Just back..

Quoted from oochiad

He will fit in perfectly, you wait and see.

Hopefully shouldn't be too long now. Listening to Hursty, never one to big things up, he'll be back available by the end of next month. We may only have 4-5 more League games without him now.

As Poojah and ska have pointed out, and I have said myself in other posts, this team we have is full of graft, heart, determination and a will to win, but what it lacks is a bit of guile. We are not finishing teams off when we have them on the ropes. If we have a game when the defence has an off day and we go behind, we haven't got the goal power to get back into it. We've lost a couple and drew a couple at home that we could and maybe should have won. McAtee you would hope would go some way to address that issue and if he doesn't and it unbalances the team, then Hurst would take him out I reckon.

Quoted from Mariner_09

Hopefully shouldn't be too long now. Listening to Hursty, never one to big things up, he'll be back available by the end of next month. We may only have 4-5 more League games without him now.

Sounds about right. 20 games in, 26 to go - just over half a season with McAtee in the side, all being well.

I do think between now and December is an important time in our season. Two relatively favourable looking away games next, particularly with our away form as it is, followed by two at home against decent opposition.

We’ve now won 1 and played brilliantly in the other of our last 2 home games, taking 4 points in the process. If there had been any trepidation about playing in front of large crowds at BP, it should be gone now, and the timing is perfect.

I’d happily take 4 points from our next 2 games and a further 4 from the 2 beyond. That should be enough to to have us right on the cusp of the play-off positions, if not in them.

Things are brilliantly poised. We just need to avoid the shiítting the bed like we did last season once the clocks went back.

Last season the majority of play went through McAtee because we didn't really have anything else, bar fleeting runs of form from JMD, Scannell and a few others.

This season we're a better side, we've got betters players who are working in a better system.  There are more options.  The only real resemblance to last season is that we lack that bit of pure quality when it matters.  Holohan was absolutely immense on Saturday, especially when he was pushing forward in that faux No. 10 role in the second half.    You definitely want his energy in the side.  But I pretty much guarantee that if McAtee was in those positions on Saturday, the Bradford 'keeper isn't getting his clean sheet bonus.

We've got options galore and it's great to see.  A year ago we were about to be grumbling that Hunt had returned to Sheff Weds and we didn't have anything in the middle.  He's struggling to get a sniff now.  This is a wonderful position to be in.  My only criticism of McAtee last season was that he seemed to get a bit complacent, perhaps as he knew we simply couldn't drop him as there's no-one else to do his job.  This season we've proved we can cope without him.  If he comes in and it doesn't work, he's out.  Hurst won't mess about.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Last season the majority of play went through McAtee because we didn't really have anything else, bar fleeting runs of form from JMD, Scannell and a few others.

This season we're a better side, we've got betters players who are working in a better system.  There are more options.  The only real resemblance to last season is that we lack that bit of pure quality when it matters.  Holohan was absolutely immense on Saturday, especially when he was pushing forward in that faux No. 10 role in the second half.    You definitely want his energy in the side.  But I pretty much guarantee that if McAtee was in those positions on Saturday, the Bradford 'keeper isn't getting his clean sheet bonus.

We've got options galore and it's great to see.  A year ago we were about to be grumbling that Hunt had returned to Sheff Weds and we didn't have anything in the middle.  He's struggling to get a sniff now.  This is a wonderful position to be in.  My only criticism of McAtee last season was that he seemed to get a bit complacent, perhaps as he knew we simply couldn't drop him as there's no-one else to do his job.  This season we've proved we can cope without him.  If he comes in and it doesn't work, he's out.  Hurst won't mess about.

We’ll never know but I suspect McAtee would have finished at least one of Gavs three chances on Saturday but then Gav does a lot of the ugly stuff as well. Interesting problem, also great that PH seems to suggest that Scanz is ahead of schedule.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

We’ll never know but I suspect McAtee would have finished at least one of Gavs three chances on Saturday but then Gav does a lot of the ugly stuff as well. Interesting problem, also great that PH seems to suggest that Scanz is ahead of schedule.

If we could somehow keep Scanz fit for the second half of the season, especially allied to a forward line with McAtee and Khan in it, we'll go up!

Quoted from Mariner_09

If we could somehow keep Scanz fit for the second half of the season, especially allied to a forward line with McAtee and Khan in it, we'll go up!

I think we're in for a good second half of the season and I definitely fancy us as one of those sides in with a chance.  Even more so if we've got the options of McAtee, Scannell, Khan and Richardson supporting the striker.  But keeping Taylor fit or bringing in an effective alternative to him is equally important.  Of what we've currently got, I only really see Pepple as anything remotely like-for-like.  I think he's got the attributes to be a very good player in the future, but I do wonder if he's perhaps a little bit too raw (and injury prone?) to be a genuine back-up.

January isn't all that far away.  If we're in and around the mix, we'll be even more attractive for any loanees/transfers.

Quoted from diehardmariner

January isn't all that far away.  If we're in and around the mix, we'll be even more attractive for any loanees/transfers.

This. There are a whole host of reasons we’ve struggled historically, but our inability to attract good players is right up there. There a whole host of reasons behind this, too, namely geography, money, career prospects, perception of the manager, the perception of the ownership and the perception of the club as a whole.

Geography is the one that we can’t change, but I’d argue it’s probably the least important on the list. Even in the summer, I suspect we were still suffering the headache of the Fenty hangover in the eyes of potential signings, but now there are tangible signs that everything else has changed. Of course everyone on here already knows them, but I suspect that by January the word will have spread throughout the footballing community.

The wounds from the two-decade long Fenty-era can’t and won’t heal overnight, but they can do so rapidly with the right ownership, as they are doing right now.

And compound impact of that could be absolutely profound.

I’m amazed there’s even a narrative that we’d be somehow potentially not as good with McAtee in the side. I still think there’s a minority of our fan base who continue to criminally undervalue him, for me he’s the best player I’ve seen at BP in probably 10 years and absolutely walks back into this side.

I look at Bradford, Gillingham and Salford games in particular & I’m absolutely sure we’d have won all 3 with him playing.

Quoted from pontoonlew

You’ll inevitably get a lot of hate for daring to say Taylor hasn’t played well, however, but for a couple of nice pieces of play he was very much ineffective. He looked far too flat footed and slow to react to things. You’ll get the portion of our fan base who will come back and say ‘ahhh you just don’t get what he adds’, I do get it and I still think he was off the pace & slowed us down too much yesterday.

Spot on mate.  Just because I pointed out his ineffectiveness in that one match, doesn't mean I want to see the back of him.  I remember one flick on that worked, and that's it.  A sharper player (or Taylor on a better day) could have got a foot in and got the ball or himself into the danger area.