bring back the cowshed!
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- Joined
- 1 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 5,741
- Player
- Alan King, Barry Dyson
I have given you a "like" on the basis of the majority of your analysis. It's spot on, apart from the first sentence. Without going into detailed semantics, I think most people would agree that a player who is released by his club at the end of his contract could be labelled a cast off. That doesn't make him a bad player, as it's just one manager's opinion, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement. The player is not wanted. We have signed hundreds of cast offs in my time. Some like multiple cast off Ian Muir proved to be shrewd buys, although many were not. My point is that by force of financial circumstances we have had to fill the squad with players deemed surplus to requirements at other League Two clubs (and below). That said, I think we have done shrewd business, certainly better than last summer. But we shall see.I would not describe Banks and Bakayogo as cast-offs. Players come in and out of favour at clubs for a variety of reasons, but those two are a cut above most at League Two level. I think we have done good business over the summer and significantly improved the quality of the squad, with even the striking options looking reasonably strong now.
I am very pleased Stockton has arrived. For that six month spell under Mellon in 2016-17 he was just as good as, if not better than, Cook and whatever the politics of the situation, Cole kept him out of the side for a number of weeks. His overall career record is patchy, but the best form of his career came under Jim Bentley and Mellon and he had a good understanding with Jennings and Norwood when he was last here. I much prefer signing him to some kid we know next to nothing about, and after the experience with Waring and Alabi last season I think Mellon feels the same.
I never really warmed to Stockton, but if two months ago you had offered me Cole as a more realistic alternative to Rowe I would have been perfectly happy. To those people saying 'is he the best we can get ?' I would love to know who exactly they thought we were going to sign ?