With the season starting on Saturday many people are bit too negative about our chances this Season and more importantly about the strength of our playing squad ahead of this season. It is true that we only have 18 senior squad members at the club but can anyone honestly say that any one of them is a 'weak' player that you don't think can positively affect the team this year? I didn't think so. The lack of depth has been everyones concern and admittedly mine too but recently I have been doing my research and now feel much more positive and feel I understand what Martin Allen is doing. By having a small yet very strong first team squad we can use the youth team players to fill the gaps as and where. This may sound very risky but, as I said I have been doing my research, and our youth policy/squad seems to be very strong. Darren Hare seems to have created something of a golden generation of youth players in Davis,Dack,Hayesman, Romeo, McKain, Nyfali, Grant and the now departed Payne and Essam. (yes I know that some are misspelt and didn't come through are academy but they are still young and fall into the role of development players) With these youngsters coming through we can help development from kids to first teasers and give ourselves a much stronger squad and hopefully encourage a conveyor belt of talent. To come back to the original point I feel that if we need reinforcements we have them in the kids that can one day make it through into regular first teamers. It may seem dangerous to have such trust in 17/18 year olds but if Martin trusts them why shouldn't we? I would rather have a team using this system of youth integration than one that has a slightly bloated squad of 20 somethings, just in case they are needed for the odd game in a season. Lets look forward to Saturday and look forward to some local lads that actually care about the club pulling on the shirt.
Grant hasn't officially signed yet and when (please) he does, he will be signed on a professional deal. Not this makes much difference mind you.
