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the club as he’s unlikely to spark much interest between now and the end of January but Cirkin, Clarke and Neil have all turned heads in the Premier League and so
we could see at least one of them leaving this transfer window. If they do, those are roles we will need to fill with, hopefully, a sizeable chunk of any transfer going to replace them.
But, other than that, where do we need to recruit?
GOALKEEPER
I’ve not gone mad, we don’t need a number one, I get that. But I worry that, in Bass, we don’t have a player who could play at Championship level should the
worst happen. I’m also very conscious that our head of goalkeeper development is, himself, a young man. We lack experience throughout the squad and, should things not go to plan for a while, we need someone who can put an arm round Patterson and tell him why it’s all going to be OK. A third keeper/coach would be ideal.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Evans has done incredibly well this season but seems to tire as games develop leaving us threatened for
the last twenty minutes or so of games (often we lose Pritchard at around the same time and the solidity and creativity leave the pitch at the same time). These are also our most experienced midfielders and forwards and, in some games, it’s been clear that when they are missing the whole team weakens. Another experienced central midfielder doesn’t fit the transfer targets we tend to be linked with these days, but I think we might regret not adding experience to the squad if we’re not careful. I also think a player who has been there and done that in football would help the likes of Neil, Ba and Michut to develop their mental and physical skills.
STRIKERS
This of course falls under the ‘no shit Sherlock’ level of predictions. It seems that everyone knew in the summer apart from Kristjaan Speakman and his team that we were one light in the striker department. And you’d like to think losing Stewart and Simms resulted in a lot of soul searching and embarrassment for the recruitment team. A top striker will bring us two things, first and most important an option in games where things have become a little predictable, and second a body we can play in games if
the others are injured! It’s really not a confusing idea but, for some reason, almost every year we fail to sign the attacking players we need. Wingers, winger and more wingers, yes, no problem, but strikers? ‘No, two will do’ seems to be the idiotic mantra.
FITNESS COACH
This obviously doesn’t have to be in January. But it has to
be soon. And, to be fair, I’m not even sure I’ve got the job title right. We are losing too many players to strains, pulls and tears. Quite often immediately following or during warm ups. Who is in charge of making sure our elite footballers are warmed up properly and are training in the week to the right level to minimise the risks of pulls and strains? In League One we had to cut the size of the backroom staff for financial reasons but now, if we are to be serious contenders over
the next few years, its essential not just that we recruit the right players but that we can make sure they’re available to the first team week in week out and, to return to my earlier point, that they’re fit and ready to sell should a suitable offer come in.
As I write this, I’m struck by the fact that we are basically OK in most positions if everyone is fit. But we can’t rest on that. Look at the Stewart situation to realise why that is so dangerous. This January needs to be about increasing the bodies available while bringing in experience of the league we’re in. Not to rise out of it but rather to develop and move us closer to rising out of it in the next couple of years.
ALOVESUPREME ISSUE260 43
BY GILES MOONEY