In general our recruitment policy has been excellent, and we've reaped the rewards. However, I feel that at this level we need an experienced centre half to calm things down and help keep our shape in situations like yesterday. Ideally a ball player, but to be honest even with someone like Darren Moore alongside Roberts last night, it's difficult to imagine we would have lost. I'm not advocating ditching the transfer policy, just that we make a one-off signing a la Hammill last season. I said we needed one close season, and the departure of Mawson makes it all the more imperitive imho. I' m not even convinced that we'd need to pay much of a fee, as experienced players are often available for nominal fees. By the way, I haven't got anyone in particular in mind, as Arjan De Zeeuw is already a bit too old. So, yes or no - should we try to sign an experienced c/h in January? YES
I'm going with no. I'd like to see us sign a ball playing centre half to replace Mawson. Roberts is a 'stopper' type player I don't think we need another one to replace him. We need to keep faith in the strategy. But as we have up front with Bradshaw we probably need to invest more money than we normally would.
I'd agree , its all well and good having a young team as a whole and I agree with that policy but don't see why you can't include a couple of experienced professionals not the types to spoil the spirit but experienced enthusiastic professionals. I've always believed in a commanding centre half with authority who can command and direct his defence.
I'd say yes. A one off signing to give us some additional quality and experience in defence. Ironically we said goodbye last night to the best centre half I've seen at Oakwell in my time watching us. We simply would not get a player of his quality these days but somebody in his mould to school our inexperienced defence and give us that extra bit of quality would make a lot of difference.
I'd definitely be advocating the signing of a ball-player if possible, but last night's capitulation was mainly as a result of naivety.
Remember this time last season when we were struggling. We brought in two experienced heads at the back in White & Long, with the latter really tightening things up and giving confidence to our young players.
No. A young ball playing centre half, a midfielder with energy and discipline and a left back with pace and the ability to run beyond their defence for me. All under 25. All from the lower leagues. All around the £500-750k mark.
It would have helped if we had signed defenders this summer with plenty of League One experience. We did so in other areas of the team (Bradshaw, Morsy, Moncur etc). You can't rely on unearthing a team of Marc Roberts, despite the song.
I am generally happy with the way that we recruit. It is fundamental to our business plan. Obviously, sometimes we will have to be patient and sometimes the right player will not be available at the right price or the right time, but we have been down the road of players looking for a last pay day, and on balance, I would prefer to see us improve younger players rather than watch older guys going through the motions. Our back four did not play well last night, but in my opinion, they were directly responsible for only one of the goals (Jackson for the 4th). Defending is the responsibility of the whole team and most of the goals last night came from mistakes by midfield players. I do not see the centre backs as a problem, but I would be playing McDonald in preference to Jackson. I would be shopping in the transfer window, and I would be looking for a big guy to give us more options at centre forward, but I would be shopping around the lower leagues or possibly abroad.
Kevin Davies, Michael Brown and Martin Taylor ought to be on the shopping list. We might hate 2 of them but they know how to con the referee and snap the other team.
I'd expect us to be back in for Pierre and Ariyibi in January. Might not get them, but I think we'll certainly be in the mix having been tracking them for so long. I've also still got hopes for Moncur - a spell on Peterborough's bench might have made him rethink his attitude a bit. Can't recall us being linked with many left backs though. Still baffled that we let Williams go.
This policy of player recruitment will live or die by its own results. TBF apart from the most ardent... red goggled fans... Most thought the squad was not as good as the one that took us up. And then we sold Alfie.. Hecky also said in his last interview, when asked, that he did not expect to be busy come January... But results and league position may alter that who knows... Personally I don't think we can stop up without bringing in experience.. Id be happy to be proved wrong though I don't think anyone can question there effort, but lets see over 46 games if the players are/or not good enough.... , the league table will not lie.
There's more to poor defending than losing the ball, getting outmuscled/skinned or being beaten in the air. Good defenders are in the right place at the right time. Awareness, anticipation and positioning are all key attributes and deficiencies in those areas are not always obvious to the untrained eye.
We are not good enough as a squad overall. We are already fearing relegation rather than sniffing top 6 or accepting mid table obscurity. The number of goals conceded points to our principal deficiency. But in a somewhat fatalistic and masochistic and deluded way I believe that Bree Yiadom (White) Roberts and Jackson/McDonald have talent and the will and capacity to improve and that we should stick by them. I think we have lost too many points by virtue of an inadequate attack, or more precisely an inadequate settled attack. We have scored a few, but last season's launchpad is no longer in the rear view mirror. If we don't take our chances better than we are doing from now, we'll go down.