Quote Originally Posted by Omegstrat6 View Post
Personally, I think that any talk around drastic clear outs is sadly going to be wide of the mark due to on going financial constraints. It's true that those leaving when their contracts are up will reduce our wage bill by a not inconsiderable amount but we still have to replace them and doing so with both better and cheaper replacements is a big ask. We are also still saddled with some on high wages who have been underwhelming but these are going to be hard to get shot of. One thing is certain though and that is that we need to be far sharper in our recruitment than we've been in recent years!

As for the quality of this season's squad, it's clear that we lacked quality in areas across the pitch. The enforced selling of some of our better players like Heggem, Palmer and Fellows through the pressures of PSR didn't help of course and we struggled to adequately replace them. I like Campbell who has improved since moving to his more natural CB position and O'Leary may prove decent enough if we retain him but we miss having a wide man like Fellows and if Bostock is to replace him, he isn't there yet.

The question is whether the quality of the squad this season should have led to us ending up in a relegation battle. I'd argue not. We may have lost too many games through sitting back on early leads and conceding late goals but in several matches under Mason we were easily as good as, if not better, than teams that ended up much higher than ourselves. Mason seemed to at least have the players onside but his tactics and formation failed and Ramsay's experimentation lost the players entirely. It is to Morrison's credit that he and his staff belatedly got this group of players to begin to battle for each other and show more desire and attacking intent, as well as tightening up our defence and, later, the midfield.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though and despite managing to actually win a couple of games and put the ball in the back of the net under his tenure, it was obvious to all that we weren't creative or incisive enough going forward and that we lacked the clinical finishing needed. Making a team difficult to beat may be the foundation block on which to build but we won't get success until we are able to score goals and win far more matches. Morrison, I'm sure, is fully aware of this and this is where we urgently need some recruitment and the club to back him.

The savings due to those out of contract should ease finances to help with the needed recruitment but aside from O'Leary the other 4 are all first team attacking forwards. To replace all 4 with better and cheaper will, I think, be a big ask. Certainly, we need to find a proven goal scorer but if we continue with a 4-4-2 formation (which I believe we should) we are going to need more than that and if Mikey's recovery carries him beyond the summer, then this makes our forward line up even more questionable. Sule and Bostock may have potential and I'm sure we will see more of them both next season, but they have much to learn still.

Given the above, I would not personally be adverse to offering Dike a short term contract if he was prepared to accept a lower wage with bonuses. The reason I would go for him rather than Maja is that I think he offers more physicality and could better rotate with Heggabo in terms of hold up play. (I'm sure I may have to reach for my tin hat now with that suggestion &#128512

I think we all agree that the club need to pull out all the stops to try and secure Imray but if this can't be done then recruiting a RB has to be a priority alongside getting a proven goal scorer. A back up LB- as others have previously said-would also be a good shout but above that, I think we need a creative midfielder still and another wide man to compliment Mikey. Diakite has been much improved under Morrison and Bany has shown signs of promise but it's a position we have long been without. Bostock may yet become a new Fellows but he isn't there yet and having lost (I assume) Wallace and Grant, the squad will need options on the wing.

We will just have to see but whilst I certainly expect some form of rebuild for next season I honestly cannot see us having too much money to spend and some of our currently underwhelming players on higher salaries will doubtless still be here when it does kick off again.
Point taken but if some of those injury prone and slow players are still here then I can?t see us going forwards. We finished where we deserved and Morrison has done well but some would say it was a new managers bounce and we reverted to type again yesterday. Yes if Dike will accept a much lower wage on games played then we should look at keeping him, I very much doubt he will!

Good quality players are out there. Coventry have not exactly broken the bank but they have quality all over the pitch and a tactically good manager. Look at the goals scored from Coventry?s four strikers and wide men. How many goals have our wide men scored and it?s p iss poor!

Whilst acknowledging Morrison has done a great job and he has - I was one who had reservations about whether he would be another Lampard and build a side like Coventry. I don?t think he will through lack of experience but happy to be proved wrong.

I have said for years the most important area is the midfield. Do we honestly think Molumby and Mowatt are equal or anywhere near the quality of what?s at Coventry? Not a chance! Too slow - no talent and no creativity! Endeavour and battling should be the minimum.

I do not see Patel investing much either and if he does not then would rather he moves on,

Morrison has accepted a big pay increase on a 2 year contract so rightly or wrongly the buck stops with him. When you accept a job you need to be assured there?s investment and processes in place to move forward because if there?s not - you get the blame, I remember Big Sam telling us where to go when we were relegated because the assurances were not right for him and his reputation was on the line. Perhaps that was a big package and money on players but it?s irrelevant as he said NO because he did not want the come back.

If the football next season is like yesterday and things don?t improve with fans spending a lot of cash - they are not going to vent their frustration and disgust at Baggie Bird! So if I was Morrison then I would look at the Coventry model - disregard his player loyalty over quality and demand a transfer budget to move forward. The issue is when a person is promoted they are happy to take a new job without the vision and demands to go from A to B!