We also signed up Brooks on a new contract and his illness has been a major blow.
We could have taken £10m perhaps and spent it on a Jordan Rhodes-type proven striker just to ensure we had enough for that final push, just like Wednesday did last season.
With young lads you get inconsistency but we got illness as well. At least proven strikers like Rhodes are consistent


. Mitrovic was a big gamble at a loan and wages cost of about £2m or thereabouts. He was absolutely hopeless for the Toon. Confidence, environment, circumstance, rapport all play a part and momentum plays along positively just as much as poor goal tallies eat away at hearts and minds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Donaldson started well and got an injury. Sharp and Clarke both went off at the same time, not for lack of effort though. Wilson has not clicked.
Wilder did the right things in January and the new midfielders are proving their worth and will be ready to go next season.
We have Semple and Leonard and Stevens can play at the back but will need another defender. Other than that we just need a striker or two. Unless we go up and how would we cope with that?