SweeperKeeper

17 hours ago, GlossopLatic said:

His recruitment seemed pretty fine in both January 2016 and January 2017 would you not agree?

He didn't add so much to the existing squads either time, although Gerrard and (especially) Palmer were excellent signings.

I'm more thinking back to when he was trying to build a squad in his longer stint. 

You'd hope Kevin Roberts should be able to provide some advice and contacts when it comes to media engagement and marketing.

17 minutes ago, whittles left foot said:

So how you gonna do that if he is hopeless at signing players on your own admission?

I think he needs help with recruitment.

Doesn't necessarily have to be a 'Director of Football', but if we are really trying to make a new long-term start then we need a new long-term appointment in charge of identifying and signing talent.

Recruitment has never been Shez' strong point, going off his previous stints here and elsewhere.

Even so, the only circumstance we should be thinking about replacing him is if we are in the relegation zone with a few weeks to play.  We need to try and build a Latics culture and Latics style of play, and that will take time.

We need to improve our scouting though under the new management.  Just taking whatever a couple of agents send our way wasn't working. 

Haughton is hardly news to anyone who even casually follows non-league, and he's exactly the type of player we should have been in for.

11 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Positives were Fondop who should probably start next week

It'll be interesting to see whether Fondop or Porter can work together, or whether it's one or the other. 

Either way, they need service from wide.  Tollitt should be playing wide instead of Stobbs or Hope. 

3 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

We already have a 1st team squad of 24……we shouldn’t need 28 or 29 surely?

That just shows we have too many passengers. 

Hopefully those who were criticising buying players from non-league and thinking that any player with league experience will succeed are getting a reality check.

We aren't going anywhere with non-goal scoring "forwards", passengers who run about without ever challenging for the ball, and players who can't complete a pass or cross.

45 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Well that was bloody painful, I just can't see what Hope and Stobbs offer, 

 

Hope is playing he's hanging out wide left like he's a luxury 

Was amazed so many fans on here wanted Hope to stay. 

Luxury is the right word.  We need footballers, not people who jog around the pitch and never touch the ball.

And from today

https://twitter.com/whatingleshot/status/1552718801996845057

A couple of videos:

54 minutes ago, Chaddyexile84 said:

Radcliffe admin can't spell and looks like Norman is our first choice keeper

 

 

Wouldn't have been surprised to see the likes of Jem Karacan and Luke Joyce turning up for us as trialists rather than at Radcliffe.  We could do with a player in their mould.

50 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Looks like Leon Legge ex Port Vale starting tonight at centre half alongside Hogan, tells me McGahey days are numbered.

 

 

Didn't we nearly sign him last season?

4 hours ago, Handsy said:

Callum whelan signed for Solihull moors  1 yr deal   He prob play like he did against Bristol rovers  in the games against us 

You'd hope Shez would just tell his opposite number to get in his face a bit, doesn't take much physical to make him hide in the centre circle.

Would be nice to have a real enforcer in the middle again.

7 minutes ago, Oldham_till_i_die said:

I’ll narrow it down a bit. 
 

No 16 is called Ben. 

Just seen a picture of him, 99% sure that's Ben Tollitt who was at Fylde and Tranmere.

Think he'd be a much better bet for this season than Stobbs wide right.

40 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Gardner No 8 and captain.

Please don't say he is taking all our set pieces again as well 

1 hour ago, simplythemostimportantkick said:

I’m not disagreeing, he is probably, no use if he’s on the physio table every week tho. 

Given he played only 900 minutes last season, I agree.  I doubt he'll come cheap, either.  Budget needs to go on players who can turn out most weeks.

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

 our fans have backed a battler and rightly so they are the foundation of many a good team and I'd rather have someone who puts it about than a shithouse fairy whose scared to put their foot in.

 

Being a battler and putting a tackle in is a separate matter.  

My issue is the lads who aren't even good at that but get a free pass because they run around a lot.

When you compare it to the stick that gets thrown at some players who can actually do something with the ball, it feels unfair.

We truly are the club for footballers who have issues with the "foot" and "ball" parts of the game.

Run around a lot at Boundary Park and you'll have fans for life.

7 minutes ago, Chaddyexile84 said:

And Stobbs to be loaned to someone in the Martian Sunday League 

Imagine how far he could launch one of his "crosses" in low gravity.

4 hours ago, Bobledgersheart said:

I wish the lad all the best for his future career and did want him to remain but his ball control and passing ability will have to improve dramatically to be successful at League 2 level, never mind the Championship.

He's a one-trick pony, he's got a good long shot.  If you build the way you play around that, he'll do alright.  If you expect him to do literally anything else - run, pass, tackle, mark - he's going to look even worse at higher level.

2 hours ago, latics22 said:

Someone mentioned wimpchester on face book, dear god no! We are lite weight enough!

He looks like Graeme Souness next to Whelan and Keillor-Dunn.

57 minutes ago, bigfatjoe1 said:

I'd be inclined to have a look at 6ft 6 Joel Coleman. Released by Rochdale, but not seen too much first team action since leaving us. Worth a punt, or does his lack of first team football scream that he might not even make the NL?

Between Coleman and Simpson it would be a no-brainer. 

Coleman is a couple of classes above Simpson, and he's not even that old (26).  And it's not like he didn't play last season, he made 21 starts for Rochdale.

Simpson sat on the bench for two seasons in the National League without making a single start, for comparison.

Somehow doubt Coleman would come back, but if he was up for it I don't think we'd do any better.

1 hour ago, No Pyro No Party said:

George Elokobi announced his retirement yesterday. Not the clearest memory of him but still remember him as a Latic. He put a bit of something up on Twitter: 

 

Was decent for us playing next to James Wilson, but had a couple of long injury lay offs at the end of the Johnson era.  We signed Anthony Gerrard to cover for him and he left for Colchester over that summer.

19 minutes ago, Chaddyexile84 said:

 

If anything was a sign we were destined for non league this season, the signing of Geordie Shore was it 

You can get away with a comedy duff signing if your squad is properly balanced.

Two strikers for a full season is already pushing it when the strikers are half-decent, just due to form and the injuries.

But when those strikers are Blyth and Hope, we were doomed from the start.

27 minutes ago, IanMarshall's Mullet said:

Jordon Barnett played for Yeovil but didn't impress me much.

Got the moves but hasn't got the touch?