January Sales

So what players/positions do we need to sign during next months window to ensure promotion to league one?

also who in our squad is likely to leave during the window?

Depends if we keep our loanees.

Definately a striker.

Mid-fielder with experience.

Someone to push Mellor.

Reserve goalkeeper.

It's more important to keep what we've got than to add to the squad IMO although if I had to choose one position that could do with strengthening it would be right back, Mellor scares me defensively.

The ideal situation would be to just keep things as they are.....top of the league going into the new year so why mess with a winning formula? It's about ensuring longevity though I suppose so there will inevitably be some changes. I agree with the previous two comments about keeping Mellor challenged...he worries me sometimes.

AstiSpumante wrote:

It's more important to keep what we've got than to add to the squad IMO although if I had to choose one position that could do with strengthening it would be right back, Mellor scares me defensively.

Foreshore.

Mellor looks great when he's on it. How often is that though? Half a dozen games a year?

We need:
Good striker who is a bit of a tank with a bit of pace and who has scored regularly in Lge's 1 and 2
A midfielder who can just glide around the pitch and who can produce goals from distance
Another midfielder who is hungry and can thread a pass and look totally comfortable in this league (perhaps someone on loan from a Prem team)

OK - now to the drawing board to see who is out there.
.... wait a mo!!!!!

We'll have to wait and see what transpires but my instinct is that the reluctant one will never have a better opportunity to speculate to accumulate.

Even in the basement divisions, quality players and coaching staff need not only belief in the fabric of the football club but clear, cash backed ambition to keep the group together and add to it. It didn't happen in the championship under Holloway, heads were turned and at the same time the wider potential fanbase didn't believe enough to buy in.

In the GOS photo sets yesterday, there was a different photo in both sets, of Luke praising Adams to the fans. He's been around long enough to know a winner when he sees one.

I'd love to see the club rising up the leagues in safe, progressive hands.

Mellor simple as.....
If the existing squad are retained and add the return of Boateng we need no one else

Brunt has come of age. The Geezers a Beast to mark and defenders shit themselves when he's on it
Somehow partner him with RR and a strike force it is.

Brunt has always been a good player, FFS.

Fans are simple folk though, they need to see a goal before they can publically endorse a player. And stop labelling them a donkey, or whatever.

I notice Brunt got a lot of 9s yesterday compared with 6s and 7s at Luton. What a load of shite. Brunt wasn't particularly good yesterday in his general play (physical battles, flick ons etc.). He also missed two or three very simple chances. He was the difference in the game, but he didn't have a particularly good game, for him, if you know what I mean.

Whereas at Luton he was a colossus. He occupied and tormented their whole back 4 and ran them ragged. And apart from Sparksy he didn't get the credit he deserved, and was even dropped for the next match IIRC!?

However Brunt off the back of the winner at Yeovil, and creating the two goals yesterday is winning fans among the fanbase. It is suddenly more acceptable to say Ryan Brunt is a good player.

But the fact is he's been good all season. He's scored often when he's started, he's got assists, he's put in fantastic physical displays all season. So it isn't just now he's come in to form. He's had a very good season. And now Derek Adams realises Brunt is the best option without Reid, and has stopped the Jervis experiments, Brunt is gaining the momentum that comes with starting successive matches and getting the goals he's capable of.

ejh wrote:

Brunt has always been a good player, FFS.

Fans are simple folk though, they need to see a goal before they can publically endorse a player. And stop labelling them a donkey, or whatever.

I notice Brunt got a lot of 9s yesterday compared with 6s and 7s at Luton. What a load of shite. Brunt wasn't particularly good yesterday in his general play (physical battles, flick ons etc.). He also missed two or three very simple chances. He was the difference in the game, but he didn't have a particularly good game, for him, if you know what I mean.

Whereas at Luton he was a colossus. He occupied and tormented their whole back 4 and ran them ragged. And apart from Sparksy he didn't get the credit he deserved, and was even dropped for the next match IIRC!?

However Brunt off the back of the winner at Yeovil, and creating the two goals yesterday is winning fans among the fanbase. It is suddenly more acceptable to say Ryan Brunt is a good player.

But the fact is he's been good all season. He's scored often when he's started, he's got assists, he's put in fantastic physical displays all season. So it isn't just now he's come in to form. He's had a very good season. And now Derek Adams realises Brunt is the best option without Reid, and has stopped the Jervis experiments, Brunt is gaining the momentum that comes with starting successive matches and getting the goals he's capable of.

LEAVE BRUNTY ALONE!!!!!!!!!

for me i dont see anything major that needs improving in january. We just need to add a couple of players, bring back the loanees and keep hold of all our star players. The latter being the most important one for me.

i would try and loan out for the season Rooney and Hall so they can get some much needed football under their belts as sitting on the bench wont help them at all. Bentley too for that matter.

Lee Cox i feel is off which is a shame as he is good but nevermind.

as for new incomings

i would bring in another central striker maybe one who can also go on the wing like jervis as going forward with just Reid and Bruntiho messi isnt enough as harvey is sub-standard, jervis is better coming in from the wing and rooney isnt getting a sniff of an opportunity as i mentioned before.
a genuine central midfielder as simpson atm is the only one we have despite mchugh and threlkeld doing a good job there despite being defenders by trade.
a right fullback as mellor needs competition and cover as he tends to drift now and again

and not manditory but i feel its needed a decent keeper o give mccormick cover and needed competition as Bittner isnt that guy and Walton despite being a good keeper and local wont want to return to sit on the bench as he'll want to go somewhere and play to keep his England U21 spot if nothing else.

I wasn't sure about Alan Smith when I first heard his name, but now I think he is just what we need. If Hartley or Nelson are out again, McHugh can go back into the back 3 and Smith has the blood and snotters to keep us dominant in midfield. Simpson and Boateng are good technical players but no bruisers. Threlkeld and Purrington just cannot replace McHugh in his role - but Smith possibly could.

If Reid is going to be out much longer then we need a goal scorer in, no two ways about it. Rooney and Harvey are currently offering nothing, so our options are Brunt or Jervis - and Jervis doesn't look comfortable on his own. If Brunt joins Reid in the physio's room we will be knackered. If the cash is there we need to look at a fourth striker IMHO. It is around this time last year we found Brunt so hopefully there are a few wee nuggets out there.

ejh wrote:

I wasn't sure about Alan Smith when I first heard his name, but now I think he is just what we need. If Hartley or Nelson are out again, McHugh can go back into the back 3 and Smith has the blood and snotters to keep us dominant in midfield. Simpson and Boateng are good technical players but no bruisers. Threlkeld and Purrington just cannot replace McHugh in his role - but Smith possibly could.

If Reid is going to be out much longer then we need a goal scorer in, no two ways about it. Rooney and Harvey are currently offering nothing, so our options are Brunt or Jervis - and Jervis doesn't look comfortable on his own. If Brunt joins Reid in the physio's room we will be knackered. If the cash is there we need to look at a fourth striker IMHO.

You're forgetting Smalley, I'd like to see a bit more of him before a balanced judgement can be made on his suitability for a role in the first team.

Reid is fit. He just isn't 90 minutes match-fit yet. It was good that he came on on Boxing Day but we have the bonus of Brunt doing a good job at present so there's no necessity to rush Reid back into the starting line-up.

If the Carlisle game is postponed, there's every chance that (1)Reid (2)Carey and (3)Boateng could all be available for our next match on 12th Jan.

Reasons to be cheerful - 1, 2, 3.

AstiSpumante wrote:

ejh wrote:

I wasn't sure about Alan Smith when I first heard his name, but now I think he is just what we need. If Hartley or Nelson are out again, McHugh can go back into the back 3 and Smith has the blood and snotters to keep us dominant in midfield. Simpson and Boateng are good technical players but no bruisers. Threlkeld and Purrington just cannot replace McHugh in his role - but Smith possibly could.

If Reid is going to be out much longer then we need a goal scorer in, no two ways about it. Rooney and Harvey are currently offering nothing, so our options are Brunt or Jervis - and Jervis doesn't look comfortable on his own. If Brunt joins Reid in the physio's room we will be knackered. If the cash is there we need to look at a fourth striker IMHO.

You're forgetting Smalley, I'd like to see a bit more of him before a balanced judgement can be made on his suitability for a role in the first team.

I had totally forgotten all about him to be honest! I rate Smalley enough to back him to do a job in the absence of Reubs and Brunt, if his confidence and ability hasn't been affected by the injury.

Brent undermined Sheridan by selling Hourihane for peanuts replacing him with some bloke from a Bristol job centre, so beware a Pension pot filling masterstroke from Green Jim! Youth loans and a possible unemployed Scotsman on a short term contract is the most likely outcome.