defender
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Defender? Well - hope he shows a bit more enthusiasm than he did when he was here on loan.
Good point, He won't be listening to Gary J at least.
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defender
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I am not happy about this signing, I hope i'm wrong.
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Vintage Cobbler
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I fail to understand the dash by some to knock a signing before a ball has been kicked in the new season. Bowditch has played plenty of matches at our level to indicate that he will prove to be a decent addition to the squad. At the very least, let's keep our powder dry until we have seen the guy in action for us this coming season.
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defender
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I fail to understand the dash by some to knock a signing before a ball has been kicked in the new season. Bowditch has played plenty of matches at our level to indicate that he will prove to be a decent addition to the squad. At the very least, let's keep our powder dry until we have seen the guy in action for us this coming season.
Fair point but, don't you remember him when he was here before? Not very good as I remember him.
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Vintage Cobbler
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I do but if I remember correctly that was in the Gary Johnson era when our team was an utter shambles. Bowditch did well at MK and was there for 6 years which tells me something. As I said, let's not rush to judgement and give the man a chance.
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Baby Bear
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Pretty sure it was under Stuart gray.
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@Babie_Bear_
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Vintage Cobbler
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Yes, I think you are right. That would be 8/9 years ago and my memory of him is vague. Anyway, my point remains the same.
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BedsCobb
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Signings need to based on realistic expectations which this season has to remain a league 1 club, at all costs. A good amount of experienced 30 y/o players will help grind out the required points needed who wont go to pieces after a run of poor defeats. Im liking the signings to date, with the likes of billy Waters and the two lads from Mk.
Lower expectations can be a big bonus.
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Vintage Cobbler
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Agree with Beds. We can dream but we are not ready for Championship football. The main thing now is to bring in a couple of good centre backs and a goalkeeper who can take charge of his penalty area.
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DrillingCobbler
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The only way a club like ours can make the type of 'ambitious signings' that many fans crave for is a total reliance on an owner with very deep pockets, who is prepared to fund a massive loss making enterprise.
Bowditch and the other players we have brought in show that we are prepared to pay decent wages for this level of football, indeed I would say rather confidently that the wage bill will be a fair chunk higher than it was last season, factoring in that we have also paid fees for two players as well.
If you compare the business we are doing to rival clubs with a similar financial clout to ours (Shrewsbury, Gillingham being two good examples) then it may reassure some of the doubters that JED is doing some decent business 'on paper' and that with some luck, an assumption that everything 'clicks' and perhaps one or two players emerging from their current stock into really good league 1 players (McWilliams and Lobjolt fall into that potential category) then we *could be very successful next season.
Spunking 5 grand a week on two players has many potential pitfalls, we've seen at first hand this happen when we've brought in a big name striker on massive money relative to our overall budget (e.g. Constantine, Paul Wilkinson) who has totally failed to live up to previous reputation.
In Rico, Richards, Hoskins, Bowditch, Powell, Bowditch, Waters, Lobjolt and Iaciofano we have a selection of attacking players who between them tick every box as far as options are concerned. Thats a total of 9 players, when realistically only 4 of them will be starting any given game!
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Shoemaker
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Sorry to be picky but you've named bowditch twice. Agree with the sentiments though. The team and squad should be a good deal stronger than last season and it needed to be as last year we were a league one club only in name. The recruitment of a quality goalie(they can make you ten points a season) and more quality and experience to go alongside barnett are essential. Let's face it diamond and zakuani were good but not good enough as the goals against column shows. Neither player were shabby imo but it just goes to show what quality is needed if we want to progress. Quality is needed in defence. Barnett on paper is a good start but we need at least as good/if not better in order to say we are progressing year on year.
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defender
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Agree with Beds. We can dream but we are not ready for Championship football. The main thing now is to bring in a couple of good centre backs and a goalkeeper who can take charge of his penalty area.
How right you are Vintage.
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Coolcat
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Sorry to be picky but you've named bowditch twice. Agree with the sentiments though. The team and squad should be a good deal stronger than last season and it needed to be as last year we were a league one club only in name. The recruitment of a quality goalie(they can make you ten points a season) and more quality and experience to go alongside barnett are essential. Let's face it diamond and zakuani were good but not good enough as the goals against column shows. Neither player were shabby imo but it just goes to show what quality is needed if we want to progress. Quality is needed in defence. Barnett on paper is a good start but we need at least as good/if not better in order to say we are progressing year on year.
Not sure if Zakuani can really be held to account...on the basis he hardly played! Unlike a lot, not crying over losing Zander to Cobblers Reserves!
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DrillingCobbler
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Sorry to be picky but you've named bowditch twice. Agree with the sentiments though. The team and squad should be a good deal stronger than last season and it needed to be as last year we were a league one club only in name. The recruitment of a quality goalie(they can make you ten points a season) and more quality and experience to go alongside barnett are essential. Let's face it diamond and zakuani were good but not good enough as the goals against column shows. Neither player were shabby imo but it just goes to show what quality is needed if we want to progress. Quality is needed in defence. Barnett on paper is a good start but we need at least as good/if not better in order to say we are progressing year on year.
Ha ha, 8 then! Your bang on with regards to the goal keeper, 100% with you on that. Put it this way. When we've been successful, we've ALWAYS had a good keeper. And when we've been crap we've usually had a rubbish keeper. I've said many times that if I was a football manager, Id proportion a large percentage of the playing budget towards the goal keeper, precisely for the reason you give. From memory, we've been most recently relegated from this league with Billy Turley and Chris Dunn in goal. Each time, the number 1 keeper previously (Woodman and Bunn) were not adequately replaced. It cost us. We'd have stayed up on both occasions otherwise. Even Carrs team, Gleasure had lost the plot big time. Lets assume for a minute our budget is 1.8 million. Id say 200 grand of that would be well spent on the keeper. Thats 4 grand a week. You'd get a good goal keeper for that. Having a decent number 2 is a waste of money, he will only play a hand full of games a season. If the number 1 got injured, you'd bring in a loan. Its a position which has so often been neglected, I just don't get it. Most important position in the team by a long way.
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guest3063
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Of course the only flaw in your argument Drilling is the fact you can't just go out and get a loan player in. They need to be 6 or 12 month loans.
So, what happens if your number 1 goalkeeper gets injured on 5th September and is out long term? You will have to wait until 1st January to get a decent replacement in. You need to have 2 decent keepers and a youngster. We have 1 decent (Cornell) & youngster (Goff). 1 position remains hopefully he will be a bit better than decent.
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everbrite
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Signings need to based on realistic expectations which this season has to remain a league 1 club, at all costs. A good amount of experienced 30 y/o players will help grind out the required points needed who wont go to pieces after a run of poor defeats. Im liking the signings to date, with the likes of billy Waters and the two lads from Mk.
Lower expectations can be a big bonus.
That's quite negative comment. We should aim or try to sign the best we can; not aim for specific 'realistic' targets as you put it. Got us nowhere in the past has that type of "apologetic ambition". Unless you are making sarcastic comment.
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2020 Grand National S/S 3rd Place
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DrillingCobbler
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Of course the only flaw in your argument Drilling is the fact you can't just go out and get a loan player in. They need to be 6 or 12 month loans.
So, what happens if your number 1 goalkeeper gets injured on 5th September and is out long term? You will have to wait until 1st January to get a decent replacement in. You need to have 2 decent keepers and a youngster. We have 1 decent (Cornell) & youngster (Goff). 1 position remains hopefully he will be a bit better than decent.
You make a decent point ref the number2…something I hadn't factored in. So used to seeing 'emergency loans' over the years! Cornell is fine for a number2, I wouldn't class him decent though. Just about 'able' in my opinion. So as far as a number 2 is concerned, Id say someone like who we've got already is fine. When we got promoted we had Clarke who was a very good keeper, probably on decent wedge…thats where I would say we were wasting a wage. I do understand though that our number 1 that season (Smith) was probably on less money than our number2 so it was a strange situation brought on by an opportunist move by Wilder. We all expected Clarke to be our number1 keeper that season!
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BedsCobb
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That's quite negative comment. We should aim or try to sign the best we can; not aim for specific 'realistic' targets as you put it. Got us nowhere in the past has that type of "apologetic ambition". Unless you are making sarcastic comment.
Nothing sarcastic, just dont want to see us spend vast sums building up a team to challenge at the top of league 1, totally unable to maximise the situation with us only able to grow attendance by a mere 10%, while encouraging zero new supporters as we dont have the infrastructure. It would be a wasted oppertunity at this time. A play off challenge is posible and that should be our goal when safety is assured.
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Rach
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Nothing sarcastic, just dont want to see us spend vast sums building up a team to challenge at the top of league 1, totally unable to maximise the situation with us only able to grow attendance by a mere 10%, while encouraging zero new supporters as we dont have the infrastructure. It would be a wasted oppertunity at this time. A play off challenge is posible and that should be our goal when safety is assured.
Maybe the two could go hand in hand 🤔 I'm optimistic about the season ahead. There's always one team you least expect to be up there. Promotion and more importantly staying there would ensure that our ground will be extended. Win win?
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defender
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Can I remind JED that as yet we only have ONE centre back at the club?
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