JoeP

I mean I agree that we should have a scouting network rather than a "stats" or "recruitment" department, but I'd have to take your word for it that they're out there waiting. I think you need a tried and tested successful signing process in place and we just don't have that..

Simplified a little bit. Do you think there's a queue of top quality midfielders and right-backs out there just waiting to sign for Oldham Athletic?

If there is truth that "Mellon has lost the dressing-room", then it's the players that need to go. Most of them didn't perform for Unsworth and if another manager is struggling with them - one with a proven record - then it's not the manager that's the issue. This will be the highest level a lot of these players will play at, based on some of their performances. I think they need reminding of that sometimes. It's funny - you always get 100% from the divisive players like Fondop and Sheron. Personally, I'd rather have these sort of players playing for the team, rather than the slightly more talented players who appear completely disinterested...

There's a line wheeled out about our fans "just liking a player because they run around". There's also a different group of fans who prefer a player who does absolutely nothing and in doing so never makes a mistake. Sheron gets criticism because he shows more than anyone else in midfield and in doing so makes mistakes, just like Piergianni got stick in defence when we went down.. Lundstram has done sweet FA since he's been here. Neither has Conlon. But it's Sheron who seems to get more criticism than anyone else..

We need to set up the recruitment strategy the way the manager wants it. It's ultimately him that's culpable. If he's happy with a DOF, then fine. If he wants to set-up a network of scouts that he trusts to find him the players he wants, bypassing any "stats department" or "recruitment department", then that should be fine also. What's never going to work is if we keep giving the manager shit players to work with and then sack him because he's not managed to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Football's a simple game - and anyone with an iota of knowledge can see that for the last 18 months we've continued to build an imbalanced squad and pissed a load of Frank's money up the wall on players that aren't good enough or we don't need. I think our recruitment process needs to be simplified - back to basics - not over complicated with too many people, which is what a DOF would bring. Just because Arsenal say can analyse a prospective transfer target to the nth degree and it works for them, doesn't mean it's going to work for us.

But keep all those midfielders we've got better than him? Keep Hudson, Hobson, Sheron and Fondop. Bring in better around them. The rest I'm really not arsed about.

Can't wait.. Got to start Sheron. Got to start Fondop. If Gardner's got anything left in his tank, then him. Hudson and Hobson too. After that, no strong opinion...

Good interview. Always comes across well..

Hang on... Shez couldn't do it Unsworth couldn't do it And now Mellon seems to be struggling. Are we sure the manager is the problem? Frank is handing over his hard earned. If I was him I'd be asking whether it's just the manager that's the issue, because I'm not sure it's just one person that's failing here..

It might not be his choice as to what the structure is. I know they were on about bringing a Head of Recruitment in after Thompson left, but don't know what happened about that...

We need to go back to the drawing board with the way recruitment is done. Are we still persevering with the stats department/head of recruitment? That needs to be sacked off tomorrow. Ridiculous strategy at this level and one this manager won't operate well under. Mellon is actually the last one we should be looking at. Unsworth was shit, but it's too much of a coincidence that these players have been shit under two managers.

One for those with an encyclopaedic knowledge of other lower league teams/players - what sort of set-up/players did Mellon have when he got Norwood firing at Tranmere? I can't imagine this approach is anywhere near it..

I maintain Sheridan's post takeover squad was no worse than this. Tollit, for example, is no worse than what we've got...

It sounds like we should be about 4 down...or is that just BBC Surrey biased?

Fondop's the only one - in any position - that has the right energy. Should be first on the teamsheet every week.

It's really strange. It's not as if different players play better in certain games - they all play fairly average in every game!

Only two players in that line-up have scored a goal, according to BBC Radio Surrey...

Another leftfield line-up..

I was there. Nick Henry's goal from the half-way line. Took ages to go in. One of favourite ever Latics goals... Post Premier League, fans abandoned ship home and away. I remember Palace away under Sharp when there was barely 100.

Think you've answered your own question there as to why some won't bother... Plus Halifax on Tuesday and a few aways down South relatively recently. Us taking a lot away is a relatively new phenomena. We'd be lucky to make 3 figures at some games in the the South in the '90s. 245's alright...

We've got Dallas, who could be of that ilk (although "yet to peak")..

It's not that simple. That John Sheridan in his prime signing is probably just not available or doesn't want to drop down to us. He signed Conlon, which looked good on paper, but maybe hasn't been the success story we'd hope he would be (yet). It wasn't great last night - Unsworth-esque in parts - we relied to much on their poor finishing to get a result, but I'd rather be getting away with those sort of results at this end of the table than lower-mid, like Unsworth was. We've got to get up by hook or crook. Last night didn't do us any damage on that front. Going to bang the drum for Big Mike as a starter again - when he came on, he gave us an energy that the other two up front didn't bring. The opposition were scared of him (hence the near eye-gouge he received). The crowd seemed to lift too. Got to start if we're playing these tactics..

Superb tackle by Sachdev!

Played well first-half..

Do you think? I reckon Kiddie, Ebbsfleet and Fylde have looked better! Weird division..