came from Morecambe with a modest scoring record.

I reference the quality of them now as opposed to when we plucked them from relative obscurity. Many posters on here suggest the possibility of re-signing these players I wondered if the poster was of the same delusional tendencies or whether he has his feet on the ground.