|
Three games and just one more point on the board makes worrying statistics by anyone’s standards and we have a range of opinions amongst the fan base following yesterday’s 3-1 reverse at Leyton Orient. Some are simply saying that we will not go up, some have suggested bringing in an experienced man to work alongside Jackett and there are those that add to the debates by saying that it is a blip and we don’t need to worry about it – everyone has a bad patch.
The comment “We have not turned into a bad team overnight” is one constantly banded about when we have a run of form like this and the statement would normally ring true. However, when you balance that against a comment such as “This is a bad division and we are just one of the least bad teams in it” you wonder which statement is nearer the truth?
One thing is for certain we sit at this moment in time in 3rd place in the division because we deserve to sit there. Not through luck or necessarily being a great side but because over a period of 32 games, we have been the 3rd best side in the division (or depending which way you fall, “the third best worst team in the division”!)
We have been told before this season started and through it that promotion is our goal and in some quarters it has also been suggested that it is the only option. Failing to meet that goal some tell us is unthinkable and there have even been (somewhat unbelievably) statements of failure will mean the end of the football club. I haven’t worked out why that one is such as yet but I live in hope that one day I may get there.
What we have to realise at the moment is that we are in one of three positions (and the only three positions at the moment) where promotion is in our hands. Win every game and we are up. It won’t happen but the reality is that we don’t have to rely on other teams at this moment in time. We will have to rely on them is the reality of the situation but you know what I am trying to say. We are also aware that there is a budget available to the manager to spend and he is looking at options on where best to spend that budget. Like any wise football manager he is using it wisely as he knows there is not a bottomless pit and he wants to get it right.
The board of directors will also be well aware of what promotion will mean to the club in terms of increased revenue. Take predicted revenue in league two away from predicted revenue in league one and you have that figure and that is notwithstanding the better quality of player that you can attract when you move up one division. I do fully applaud the club for not being prepared to ‘hock’ the club in the chase for promotion unlike other sides but we now know that the squad needs strengthening more than at any other time this season.
But what do we need and more importantly who do we need? i can’t answer the latter and I am going to refuse point blanks to put names to positions at this moment in time. The name of Goodfellow has been mentioned almost constantly since he was recalled at the end of last year but I stand firm in my belief that it may not necessarily be him but I cannot hide from the fact that when we had him here we were a better balanced side going forward. That is not necessarily because he was the best left winger in the division but because he was a left winger. On the subject of a left winger, the club have two decisions to make
1. Are they prepared to meet Bristol City’s valuation of him?
2. If they are, then does that valuation mean that Goodfellow is the best value for money in that position for that price?
If the answer to these two questions is yes then we move and get him. If the answers are Yes to Number 1 and No to Number 2 then we look to get the person who we think is best value for that money. This could all be a by the by statement anyway if the rumours that Goodfellow will be here by the end of the week are true. If they are then good on the club for filling an obvious weakness (no doubt the critics will immediately say “should have been done sooner” – if only life was that simple eh?)
We also know that we need more strength in midfield. We are simply too defensive in this area and too lightweight for much of the games. In recent weeks the comment of “they wanted it more” has been used quite often and quite often rings true. We have become a team that tries to suss out opposition for 45 minutes and then hopes to hit them in the second half – fine if it works, looks poor when we are two down at half time. I will not single out individuals for criticism at this point but we need desperately to stop playing players out of position for the midfield to improve. We also need the midfield playmaker in there. No matter what people say to me about individuals we have not got one at this moment in time. If we had one then we would look far more controlled in midfield then we do. Wouldn’t we?
The time is most certainly not to press the panic button at this moment in time but the time is right to inject new faces and create some competition for places again. This is something that has gone down in recent weeks and I don’t think it’s complacency as such but there most definitely is not the competition for places that we had earlier in the season.
The rumours suggest that Goodfellow will not be alone in arriving this week – let’s hope not and that in 12 weeks time we will be celebrating what we all want from this season. And more to the point, let’s start winning games again because when we win games, the personal attacks between fans tend to die down as well.
And one more point. No matter how much people think it’s absurd when you are buying a player you have to consider the full financial implications of buying that player. If we have £200k to spend then we are not going to buy a player at £200k. Plain and simple.
And one last thought. Isn’t it funny that some of those who criticised the signing of Lee Thorpe are now championing his starting place in the side ahead of Paul Connor who apparently is now crap despite being the best thing since sliced bread just a few short weeks ago.
Fickle? Us? Never!
Click Here For The Leyton Orient Match Report
Do you fancy sharing your thoughts with the world through an article on the site. Just pen your thoughts and e-mail them to us here |
Planet Swans Archives
