Let's say we stay up. We manage a win or two and a couple of draws and it's enough to keep us above Sunderland, Burton and Birmingham whose poor results continue. What's next season going to be like? Yiadom will be gone. Hammill too considering the manager won't even put him on the bench. But I think that's it as far as out of contract players go (correct me if I'm wrong). Williams, Gardner, Mahoney, Mills and McBurnie will return to their parent clubs. But the squad's still massive. We have two keepers (Davies and Townsend), two right full backs (McCarthy and Cavare), two left full backs (Pinillos and Fryers) and four central defenders (Jackson, Lindsay, Pinnock and Pearson). Mowatt, Bird and McGeehan (who can't even get in the Scunthorpe team) will return from loan to join Moncur, Mallan, Potts and Knasmullner, so we have 7 central midfield players. We've two wingers in Hedges and Isgrove. Up front there's Bradshaw, Thiam, and Moore. Two players for each position is considered good cover, anything above that and you're paying out wages to someone who will rarely, if ever, play. We've got a full compliment of keepers and defenders. We're over-saturated as far as central midfield players is concerned. We've only two wingers, but our manager doesn't play wingers, so it seems pointless acquiring any more. When Hedges or Isgrove have played they've taken up a position on the right or left of the three forward roles, so I guess you could say we've actually got five forwards not just three. It's only up front where you could legitimately claim we're short on numbers, but even then it's just one or two. Are we going to get anyone better than McBurnie? It's possible I suppose, but the chances are we're not. Even if we do, even if we actually sign McBurnie himself, despite him playing well and scoring goals, it's made relatively little difference to the results and performances. We're still crap, it's still tedious to watch, maybe even more so, the results are still relegation form. If we're to have a sensible sustainable plan, that isn't going to bankrupt the club if the owners decide they've had enough, we'll have to sell before we buy, but who would buy any of our squad? We're stuck with them unless we take a huge loss and give them away for free. It'd probably cost us as we'd have to pay up their contracts too. They're not going to voluntarily move to a lower league club on lower wages when they have a contract here. I'm not sure staying up is necessarily the best option because I don't want to watch this lot in the Championship for another season. It's miserable.
As I’ve said elsewhere, the new owners have the job of cleaning up the mess they bought. Not allowed to sympathise with that job though cos they are minted.
I think once players know there not wanted their agents will have to work overtime to find them somewhere else.
It's a quandary Jay, because although I agree with most of what you say I don't want to watch the alehouse league again. And while we're on McBurnie, he'd have cost an awful lot in wage contributions if that loan deal had gone through in August, wouldn't he?
Yesterday I actually considered not going to another game this season. I really was so fed up. If we stay up great, but if we go down I'm not overly bothered either. I think this, with a few additions is a good league one team. What is vitally important is that when we come back up, which we will, we don't make the same mistake. The plan is *****. It doesn't work on its own.
I feel for them I saw Neerav Parekh in the club shop before the game good to see him down oakwell sorry he had to witness that.
It would be interesting to know where he travelled from given he and his colleagues don’t care about the club wouldn’t it
Whatever league we are in next year.....as you point out there are plenty of players...but no real quality. yids and oli gone next season ....it was always going to take time to bed players in this season and we are just not organised enough. We do need to trim down or spend loads of time getting them up to speed...that was always going to fail under "the plan"
Not sure which country he resides in don't know how people can say he isn't bothered been at oakwell watching many times was in the courthouse few months back and been away and like I said was in club shop yesterday good to see him down regular.
' The plan' is fine and will be successful if we buy quality players . It only falls down when we buy sub standard players that we can't flog .Nobody was complaining about it 2 years ago .
I guess the only thing the squad really has going for it is youth. Hopefully they’ll improve and be much better players next season. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility. Hourihane, Scowen, Roberts, Winnall and Mawson were deemed to be not good enough in league 1, yet now they’re established Championship/Premier league players.
The last crop of players were blooded at league one level. Big difference to throwing them in against championship clubs.
The question is, how good would these players have been had they stepped straight up to the championship without having a couple of seasons with us in league one.