Re: Our average age today was under 23!

By John Rogers14/12/2015 00:09Mon Dec 14 00:09:57 2015In response to Re: Our average age today was under 23!

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I know the hope is for Seeby to be back in action around Xmas time and Casey is due back on 1st Feb. Brathwaite's return sounds a long way off still. We have to hope that the former two hit the ground running - a big if after such long lay-offs.

I don't think anyone, Gary included, would suggest that the squad is anywhere near right. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors with regards to player retainment / recruitment - however there are a couple of simple hard facts are obvious right now.

1) Too many players, departed or not, have chronically underperformed this season.

2) Persuading good quality and experienced reinforcements to join a struggling side on the money we are able to offer is a struggle.

Point 2 brings home the urgent need to raise more money and the quickest way to do this is through gate receipts. Yet some supporters are choosing to vote with their feet given the limited levels of success and entertainment on offer. That's their prerogative.


However, the fewer people that come, the less likely we are to see better players at the club in the short-term. Gary can only spend what WE supporters bring in to the club through sponsorship and other revenue. It is still OUR club, the same as it was in May when we were all riding the crest of a wave.

There are no easy answers, sadly. SJP will help in terms of giving us a base to put down roots again, but everything else is ultimately dependent on what we, as fans both individually and collectively, are prepared to provide.

Temporary loans are not the long-term answer, but I expect that Gary has been working flat-out to bring in better replacements than what has left. If players are unwilling to come, for whatever reason, then he has to go with the best option open to him at this point. It's not ideal, but it's helped us remain unbeaten in our last three home matches.

As ever, whoever Gary chooses tomorrow evening has my full backing during the 90 minutes. So long as I continue to see honest endeavour from them, I will forgive any shortcomings in quality.