Lets get it done and dusted

I know there is plenty of time to make signings but the only thing I ask is that we get it done and dusted with the majority of signings completed before the players return to training. It is my opinion that our poor first half of the season is mainly down to poor preparation in the close season. Yes DC generally gets it right in the end but I am sure that if new players had the time to bed in (Pre season friendlies) then we would have a better chance of a good start. Last season was particularly bad with friendlies played with pretty weak teams and this season IMO it is even more important with as many as seven players likely to come in. Personally I like the ideal of signings not being able to be made after the first match until January as it means Managers have to get their teams in place earliar.

At the present time we have now lost two of our strikers from last season  (Telford and Gaffney) and with the non scoring Nicholls and Ellis the only two left it would seem that we need two possibly three strikers and they are the players that everyone wants and can really define the season. So far Upson seems a good quality signing but Williams is  very much an untried player at this level similar to Mensah so the seven which DC was hoping to sign will now be 8 due to Gaffney going.

It is a lot of work to make that number of signings and to get the majority right and whilst several teams have made rapid signings we all know that this can backfire spectacularly as Bury last season but it can also backfire the opposite way where signings are made too slowly leaving new players no time to settle in.


The next couple of weeks could well define how our season goes and whilst our midfield seems OK now we lack wingers and strikers and a left back or two would not go amiss. Personally I would like to see another keeper come in to challenge Slocombe and a dominant centre half to challenge in that area but I hope that we will now see some experienced League players as you can only afford to make one or two non league signings as it is a big gap between National and League 1.


Of course what we get in is NOT down to DC alone as the quality will depend very much on the budget he is given. We can only hope that it is reasonable but also better spent than the Nichols signing last year. for me we need a couple of physically strong strikers as we are  too light weight in that area and a bit of pace in our wingers would not go amiss.


Looking forward with anticipation to the next few weeks.

On the basis that Ronaldo is too old, we had better get rid of 80% of the fanbase then!

Speak for yourself. I am a spritely 61.

Round? I do not understand that word. Can you please give a definition?

Not sure where this 'one up front' thing has come from. As I recall it, this was mainly the case in just the last few games of the season when we were decimated by injuries and needed to pack the midfield against quality sides from above us in the table. For the most part of 2017-18, we played 4-3-3.

However, looking forward, I would agree that it is very difficult for clubs like ours to get all our business done early. As the OP says, ideally we would do so, but this is the real world, it ain't Fifa. Others have outlined the difficulties in being able to do business early, chiefly that the better players can afford to hold out longer for the best deal they can get. For all we know, Lyle Taylor may be an example of that.

What do we need? Well, clearly at least one left back, probably two. Tony Craig could play there if needs be and will do his usual solid defensive job, but much of our game us based on overlapping full backs and he won't do that.

We've hopefully sorted the central midfield requirement with tbe Ed Upson signing, so that leaves as priority two strikers and a right winger. The latter allows us to play 4-4-2 again, which has been DC's preferred system over the years but didn't get played much last year due to the lack of wingers on the books.

So, two left backs, one right winger and two strikers as priority. Any other improvements would be great, but these are the signings we need to make in my opinion.

Isn't it great talking about football rather than the so called lack of communication, balance sheets, fields in South Glos, stadium conspiracy theories, sponsor names, blah blah blah...

Patience required. We've made 2 signings and lost 1 player - not bad for us. Most teams have done very little business. I can only think of Crazy Posh and Fleetwood (Joey Barton now there) who've made lots of signings.

George Maris is an attacking midfielder and we have a few of those already so not sure there's really a need for him. Duffy is a left winger, I wouldn't be opposed to bringing in some competition for Bennett but right wing is really the priority position to fill this summer. Haven't seen us linked with any so far but I'm sure DC has a list of targets.