Paul Conway ...... and the clubs recruitment strategy

it shouldn't matter where the player comes from as long as the have the passion and ability (potential)to play as we do now what must happen is that we get them in early and get them up to standard if they cannot do that then we have to find replacement prior to season starting and loan out the players that need extra training/experience and as of this season we cannot sign anyone after the season starts, so important to do business early

 

A weird way of looking at things. It doesn't follow that they are equals on the football pitch, just because they both haven't played much. There's no comparison between the two in their assuredness as defenders.

Your flawed logic also completely ignores that Angus had already lost his place before the calf problem and Roberts was actually in the team when he hobbled off with a 4 month injury, playing the rest of the season when he did return.

 

I have full confidence in Paul "relegate the b*strards" Conway.

As well as Dimitre "you f*ckin reds" Cavare.

 

Angus was very good for us his first season and was the reason he was captain

 

The issue with previous recruits in the championship was the wholesale changes. How would Mowatt or McGeehan have done if they were playing alongside Hourihane?

Our best chance of staying up next season is to keep the core of the squad together, we have to keep at least one out of Lindsay and Pinnock here next season, then they can form a spine of the team with Mowatt and Moore / Woodrow who are all contracted to 2021.

The positive sign is that there have been signings that have come in and improved the team (Moore, Woodrow, Dougall). Jordan Green hasn't had much impact, but a pacy winger was the sort of thing we were missing, so was an understandable signing.

 

Adminwars...

 

Spot on. The intentions of owners does not match the expectations and aspirations of the supporters.

 

I don't know about that. My expectations feel pretty well met - because I listened to what the new owners said when they took over, that they wanted to carry on the current recruitment strategy that has made us a sustainable club.

 

Nigel Adkins would appear to disagree. He felt so strongly about his deficiencies, he chose to comment publicly.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/spo...ews/angus-macdonald-told-must-improve-1935406

 

This is the same recruitment strategy that had us pushing in the top half of the championship though, before our players had to be sold in the oft mentioned January 17. That's what people are referring to as 'last time'. There are many parallels actually. First season with the new squad not good, second season promotion, third season championship. We'll have to see if we can do what we did last time, again. A lot of players are out of contract next summer again though, so don't be surprised if we have to sell again in January. Getting something for the players is key to staying sustainable, for better or worse.

I can completely understand the frustration of this, by the way - we are here to support the club and team, not to support the accounts remaining balanced. However, I think we can progress nicely from here on, with some additional revenue streams (all signs point to a much more lucrative shirt sponsorship deal, for example). According to some on here, the owners have pledged 4 million to keep out of contract players on board, then a further 2 million for new players. (EDIT: My apologies, it's 4 million for new and 2 million for existing)

I can see that being accurate, but we will have to see. I'm excited to see where we go, though.

 

Even if the transfer strategy works the fundamental issue is player retention. The promoted team of 2016 proved to be good enough in the Championship until January when the heart of the team was sold.

Comparing player wages sees Barnsley with a budget of £14m last time in the Championship with two teams with budgets over £60m. Even if we can identify talent if the club doesn’t have the contracts in place the lure of a five fold wage increase will see the team break up and the transfer fee not reflect the value of the player.

For all the contention on recruitment what did us over last time was not bringing the players in, it was the contract situation.

 

My use of the terms 'owners' and 'supporters' was in a generic context and not specific to BFC.

 

I think you and I are on the same page with this, there is nothing wrong with the strategy it was just implemented wrongly last time. For it to work seamlessly you have to be always looking a year ahead, so when your regular player leaves the next one steps in. What happened last time was we never recruited until we had too.
Whether that was a failure of people managing the system, the fact that a guy out was on the cards and the then owners did not want to invest or bit of both who knows.

 

While there's obvious improvements with some elements of the strategy, i.e. contracts, there's no sign we've learnt with recruitment. Our next centre half for example should already be here if he is to be developmental and maybe loaned out.

 

Can’t disagree with that in principal.
Having said that these owners have never recruited for Championship before, having just come second in Lge 1 they can claim to have got it right for that league, so am happy to wait and see what they do.
They might surprise us and buy from higher up like Woodrow who could slot straight in.