Montel Gibson

Bringing Gibson, Jackson, Spokes, even Sissay in was on paper a good move.    Lads who aren't a huge investment but worth taking a look at to see how they cope in the full time environment.  I liked that approach if I'm honest.  There's a huge pool of talent in the non-league scene and it disappointed me when we seemed to abandon that approach post-Bignot, especially when it had served us so well for so many seasons before.

But because the rest of the squad building and recruitment was so poor, these lads were thrust into the first team and expected to deliver from the off pretty much.  

Just in terms of the lengths of contracts, it would be daft of any of those with deals to walk away (unless we put attractive packages together for them) so there may yet be hope that they can develop properly over the next year or so.

Unfortunately though, at the minute, they're the hallmarks of Holloway's last six months at the club.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Bringing Gibson, Jackson, Spokes, even Sissay in was on paper a good move.    Lads who aren't a huge investment but worth taking a look at to see how they cope in the full time environment.  I liked that approach if I'm honest.  There's a huge pool of talent in the non-league scene and it disappointed me when we seemed to abandon that approach post-Bignot, especially when it had served us so well for so many seasons before.

But because the rest of the squad building and recruitment was so poor, these lads were thrust into the first team and expected to deliver from the off pretty much.  

Just in terms of the lengths of contracts, it would be daft of any of those with deals to walk away (unless we put attractive packages together for them) so there may yet be hope that they can develop properly over the next year or so.

Unfortunately though, at the minute, they're the hallmarks of Holloway's last six months at the club.

I think this idea that you bring in non league players and they might well come good is an absolute myth tbh. People always cite Vardy as a case in point, the difference with him was that Vardy was absolutely unbelievable and head & shoulders above everyone around him.

Granted there have been a few success stories but not really many, I know Crawley had one this year but look at how many clubs tried this approach this summer, it’s a ‘miss’ rather than a ‘hit’ more often than not.

FWIW I think Spokes is a good player and worth another look given his performance against Bradford alone.

Hearn, Pearson, McKeown and Bogle are just 4 players who we brought up a level in non-league.

Peterborough are the golden example....McClean, Boyd, Mackail-Smith, Gayle, Assombalonga, Maddison....I think Lincoln have done half decent down the road with it as well, especially under the Cowley's.

Then there's other players who've gone up the ladder.  Michail Antonio (Tooting & Mitcham), Chris Smalling (Maidstone),, Yannick Bolasie (Hillingdon), Charlie Austin (Poole), James Tarkowski (Maine).  Even going back further, Ian Wright and Kevin Phillips cut their teeth in non-league.

Is every non-league player that's signed a success?  No, absolutely not.  I think you're right that it's more often a miss than a hit, but that's probably the case with all transfers isn't it?

The point is that it's a way of bringing players in who are, to use a Brian Laws phrase, rough diamonds.  We can't spend big on transfers and we're not in the Crewe position of having a full quota of our squad coming through the youth set-up, so it's a market we can tap into if we want to develop.  

Quoted from diehardmariner

Hearn, Pearson, McKeown and Bogle are just 4 players who we brought up a level in non-league.

Peterborough are the golden example....McClean, Boyd, Mackail-Smith, Gayle, Assombalonga, Maddison....I think Lincoln have done half decent down the road with it as well, especially under the Cowley's.

Then there's other players who've gone up the ladder.  Michail Antonio (Tooting & Mitcham), Chris Smalling (Maidstone),, Yannick Bolasie (Hillingdon), Charlie Austin (Poole), James Tarkowski (Maine).  Even going back further, Ian Wright and Kevin Phillips cut their teeth in non-league.

Is every non-league player that's signed a success?  No, absolutely not.  I think you're right that it's more often a miss than a hit, but that's probably the case with all transfers isn't it?

The point is that it's a way of bringing players in who are, to use a Brian Laws phrase, rough diamonds.  We can't spend big on transfers and we're not in the Crewe position of having a full quota of our squad coming through the youth set-up, so it's a market we can tap into if we want to develop.  

Hurst had a decent record of being in for players but missing out whilst we were non league, if that can be classed as a “decent record”. Think we were in talks with Andre Gray, Freddie Ladapo, Akinde and a few others I can’t quite recall now who have all gone on to have decent careers after swerving us.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Hearn, Pearson, McKeown and Bogle are just 4 players who we brought up a level in non-league.

Peterborough are the golden example....McClean, Boyd, Mackail-Smith, Gayle, Assombalonga, Maddison....I think Lincoln have done half decent down the road with it as well, especially under the Cowley's.

Then there's other players who've gone up the ladder.  Michail Antonio (Tooting & Mitcham), Chris Smalling (Maidstone),, Yannick Bolasie (Hillingdon), Charlie Austin (Poole), James Tarkowski (Maine).  Even going back further, Ian Wright and Kevin Phillips cut their teeth in non-league.

Is every non-league player that's signed a success?  No, absolutely not.  I think you're right that it's more often a miss than a hit, but that's probably the case with all transfers isn't it?

The point is that it's a way of bringing players in who are, to use a Brian Laws phrase, rough diamonds.  We can't spend big on transfers and we're not in the Crewe position of having a full quota of our squad coming through the youth set-up, so it's a market we can tap into if we want to develop.  

And theres that other bloke at Leicester. That Vardy bloke.

John Cockerill although a local lad and already having family ties to the club was bought from Stafford Rangers I think. Keith Alexander from non-league Barnet. We do have a history of picking up and improving players from non-league.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I think this idea that you bring in non league players and they might well come good is an absolute myth tbh. People always cite Vardy as a case in point, the difference with him was that Vardy was absolutely unbelievable and head & shoulders above everyone around him.

Granted there have been a few success stories but not really many, I know Crawley had one this year but look at how many clubs tried this approach this summer, it’s a ‘miss’ rather than a ‘hit’ more often than not.

FWIW I think Spokes is a good player and worth another look given his performance against Bradford alone.

But that's not true is it? There are dozens of examples.

I bet there aren't many teams in this league without a smattering of ex non league players in their squad and first team.

Still think Jackson is our most natural finisher. Get some service into the box and the lad will score more than the other strikers.
Sometimes you need a player like that that can’t do much else but will bang them away.
We have the other strikers that should on paper complement him.

Gibson for me is not a striker as he has the shooting ability of akpa akpro.

In the defence of Gibson, he's started 7 games for us in the league, a further 2 in the EFL Trophy.  He's started consecutive games just twice and never made it to three consecutive starts.

Of course you can argue that the reason for that is that he's not good enough and has wasted his chances.  But he's hardly had a fair crack of the whip to get going has he?  

Liam Hearn took what felt like an age to get going in his first season (I think it was ten games) but he was given time to bed into his new environment and make that step-up.  Now I'm not saying Gibson is the new Hearn, far from it even though he does have some similarities in his style of play.  But we can't write Gibson off just because he's not set the world alight with his here and there half chances.

Regards Akpa-Akpro....I'd have him back over anyone we've featured up front this season.

I fee Gibson and Jackson were thrown in at the deep end rather than being developed. I recall a lot of offside frustration with Gibson. Some simple basic things. I think both he and Jackson would benefit from a loan move to get some game time under their belts and when they return a couple of games alongside Hanson. They were thrust into a struggling team with limited width and creativity. I’d like to think Hurst hasn’t passed judgement just yet as I think there’s a player lurking somewhere in there.

Be great if the loan spell could have the same impact as it did on Charles Vernam at Chorley. We got a different person/player back then.

Quoted from Davec

Signs for Altrincham on a one month loan

Cue a hatrick against Woking tonight...