03-03-2022, 11:32 AM
We've got thirteen games to go and if we we win our next two games we have a slim chance of the making the play-offs; so we should know by Tuesday evening. On the face of it we've got a tough 'run-in' but that could prove to be to our advantage as we will need to be beat the majority of teams above us in the league...Tuesday night was a good start.
I'm one of an increasing minority that, despite a number of mistakes, believe Cowley has done a better than average job. He was starting from a very low base point having lost one or two key players and contrary to what he and the CEO say he hasn't had a lot of help from our absentee owners. Nevertheless he has put together a squad that is clearly better than the squad that Jackett fielded at Wembley only twelve months ago and the team he put out for the final game of last season, ironically at home to Accrington. He has only been able to acheive this with freebies and loans but the performance the other night proved he has succeeded in putting together a half decent squad that, in my view, will only just miss out on the play-offs. A case of too little too late...and that wasn't his fault. A fully fit squad will challenge next season if DC controls his tinkering.
Now we've all heard Cowley say he needs three or four transfer windows and the CEO talking about 'buying young' and then inevitably selling on; a small club strategy. But we have the core of an experienced group of players comprising Ogilvy, O'Brien, Robertson, Tunnicliffe, Raggett, Thompson, Jacobs, Curtis and co and that is where we should focus. That said, we will have to bring in loan players like Bazuma, Romeo, Carter and Hirst (yes, Hirst!). Be nice if they stayed but it doesn't work like that in modern football, I'm afraid. If we start letting better players go we are unlikely to replace 'like for like' because the Eisners won't shell out the money in terms of fees of wages.
The dilemma is that we have a number of players that are out of contract at the end of the season and, once again, we are inviting the ludicrous situation of key players walk away for nothing as other clubs, even smaller clubs, offer improved terms and we don't even receive a fee...madness! We should be looking closely at all those players with a view to extending their contracts as well as those with only a year to go by extending their contracts as well. The current policy makes no sense at all and only means that Cowley could find himself back to square one in a more competititve transfer market this summer as Covid is nearly over and the majojority of clubs in League One are sadly more ambitious that us.
I'm one of an increasing minority that, despite a number of mistakes, believe Cowley has done a better than average job. He was starting from a very low base point having lost one or two key players and contrary to what he and the CEO say he hasn't had a lot of help from our absentee owners. Nevertheless he has put together a squad that is clearly better than the squad that Jackett fielded at Wembley only twelve months ago and the team he put out for the final game of last season, ironically at home to Accrington. He has only been able to acheive this with freebies and loans but the performance the other night proved he has succeeded in putting together a half decent squad that, in my view, will only just miss out on the play-offs. A case of too little too late...and that wasn't his fault. A fully fit squad will challenge next season if DC controls his tinkering.
Now we've all heard Cowley say he needs three or four transfer windows and the CEO talking about 'buying young' and then inevitably selling on; a small club strategy. But we have the core of an experienced group of players comprising Ogilvy, O'Brien, Robertson, Tunnicliffe, Raggett, Thompson, Jacobs, Curtis and co and that is where we should focus. That said, we will have to bring in loan players like Bazuma, Romeo, Carter and Hirst (yes, Hirst!). Be nice if they stayed but it doesn't work like that in modern football, I'm afraid. If we start letting better players go we are unlikely to replace 'like for like' because the Eisners won't shell out the money in terms of fees of wages.
The dilemma is that we have a number of players that are out of contract at the end of the season and, once again, we are inviting the ludicrous situation of key players walk away for nothing as other clubs, even smaller clubs, offer improved terms and we don't even receive a fee...madness! We should be looking closely at all those players with a view to extending their contracts as well as those with only a year to go by extending their contracts as well. The current policy makes no sense at all and only means that Cowley could find himself back to square one in a more competititve transfer market this summer as Covid is nearly over and the majojority of clubs in League One are sadly more ambitious that us.