Preparation for relegation

[Wartman]

Well I think it is inevitable that league 2 beckons for next season so what do we do to prepare ?

I assume keep Dave and Kenny in place for continuity and give them a chance to get us back up

In January release all of the loan players back to their clubs and start playing our fringe players so they are ready for league 2 football

Stop playing our players whose contracts run out because let’s be fair I would not offer them a raffle ticket

Daniels
Macfazdean
Porter
Thomas etc etc

Play our own players BSD, Offord, Tabiner, Johnson, Williams etc

Look to recruit a couple of players (take this out of Dave and Kenny’s hands though) and maybe get somebody in to help with recruitment and absolutely no loanees as in general they prove to be worthless.

[gazan]

In general, I agree with what you're saying. If we accept we are going down (and we will have a
degree of certainty about that if nothing changes before the window opens) then we need to look
ahead to the following season. It would also seem a good idea to return loanees that have not appeared very often
(so keep Robertson). Those who only signed a single year's contract who haven't improved by January should be 'squad memebers', i.e. only used in emergencies. There others like Gomes, who is on a longer contract, where I'm not sure what the best policy is. One note of caution though on the subject of bringing youngsters into a losing team is the idea that it may get those youngsters in the wrong frame of mind in terms of how they approach the following season at a lower level. It may not be good to introduce a losing mentality to a young group.
However, the likes of Lundstram should be playing (did you know he was our leading assist provider?). Might as well play Ainley when he's fit again (draw the line at Finney Snr!). Maybe rather than the youth team we should be employing the first year professionals a bit more. Robbins is good at breaking through the lines. Woodthorpe was confident against Wolves and maybe Tyreece would benefit from a few runs in the team.
However, there would be no point bringing these players into a 'containing' set up. There must be an attacking approach to the tactics to engender some possible positivity. Being where we are, I can't imagine the quality of potential loanees we'd be offered in January. Yet, instead of Premier league youngsters, what we need from the loan market are those, more experienced, players who are on the fringe of Championship teams who may convert their loans into full deals in the future.

[MikeSB]

In general, I agree with what you're saying. If we accept we are going down (and we will have a
degree of certainty about that if nothing changes before the window opens) then we need to look
ahead to the following season. It would also seem a good idea to return loanees that have not appeared very often
(so keep Robertson). Those who only signed a single year's contract who haven't improved by January should be 'squad memebers', i.e. only used in emergencies. There others like Gomes, who is on a longer contract, where I'm not sure what the best policy is. One note of caution though on the subject of bringing youngsters into a losing team is the idea that it may get those youngsters in the wrong frame of mind in terms of how they approach the following season at a lower level. It may not be good to introduce a losing mentality to a young group.
However, the likes of Lundstram should be playing (did you know he was our leading assist provider?). Might as well play Ainley when he's fit again (draw the line at Finney Snr!). Maybe rather than the youth team we should be employing the first year professionals a bit more. Robbins is good at breaking through the lines. Woodthorpe was confident against Wolves and maybe Tyreece would benefit from a few runs in the team.
However, there would be no point bringing these players into a 'containing' set up. There must be an attacking approach to the tactics to engender some possible positivity. Being where we are, I can't imagine the quality of potential loanees we'd be offered in January. Yet, instead of Premier league youngsters, what we need from the loan market are those, more experienced, players who are on the fringe of Championship teams who may convert their loans into full deals in the future.

You won't like what I'm about to say...

What is the point in spending a million pounds a year on an academy when almost nobody in the lower leagues does that? You can never know how good 5-15 year old kids will be and you may have spent 10 million trying to find out? That is crazy..Can ANYONE suggest our current team has had millions spent on them and no better than a pub team with GK's stuck on the goal line like a statute? And playing ten back on corners when its obvious its a failure and yet the coaches do nothing about it season after season! Ditto throw ins? When was the last time we had someone who could throw a ball more than ten yards or score a goal from 25 or 30 yards aka Bobby Charlton?

Go back to the old days when you have scouts watching local football matches at the weekend and anywhere in the world nowadays and you will see late teeagers and mid twenty men with amazing 'natural' abilities that are not ruined by coaches most who have never played at a decent level trying to coach players OUT of their natural ability as Greaves said.

That way you get players in with established skills who can be given trials as they used to be and if they are good enough then they get signed on, what is difficult about that? There are thousands of players playing weekend football but the vested interests won't even bother to look at them? How many employed by the club even go and watch amateur football matches at weekend?

You know we used to have a First Team and a Reserve team for decades and that was a way of players being promoted when and if they were good enough but non of them were kids..

[gazan]

Many would suggest that one of the major problems of the current team is the lack of 'our own'. Worst start for a very long time and also the fewest home-grown players playing. Work that one out.

[gazan]

Just a few examples of 'kids' getting into the Alex 1st team in the 'old days'... Les Wain, Glyn Osbourne and Paul Mayman.

[MikeSB]

Just a few examples of 'kids' getting into the Alex 1st team in the 'old days'... Les Wain, Glyn Osbourne and Paul Mayman.

Never heard of em mate!

I bet you are not yet 30 and yet can tell me about the quality of players in the old days?

[MikeSB]

Many would suggest that one of the major problems of the current team is the lack of 'our own'. Worst start for a very long time and also the fewest home-grown players playing. Work that one out.

Well if coaching is such a great idea why aren't they better or is it that they are only as good as their natural ability and that some will always come through and most will fall by the wayside. Problem is its cost 10 million to find out at least and its only recently we have recovered some of that money. But then we were supposed to get them to PL standard and when was the last player to do that again? Meanwhile it cost a million pounds per season to find out..

[MikeSB]

I was watching the highlights of our matches and if these are Professionally coached players, I will eat my hat....We have the worst GK's for many a year and centre midfield ie old centre half and that included the 60's..I doubt they would get in the local pub team!

[gazan]

Local pub team probably have coach!

[gazan]

Anyway, enough from me on that VERY specific (to you) subject. Promise I will not rise to the (rather stale) bait again.