Fingers crossed for Gallacher

[Pete Raven 276]

As Lewis has fractured his cheekbone and is out for a month.

[rich 0]

maybe we need to stirke a sponsorship with cotton wool firm, because were certainly going to be relying on them an awful lot this season.

[Mokey76 0]

It was said at the before the season that Joe Lewis was going out on loan to get some first team experience, but this didn''t happen.

Then we were selling Greeno to Charlton and getting a keeper on loan as part of the deal, but as he went to West Ham we didn''t get another keeper.

Which brings us to now, Joe Lewis is injured (according to the report it happened last week - when the transfer window was open?) and we''re left with one keeper and a academy rookie. 

My question is - WHY THE BLINKIN HECK DIDN''T WORTHY GET A GOALKEEPER IN AS COVER WHEN THE WINDOW WAS OPEN?!!?!?

I know the season has started really well, a lot better than most of us expected, and Worthy wasn''t getting too much stick.  Now him and the board have let the window close with very little effort to bolster our small squad, a lot of the bad feeling is coming back!

 

Katie

 

 

[blahblahblah 2]

[quote]WHY THE BLINKIN HECK DIDN''T WORTHY GET A GOALKEEPER IN AS COVER WHEN THE WINDOW WAS OPEN?!!?!?[/quote]

Because Lewis is only injured for 4 weeks, and if we need another keeper we can get one in as an emergency loan, which doesn''t effect the 3 standard loans we are allowed.

In other words, the people running the club refuse to pay over the odds on anyone because of an arbitrary and pointless transfer window, and good on them for doing so.

 

[blahblahblah 2]

Incidentally, it could be worse...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/coventry_city/5319466.stm

[quote]Coventry City boss Micky Adams said the Championship club may bring in a goalkeeper when the Football League loan window opens on Friday.

Andy Marshall is currently the only shotstopper in the Sky Blues squad. [/quote]

Poor Micky Adams has that to cope with, and Leon up front too !  Good luck to him I say.  Once we''ve finished with him on Saturday that is...

[canary cherub 1]

In fairness, I''m not sure they knew straight away that Joe Lewis had a fractured cheekbone.  He had a lot of treatment during the game but was able to carry on.

As to the wider point of lack of cover, all I want to know is . . . WHY??  No one in their right mind thinks our squad is big enough to compete over 50 or more games, even without any major injury problems. 

I can''t avoid a sinking feeling that there must have been a gigantic financial cockup somewhere, and something is seriously wrong.  I sincerely hope I''m overreacting.

[Carrow89 0]

" have let the window close with very little effort to bolster our small squad "

What evidence do you have for this other than a fertile mind and a keyboard ?

[Saint Canary 0]

[quote user="Ralph Wright"]" have let the window close with very little effort to bolster our small squad " What evidence do you have for this other than a fertile mind and a keyboard ?[/quote]

They have a mate who "works" at the club..............

[blahblahblah 2]

[quote user="mystic megson"]As to the wider point of lack of cover, all I want to know is . . . WHY??  No one in their right mind thinks our squad is big enough to compete over 50 or more games, even without any major injury problems.[/quote]

1. The reserves are in the pontins league this season, 18 games, 2 per month against the likes of Stevenage Borough and Oxford United.  Last season the reserve team had a full schedule, and were often playing against decent players in Premiership reserve teams.  The lack of games creates a match fitness problem for players close to the first team, but not in it.  Where is the point of paying the wages of extra squad players if they only get to play in a few first team matches, and 18 reserve games per season ?

2. We have money, but we''re not willing to pay stupid money.  Hence the availability of up to 700k (i''m guessing) for Howard, but not 1 million.  A lot of teams are paying desperate money (2.2 mill for Hulse, 2.5 mill for Kuqi) to sign recognised goalscorers for example, partly because of the transfer window, partly because of increased sums being available to clubs from the new TV deal in the Premiership.  The gamble to get there brings a bigger prize, so Championship clubs have been paying more.  In the long term, sticking to the wage structure and not wasting money on overpriced players is good for our club.

3. Loans provide greater flexibility to the club than a large squad would.  If a player that we need to cover gets injured, we can send one of the other loanees home.  We can also ask for emergency loans, and we probably will do to cover Lewis. Worthington seems to believe that we have cover for what we need, or can get it.  Hence the only attempted signing being an 18 year old who can cover for Croft or Earnshaw, and might be worth more long term.  Only time will tell us if he is right in this assertion.

4. Martin Hunter will be able to improve the games of the academy graduates, it''s just a shame that the quality of matches they will be playing in, in the reserves won''t help him to do that.

[Mokey76 0]

[quote user="blahblahblah"]

[quote]WHY THE BLINKIN HECK DIDN''T WORTHY GET A GOALKEEPER IN AS COVER WHEN THE WINDOW WAS OPEN?!!?!?[/quote]

Because Lewis is only injured for 4 weeks, and if we need another keeper we can get one in as an emergency loan, which doesn''t effect the 3 standard loans we are allowed.

In other words, the people running the club refuse to pay over the odds on anyone because of an arbitrary and pointless transfer window, and good on them for doing so.

 

[/quote]

In my defense, i never said anytihng about buying another keeper.  I did think, and still think, that it would''ve been best to get some experienced cover - on loan - for Gallacher once Green had gone.  That would''ve also given Lewis the chance to go out on loan himself and gain some first team experience.