Forwards for Next Season

[Holy Joe]

Why on earth would a top scorer in L2 want to join us instead of a L1 or Championship side?

Ask Mullin

 

[Supershrimper]

Disagree - these are the options that you think are realistic. I’m saying we need to break out of this mindset. Why an earth would a top striker in L2 or
NL join us?
1) money - if we throw a proper compensation structure at them
2) support - a proper crowd for a club that is L2/1 level.
3) long term ambition and story - comes down to the owners and the manager to convey that message
We need to start thinking big.

It was this kind of thought process that made Ron's house come crashing down.

I'm sure COSU will have learnt lessons from yesteryear.

 

[Estratford]

It was this kind of thought process that made Ron's house come crashing down.

I'm sure COSU will have learnt lessons from yesteryear.

Wrong! I am not advocating for signing overpaid players who are “names” but haven’t performed for years- I am saying our mindset needs to change and like it or not, strikers cost £££

 

[Estratford]

M

Ask Mullin

money and his family situation/son - watch the documentary

 

[Thundersley Blue]

Can’t we just get Bim back? Lure him with a plane ticket to World Cup so sure are we that is 45 goal season will lead to a call up?

Sorry but I don't think Bim would be the answer to the goal famine. Like Harry C. he isn't a natural finisher. Has scored a couple for Chesterfield, they both came in the same game. I am not doubting Bim would be an asset, but I don't see him as a prolific goalscorer. In any case he is a Luton project and they look like playing in League 1 next season., in which case it wouldn't surprise me if they exercised the option on his contract to extend.

 

[BriggBlue]

As I've stated before no manager gets all the players they want all the time ever. To make that an excuse defies logic. Whether a manager gets his 1st, 2nd or 10th choice he still has to take responsibility for it. What choice strikers do you think Alan Devonshire gets at Maidenhead? Maher's choice pool would be an extreme luxury over the past 12 months in comparison. Maher has been allowed to significantly increase the budget and strengthen the team over the last month without question!

We were under an embargo in May, we couldn't sign anyone until the takeover was complete as unsurprisingly people aren't likely to turn down a regular wage for the potential that it'll be alright and you might have a team to play for.

I'm sure Kev would have liked the extreme luxury of being able to sign players when their contracts expired at the end of last season. Unfortunately he was alone in professional football in not being allowed to.

 

[dusterman]

Sorry but I don't think Bim would be the answer to the goal famine. Like Harry C. he isn't a natural finisher. Has scored a couple for Chesterfield, they both came in the same game. I am not doubting Bim would be an asset, but I don't see him as a prolific goalscorer. In any case he is a Luton project and they look like playing in League 1 next season., in which case it wouldn't surprise me if they exercised the option on his contract to extend.

Really, his goal return in his loan stint not rich enough for our blood? Wind up, shirley.

 

[Supershrimper]

Wrong! I am not advocating for signing overpaid players who are “names” but haven’t performed for years- I am saying our mindset needs to change and like it or not, strikers cost £££

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

 

[WestyReturns]

We were under an embargo in May, we couldn't sign anyone until the takeover was complete as unsurprisingly people aren't likely to turn down a regular wage for the potential that it'll be alright and you might have a team to play for.

I'm sure Kev would have liked the extreme luxury of being able to sign players when their contracts expired at the end of last season. Unfortunately he was alone in professional football in not being allowed to.

Of course, not arguing that he has had extremely tough periods. However we've had the period when he was given a generous budget to improve the squad last Jan when COSU first got involved and been able to sign players since Sept. How many of those have been a success and how many have been disappointing?

 

[IloveShrimp]

I would probably keep Hopper and offer him a player/coach role seeing as he is on a long contract (otherwise he woul be gone too) I would let all of the others go, although I like Bonne and Waldron hasn’t been given a Fair crack of the whip. However changes must be made in midfield too and I think Miley, Coker, Husain and Bridge are not the answer if promotion is our goal. Leon is unproven too.

 

[Hadleigh-shrimper]

I’d wait to see what league we’re in .

but in all seriousness I’d like to keep Bonne and we have only just signed Kendall can’t see us losing him or hopper. Hopefully mixed with 2 lethal strikers and can have one of Bonne or hopper on the squad.

 

[Liam AAS]

Kendall, Hopper and Walker all have contracts beyond the end of this season so I expect them to be at the club next season.

Waldron clearly isn't seen as good enough by the management team and, for me, Bonne is in 'too little, too late' territory.

Difficult to know what the plan will be but hard to imagine we will continue to operate with 5 strikers.

 

[Holy Joe]

Kendall, Hopper and Walker all have contracts beyond the end of this season so I expect them to be at the club next season.

Waldron clearly isn't seen as good enough by the management team and, for me, Bonne is in 'too little, too late' territory.

Difficult to know what the plan will be but hard to imagine we will continue to operate with 5 strikers.

Why do you think we won't have 5 strikers? 2 out (out of contract ones), 2 in for me?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Disagree - these are the options that you think are realistic. I’m saying we need to break out of this mindset. Why an earth would a top striker in L2 or
NL join us?
1) money - if we throw a proper compensation structure at them
2) support - a proper crowd for a club that is L2/1 level.
3) long term ambition and story - comes down to the owners and the manager to convey that message
We need to start thinking big.

Players aren’t going to come here because of big crowds. At most it’s a tiebreaker between 2 clubs at the same level offering the same money. Players would generally rather play a level higher in front of smaller crowds, especially when it would otherwise mean dropping out of the EFL. We’d need to throw L1 or Championship money at them. We have L1 or Championship debts, not L1 or Championship money.

I also can’t stress enough what a terrible idea it would be to throw all our eggs in one basket. If that player gets injured/doesn’t work out we’d be utterly screwed.

Hopper was a strange choice. A striker who never has scored many goals, ageing and coming into his last professional contract. He does not solve an issue we had.

Holding up the ball was also a massive issue.

Ask Mullin

Do you have a second example?

That’s one club who has done that in the last decade. How have the other 19 promoted clubs acquired their centre-forward for their promotion season?

Kendall, Hopper and Walker all have contracts beyond the end of this season so I expect them to be at the club next season.

Waldron clearly isn't seen as good enough by the management team and, for me, Bonne is in 'too little, too late' territory.

Difficult to know what the plan will be but hard to imagine we will continue to operate with 5 strikers.

You think we’ll go with 6 then?

 

[Liam AAS]

Why do you think we won't have 5 strikers? 2 out (out of contract ones), 2 in for me?

Kendall and Walker have the energy to operate out wide. I, personally, think we are better off trying to find an off-the-peg #9 that can score, assist and be the difference maker by the time we get to the run in next season.

I don't know what we will do, I just don't see a need for us to have 5 strikers (unless one is a youth prospect)

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Disagree - these are the options that you think are realistic. I’m saying we need to break out of this mindset. Why an earth would a top striker in L2 or
NL join us?
1) money - if we throw a proper compensation structure at them
2) support - a proper crowd for a club that is L2/1 level.
3) long term ambition and story - comes down to the owners and the manager to convey that message
We need to start thinking big.

The reality is, only number 1 on your list really matters. Mullin, Madden and Grigg were all signed from higher up the pyramid because the respective clubs could pay the wages to acquire their services. That is a route COSU will not go down.

We need to go down the Langstaff route. Bought for 50k, the right age and on the way up in his career. Of course, not many of those players come along, but that's surely what the new recruitment/strategy team has been hired for.

 

[Suffering shrimper]

To be fair to bonne he’s started 12 league games and has 7 assists and 1 goal he offers a lot more than scoring goals his hold up play is good and wins a decent amount in the air and I would give him next season but doubt we’ll keep him as Kendall hopper and Walker are contracted for next year

 

[Holy Joe]

Kendall and Walker have the energy to operate out wide. I, personally, think we are better off trying to find an off-the-peg #9 that can score, assist and be the difference maker by the time we get to the run in next season.

I don't know what we will do, I just don't see a need for us to have 5 strikers (unless one is a youth prospect)

I think 5 is a reasonable number nowadays. 4 could leave us short.

2 playing, 2 on bench and 1 injured/suspended

3 playing, 2 on bench

 

[Shrimper]

To be fair to bonne he’s started 12 league games and has 7 assists and 1 goal he offers a lot more than scoring goals his hold up play is good and wins a decent amount in the air and I would give him next season but doubt we’ll keep him as Kendall hopper and Walker are contracted for next year

According to the various stats sites he has 4 assists in the league

Tamworth, Halifax, Solihull, Fylde

 

[Thundersley Blue]

They often say that nothing in football is as difficult as putting the ball in the net, and that’s proven by the transfer fees paid for those who can do it on a regular basis.

Our strikers are not currently and have never been (or at least not for many seasons) been big scorers. I can understand the Bonne signing - the big strong player who was meant to replace Cardwell with his hold up play and winning balls in the air. I can understand the Kendall signing - the replacement of Powell who lead the press from the front. Those two make sense and I back Maher and the board on both regardless of how they worked out.

Hopper was a strange choice. A striker who never has scored many goals, ageing and coming into his last professional contract. He does not solve an issue we had. Likewise, Walker was signed for his running of the channels and in behind onto low level balls played through. We already had Waldron for that whose record was more than decent before joining, but we don’t really play that style. Walker and Waldron feel like square pegs in round holes. I believe these three are poor signings by Maher.

Keep:
Bonne and Kendall

Release/Pay off/List:
Hopper
Walker
Waldron


Perhaps a summer cheeky bid for Conn-Clarke whose move up to Peterborough seems to have turned a little sour. Proven scorer at this level. Probably a few ££ too far.

Just two observations, we were led to believe that any signing had to be a unanimous decision, not just Kevin. Danny Waldron was on the face of it was a good signing, but the rigours of full time football has found him out., as he has struggled to stay fit.