Should we not strengthen before January

[judge]

Even Adkins says we need players , but hes playing it cool , , not running around hands in the air shouting we are doomed

Suppose we should be thankful for that at least

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

I think we will continue as we have been of late, losing games that we expect to win, and winning games that we expect to lose. An improvement in our home form would be a start. Don't expect us to be where we should be come Jan, but there again we should be there or thereabout the play-offs, fingers crossed.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

In reach of playoffs and if our current transfer policy continues that's where we'll be in May.

 

[Roygbiv]

About 9th or 10th

 

[Woodwardfan]

We can all say we need this player or that player, this position or that position, we are too good to be 7th in the league, we should play this formation or that, blah,blah,blah.

Fact is we have an expensive, large squad mainly signed up by the previous manager and we also have had serious injuries to key players which have disrupted progress to date under the new regime.

Any new signing knocks another player down the pecking order, it involves maybe a 3 year contract on big wages if the player is going to make a difference. The displaced player also has to be paid in the meantime.

When the injury list includes Brayford, Harris, Done, Kennedy the manager has to judge whether it is in any new player's interest to join the club if better players will return to fitness before too long.

In these circumstances Adkins has signed Sharp, Edgar, Sammon and Woolford but has lost Murphy. With a squad as big as ours that is not an insignificant number nor are they poor quality. Come June a number of contracts expire and there will be more room to manouver but that doesn't help this season of course.

There are various views about what we need and most say central defenders. I think we need a central midfielder firstly and a new keeper as a second priority. This is where the manager has to make big decisions and whether the Board and he think more expense is actually necessar, indeed whether the right players are available and can be attracted to this league. Add Brayford, Harris, Kennedy and Done to the fit squad and the team and bench look different class.

Words are easy on here but the manager has to balance the squad and not create too many barriers to the first team for such as Adams, Reed, Kennedy, Freeman etc. Squad morale has to be carefully developed and preserved week in week out.

 

[PeteBlade]

We can all say we need this player or that player, this position or that position, we are too good to be 7th in the league, we should play this formation or that, blah,blah,blah.

Fact is we have an expensive, large squad mainly signed up by the previous manager and we also have had serious injuries to key players which have disrupted progress to date under the new regime.

Any new signing knocks another player down the pecking order, it involves maybe a 3 year contract on big wages if the player is going to make a difference. The displaced player also has to be paid in the meantime.

When the injury list includes Brayford, Harris, Done, Kennedy the manager has to judge whether it is in any new player's interest to join the club if better players will return to fitness before too long.

In these circumstances Adkins has signed Sharp, Edgar, Sammon and Woolford but has lost Murphy. With a squad as big as ours that is not an insignificant number nor are they poor quality. Come June a number of contracts expire and there will be more room to manouver but that doesn't help this season of course.

There are various views about what we need and most say central defenders. I think we need a central midfielder firstly and a new keeper as a second priority. This is where the manager has to make big decisions and whether the Board and he think more expense is actually necessar, indeed whether the right players are available and can be attracted to this league. Add Brayford, Harris, Kennedy and Done to the fit squad and the team and bench look different class.

Words are easy on here but the manager has to balance the squad and not create too many barriers to the first team for such as Adams, Reed, Kennedy, Freeman etc. Squad morale has to be carefully developed and preserved week in week out.

OR..... You could just answer the poll...

 

[Trigger Blade]

No prizes for guessing my vote.

Pete, can you add another option please "Bottom four, virtually down"?

Thanks in advance.

 

[robbiez666]

I do think having a fully fit squad would improve us, but not enough for automatic.

As for their impact:

It depends which John Brayford returns. If it's the one from last season then he's in no way a key player and not much better than Freeman or Flynn there. If that Brayford returns, I'd try and cash in on him if we could get somewhere near what we paid for him. Wages alone must be hampering us.

Done, in my view, is the only key player we've had out. He's a game changer and can force mistakes and grab goals.

Harris was hit and miss and only slightly better than Wallace in that position overall. On his day his forward play was better, off his day his defending is worse

Kennedy has never been anything than a bit part player. Great lad and will be great here and there but can;t play week in, week out.

 

[Woodwardfan]

OR..... You could just answer the poll...

Woops, wrong thread. Trouble with doing two things at once - Question Time phone-in quite emotive.

Top 2 , no problem.

 

[Bartleby]

Where will we be come end of January?

I assumed it meant where will we be after 46 games.
Edit: but my answer would be the same - playoffs

 

[derryblade]

Personally I will wait given the teams inconsistencies you don't know which team turns up the one that gives a damn or more often the one that doesn't. Adkins continually spouts we will sort it on the training pitch and yet we have the same mistakes, slow starts, slow tempo, chaos at set pieces and a centre midfield when pressed will be invisible. Clearly this crop of players have a problem taking on information or don't have the ability to carry it out, which begs the question if there was any money available Adkins would have used it sooner than later to address the problems which are clear for all to see.

 

[Missing Spark]

14th.

Can you add that as an option please.

 

[Darthblade]

Have we changed Boards since we signed the Beard, Billy, and Done, sacked Clough and appointed Adkins? Why isn't this all over the forum?

No .... same old Board we've had for a while ..... but Beard & Done were last seasons too late signings. Clough appears to have made himself very "sackable" at the end of last season.

Not much spent this season on the players so far and lots of very "achievable" points dropped as a result of us not dealing with many of the major, long term, well recognised deficiencies in the current squad!! That's why people question the Board I believe ..... they "talk the talk" but don't appear to be "walking the walk" ....
UTB & FTP

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

We can all say we need this player or that player, this position or that position, we are too good to be 7th in the league, we should play this formation or that, blah,blah,blah.

Fact is we have an expensive, large squad mainly signed up by the previous manager and we also have had serious injuries to key players which have disrupted progress to date under the new regime.

Any new signing knocks another player down the pecking order, it involves maybe a 3 year contract on big wages if the player is going to make a difference. The displaced player also has to be paid in the meantime.

When the injury list includes Brayford, Harris, Done, Kennedy the manager has to judge whether it is in any new player's interest to join the club if better players will return to fitness before too long.

In these circumstances Adkins has signed Sharp, Edgar, Sammon and Woolford but has lost Murphy. With a squad as big as ours that is not an insignificant number nor are they poor quality. Come June a number of contracts expire and there will be more room to manouver but that doesn't help this season of course.

There are various views about what we need and most say central defenders. I think we need a central midfielder firstly and a new keeper as a second priority. This is where the manager has to make big decisions and whether the Board and he think more expense is actually necessar, indeed whether the right players are available and can be attracted to this league. Add Brayford, Harris, Kennedy and Done to the fit squad and the team and bench look different class.

Words are easy on here but the manager has to balance the squad and not create too many barriers to the first team for such as Adams, Reed, Kennedy, Freeman etc. Squad morale has to be carefully developed and preserved week in week out.

My views on this are evolving. It used to be that CH was the obvious place for a replacement but I'm beginning to think CM *might* be a higher priority.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Personally I will wait given the teams inconsistencies you don't know which team turns up the one that gives a damn or more often the one that doesn't. Adkins continually spouts we will sort it on the training pitch and yet we have the same mistakes, slow starts, slow tempo, chaos at set pieces and a centre midfield when pressed will be invisible. Clearly this crop of players have a problem taking on information or don't have the ability to carry it out, which begs the question if there was any money available Adkins would have used it sooner than later to address the problems which are clear for all to see.

Just want to register disagreement with nearly all of this.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

We can all say we need this player or that player, this position or that position, we are too good to be 7th in the league, we should play this formation or that, blah,blah,blah.

Fact is we have an expensive, large squad mainly signed up by the previous manager and we also have had serious injuries to key players which have disrupted progress to date under the new regime.

Any new signing knocks another player down the pecking order, it involves maybe a 3 year contract on big wages if the player is going to make a difference. The displaced player also has to be paid in the meantime.

When the injury list includes Brayford, Harris, Done, Kennedy the manager has to judge whether it is in any new player's interest to join the club if better players will return to fitness before too long.

In these circumstances Adkins has signed Sharp, Edgar, Sammon and Woolford but has lost Murphy. With a squad as big as ours that is not an insignificant number nor are they poor quality. Come June a number of contracts expire and there will be more room to manouver but that doesn't help this season of course.

There are various views about what we need and most say central defenders. I think we need a central midfielder firstly and a new keeper as a second priority. This is where the manager has to make big decisions and whether the Board and he think more expense is actually necessar, indeed whether the right players are available and can be attracted to this league. Add Brayford, Harris, Kennedy and Done to the fit squad and the team and bench look different class.

Words are easy on here but the manager has to balance the squad and not create too many barriers to the first team for such as Adams, Reed, Kennedy, Freeman etc. Squad morale has to be carefully developed and preserved week in week out.

Good post btw. Seemed on topic to me. Which thread should it have been in?

 

[derryblade]

Just want to register disagreement with nearly all of this.

Lucky that football forums are for voicing individual opinions then

 

[Tezza1889]

Nice one Pete, my vote is playoffs, because we are mirroring last season, regardless of manager we need players who want to step up a division in the first instance, but it's clear we have a good many just picking a wage up and making no effort, do they know they're not good enough for the championship and are performing poorly?... Who knows, but I can tell you for a fact that when Barnsley went up years ago my best mate was friends with Nicky eaden and he told him he wasn't celebrating, cause he'd be out of the team cause they'd gone up..

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Nice one Pete, my vote is playoffs, because we are mirroring last season, regardless of manager we need players who want to step up a division in the first instance, but it's clear we have a good many just picking a wage up and making no effort, do they know they're not good enough for the championship and are performing poorly?... Who knows, but I can tell you for a fact that when Barnsley went up years ago my best mate was friends with Nicky eaden and he told him he wasn't celebrating, cause he'd be out of the team cause they'd gone up..

Some truth in that . Thing is , a number of our players will be out whether we go up or not . The reality will kick in sooner than later ( if not already done so ) , that a number of players will be playing for a new contract or trying to get the best deal they can , at another club . There performance on the field means as much to them personally , as it does to the club.

UTB