Can anyone post a link to a fan watching pre-season that reckons Croft has played well? Or is Slade the only one that rates him? Forget his history. He has barely played recently.
Can anyone post a link to a fan watching pre-season that reckons Croft has played well? Or is Slade the only one that rates him? Forget his history. He has barely played recently.
How about can anyone who has posted negative smart-arsed comments about signing Crofts do one until they learn something about the realities of League 1 football.
Can anyone post a link to a fan watching pre-season that reckons Croft has played well? Or is Slade the only one that rates him? Forget his history. He has barely played recently.
How about can anyone who has posted negative smart-arsed comments about signing Crofts do one until they learn something about the realities of League 1 football.
We know about the realities of league one football. We won the bloody thing a few years ago. Not based on signing a load of 32 year olds at the end of their careers - as I said before, I will take it if he is the Hughes equivalent. But we need to raid the best of league 1 last year for the Hollands and Stephens equivalents now. Hence why Ajose and Novak were the right start.
Why are we attacking a player who very few of us have seen play regularly?
It has been glaringly obvious for the past two seasons we have lacked Championship & League experience.
No matter the statistics and natural abilities of the players acquired the very large majority struggled to adapt to the physicality, intensity and style of the English game. That was evident from not only from the quality and inconsistency of performances but the frequent and persistent injuries that prevailed over this period.
Equally apparent was the absence of enough leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch. We relied on if not abused the talents of Henderson, Diarra and Jackson throughout the season. Regrettably all three also carried a repetitive injury profile. It was noticeable on the rare occasion all three were on the pitch together the shape and discipline of the side was consistently better.
So the signing of Crofts fills two or three basic needs. His career record of over 300 senior appearances shows a decent hard working professional footballer, who knows his craft, and someone who has played at the highest levels of the game.
Whether he still has the same appetite and edge for the game and retains the skill level and fitness required to make a serious contribution to the club is a judgement call for the manager. Until we have seen him play I have no reason to doubt either the player or the manager is this regard.
He will as a minimum provide security in a position we desperately need and provide additional leadership in the squad. From what I can recall Crofts puts in a shift, is competitive and enables others to play. If he can settle and recover his fitness and form he will be a very welcome addition to the squad.
As supporters we have a very great deal to be angry and concerned about in the manner the club has been and is being run by the executive but can we cut back on the "guilty by association theme". We have far bigger problems to worry about than the signing of a decent hard working pro.
He is not the enemy. He is worthy of our support and our welcome.
There remains a huge amount to be done to rebuild the squad into a successfully competing unit able to withstand the rigours of a 46 game season. With a struggling and failing squad we were already well behind the game line. A situation which has, due to the departures seen over the past 10days and the continuing injuries, become ever more challenging.
Managing a relegation is difficult. Managing a relegation when the process of restructuring is delayed by major international competition is doubly difficult. To date the executive have continued to either fail to understand or struggle to meet the demands of the market place.
In such a situation it is essential you do not wait for things to fall into place. You make decisions and make things happen. It is the difference between a very sound accountant and a business leader who knows their business and is in a position to support the people on the ground who we all rely on to deliver to the club.
It is already apparent Russell Slade has been poorly served.
That however has nothing to do with Andrew Crofts. I look forward to seeing what he can do when he has pulled on the shirt.
Why are we attacking a player who very few of us have seen play regularly?
It has been glaringly obvious for the past two seasons we have lacked Championship & League experience.
No matter the statistics and natural abilities of the players acquired the very large majority struggled to adapt to the physicality, intensity and style of the English game. That was evident from not only from the quality and inconsistency of performances but the frequent and persistent injuries that prevailed over this period.
Equally apparent was the absence of enough leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch. We relied on if not abused the talents of Henderson, Diarra and Jackson throughout the season. Regrettably all three also carried a repetitive injury profile. It was noticeable on the rare occasion all three were on the pitch together the shape and discipline of the side was consistently better.
So the signing of Crofts fills two or three basic needs. His career record of over 300 senior appearances shows a decent hard working professional footballer, who knows his craft, and someone who has played at the highest levels of the game.
Whether he still has the same appetite and edge for the game and retains the skill level and fitness required to make a serious contribution to the club is a judgement call for the manager. Until we have seen him play I have no reason to doubt either the player or the manager is this regard.
He will as a minimum provide security in a position we desperately need and provide additional leadership in the squad. From what I can recall Crofts puts in a shift, is competitive and enables others to play. If he can settle and recover his fitness and form he will be a very welcome addition to the squad.
As supporters we have a very great deal to be angry and concerned about in the manner the club has been and is being run by the executive but can we cut back on the "guilty by association theme". We have far bigger problems to worry about than the signing of a decent hard working pro.
He is not the enemy. He is worthy of our support and our welcome.
There remains a huge amount to be done to rebuild the squad into a successfully competing unit able to withstand the rigours of a 46 game season. With a struggling and failing squad we were already well behind the game line. A situation which has, due to the departures seen over the past 10days and the continuing injuries, become ever more challenging.
Managing a relegation is difficult. Managing a relegation when the process of restructuring is delayed by major international competition is doubly difficult. To date the executive have continued to either fail to understand or struggle to meet the demands of the market place.
In such a situation it is essential you do not wait for things to fall into place. You make decisions and make things happen. It is the difference between a very sound accountant and a business leader who knows their business and is in a position to support the people on the ground who we all rely on to deliver to the club.
It is already apparent Russell Slade has been poorly served.
That however has nothing to do with Andrew Crofts. I look forward to seeing what he can do when he has pulled on the shirt.
Every season is different , but I think this season could be even harder to take than last season, I do hope AC does well for us.
Why are we attacking a player who very few of us have seen play regularly?
It has been glaringly obvious for the past two seasons we have lacked Championship & League experience.
No matter the statistics and natural abilities of the players acquired the very large majority struggled to adapt to the physicality, intensity and style of the English game. That was evident from not only from the quality and inconsistency of performances but the frequent and persistent injuries that prevailed over this period.
Equally apparent was the absence of enough leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch. We relied on if not abused the talents of Henderson, Diarra and Jackson throughout the season. Regrettably all three also carried a repetitive injury profile. It was noticeable on the rare occasion all three were on the pitch together the shape and discipline of the side was consistently better.
So the signing of Crofts fills two or three basic needs. His career record of over 300 senior appearances shows a decent hard working professional footballer, who knows his craft, and someone who has played at the highest levels of the game.
Whether he still has the same appetite and edge for the game and retains the skill level and fitness required to make a serious contribution to the club is a judgement call for the manager. Until we have seen him play I have no reason to doubt either the player or the manager is this regard.
He will as a minimum provide security in a position we desperately need and provide additional leadership in the squad. From what I can recall Crofts puts in a shift, is competitive and enables others to play. If he can settle and recover his fitness and form he will be a very welcome addition to the squad.
As supporters we have a very great deal to be angry and concerned about in the manner the club has been and is being run by the executive but can we cut back on the "guilty by association theme". We have far bigger problems to worry about than the signing of a decent hard working pro.
He is not the enemy. He is worthy of our support and our welcome.
There remains a huge amount to be done to rebuild the squad into a successfully competing unit able to withstand the rigours of a 46 game season. With a struggling and failing squad we were already well behind the game line. A situation which has, due to the departures seen over the past 10days and the continuing injuries, become ever more challenging.
Managing a relegation is difficult. Managing a relegation when the process of restructuring is delayed by major international competition is doubly difficult. To date the executive have continued to either fail to understand or struggle to meet the demands of the market place.
In such a situation it is essential you do not wait for things to fall into place. You make decisions and make things happen. It is the difference between a very sound accountant and a business leader who knows their business and is in a position to support the people on the ground who we all rely on to deliver to the club.
It is already apparent Russell Slade has been poorly served.
That however has nothing to do with Andrew Crofts. I look forward to seeing what he can do when he has pulled on the shirt.
Eloquent and well reasoned argument as ever Grapevine. And you are absolutely right of course; Crofts ticks a lot of the right boxes and more importantly deserves our support. As one of those that has cynically dismissed his appointment I can only say that this regime has drained me of hope and expectation. I expect bad decisions and failure and the cynicism and disdain has crept up on me. Good luck Andrew.
Have spoken with a Brighton supporting mate who genuinely thinks that Crofts is a very decent signing for us. Says his performances are consistent and that he doesn't go missing. IMHO that's pretty important in league one.
Yes it's true that he's not getting any younger but he might do very well for us for this season at least.
Seems a solid decent purchase. Not exciting but there's not much chance of any of them but certainly not one we can really moan about. Will do a job this season. Still can't see much evidence of a "plan" for this season and beyond other than securing our league 1 position, but we'll see.
Part of yesterday's initial reaction to Crofts signing was influenced by the announcement of Henderson leaving on a free transfer. The Croft announcement hard on the heels of Henderson leaving may be coincidental, but it looked to me yesterday that the regime were embarrassed by the Henderson situation and were throwing out a crumb. I have only seen a little of Croft when I have consciously paid attention to his game, and he may turn out to be OK. May be more of a Mark Bowen in his impact, than a Mark Gower. I could be wrong about the events of yesterday, but we may well have something like the signing of Buxton to distract from the departure of Lookman for instance. Croft starts with a clean slate (but Rojo has previous!).
Seems a solid decent purchase. Not exciting but there's not much chance of any of them but certainly not one we can really moan about. Will do a job this season. Still can't see much evidence of a "plan" for this season and beyond other than securing our league 1 position, but we'll see.
A team of solid, decent players is what we want. Given Roland's track record with managers I suspect anything less than promotion will not be in the plan that was discussed when Russell Slade was hired and I doubt Russell is personally thinking about achieving anything less either even if that wasn't in RDs & KMs plan for the season. This is a great opportunity for him to build his own team and set down some long term roots with a club that could win things for him.
So diarra kashi and crofts all injured didn't take long for my prediction to come true shame but this isn't funny any more. Please please fuck off or spend some money Roland
Seems a solid decent purchase. Not exciting but there's not much chance of any of them but certainly not one we can really moan about. Will do a job this season. Still can't see much evidence of a "plan" for this season and beyond other than securing our league 1 position, but we'll see.
A team of solid, decent players is what we want. Given Roland's track record with managers I suspect anything less than promotion will not be in the plan that was discussed when Russell Slade was hired and I doubt Russell is personally thinking about achieving anything less either even if that wasn't in RDs & KMs plan for the season. This is a great opportunity for him to build his own team and set down some long term roots with a club that could win things for him.
It's what we want but will it be what we get? I admire but do not share your optimism. Hopefully you turn out to be right mate.
It looks like Meire has decied that instead of looking at other football clubs for players, she will trawl the A&E departments - hence the NHS unit at the club. Anyone not actually on a stretcher is a possible signing.
A few ribald comments on here about signing a player aged 32.
I was at the Anniversary Games yesterday and witnessed a 33 year old knock out a sub 13 minute 5000 metres which included a sensational final lap of 56.8.
Hopefully there may be some life left in this old dog too.
Seems a solid decent purchase. Not exciting but there's not much chance of any of them but certainly not one we can really moan about. Will do a job this season. Still can't see much evidence of a "plan" for this season and beyond other than securing our league 1 position, but we'll see.
A team of solid, decent players is what we want. Given Roland's track record with managers I suspect anything less than promotion will not be in the plan that was discussed when Russell Slade was hired and I doubt Russell is personally thinking about achieving anything less either even if that wasn't in RDs & KMs plan for the season. This is a great opportunity for him to build his own team and set down some long term roots with a club that could win things for him.
Slade doesn't seem to agree with your analysis, judging by his latest comments.
Seems a solid decent purchase. Not exciting but there's not much chance of any of them but certainly not one we can really moan about. Will do a job this season. Still can't see much evidence of a "plan" for this season and beyond other than securing our league 1 position, but we'll see.
A team of solid, decent players is what we want. Given Roland's track record with managers I suspect anything less than promotion will not be in the plan that was discussed when Russell Slade was hired and I doubt Russell is personally thinking about achieving anything less either even if that wasn't in RDs & KMs plan for the season. This is a great opportunity for him to build his own team and set down some long term roots with a club that could win things for him.
Russell Slade can think about promotion all he likes, if he's not supported by Gepetto and his sociopathic puppet then it will amount to nothing but daydreaming.
Don't really know anything about Crofts but he was on loan at Gillingham last season and saw this posted on @Carter facebook by a Gills fan:
'you have been pretty positive about some of the signings Gillingham have made this off season but I've got to say I can't reciprocate on this one mate. We had him on loan from Brighton last season and he was dog shit mate and ended up being left out of the squad in the end....luckily it's only a 1 year deal!.'
I searched for Crofts on their forum and this was what come up
'Crofts was awful again' 'Crofts has saddened me as I thought he would show more passion got his home town club!' '. Also amongst others Crofts had a stinker of a game last night.'
So I don't think we've signed a player on the up but hopefully a full pre season will do the job for him as I don't think he has been fully fit for a number of seasons
Comments
Why are we attacking a player who very few of us have seen play regularly?
It has been glaringly obvious for the past two seasons we have lacked Championship & League experience.
No matter the statistics and natural abilities of the players acquired the very large majority struggled to adapt to the physicality, intensity and style of the English game. That was evident from not only from the quality and inconsistency of performances but the frequent and persistent injuries that prevailed over this period.
Equally apparent was the absence of enough leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch. We relied on if not abused the talents of Henderson, Diarra and Jackson throughout the season. Regrettably all three also carried a repetitive injury profile. It was noticeable on the rare occasion all three were on the pitch together the shape and discipline of the side was consistently better.
So the signing of Crofts fills two or three basic needs. His career record of over 300 senior appearances shows a decent hard working professional footballer, who knows his craft, and someone who has played at the highest levels of the game.
Whether he still has the same appetite and edge for the game and retains the skill level and fitness required to make a serious contribution to the club is a judgement call for the manager. Until we have seen him play I have no reason to doubt either the player or the manager is this regard.
He will as a minimum provide security in a position we desperately need and provide additional leadership in the squad. From what I can recall Crofts puts in a shift, is competitive and enables others to play. If he can settle and recover his fitness and form he will be a very welcome addition to the squad.
As supporters we have a very great deal to be angry and concerned about in the manner the club has been and is being run by the executive but can we cut back on the "guilty by association theme". We have far bigger problems to worry about than the signing of a decent hard working pro.
He is not the enemy. He is worthy of our support and our welcome.
There remains a huge amount to be done to rebuild the squad into a successfully competing unit able to withstand the rigours of a 46 game season. With a struggling and failing squad we were already well behind the game line. A situation which has, due to the departures seen over the past 10days and the continuing injuries, become ever more challenging.
Managing a relegation is difficult. Managing a relegation when the process of restructuring is delayed by major international competition is doubly difficult. To date the executive have continued to either fail to understand or struggle to meet the demands of the market place.
In such a situation it is essential you do not wait for things to fall into place. You make decisions and make things happen. It is the difference between a very sound accountant and a business leader who knows their business and is in a position to support the people on the ground who we all rely on to deliver to the club.
It is already apparent Russell Slade has been poorly served.
That however has nothing to do with Andrew Crofts. I look forward to seeing what he can do when he has pulled on the shirt.
And you are absolutely right of course; Crofts ticks a lot of the right boxes and more importantly deserves our support.
As one of those that has cynically dismissed his appointment I can only say that this regime has drained me of hope and expectation.
I expect bad decisions and failure and the cynicism and disdain has crept up on me.
Good luck Andrew.
Yes it's true that he's not getting any younger but he might do very well for us for this season at least.
Welcome Andrew.
I have only seen a little of Croft when I have consciously paid attention to his game, and he may turn out to be OK. May be more of a Mark Bowen in his impact, than a Mark Gower.
I could be wrong about the events of yesterday, but we may well have something like the signing of Buxton to distract from the departure of Lookman for instance.
Croft starts with a clean slate (but Rojo has previous!).
Sorry, dead leg
No idea where we are heading in all honesty. I suspect mid table league one for a very long time.
I was at the Anniversary Games yesterday and witnessed a 33 year old knock out a sub 13 minute 5000 metres which included a sensational final lap of 56.8.
Hopefully there may be some life left in this old dog too.
'you have been pretty positive about some of the signings Gillingham have made this off season but I've got to say I can't reciprocate on this one mate. We had him on loan from Brighton last season and he was dog shit mate and ended up being left out of the squad in the end....luckily it's only a 1 year deal!.'
I searched for Crofts on their forum and this was what come up
'Crofts was awful again'
'Crofts has saddened me as I thought he would show more passion got his home town club!'
'. Also amongst others Crofts had a stinker of a game last night.'
So I don't think we've signed a player on the up but hopefully a full pre season will do the job for him as I don't think he has been fully fit for a number of seasons