Quote Originally Posted by MAD_MAGPIE View Post
I think it's the right strategy to get players from a higher level because generally they have the experience of playing at a higher level and also have a greater level of quality. However that is only part of the jigsaw. The second part is their temperament, fitness, mentality. Then it's how they all work together and galvanise as a team.

I don't doubt that we have the players and individual talent to be serious contenders at this level, however as a unit rightly or wrongly it seems at times we are less than the total sum of the parts. There have been two stand our moments for me this season where I feel we have reached our full potential. The first half against Barnet at home and the recent home game with ten men against Dagenham.

We are the biggest club in non-league and my fear is if we fill the team of non-league players we become an established non-league club over time rather than a temporary one, and if we were to get promoted we would struggle and could risk coming straight back which seems Barrow could be in danger of. We almost need promotion out of this league to be a catalyst to push the club forward and being competitive in league two like Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers, Lincoln and Luton before us, rather than being a one season wonder to then struggle in the league above. That is what my hope would be by having players with EFL experience.

I'm not saying their are not merits with signing some non-league players, but if we do I would like them to be young players on their way up or who have had to take a step back to kick start their careers such as the likes of Cal Roberts, Kyle Wootton et al. What can then happen is as these players progress and grow then they follow the club up through the lower leagues. For me the clubs I've mentioned previously should be our blueprint.
I notice that King's Lynn's best player the other night, Sonny Carey, had been released by Norwich (he's only 20). One thing we've never seemingly been able to do is pick up decent players released by Forest, Derby and Leicester. Is that because they're not good enough, or are there more potential Cal Roberts' on our doorstep?

While I'm talking about talented young players, it's good to see our under-18s doing so well this season. It's a shame that no fans can actually watch them perform to see if there are any gems amongst them - you know, before some Premiership team comes and takes them off us. They beat Doncaster 4-2 yesterday, the latest in a string of winning performances (pretty sure we thrashed Huddersfield recently, too). Anyone on the board got any inside info on the players to watch?