[MeadowClark]

On the pitch the one thing that would make a massive difference for me, is getting the squad properly fit.

100%, I’d be getting them in early for pre-season to get them up to shape, clearly the amount of late goals we conceded and the general lethargy of the team was partly down to a lack of fitness.

In terms of type of player, I’d like to see some physicality and some pace as we have too many slow and short players for my liking. I’d love to see a Hogg/Knowles/Coupe type character come in, someone who takes games by the scruff of the neck and leads by example and we need more than just Smalley who can run with the ball at pace. 

From the Burnsy’s Babes era in the early 2000s to the teams we had towards the end of exile I felt like we improved the starting XI every year, we kept a core of players and then added/upgraded in a few positions each year. It’s been hit and miss for a few years now, and I’d like to see us go back to that gradual upgrading model as I think that’s a realistic way to manage a squad.

[Paul]

100%, I’d be getting them in early for pre-season to get them up to shape, clearly the amount of late goals we conceded and the general lethargy of the team was partly down to a lack of fitness.

In terms of type of player, I’d like to see some physicality and some pace as we have too many slow and short players for my liking. I’d love to see a Hogg/Knowles/Coupe type character come in, someone who takes games by the scruff of the neck and leads by example and we need more than just Smalley who can run with the ball at pace. 

From the Burnsy’s Babes era in the early 2000s to the teams we had towards the end of exile I felt like we improved the starting XI every year, we kept a core of players and then added/upgraded in a few positions each year. It’s been hit and miss for a few years now, and I’d like to see us go back to that gradual upgrading model as I think that’s a realistic way to manage a squad.

I agree that Coupe, Morford, Tom Webb, Lee Smith, Symo et al were great servants of the club and I get why you're saying we should go back to the 'upgrading model' as it worked for us previously - but with that model we were never storming the promotion places and rarely troubled mid-table. We always seemed to be in a relegation scrap most seasons. True, it may work well in a SL context, but if we return to NLN/S then if we are to really compete it'll be the manager's contacts and journeyman players (unfortunately) from elsewhere that we'll be looking to to progress - and as we know that doesn't necessarily mean good results. A good local 'spine' to the team may be out there but we didn't see it this season.

[Mr.Magoo]

In hindsight a major issue with AP's involvement and splashing his cash was that he was trying to run a sprint when building the club looks more like a marathon. The mantra from the club since the beginning of the season has been sustainability and continues to be so. To my untrained eye that looks like the right one. One real shame is that when we'd found somebody with a bit of cash to throw at the club it wasn't invested from a sustainable perspective. Imagine if the money AP threw at the team had been used to sprinkle the necessary fairy dust on a sustainable platform. Instead the whole box of fireworks was used at once.
The board statement and emphasis on youth looks like a long journey. Hopefully at some point we'll find another football romantic/sucker/saviour/raving egotist (take your pick) to give us another push.

[Gladfans]

On the pitch the one thing that would make a massive difference for me, is getting the squad properly fit.  I actually don't think the quality has been a million miles off, yes we aren't world beaters, but we've taken the lead in enough games to suggest that the squad are good enough footballers to have potentially stayed up.  I just don't think they are fit enough.  Elliot Durrell is a classic example, you see snippets of someone clearly capable of performing at this level, but it isn't much good if that's for 15-20 mins once a fortnight.

There aren't that many I'd be too disheartened to see back next year, although I'd be telling them to forget their boots for the first couple of weeks of pre season,

Totally agree with this post especially Elliot Durrell. To a lesser degree Harry Pinchard a hugely capable player who when on form is brilliant and whilst I appreciate he’s been carrying an injury I feel we only saw periodic glimpses of what he is capable of doing. Personally I would like to see them both next season.

[Darran]

In hindsight a major issue with AP's involvement and splashing his cash was that he was trying to run a sprint when building the club looks more like a marathon. The mantra from the club since the beginning of the season has been sustainability and continues to be so. To my untrained eye that looks like the right one. One real shame is that when we'd found somebody with a bit of cash to throw at the club it wasn't invested from a sustainable perspective. Imagine if the money AP threw at the team had been used to sprinkle the necessary fairy dust on a sustainable platform. Instead the whole box of fireworks was used at once.
The board statement and emphasis on youth looks like a long journey. Hopefully at some point we'll find another football romantic/sucker/saviour/raving egotist (take your pick) to give us another push.

Yes the emphasis on youth worried me as well. Rarely does that ever work and it did remind me of Patrick saying we would recruit local last summer.

[Prorsum Semper]

The main problem Will be that we have half the team on wages for the NLN , massive error in not having clauses in the contracts, but also a chance for some Young players to be given a chance, lets Hope MC gets the 6/7 he wants and the rest our youth teamers.

[Neil]

we were forced to use youth players under Colin Gardner / Chris Burns and eventually produced some very good players. I think that they're there locally, they just don't have the springboard to get used to the higher level hence they all end up in the Hellenic League.

That said, with the contracted players plus the five signngs that Cook wants we've got a team anyhow.

[Darran]

we were forced to use youth players under Colin Gardner / Chris Burns and eventually produced some very good players. I think that they're there locally, they just don't have the springboard to get used to the higher level hence they all end up in the Hellenic League.

That said, with the contracted players plus the five signngs that Cook wants we've got a team anyhow.

We were the level below then though.

[Neil]

strictly speaking we weren't, it was before the formation of the National League.

[Darran]

strictly speaking we weren't, it was before the formation of the National League.

Yes it was but given the teams we were playing it basically was like Step 4 is now.