Graham Alexander should be sacked

Sharpe himself has said we can't keep going year to year.
A plan is needed, a four or five year plan.
Sacking the manager affects that plan both financially and tactically.
If GA was gonna be fired it would have happened already.
His credentials of building successful teams will see him take charge next season with recruitment built around the 3-4-3 formation that he wants to play.
He took over from an ex premier league manager who had us in 16th position with a group of players who lets be honest are really poor.
Those who post that we've got the firepower to get promoted are in cuckoo land, we need a whole new front line who can brutalise defenders, not give them an easy afternoon.
We have a few decent youngsters in the team in Kavanagh and Pointon who can hopefully improve and be more consistent, a decent keeper and some good technical players in Walker and the returning Pattison.
But that's it, we are looking at 4 or 5 new players who will need to be a lot better than what we have now.

 

Plus Jake Young hopefully ...

 

“Alongside” is a term used in all walks of life and pretty non descriptive in all honesty.
Clearly there is an hierarchy , they are clearly not equal “partners” , Sharpe’s role imho will be dual fold. Head of ALL footballing matters , and a ready made experienced negotiator capable of selling a football club. Both roles may include “ sidelining” Sparks long term, however the former is for the here and now. Clearly he wouldn’t be title “ Head” ( of Football Operations) if he wasn’t overseeing Gent’s and GA’s day to day activities.

If neither GA nor SG fail to reach targets, they will be gone.

 

4-5…… I’d say 8-9. Root and branch is needed, surely we can all see that?

 

To get out of this league we probably need 6 players who will run through a brick wall for the club.

6 more Hallidays perhaps. Not Smallwoods or Gilleads though. Neither can affect a game sufficiently enough for my liking. Smallwood hits too many loose passes and 1 goal all season. Deary me. And Gilly just runs around breaking up play with very little end product.

IF we can keep Pattison fit next season we can have a chance. We have been quite mobile with Pointon, Kava in the front third. Get a more mobile midfield to support them and we could go places.

 

The front three needs pace and mobility Ade.

Gilly is good sub back up as he can cover 2-3 positions so a squad player. Cook to be brought on when required, so again a squad player but I really struggle to see him provide the pace / mobility necessary. ( He’s not getting any younger nor is he going to suddenly technically improve ) . Facts have to be faced whereby he can provide an outlet under limited circumstances.

We need to get away from this Cook “ has to play” if we want to progress. Over reliance on him hurts us and somewhat forces us to play in one dimension.

It’s hard to explain.

 

Cook seems to have had less impact this season and will turn 34 early into next season, time to be bold and bring in someone a bit younger/more mobile, if we need a big unit up front there will be cheaper options about.

 

You perfectly describe my "loose pass" analogy.

 

As I indicated KK , don’t you think as a result, we are one dimensional, and extremely easy to defend against with the over reliance on him?

If we can keep Young fit , then that would give us the pace up top, and use Cook for an alternative dimension as opposed to the only dimension….hence he’s the only one scoring?

It’s not ruling him out , rather thinking outside the box.

 

Gilly isn't a back up squad player though, he's one of the first names on the team sheet when fit and therein lies the problem.

 

So is Cook . That’s two problems we should be concerned about . I’m talking about the future not now. “Now” needs a fundamental change , that’s my point .

 

Talking bare facts Kev, Andy Cook has played a grand total of 48 games above league 2 level and has never won a promotion in the football league. Of those 48 games 43 were at Walsall (anyone not remember him getting sent off against us when he elbowed NKP early on in the relegation season?). That shouldn't take away from what i think of the lad and his efforts for us, but the history does tend to suggest we might have to look at other avenues in how we play.

 

I’m absolutely not knocking him , but we have to face facts , we are very very very predictable and so easy to defend against in general play .

 

I don't disagree but think that's more to do with the game plan of lumping it up to Cook and hoping for the best rather than it being an issue with Cook himself. He had his best goals return ever last season and that was when we were largely playing it on the deck. I'm actually quite flummoxed that GA doesn't realise this.

 

He's like most in this squad, they'd do a job at any club in league 2 with the right players around them. But right now we don't have the balance and we don't have a settled formation. Crawley giving Mansfield a walloping on their home turf on a couple of weeks after Mansfield did the same to us shows there is nothing in any of the teams. And like Saturday showed it's all about taking your chances. I can see why Alexander has mentioned a few times in interview now if his frustration at lack of finishing. And that includes Cookie. It might only take a tweak or two with this squad to get it firing regularly, one of those tweeks might well be our current number 9.

 

Im looking to the future , not “last season” , nor the current season . IF we want to progress, I assume we do, then we have to look forwards NOT backwards? That’s the point you are perhaps missing?

 

I'm not missing any point, simply stating that when you have one of the best strikers in the league, you should play to his strengths. It's something as a club we are very poor at, remember Doyle?

 

His strengths are heading the ball, high balls anywhere between the centre circle and the goal line. Two big defenders on him renders him to a bit part player, and by definition , it alone makes one play the high ball we ALWAYS complain about . So easy to defend against.

His problem going forward is lack of technical ball control with his feet and pace.

If that can’t be seen through the lens of “ he scores” goals , then one will never understand why the team is super reliant on him from mostly set pieces.

Im thinking ahead , not looking backwards.