01-02-2024, 03:52 PM
Any EFL club bringing five new players during the January transfer window is very unusual.
Usually you might see something like this if you are threatened with relegation but not when you've built a virtually new squad less than six montghs ago and, more importantly, you still occupy poll position in the League One table. I appreciate that there are factors to be taken into account. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that the reshaped squad wasn't all it was cracked to be or, as is more likely once again, we've been decimated by long-term injuries to key players. Of course, you can add to that the fact that our form over the last six weeks has been a bit 'up and down' to put it mildly.
The squad, prior to Macey returning, (with or without Morrell) was starting to struggle and a lot of fans as well as our friends the bookies were beginning to have doubts about automatic promotion. Based on past experience you wouldn't expect Michael Eisner to bank roll an attempt to address the problems and engineer a turnaround that would avoid the dreaded play-offs or the nightmare of missing out altogether. Three of the arrivals have involved a fee, significant fees for a League One club I expect, and then there is wages to take into account particularly as the only departure is the much maligned Hume.
Will it work? Well my guess is as goods anyones although a lot of fans wanted someone to replace Poole and another striker. Certainly I think Mouinho is going to have to a look at his tactical ideas and perhaps, at times, take a more direct approach, a bit less 'tippy tappy' and to understand the the first thirty minutes is actually part of the match! In short, Macey hasn't played for months, Raggett is not Poole even though he's done a good job, McIntyre isn't ready, Whyte should have been sent out on loan if only to make sure that Mousinho doesn'r put him in the side as he does from time to time and Yengi could be back middle of next week providing South Korea beat the Aussies this weekend.
The next sixteen games are going to be bloody tense!!
Usually you might see something like this if you are threatened with relegation but not when you've built a virtually new squad less than six montghs ago and, more importantly, you still occupy poll position in the League One table. I appreciate that there are factors to be taken into account. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that the reshaped squad wasn't all it was cracked to be or, as is more likely once again, we've been decimated by long-term injuries to key players. Of course, you can add to that the fact that our form over the last six weeks has been a bit 'up and down' to put it mildly.
The squad, prior to Macey returning, (with or without Morrell) was starting to struggle and a lot of fans as well as our friends the bookies were beginning to have doubts about automatic promotion. Based on past experience you wouldn't expect Michael Eisner to bank roll an attempt to address the problems and engineer a turnaround that would avoid the dreaded play-offs or the nightmare of missing out altogether. Three of the arrivals have involved a fee, significant fees for a League One club I expect, and then there is wages to take into account particularly as the only departure is the much maligned Hume.
Will it work? Well my guess is as goods anyones although a lot of fans wanted someone to replace Poole and another striker. Certainly I think Mouinho is going to have to a look at his tactical ideas and perhaps, at times, take a more direct approach, a bit less 'tippy tappy' and to understand the the first thirty minutes is actually part of the match! In short, Macey hasn't played for months, Raggett is not Poole even though he's done a good job, McIntyre isn't ready, Whyte should have been sent out on loan if only to make sure that Mousinho doesn'r put him in the side as he does from time to time and Yengi could be back middle of next week providing South Korea beat the Aussies this weekend.
The next sixteen games are going to be bloody tense!!