Our Squad

[Damon.Lenszner]

Both Pulis and Holloway paid particular attention to the spread of ages across the squad. The age brackets they both used were as follows (it stood out because they both used the same age ranges):

17 - 21
22 - 26
27 - 31
31 +

Both Pulis and Holloway would say ideally the squad would have 30% of the first 3 categories and 10% for the 31+.
Our squad (excluding loanees) has 25 players. The spread is as follows:

17 - 21 12
22 - 26 6
27 - 31 4
31 + 3

Just gives an indication how the squad still needs a major overhaul.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

Both Holloway and Pulis were experienced managers operating in the Championship where the budget, TV money, sponsorship and turnover would be higher than League Two which allowed them to spend money on wages and transfer fees.
Pulis didn't start his season as manager and bored the life out of us with his defensive football but saved us from relegation, exactly the same as Fletcher did last season.

Fletch is inexperienced but is learning fast in the hard knock life of League Two, I'm sure he would like to improve the squad and their age range but he's hamstrung by historic debt and the 55% wage-to-turnover cap. Besides, not many clubs in L2 pay out in transfer fees.

There are deficiencies in the current squad and it will take time for Fletch to sort through the players, trying them out to see who fits while also changing the playing style and attempting to win games.
I'm sure that after this season Fletch will have his squad and playing style sorted and settled ready for next season in much the same way Sturrock did when he assembled his squad for a season in League One (Division Two) before successfully mounting a challenge for promotion the following season.

 

[Damon.Lenszner]

That was defensive Ian!

My post was not a knock on the manager.

To improve the squad we need investment in the squad. End of.

 

[jonc3725]

To improve the squad we need investment in the squad. End of.

Oh yea because we have hundreds of thousands in the bank :thumbup: :funny: :funny: :funny:

Lets go back to running up bills we cant pay adding to an already oversize squad :facepalm: :facepalm:

End of.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

That was defensive Ian!

My post was not a knock on the manager.

To improve the squad we need investment in the squad. End of.

Not defensive, just logical.

Ten new players, including loans, so far this season is a decent investment for L2, almost a whole new team. As things stand we can only add another two loans to the match day squad before January and any free agents that may turn up.
The budget is for the whole season so we'll see that happens in January when the transfer window opens.

 

[Graham Evans]

Be nice if the chairman contributed to the funds , probably not going to happen.

 

[briangreen]

I just feel myself that some of those players who are not doing the job they are paid for should be shown the door. Don't think we have one really bad player, they just don't fit into our current style of play.
Also there are some; as in certain strikers who don't score goals. What is the point of playing them? I know you need the Madjo's of this world to hold the ball up, but he will never be prolific. Warren Feeney does a similar job, but is half the size and pushed off the ball easily. Nick Chadwick had a good shot on him and was a tuffy on the ball, but now seems weak in both those areas. Rhys Griffiths a good goalscorer, holds up the ball and provides assists, but seems to have a problem with injuries, probably our only current natural goalscorer apart from Paris Cowan-Hall.
Thinking about some of our youngsters, Maybe they are the way forward. Is it better to play a matchfit league inexperienced teenager rather than a league experienced player who isn't matchfit?
It's all taking a chance, who would want Carl Fletchers job...

 

[Damon.Lenszner]

"We want to compete to win next season, we don't want to compete to stay up. It's a subtle difference but an important one, we're not aspiring to be mid-table, we're aspiring to succeed." James Brent, May 10, 2012.

"We're desperately keen for promotion next year and we'll support the team in striving to achieve it." James Brent, May 29th 2012

"We have a budget that I think both the management team and the board is hopeful will give us a fair chance of promotion this season," James Brent, 9th July 2012

"I want what Carl and the fans are also wanting, a successful Argyle team playing attractive football and pushing for promotion." James Brent, July 17th 2012.

 

[briangreen]

"We want to compete to win next season, we don't want to compete to stay up. It's a subtle difference but an important one, we're not aspiring to be mid-table, we're aspiring to succeed." James Brent, May 10, 2012.

"We're desperately keen for promotion next year and we'll support the team in striving to achieve it." James Brent, May 29th 2012

"We have a budget that I think both the management team and the board is hopeful will give us a fair chance of promotion this season," James Brent, 9th July 2012

"I want what Carl and the fans are also wanting, a successful Argyle team playing attractive football and pushing for promotion." James Brent, July 17th 2012.

Sounds just about what's happening this year, just need some of our players like Lowry to be matchfit and others to recover from injury.
Just a matter of time I think.

 

[tonycholwell]

"We want to compete to win next season, we don't want to compete to stay up. It's a subtle difference but an important one, we're not aspiring to be mid-table, we're aspiring to succeed." James Brent, May 10, 2012.

"We're desperately keen for promotion next year and we'll support the team in striving to achieve it." James Brent, May 29th 2012

"We have a budget that I think both the management team and the board is hopeful will give us a fair chance of promotion this season," James Brent, 9th July 2012

"I want what Carl and the fans are also wanting, a successful Argyle team playing attractive football and pushing for promotion." James Brent, July 17th 2012.

Damon

I am not sure of the point of the quotes.

C F has a huge budget by this divisions standards but like all managers it is up to him how and on who he spends it.

If you want the Chairman to be the manager as well, it m be cosidered step too far

ps Its no surprise Ollie and Pulis had similar ideas they are mates and played together at Bristol Rovers.

 

[jerryatricjanner]

I found PL2's retort to the OP pretty apologetic for CF and defensive too. I think the point Damon made reference the age range was very valid and is something not peculiar to Pulis and Ollie but managers in general. I made this point earlier in the season that we were overloaded with youngsters and over 30's but had very few players in the peak playing age range of 23 to 29. Despite the historic debt Postey refers to and the 55% wage cap which applies to all teams remember CF has a much better budget than most teams in this league. Sturrock transformed this club in half a season when he first joined albeit with more money to spend than CF has at present but even so a season and a half will be a fair crack at the job for CF by the end of this season and we really ought to be close to seeing a squad more than capable of making a challenge for promotion next season by then. Brian you keep trotting out the lines,"it will take time and all we need is a couple of injured players back" etc. but all clubs have players out injured at any one time and our squad is bigger than most to cope. I really don't buy that one I'm afraid.

 

[Deacster]

Il stick to organic thanks. For me Brent has given Fletch a decent budget, more of a question how shrewd he has been in using it.

 

[ejh]

"We want to compete to win next season, we don't want to compete to stay up. It's a subtle difference but an important one, we're not aspiring to be mid-table, we're aspiring to succeed." James Brent, May 10, 2012.

"We're desperately keen for promotion next year and we'll support the team in striving to achieve it." James Brent, May 29th 2012

"We have a budget that I think both the management team and the board is hopeful will give us a fair chance of promotion this season," James Brent, 9th July 2012

"I want what Carl and the fans are also wanting, a successful Argyle team playing attractive football and pushing for promotion." James Brent, July 17th 2012.

Damon

I am not sure of the point of the quotes.

C F has a huge budget by this divisions standards but like all managers it is up to him how and on who he spends it.

How do you know this to be a fact Tony? Or is it a 'pasoti fact'?

Let's put it this way - I'd be very surprised if Argyle were to have re-signed Arnason. His wages would have been too high. I would have been surprised if we'd signed Edgar Davids, or Collins John. But other clubs, not particularly big clubs either, are managing to find wages for them. Two of our summer signings were from non league this summer, another was a crock other clubs were turning away. Apart from some potentially costly loan fees/wage agreements, particularly MacDonald, Madjo and Griffiths, there's not really much evidence of us having a 'massive budget for this level'. A good one capable of competing for promotion perhaps, which is how Brent described it himself, but not exactly one which is lending itself to pressure on Fletch to deliver a top 6 finish and silverwear.

 

[Liam Vercoe]

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that some (not sure how many) of Fletch's targets for the summer chose to go elsewhere for more money (not necessarily in our league) so I can't fault a League 2 club being out-done for money but clubs higher up, it also shows that we're looking to bring in quality players who can command such money, that's ambition in my book. Our squad can and will get better.

 

[esmer]

"We want to compete to win next season, we don't want to compete to stay up. It's a subtle difference but an important one, we're not aspiring to be mid-table, we're aspiring to succeed." James Brent, May 10, 2012.

"We're desperately keen for promotion next year and we'll support the team in striving to achieve it." James Brent, May 29th 2012

"We have a budget that I think both the management team and the board is hopeful will give us a fair chance of promotion this season," James Brent, 9th July 2012

"I want what Carl and the fans are also wanting, a successful Argyle team playing attractive football and pushing for promotion." James Brent, July 17th 2012.

I think you are overlooking Mr Brent's complete inexperience in football, those comments were over optimistic to say the least, it takes time to build a quality team. Carl Fletcher is doing exactly that. He is in the process of radically changing the style of play which the club has employed for years and building his squad. In my opinion he has recruited, some on loan admittedly, a number of quality players, Purse, Blanchard, McDonald, Griffiths, Madjo, Gurreiri, Cowan Hall and, hopefully, Lowery, and maybe Lennox. With further strengthening in the summer and a season of honing the new style of play, I'm confident we will be challenging next season. Also, Fletcher is getting more experienced and this time next year he will be a better manager and we will have a better team.