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What’s needed in the squad


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I said before the season started, I wasn't sure that the players we signed were going to be as good as the hype. I could of course still be proven wrong and i hope i am but Willoughby had only done well at a level below, Ward wasn't one of Gateshead's top performers, Lundstram had really only had the 1 good season at Alty and had previously failed to make the grade in League 2. There was a lot of unknowns regarding the majority of the signings, only really Norwood stood out as a marquee signing with Raglan playing a bit part at Cheltenham over the past couple of seasons and possibly on the wane. Hobson is the one signing that has impressed so far. I've previously questioned the amount of staff involved and the recruitment policy and I stand by that. There is no one person who actually takes responsibility for this and that in itself is a problem. The whole thing needs a rethink imo and we must make sure the new manager gets the chance to recruit on his terms.

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Would love a creative C.M and a right full back, but where do you get them from?

This should have been done under D.U last year. But then  the man was inept as we all now know.It will be difficult for our next manager( hopefully Thompson) but we can but hope.Things can only get better......

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1 hour ago, PeteG said:

I said before the season started, I wasn't sure that the players we signed were going to be as good as the hype. I could of course still be proven wrong and i hope i am but Willoughby had only done well at a level below, Ward wasn't one of Gateshead's top performers, Lundstram had really only had the 1 good season at Alty and had previously failed to make the grade in League 2. There was a lot of unknowns regarding the majority of the signings, only really Norwood stood out as a marquee signing with Raglan playing a bit part at Cheltenham over the past couple of seasons and possibly on the wane. Hobson is the one signing that has impressed so far. I've previously questioned the amount of staff involved and the recruitment policy and I stand by that. There is no one person who actually takes responsibility for this and that in itself is a problem. The whole thing needs a rethink imo and we must make sure the new manager gets the chance to recruit on his terms.

Which makes a decision to give it to Thompson till the end of the season a sensible one, he keeps it on the proviso we finish top 7 and he's backed with the four players he needs. Simple really.

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31 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Which makes a decision to give it to Thompson till the end of the season a sensible one, he keeps it on the proviso we finish top 7 and he's backed with the four players he needs. Simple really.


I think on balance this is where I am. 
 

Yesterday was really poor- but he’s 6 unbeaten. 
 

The target at the start of season was playoffs as a minimum, and he’s starting with a big deficit of one win in ten. 
 

If he can get the four or five he needs and finish top 7 after an awful start- he’s done well, and deserves another crack next year. 

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57 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Which makes a decision to give it to Thompson till the end of the season a sensible one, he keeps it on the proviso we finish top 7 and he's backed with the four players he needs. Simple really.

And what about Thompson?

Giving him a short term contract with proviso's is hardly an incentive when there are plenty of 2/3 year contracts knocking around with bigger clubs if he is so well thought of within football circles as some have suggested.

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1 minute ago, whittles left foot said:

And what about Thompson?

Giving him a short term contract with proviso's is hardly an incentive when there are plenty of 2/3 year contracts knocking around with bigger clubs if he is so well thought of within football circles as some have suggested.

If it doesn't work he could take up one of a number of offers we've been told he's rejected, any manager coming in needs to be working to immediate targets I can't bear another fucking project and on that basis managers need to be performing and the club holding the cards. 

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4 minutes ago, whittles left foot said:

And what about Thompson?

Giving him a short term contract with proviso's is hardly an incentive when there are plenty of 2/3 year contracts knocking around with bigger clubs if he is so well thought of within football circles as some have suggested.


Really? Whose said that?

 

He’s been a number two wherever he’s been. 
 

He could walk into that role in the EFL, but in my view he’d snap our hand off for a deal till the end of season with the a clause for another year if he does well. He’s even said he’d love the job. 
 

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Just now, yarddog73 said:

If it doesn't work he could take up one of a number of offers we've been told he's rejected, any manager coming in needs to be working to immediate targets I can't bear another fucking project and on that basis managers need to be performing and the club holding the cards. 

There's also an argument for Thompson to steady the ship and then possibly move in to a Director of football role where we could bring in a younger more progressive coach to work under him.

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26 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

There's also an argument for Thompson to steady the ship and then possibly move in to a Director of football role where we could bring in a younger more progressive coach to work under him.

So he sorts out the problems and somebody else gets the gig?

You are really selling the job. Would you be happy accepting that?

 

Wasn't he already director of football and look where that has got us?

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11 minutes ago, whittles left foot said:

So he sorts out the problems and somebody else gets the gig?

You are really selling the job. Would you be happy accepting that?

 

Wasn't he already director of football and look where that has got us?

Head of recruitment I think, as I've got to know him I like him, he's not stupid he knows the game and he probably understands he will need relative success and quickly.

 

Biggest reasons for giving it him for the season are stability and financial. Players want him and the backroom staff would effectively stay the same, only extra finance would be the players he needs which any manager coming in is going to need and ask for.

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1 hour ago, Monty Burns said:

one or two centre mids, one or two wide players and poss a RB but Will is MoM every week plus Freeman so it has slipped in urgency.

I take it that was tongue in cheek? He's no right back.

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ST says we need 4 players but this may not be realistic at this stage of the season. So here is my attempt to sort the squad/team out with minimum cost and personnel change...

 

Play a 3-5-2. This is the starting line up with alternatives/back ups in brackets:

 

GK - Hudson (Norman) or the other way round

 

CD - Hogan

CD - Raglan

CD - Hobson

(Sutton, Sheron, McGahey)

 

LWB - Kitching (Dickenson, Couto)

RWB - Shelton (Freeman) - a controversial one but if it isn't working out for him in midfield, lets play him in another position he's familiar with and also one we're short of players. If Freeman is fit and available then I'd have him in first. Ideally we'd need a new signing in this position, but if we want to save money or are struggling to get the right player, why not try this?

 

CM - Lundstram... box to box (Shelton)

CM - Sheron... holding

CM - NEW SIGNING... creative passer (Gardner, Dickenson)

 

CF - Norwood

CF - whoever he plays best with

(All the other strikers)

 

Then we have the following players that might be suitable as change players, ie when a formation change is needed or we need to play in a different way - Hope, Tollitt, Ward, Green.

 

So that's only one new signing, everyone playing roles they should be comfortable with and decent cover in almost all positions.

 

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2 minutes ago, True Tic said:

I’d argue he’s been MOM most times he’s played 

me too but lm tryin not to be such an extremist!

people literally sit there thru 99% of a match ignoring what happens until somebody runs faster than him and then decide that means nothing else matters, never a RB 0/10

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9 minutes ago, League one forever said:


He’s obviously a good defender, and on Saturday won his battles, but my god going forward he’s dreadful. (Which isn’t his fault at it’s not his game) 

dreadful is too far. he has made some great runs and sometimes puts a decent ball in for a lanky CB. 

often a teams best player is the LW..

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