Keith wrote:redrobo wrote:Tutt is a prime example of the legacy that JB left us with.
A far too big a squad of 27 at least 10 if not more are not EFL2 standard and what is even more criminal in my eyes is that JB spent (some would argue wasted ) the entire budget leaving nothing for signings come January.
JB built a number of differing squads over the years that produced season after season nothing more than a fight against relegation a fight that DA has inherited and if we do go down the fault lies entirely with JB.
JB should have gone much sooner and no other club would have accepted such a dismal record.
How much of the inadequate budget do you think Jim should have saved?
Can you imagine the crap he'd have got if Aaron Collins had left and he'd said "
well, I've saved some money for January"??? We offered Mandeville a contract but he went in to non-League because it was more money elsewhere. To save money for January, you have to have an adequate budget in the first place! Yes, the squad is probably too big, but in previous years, we've not had enough to put out a full team. There were many occasions in previous seasons where Jim had two or three players on the bench who weren't fit to come on, but were there to keep the opposition manager guessing. We've got a bigger squad because we've got players who are injury prone. Tutte is one of those. Wildig another. AJ a third. If all three are fit and performing to their best, they are excellent players, but we need back up because they often aren't. If Jim had a decent budget and squandered it, then fair enough but he's been patching a squad together out of nothing season after season.
Most people (Neil included) suggested that the poor league position was down to bad management, not poor squad. Now we've a new manager and it is suddenly the poor squad and you will continue to blame the ex-manager anyway.
I hope the owners stump up some cash in January and I still think there is enough in the squad to pull us clear, but it will be tight again. Then we can see Derek build for next year, hopefully as a League Two side again.
I'm a big fan of the work Jim has done for us over the years but personally think he got a lot of things wrong over the Summer in hindsight.
The squad is too large for a start but it's more the makeup of the squad and types of players we've signed that are the issue for me.
We lost Zak Mills, an attacking full back who was our player of the year and got up and down the flank. We replaced him with an experienced pro who is the polar opposite in playing style to Mills and after a few months he's been replaced with a teenager on loan from Man Utd. A complete waste of a wage.
Too much faith was kept in the likes of Kenyon, Tutte, Cranston, Wildig, all of whom were here and part of the squad that were dreadful for the first half of last season. At least two of them shouldn't have been given a new deal in the Summer and instead replaced with new players.
Collins, Bennett and Oliver were all lost from the forward line leaving us with only AJ Leitch-Smith as an out and out striker. Their replacements were Cole Stockton, Shaun Miller and Lewis Alessandra, all players that Jim has worked with previously, very unimaginative. Miller, Alessandra and AJLS are all too similar in style, neat and tidy players but not physical and not especially speedy. Why did we sign so many players in such a similar mould? It has really limited our options up front and Miller especially is now nothing but a waste of space in the squad. A forward line made up of a physical presence in Stockton, AJLS & Alessandra + a quick player would have been far better.
The whole side lacks pace, we are so pedestrian going forward, whilst John O'Sullivan is again, a neat and tidy player, he doesn't worry defenders, doesn't go at people and take them on and Kev is in his 40's now so offers no threat on the opposite flank either.
Why sign Michael Howard if you're never going to play him? Why did Mendes-Gomes never get a game? At least they appear to be more direct and have a bit of pace about them.
So in summary I think Jim, whilst I've no doubt he did his best in getting together what he thinks are the best players he could bring to the club he's neglected getting any kind of pacey and direct forwards, instead we're stuck with a bunch of "good footballers" who have no pace resulting in us being very easy to defend against it it being incredibly hard for us to break teams down. This also isn't helped by deciding to bring in a defensive minded full back in Buxton to replace Mills.
We have too many experienced pros aged 27+ and not enough young and hungry players. A recruitment policy similar to what Macclesfield did this Summer would have been preferable.
Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 7:23 pm
