For all the talk of Adkins wanting to give youth a chance, we've ended up with a pretty full squad, with too many over 21s to register then all, and few opportunities for young players to get a game
Harsh
Morgan has played, Deji has played, Harness on the bench and we have other young players on the fringes. Davison and did well in the pizza cup if not in the league cup.
We need the experienced players to guide what is still a young squad. Famewo is 22, DJ not much more, Kirk is 23 or 24. Clare and Dobson aren't ancient either.
Because they had to. They probably won't play that much now unless we get injuries.
I think Morgan will, he’s ahead of Clare and Dobson, and Arter will play ahead of Watson. Lee will play higher up. Main question is whether Adkins play Lee and Gilbey together once the latter is available.
Morgan won't be first choice and potentially not even second choice in any of the 3 midfield positions.
DM - Arter, Watson, Dobson CM - Gilbey, then between Clare/Morgan AM - Lee, then potentially Leko?
So realistically Morgan won't play much unless we get a few injuries/suspensions.
We do though, with Gilbey recovering from Covid Morgan will probably keep his place unless his form drops or Gilbey/Clare force their way into the team with good performances off the bench.
It’s a good problem to have, hopefully we find the right combination quickly and have a fairly settled first choice team. The danger of having so many options is constant changes like Bowyer did last season. Adkins came in, chose a formation and stuck with it aside from minor tweaks game by game.
Some very interesting interpretations. Much of my thinking aligns with Cafc43.
Ultimately I am not sure I see any huge change of strategic approach merely an adjustment arising from the checks and balances undertaken by every business every day.
There is planning and then there is contingency planning.
Focusing on two recent additions and remaining omissions I suspect Lee and Leko (at Birmingham), though clearly very different players, if available, were always seen as genuine options to offer an attacking/ creative threat once Aneke had elected to move to B’ham but I have no doubt we kicked the tyres on many others.
I am though puzzled by just where this idea of having to replacing like with like comes from? You go down the list of strikers we have used over the past 50yrs and tell me who were exactly alike. All players have different styles, strengths & weaknesses. The job is to play to those strengths, manage those weaknesses and constantly explore other options.
As it stands all of Stockley, Washington, Davison, Leko, Lee and Schwarz have all played Centre Forward. They may not be your idea of a Centre Forward but they all can in their different ways. Indeed if you designate Arter, Dobson, Watson and Morgan as competing for deeper midfield roles with Jaiyesimi, Kirk, Blackett Taylor, Clare and Gilbey you have the opportunity to be very creative in the final third to the point the Match Day debates will likely cause threads to explode.
In terms of core business Amos had been replaced with MacGillivray, Famewo is back, Dobson replaced Pratley, Clare replaced Shinnie, Matthews, Pearce, Watson, JFC all re-signed, Stockley was brought back, Kirk comes in for Millar leaving the remaining core priorities as securing the Aneke replacement, a left back and a goalkeeper.
The recent signings seem to reflect the ongoing game plan merely adjusted to deliver a pragmatic approach to the changed circumstances arising during the early season with the unforeseen impact of the squad being weakened by the potential of 3 protracted absences.
Indeed the Purrington injury plays into this debate but the protracted Gilbey illness, the continuing Schwartz struggles (no you don’t just get to throw people away), the continued uncertainty with Inniss together with Morgan struggling to perform to a level to consistently deputise for or replace JFC all presented as risks too far.
At which point the contingency planning kicks in where Tucker, Lavelle and Kerr were viewed as defensive options. Arter (in discussion for at least 3 weeks), Lowery, Dempsey offered midfield options while Grigg, Oliver, Nugent, Kedwell and Leko all presented attacking options.
You then set up a range of negotiating options and wait to see which club or player blinks first while keeping all channels open as to what other options might become available if and when market moves are made.
As a measure of financial and operational compromise the funding or loan options for the planned addition of a new left sided defender with the likes of Omole, Elongo and Bridge being looked at were, with an additional keeper, positioned as reduced priorities. i.e we could live with Gunter providing cover for both full back positions and Harness as the bench keeper until any free agent opportunities presented themselves.
I do wonder if the approach to the PL loan market may have been tweaked to include the preference of a future option to buy.
In any event Souare has now presented as that opportunity
Yes there were other options like Denver Hume (already turned down 3 contract offers from Sunderland), Brandon Mason who the last time I looked (early August) was recovering in hospital from hamstring surgery after being injured on trial at Portsmouth or Fryers who has now joined Stockport.
On the goalkeeping front Henderson does appear to have registered as a disappointment. Shame, I had a huge amount of respect for how he handled himself in the days of Luzon and Fraeye. Alnwick. Fielding or Westwood remain options.
Ultimately I suggest we have very much seen the compromise between corporate long term strategy and business operational need. Nothing exceptionally remarkable but basically a very solid game plan in tune with where the club has been for a very long time.
I can understand the disappointment of those who wanted us to « chase the market » competing for players at the top of their market value, (with some very much in the one season wonder category) but you only need one or two « Mavericks » playing in that game to make it horribly and unsustainably expensive.
The long term strategy for me extends to (excluding talented scholars like Elewere and Beadle not yet on full professionnel contracts) now having 50 professionals under contract.
Historians may well be able to reflect the last time that was the case, remembering at one time we did run an A team in the Metropolitan League.
44. Souare 45. Stockley 46. Vennings 47. Viggars 48. Washington 49. Watson 50. Williams
While such numbers can evolve across a full challenging season/ relegation campaign for the normal senior squad of 25 and U23 Squad of 18 we appear to be carrying a tranche of 8 U23+ development projects.
Dobson, Clare, Kirk, Famewo (option to buy) Leko (tried to buy), Blackett-Taylor, Lavelle, Jaiyesimi, all aged between 21 and 24 have all been acquired within the calendar year to add to our pipeline of academy graduates.
As I have commented before would it be my strategy? It has merit. At this time? No, but such is the beauty and challenge of this game. It doesn’t mean someone who chooses to pursue a different path is stupid, incompetent, useless or penny pinching.
It places a great deal of pressure across Roddy, Avory, Euell, Jackson and Adkins to deliver a different model. Have they all got what they want? Probably not but that is business life.
When you consider the business is now also supporting circa 20 women full time professionals some might like to reflect someone somewhere is investing in a very substantial monthly wage bill.
It may not be where you were expecting/ wanting the investment to be made but investment it is none the less.
Foundations are being built but there is much brickwork to be done on and off the field of play. Personally I find the approach refreshing and positive but as someone who spent most of his latter career building businesses I would.
For all the talk of Adkins wanting to give youth a chance, we've ended up with a pretty full squad, with too many over 21s to register then all, and few opportunities for young players to get a game
Harsh
Morgan has played, Deji has played, Harness on the bench and we have other young players on the fringes. Davison and did well in the pizza cup if not in the league cup.
We need the experienced players to guide what is still a young squad. Famewo is 22, DJ not much more, Kirk is 23 or 24. Clare and Dobson aren't ancient either.
Because they had to. They probably won't play that much now unless we get injuries.
I think Morgan will, he’s ahead of Clare and Dobson, and Arter will play ahead of Watson. Lee will play higher up. Main question is whether Adkins play Lee and Gilbey together once the latter is available.
Morgan won't be first choice and potentially not even second choice in any of the 3 midfield positions.
DM - Arter, Watson, Dobson CM - Gilbey, then between Clare/Morgan AM - Lee, then potentially Leko?
So realistically Morgan won't play much unless we get a few injuries/suspensions.
You can call Dobson a Pratley replacement, but the same could be said of Clare, as Pratley wasn't just a holding midfielder, he could do box to box as well
I wouldn't call Clare the Shinnie replacement, if anything his role as the creative passer and dead ball taker has been taken by Morgan.
Clare if anything is an alternative to Gilbey who was our box to box midfielder last season
Probably not best to use the quote function on those, apologies!
The edit function is your friend.
Excellent post as ever from Grapevine. Anyone who’s just waking up from a coma could save an enormous amount of time by reading it and ignoring everything else. 👍
For all the talk of Adkins wanting to give youth a chance, we've ended up with a pretty full squad, with too many over 21s to register then all, and few opportunities for young players to get a game
Harsh
Morgan has played, Deji has played, Harness on the bench and we have other young players on the fringes. Davison and did well in the pizza cup if not in the league cup.
We need the experienced players to guide what is still a young squad. Famewo is 22, DJ not much more, Kirk is 23 or 24. Clare and Dobson aren't ancient either.
Because they had to. They probably won't play that much now unless we get injuries.
I think Morgan will, he’s ahead of Clare and Dobson, and Arter will play ahead of Watson. Lee will play higher up. Main question is whether Adkins play Lee and Gilbey together once the latter is available.
Morgan won't be first choice and potentially not even second choice in any of the 3 midfield positions.
DM - Arter, Watson, Dobson CM - Gilbey, then between Clare/Morgan AM - Lee, then potentially Leko?
So realistically Morgan won't play much unless we get a few injuries/suspensions.
- We had different targets over the summer. Some signed, some didn't - Some are younger so longer-term thinking - Some are shorter-term as we need to cover injuries and push up the league
That could have summed it up pretty much. But it's less easy to drop in references to "business operational need," "corporate strategy" and his "career of building businesses" if it's not dressed up in the big essay ; )
You can call Dobson a Pratley replacement, but the same could be said of Clare, as Pratley wasn't just a holding midfielder, he could do box to box as well
I wouldn't call Clare the Shinnie replacement, if anything his role as the creative passer and dead ball taker has been taken by Morgan.
Clare if anything is an alternative to Gilbey who was our box to box midfielder last season
It's their places in the squad, Clare has already played more than Shinnie did, under Adkins, there was no role for Shinnie.
Comments
It’s a good problem to have, hopefully we find the right combination quickly and have a fairly settled first choice team. The danger of having so many options is constant changes like Bowyer did last season. Adkins came in, chose a formation and stuck with it aside from minor tweaks game by game.
the whole squad will be needed
Ultimately I am not sure I see any huge change of strategic approach merely an adjustment arising from the checks and balances undertaken by every business every day.
There is planning and then there is contingency planning.
Focusing on two recent additions and remaining omissions I suspect Lee and Leko (at Birmingham), though clearly very different players, if available, were always seen as genuine options to offer an attacking/ creative threat once Aneke had elected to move to B’ham but I have no doubt we kicked the tyres on many others.
As it stands all of Stockley, Washington, Davison, Leko, Lee and Schwarz have all played Centre Forward. They may not be your idea of a Centre Forward but they all can in their different ways. Indeed if you designate Arter, Dobson, Watson and Morgan as competing for deeper midfield roles with Jaiyesimi, Kirk, Blackett Taylor, Clare and Gilbey you have the opportunity to be very creative in the final third to the point the Match Day debates will likely cause threads to explode.
In terms of core business Amos had been replaced with MacGillivray, Famewo is back, Dobson replaced Pratley, Clare replaced Shinnie, Matthews, Pearce, Watson, JFC all re-signed, Stockley was brought back, Kirk comes in for Millar leaving the remaining core priorities as securing the Aneke replacement, a left back and a goalkeeper.
The recent signings seem to reflect the ongoing game plan merely adjusted to deliver a pragmatic approach to the changed circumstances arising during the early season with the unforeseen impact of the squad being weakened by the potential of 3 protracted absences.
Indeed the Purrington injury plays into this debate but the protracted Gilbey illness, the continuing Schwartz struggles (no you don’t just get to throw people away), the continued uncertainty with Inniss together with Morgan struggling to perform to a level to consistently deputise for or replace JFC all presented as risks too far.
At which point the contingency planning kicks in where Tucker, Lavelle and Kerr were viewed as defensive options. Arter (in discussion for at least 3 weeks), Lowery, Dempsey offered midfield options while Grigg, Oliver, Nugent, Kedwell and Leko all presented attacking options.
You then set up a range of negotiating options and wait to see which club or player blinks first while keeping all channels open as to what other options might become available if and when market moves are made.
As a measure of financial and operational compromise the funding or loan options for the planned addition of a new left sided defender with the likes of Omole, Elongo and Bridge being looked at were, with an additional keeper, positioned as reduced priorities. i.e we could live with Gunter providing cover for both full back positions and Harness as the bench keeper until any free agent opportunities presented themselves.
I do wonder if the approach to the PL loan market may have been tweaked to include the preference of a future option to buy.
In any event Souare has now presented as that opportunity
Yes there were other options like Denver Hume (already turned down 3 contract offers from Sunderland), Brandon Mason who the last time I looked (early August) was recovering in hospital from hamstring surgery after being injured on trial at Portsmouth or Fryers who has now joined Stockport.
Ultimately I suggest we have very much seen the compromise between corporate long term strategy and business operational need. Nothing exceptionally remarkable but basically a very solid game plan in tune with where the club has been for a very long time.
I can understand the disappointment of those who wanted us to « chase the market » competing for players at the top of their market value, (with some very much in the one season wonder category) but you only need one or two « Mavericks » playing in that game to make it horribly and unsustainably expensive.
The long term strategy for me extends to (excluding talented scholars like Elewere and Beadle not yet on full professionnel contracts) now having 50 professionals under contract.
Historians may well be able to reflect the last time that was the case, remembering at one time we did run an A team in the Metropolitan League.
While such numbers can evolve across a full challenging season/ relegation campaign for the normal senior squad of 25 and U23 Squad of 18 we appear to be carrying a tranche of 8 U23+ development projects.
Dobson, Clare, Kirk, Famewo (option to buy) Leko (tried to buy), Blackett-Taylor, Lavelle, Jaiyesimi, all aged between 21 and 24 have all been acquired within the calendar year to add to our pipeline of academy graduates.
It places a great deal of pressure across Roddy, Avory, Euell, Jackson and Adkins to deliver a different model. Have they all got what they want? Probably not but that is business life.
When you consider the business is now also supporting circa 20 women full time professionals some might like to reflect someone somewhere is investing in a very substantial monthly wage bill.
It may not be where you were expecting/ wanting the investment to be made but investment it is none the less.
Foundations are being built but there is much brickwork to be done on and off the field of play. Personally I find the approach refreshing and positive but as someone who spent most of his latter career building businesses I would.
I wouldn't call Clare the Shinnie replacement, if anything his role as the creative passer and dead ball taker has been taken by Morgan.
Clare if anything is an alternative to Gilbey who was our box to box midfielder last season
- We had different targets over the summer. Some signed, some didn't
- Some are younger so longer-term thinking
- Some are shorter-term as we need to cover injuries and push up the league
That could have summed it up pretty much. But it's less easy to drop in references to "business operational need," "corporate strategy" and his "career of building businesses" if it's not dressed up in the big essay ; )
Stephen Henderson confirmed on a one year contract