Assessment

Quoted from 137

Feb 1st and some Town fans are fretting about relegation. I'd fret about it too if it seemed likely, but consider the following:

The team has just achieved a draw at the side currently 4th in the Championship.
Without Andrew Dallas. Without a 6-footer leading the line.
Having previously beaten three League 1 teams  - including giving the top L1 team a sound walloping.
This is a strange CV for a side about to be relegated from L2, surely.

Where does the pessimism come from?
Well we've got rid of a bunch of loanees who most thought weren't good enough anyway, and failed to replace them with
Andrew Dallas (2 goals in 23 L2 games) or a target man (overlooking how well Orsi played at Luton).
I'm not trashing Dallas - he looks a very good prospect, and I'd like us to have signed him.
But if he doesn't want to come here that's the end of that one (and we need to accept it and move on).

I make no apologies for tending to view GTFC affairs through rosy glasses - that's my choice.
So being optimistic about the players we have brought in...

Everything I've seen and read about George Lloyd makes me think he could easily become a fans favourite due to his
workrate and combative nature. If he can start scoring goals we'll have a gem.

Tom Dickson-Peters has Scottish international caps at youth level - so there's certainly some ability there - and is described
as a 'clinical finisher' on his Norwich City webpage, who rate him highly.
Well that's what we need isn't it? Someone good at finishing off our (often) good approach play.
Doesn't need to be a 6-footer heading in crosses who scores our goals. Think Podge...
Might also mean more playing time for Hunt as the midfielder most likely to find TDP with a telling pass, which also makes
sense. We apparently paid 100K for Hunt, yet given him few opportunities to justify his price tag.

Josh Emmanuel is a super signing if his health issues are behind him...a real coup.
I can't believe PH hasn't done the due diligence on a player he knows well, so very hopeful.

Criticism of the board seems out of order to me. They've made it abundantly clear that all footballing matters are left to PH,
and have made funds available to him.
Perhaps the 17 years of justifiable criticism of the Fenty regime hasn't worked its way out of the system for a few.

I can understand why some are thinking PH is more 'El Corporal' than 'El General', but failing to satisfy football fans'
expectations is more likely due to the fans excessively high hopes rather than managerial weakness.
I don't think anyone doubts that Paul has worked his nuts off in the last month.

In summary: we'll be ok.

UTM

Edit: And if Scanz and/or Wearne can perform for us in the remainder of this season, things will look a fair bit different.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Massively underwhelmed with the revolving door of young loanees and for me they don't seem to work out. PH either doesn't play them or when they do play they're clearly not what's required  .We needed 3 or 4 quality additions and we look to possibly have got one? I hope these lads are the answer but in 3 months time we will be asked to fork out for a season ticket does the clubs ambition match that of the supporters ? Fenty would have been rightly slaughtered if he had overseen this window with everyone accusing him of penny pinching scotch egg please.........

Quoted from 123614

Do you think that this post will go down well with our new recruits?  I would think that at some time they will get to read the Forum posts, and this post, and many others like it will not do their confidence any good.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

I can't believe the number of times I've read rubbish like this in various posts along the years.
Are some fans either so deluded or so arrogant that they honestly believe potential signings would trawl through hundreds of pages of a fan's forum before deciding to sign for a football club?

"I'm thinking of joining Grimsby mum"
"Ooh make sure you check the fan's forum"
"You're right mum, they're all arguing and toxic, they're much nicer with less expectations on the Barrow forum"

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

I'm looking over my shoulder, and think that 100/1 will drop very quickly in the coming weeks.
The team has been reduced in numbers, and quality.

The optimism has been sucked out of me like a.... nevermind

I'm not saying we should be in with a shout for play-offs, but we 100% shouldn't be having any sort of conversation about relegation

Quoted from 123614

I can't believe you think players and staff DON'T read they Fishy.  Over the past months it's fairly clear that even PH has a little peek every now and again, and for sure if I was a pro footballer I would be having a look too!

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

We have not seen the new lads play but repeating a comment I made on another thread how many of these new signings do we expect to be regular starters? And how many would be starters when and if Taylor and Khan are fit?

The major disappointment for me is that, subject to seeing the guys play, only Emmanuel appears to be an improvement on what we currently have and there are obviously question marks about his match fitness.

Thought we needed improvement in midfield, out wide and striker and I’m not convinced that any of those positions have been improved upon but time will tell.