S.A.F.C. - the future

Agreed. Tbh I'll be surprised if we get anything other then loans this month. KLD blatantly has a long term plan and he won't want to jeopardise it by chasing short term gains. The wage cap is the big problem. This summer we'll have loads leaving, and any we keep will have their full wage counted towards it. The problem is, if we try to sign players now they'll likely want 2 year contracts. We'd have to be pretty certain they were what we need as they'd impact on next year's wages, which is where loans could be vital.

With the structure he's getting in place, and with key people having months to prepare for the summer, I imagine he's confident that we can recruit sensibly then, and handle the wage cap issue that way. That's not to say we write this season off, we can't afford to, but if Johnson is good we shouldn't need much more, we're not miles away as it is. If we get a couple of good loanees in (rather than the useless ones we've had too many of recently) then we could be well placed to have a go second half of the season, and the recruitment team will have detailed plans for either outcome.

 

**** waiting til then. We need a boost now.

 

We're 3 points off the play offs with 2 games in hand.

We've lost 4 games this season, less than almost everyone above us.

We have important players coming back and perhaps more signings.

Wyke is scoring and O'Brien is starting to look like a player.

I'd say that thinking we have a chance of going up makes me a realist.

 

Aye that telt him alreet. I reckon after reading that KLD will be on the phone to the Echo to announce the takeover.

 

If you were a betting man what odds would you give?

My squad opinion..

Keeper... the two we have, not hopeless, but just about adequate

Defence.... most positions covered more than adequate, except for LB, now that Hume is out... we need a back-up ASAP

Forwards/strikers, Diamond and Mcgeady only bright spots, Wyke and Maguire on odd occasions can shine, as even less occasionally does Gooch and O'Brien. As for the others, get rid ASAP and a couple of strikers with pace needed urgently (young loan from better leagues?)

Midfield...nobody outstanding, some players offer a single talent some are just hopeless. Some talent urgently needed..

If in the couple of weeks left, we can address some of these problems, our chance of scoring goals and winning more games especially at home should improve.

But at the moment, Johmston has admittedly not too many games yet (not sure Winchester 'cuts the mustard' as it were) needs to get some improvement in results ASAP.

Ps ATM I put our chances of making play-offs less than 50%, with some good new players as discussed above I would say over 50% of reaching play-offs.

 

Inconsistency has been our problem but we're not beaten too often.

In my opinion we have enough good players to go up ...

... it's just a question of them turning up game after game.

 

We do have good enough players to get us up
And there not very good
However neither is the rest of the league
We just have to find the right mix
And that’s what Johnson’s for

 

Get a big, dominant striker in and a pacey, tricky player. Then we'll have a really good chance.

A loan for the pacey player, maybe.

 

A pacey, tricky player . . . . you're thinking about Lionel or Cristiano, aren't you

 

If we want to maximise our chances of going up this season we need to find a centre forward who can hold the ball up properly. I don’t think we’re to far off but far too often the ball goes up to Wyke only for it to come straight back at us.
Teams come here all the time with a CF who can keep hold of the ball so they’re out there and theyre not unrealistic in price.
It’s pivotal in taking the pressure off and allowing our team to push up.
Let’s hope he finds one and the long terms plans can take place in the background ready for next season

 

Wyke often gives an easy foul away as well when he tries to hold the ball up... it drives Collins mad....

 

Beats reality most of the time !!

 

I'm not unrealistic. Diego Costa would do!

 

I feel a bit for Wyke on those as, for every one he gives away, he's fouled in an identical way 9 or 10 times without a free kick. Not sure if that's a "him" thing or a Sunderland thing looking at the fouls by Hull on our players which never resulted in free kicks!!

 

And there lies the problem.

 

And me, AoB is a far better bet than Wyke up front, he moves quicker and can actually turn and run at defenders, something I have yet to seen Wyke do, managers seem to love him, but for me he is little more than a stumbling block to progress.

 

I was going to say maybe OBrien might be better at holding the ball up than wyke but tbh most of our midfielders could prob do it better as well.

 

I hope you're right smug, and there is always hope.

But I see a chronic lack of leadership, only one ( poor) forward who scores really, and a team that looks good when it's on top but goes into a, " play by numbers" shell when they are down in a game.

Maybe one or two new players could change the weak mentality, but are we looking? Can we afford them? Can we sign them anyway as no one is questioning the salary cap, which it all boils down to anyway?

Anyway, I'm a ****e judge, so hopefully you're nearer than I am. We need to be out of this league. We are like a bloke plodging around in the clarts, not even being able to raise a trot.

 

Aye, CS, Wyke is a poor player. But he is more or less the only forward who scores goals .

But just because he is a big lump, the brainless belting of the ball to him is stupid as he cannot control the ball and never wins the headers from these punts. He needs to be in the box and let the ball get near him and he seems to be able to get a few. Tragically he is all we've got, as O'brien, though a bit more mobile, if a bit slow to start his runs IMO, has no record of scoring many.

 

The biggest problem for KLD, in my opinion, is the recruitment policy. Over many years we've bought players just to boost numbers regardless of suitability, technical ability, physical attributes, pace or a willingness to roll your sleeves up and work. It's been a two for one mentality in many cases.
And don't get me started on injury history.
KLD has to change the whole system top to bottom.