Most liked posts in thread: Can we get out of this mess in January ....

Its two years ago all over again. It also felt like this just before lockdown in March, the Salford game being a new low. belive me, despite the usual fluffers on here, it was only due to our good start that we weren't in the bottom 6 last season. Three years of absolute dross and yet not one thing has changed. Still bumbling along with the same flawed strategy and infrastructure, blindly hoping that the players on the pitch can muster a good performance despite poor coaching, non existent scouting, a lack of ambition to turn it around and an acceptance of mediocrity by some.

 

Am afraid that ship has already sailed when we awarded new contracts to Stuart and Kenny, all the talk of a DOF seems untrue was "Jagger" really the right option anyway and can anyone do what's needed as you detail above That's the job of the manager and CEO and at the moment we are relying on us bucking the trend and having a successful transfer window
Stuart's reluctance to consider out of contract players tells me he wants "ready made" replacements who will sign and play for nothing they are very few and far between and we are so far down the pecking order, with that outlook it's highly unlikely this January will be any different
It's going to be a very turbulent season and to be honest we deserve to struggle we must learn to adapt to our predicament and not expect things to change for us Yesterday we looked relegation certainties,thankfully I think Southend have gone and everything hinges on their being another worse team than us
We will survive possibly by the skin of our teeth anything else doesn't bear thinking about but who's to say next season will be any better our problems are not just limited to the 11 on the pitch

 

I just don't see what we have to lose by inviting a handful of free agents to come and train with us on the understanding if they are match fit and show they could make a difference, they will be offered a week by week contract or pay as you play until January. If as Sparks says the number 1 priority is being ready for January, that is exactly what we should be doing.

 

When he signed for Bolton their goals from free kicks went through the roof, food and drink for the likes of Beaver and Wheater, we have nothing to lose, we have 8 games before the transfer window is open I think Stuart is wrong on the free agents call.

 

We were Doomed with Rhodes in charge. He’s got 5 relegations on his CV and 2 Administrations. Let’s face it the nan is a joke of a CEO. This is why we are where we are - Who would reward failure with a new 1 year deal, when there is 6 months to go on your current one? Let’s face it the only reason a club would do that is to stop anyone not paying compensation if they were poached. Let’s face it Stuart’s managerial record over the last few years is nothing short of embarrassing.
Mcall will get us out of this league - I am sure of that, the problem is it’s at the wrong end and will be the death of the Club.

anyone who answers a question with “What would you do?” Doesn’t inspire me with any confidence whatsoever, it shows me he hasn’t got a clue what to do to turn this around.

the sooner he walks the better for me, we are so unfit it is frightening, we look like the dog and gun on a Sunday morning.
Embarrassing

 

I just don't see it happening.

Our recruitment over the last however many windows has been shambolic. I don't see that suddenly turning around enough to take this team to a place where it won't struggle to survive.

Our games are pathetically poor. We don't worry opposition. We don't test their keeper. We've been smashed three times at home so far this season by Lincoln, Newport and Oldham (score yesterday didn't reflect the Oldham superiority).

We're in real trouble.

 

Worryingly, I don't actually think we can. The base of the squad is too poor and I don't see what signs anybody has seen in the recruitment process that gives any hope.

The talk of a 35 year old Morais coming in shows the depth of our desperation and also the limitations of Stuart's contact list and scouting network.

It feels weird but I'm already getting into the habit of checking the results of the teams below us almost before I look at ours. I'm just hoping they're as badly organised and prepared as us but I'm not sure its possible. They're also more likely to be ruthless and try to get different people to turn it around if necessary.

 

It'll get down to it... just a point or so above the drop zone come January, and desperation will kick in.

We'll go all out and sign two 18 year old's on loan.

They will make no difference.

 

It's come to something when we pin our hopes on a transfer window to survive and preserve our league status.
I ask you who in their right head would sign for Bradford at the minute ?
What's the signing pitch to a player going to be?
Money,we haven't got non.
Lure of big crowds,well we all know the present answer to that one.
Winning history,consigned to the archives for now.
Relegation fight as opposed to being a promotion prospect.
Pretty bleak outlook, bang in tier three for good measure.
They will be queuing round the block to sign.

 

He was talking yesterday about how many players in the squad we have now are not capable of playing for a full 90 minutes so I think that somewhat negates his argument about free agents not being match fit. If they can manage 20 minutes, they are pretty much on a par with half the squad.

 

And yet there have been posters on here beating the drum that O'Connor can play midfield. He can't. Unless new recruits are brought in immediately that is a relegation squad.

 

"Buy cheap, buy twice" - this should be emblazoned on the wall of the City boardroom in giant neon lights so that whichever owner or chief executive we have sees it every time they walk into the office.

We are now going to have to spend more money in January just to stay up than we would have had to spend in the summer in order to assemble a squad that could finish in the top half of the table. We'll have zero negotiating power in the January transfer window and if we want to stay up we'll have to pay asking price.

I don't think it will be possible to solve all of our problems on the pitch in January, we might have to make a stark choice between making us harder to score against or improving our chances of scoring goals. If we try to solve both of these problems at once we might end up solving neither. So for me the choice is do we bring in two wingers and a striker which gives us the option of reverting to 4-4-2, or do we bring in an experienced centre back and defensive midfielder to try and plug our leaky defence?

 

We've managed to turn the greatest number of players out of work in decades into a sellers market

 

Never got this fascination with who the captain is. Real leaders don't need an armband to influence how they lead and behave on the pitch. Giving a piece of cloth to an outfield player isn't suddenly going to make them start shouting at people any more/less than they do now.

 

Morais was putting the feelers out with that T & A article and only a stubborn idiot wouldnt invite him for a trial. We are desperate for wingers.

DMH is the worst we’ve ever had - worse than Muirhead and Colbeck. All pace but zero end product. Morais isnt getting any younger but he knows how to whip a ball in - a massive improvement on DMH and the made-of-glass Ismael.

Sign him up on trial now. Bloke lives local and even admitted its not about the money.

 

I agree.I also think we will just stay up but to expect 4/5 of the young players to all come good in the pressure of a relegation battle is a big ask.This is solely on Stuart’s head as his previous reluctance to go for out of contract players has forced his hand with the younger players.Should be using them sparingly to get them used to “big boys football” not as the mainstays of a bottom of league 2 team.

 

You really believe Rhodes is not lurking somewhere in the background?

 

The question is did the club pull the wool over fans eyes in the summer. For me yes!

We had a chance to do really good business before the salary cap came in but we didn't so we can't really complain.