The Squad for 2017/18

[Boz]

A decent prospect would have been given more than one and a half games to prove themselves before we dived into the market to loan Fylde’s reserve keeper. If Pilling was never going to be given a chance, he should have been allowed to go to whatever League Club wanted him (Brentford?) and we should have accepted the few pennies we’d get for youth development for him.

 

[Ian]

Obviously Micky has opted for experience here and doesn't want to thrust the young guy into the spotlight for longer than a couple of games. I can understand that to a degree. If he is one for the future, I would certainly get him out on loan to get games under his belt though as sitting on the bench indefinitely is doing him no favours at all.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Looking into this further, Rhys Taylor has a great pedigree for this league. He has played several games for Fylde this season. I am baffled why Challinor can spare him. It can't be financial. Has he really got two better keepers? Either way, I think we are lucky to get him, although it is harsh on Pilling.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I am a huge fan of Cook but there are definitely games where he goes missing and it is reasonable to point them out. On Saturday Clarke did put several great deliveries into the box but Cook did not attack them. Cook is the better player, but in several matches this season it is Norwood who has bailed us out with a last gasp goal, simply by fighting to the end.

With regard to contracts, I am sure we have been in conversation with Clarke, Jennings and the rest, but no agent is going to advise a player to sign when a better offer could be round the corner.

 

[Ian]

I am a huge fan of Cook but there are definitely games where he goes missing and it is reasonable to point them out.

Is it reasonable to point them out but it feels like a witch hunt at times. For example, Connor Jennings was awful for the first four months of the season (and I know he wasn’t in his favoured position but he was awful) and he pretty much went under the radar.

If Cook had been that bad for that length of time there would have been uproar. Think he gets a bad deal at times.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Is it reasonable to point them out but it feels like a witch hunt at times. For example, Connor Jennings was awful for the first four months of the season (and I know he wasn’t in his favoured position but he was awful) and he pretty much went under the radar.

If Cook had been that bad for that length of time there would have been uproar. Think he gets a bad deal at times.

Jennings got loads of criticism in the first few months of the season, not from me I hasten to add. Norwood gets constant criticism for missing one-on-ones.

I am not saying it is a major issue with Cook, but his workrate is not as good as Norwood's. Mellon was wrong to drop him at the start of the season but you can see why there could have been a falling out over that issue.

Certain supporters scapegoat McNulty, Kirby, Hughes and others at various times, none of which I agree with. I don't think the criticism of Cook comes anywhere near the scrutiny those players get.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

It is rumoured that James Alabi is signing permanently for Ebbsfleet.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

It is rumoured that James Alabi is signing permanently for Ebbsfleet.

I am reading that he signed for them this afternoon !

 

[Boz]

The Alabi situation is puzzling, just haven't seen enough of him to judge, although Dover fans don't seem too devastated he's moved on.
Talk of Waring's loan at Halifax being extended for the rest of the season too. If we're left with a suspension-prone Norwood and Cook and an out of form Mangan as our forward options, it looks a little thin. It's not like we've got many young prospects up front.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Personally, I am happy Alabi is moving on as he was not good enough for us from what I had seen. If we manage to bring back banks and dmh as a result, I think we have done good business. I would be happy enough to see waring or mangan on the bench but I don't know what the financial situation is with those two. If we move them off the payroll as well, we would surely be able to bring a striker in.

 

[Ian]

The Alabi situation is puzzling, just haven't seen enough of him to judge

We saw enough to know he wasn't up to it and that was only in short bursts!

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/sport/fleet-agree-alabi-transfer-158167/

 

[drwhoman]

Interesting that a team would want to sign a guy who has done nothing at 2 clubs this season. Still not complaining. Hopefully we can lose one or two other failures in this window enabling Rovers to bring in some better players (he hopes!).

 

[Boz]

You don't score 17 goals at this level by being completely useless.

 

[Sparky]

On the face of it Alabi was a good signing. He was 22, he'd scored 17 goals in a poor Chester side where you'd think creativity was lacking. A number of his goals were penalties, but then Norwood was the same in his first season when he got 19 I think. Also Alabi scored 4 in one game v Aldershot when his finishing was sublime - at least 3 I think were one on ones.

One problem was he was the big fish at Chester, but then came to us and was competing with Cook & Nors, but also Mangan & Waring. He needed to hit the ground running to keep one of Cook/Nors out of the team, and he didn't. Clearly he had confidence issues (not a surprise given he's a young lad), and some of the PP faithful were harsh on him. I remember he got stick for not winning anything in the air but that's not his game. His strength is pace, power and running onto chances and he's a decent finisher. He'd gone from a poor Chester team to a side that got 95 points last season and its perhaps not a surprise he didn't live up to our much higher expectations.

Like drwhoman I'm surprised Ebbsfleet have signed him permanently given James hasn't set the world alight at Dover, but it might be that their manager thinks he can get the best from him and Ebssfleet may not have too much competition in the striking areas.

Anyhow - he's off the wage bill and I hope he goes on and does well.

Re Banks, Oldham were paying part of his wages when he was with us so I'll be surprised if we can afford him permanently. He did well for us so wouldn't surprise me if L2 clubs were sniffing around for him. Would love to get DMH back if possible as we're desperate for some width.

 

[joe]

When Alabi signed for us, my mate, an avid Chester FC fan told me that they were glad to get rid as he was useless and couldn't understand us signing him. I explained that over the years we have signed many a 'lump' whom we just seem to hype up. Good luck to him but for his size hes' not that good.

 

[Ian]

You don't score 17 goals at this level by being completely useless.

I think a lot of these were penalties and the odd game when he would scored 3 or 4. From what I saw he absolutely crumbled in front of goal and is no surprise Dover didnt want him. I think he also thinks he’s a lot better than he is.

Having said that, the Daily Mail did once run an article about future England stars and he was one of them! So maybe I’m not seeing it..

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

One thing I'm sure about is that Alabi is a "confidence" player. Give him a manager who has faith in him, a system which suits his strengths and other players who know him well and he could be potent again at this level. I suspect however that once other teams know his limitations he will get targeted and lose confidence.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

You don't score 17 goals at this level by being completely useless.

Not being useless does not make him good enough for us, however.

I would want to know, not why we are selling Alabi now, but why did we sign him in the first place. You can put Waring, Rokka, Green, Mangan, Dawson, Wallace, McEverley, Dunn and others in the same bracket. Our transfer record in the last eighteen months has been awful.

We have got away with it to an extent this season because of the strength of the inherited players. However, most of those are out of contract in the summer and if there is not a major improvement in our recruitment we will be in trouble, whatever division we are in.

 

[Boz]

Not being useless does not make him good enough for us, however.

I would want to know, not why we are selling Alabi now, but why did we sign him in the first place. You can put Waring, Rokka, Green, Mangan, Dawson, Wallace, McEverley, Dunn and others in the same bracket. Our transfer record in the last eighteen months has been awful.

We have got away with it to an extent this season because of the strength of the inherited players. However, most of those are out of contract in the summer and if there is not a major improvement in our recruitment we will be in trouble, whatever division we are in.

As you have said elsewhere, we knew what kind of player Alabi was when we signed him. However, as we never played to his strengths, by giving him balls to run onto, it is hard to judge him from the brief spell at Rovers. Was what he did at Chester a flash in the pan, or will the same potential re-emerge? Reserving judgement until I see how his stint at Ebbsfleet goes.

I broadly agree about recruitment. Rokka was worth a punt and will have cost us little, Waring might fare better in a side playing with more width that we showed when he got match time, having been injured pre-season. and would need to see more of him before writing him off. Only Buxton and Norburn of the players brought in permanently during MMs era thus far look good enough and even they don't count as unqualifed successes.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

We give Norwood balls to run on to and he thrives on them. I don't believe we actually played any differently when Alabi was here; he just was not good enough to make use of the service he did receive. However, I appreciate that the squad as a whole was lacking confidence and creating fewer chances in that period.

My view is that Alabi is a reasonable player at this level, who will get 15 goals in a mid-table side, but simply was not good enough for us.