With the tentative preliminaries of pre-season commencing this week, thus has the excitable countdown to the all-important date of August the 5th when Ben Strevens' tenure gets properly underway in terms of his own stylistic imprint. We can now visualise through a clearer lens how that might look; his prospective side is finally taking shape, albeit a few more bodies are needed through the door before we can consider ourselves ready to compete. Under what expectations is the pertinent question after an obvious budget reduction. Whether engineered by us, via circumstance or a mixture of both factors, the biggest earners have departed since Daryl McMahon did plus another couple are transfer listed towards the same end. Though not necessarily a bad thing nor reflective of any waning interest from the overseas owners, rather a welcome change in direction the fanbase can unanimously get behind. We've long had a squad comprising 'individuals' (that being operative word) who were often among the most talented for their previous clubs but never gelled in unison here besides intermittent spells, yet now seem to be reverting to our recognisable identity of hard-workers bound by unbreakable team spirit. In the modern National League ecosystem, you still need a somewhat healthy budget and we certainly will, just reduced and managed more diligently one would hope. Certainly it will be akin to what the likes of Barnet have managed to achieve a top seven finish on. They're actually a useful reference point having undergone a serious transformation during just a single summer, with a good manager in Dean Brennan at the helm, as we will be seeking to emulate. There had been some frustration over the speed, or more specifically lack thereof, we have been doing so. The partially enforced yet wholly welcome rebuild that dawned upon last season's conclusion, duly exacerbated by the subsequent departures of many prominent first teamers, was materialising slowly by way of discernible progress - certainly given the magnitude required - until suddenly accelerating into life over recent days during which two monumental additions have been announced: Tom Eastman and Frank Vincent. Both bring considerable pedigree verified by the shining endorsements from their previous employers. At 31, Eastman has vast experience under his belt but still plenty more years in the tank too. That signing could have a revolutionary impact on our most problematic area in the centre of defence, adding EFL-nurtured knowhow that will not only be valuable in itself but also could be imparted upon the very impressive if occasionally rash Harry Phipps, for whom such a mentor could be huge in development. A potentially great partnership right there.
With Vincent, it's more about replacing what we lost in midfield, and an arrival of his calibre is pleasantly surprising. Being surplus to requirements at Notts County is no shame but the fact he was still part of a winning culture there for a considerable period counts for a lot, so it seems very astute business. Like Eastman, all former clubs' fanbases could not be more complimentary, describing a player with good spatial awareness and invention. Alongside fellow new boy Josh Rees, that area of the pitch is manifesting nicely now, though we still need a couple more. Specialised defenders Nik Tavares, David Longe-King and Sam Ling all filled in there last campaign - the latter two under Strevens - but square pegs in round holes again is presumably not his intention so there should be more additions soon. Elsewhere, too, for the attacking options are shallow in depth. Out wide, we have Ryan Hill then Sydney Ibie and Myles Weston, both of whom will need their minutes managed due to being on opposite ends along the experience spectrum. We were certainly over-reliant on the latter throughout the past two years, especially deploying him at wing-back where defensive duties were additionally required, so need to treat him carefully to maximise efficiency. Weston embodies professionalism, and is probably in better condition than some a decade younger, but it catches up eventually. As such, more creative options are needed to lighten the burden, plus probably another goalscorer otherwise we are solely reliant on Inih Effiong replicating his career-best numbers. How or indeed whether any of that happens remains to be seen but one thing for sure is that the wheels are firmly in motion.
0 Comments
|
WRITERArchives
January 2024
|