Pressman wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:46 pm
I agree that Ben Diamond is a big talent. Why on earth Corby let him go is a great mystery to me although apparently Ben didn't like playing wide there.
I also noted Bully's comments with interest. If we keep the core of this squad together then I have no doubt that we can compete at a higher level but it is a catch 22 situation! Players come and players go for all kinds of different reasons whether it be to play at a higher level, work commitments , geography or even being lured by more money!
At the recent Fans Forum I thanked the management team for their efforts this season as despite having a playing budget, rumoured to be considerably smaller than all the other teams in the top 6, Peaksy's impressive player contact network and powers of persuasion enabled the management team to put together a talented squad which duly got us over the line. I for one think that the management team have done an amazing job with a limited budget to take us to the next level and hopefully Peaksy will get rewarded accordingly!
The catch 22 reference above brings me to next season. Most fans are very happy just to have a football team to support after the Nene Park debacle and understandably the question of league progression is not as important as 'sustainability'. We have ground costs amounting to £30k while reopening the stand and improving the drainage will probably run in into many tens of thousands of pounds so it is entirely the right option to deal with same as a priority.
But on the other side of the road it is the question of trying to compete at a higher level. That does not mean getting back to back promotions it is simply to compete and have a minimum requirement of avoiding relegation. We will probably need a striker who can score 20 plus in the higher league and they don't come cheap. We potentially will need extra depth to the squad. But this all costs money and I therefore don't envy the board on the tough decisions ahead trying to balance the books between necessary ground work and keeping the squad competitive.
You make some very valid points there Pressman, particularly regarding the need to invest in the infrastructure of Hayden Road to ensure that both the club is able to progress further should the need arise and we don't suffer the level of postponements we have this year.
Fortunately for both board and management I guess, we're moving up to a level now where I think (or hope) the level of expectation on the pitch will decrease. This is a good level of football and one, as Peaksy said in his post-match interview, the club can be proud of playing at. When we reformed I had hoped that we would get to this level, anything else is a bonus as far as i'm concerned and I know others feel similarly. This might mean that any additional revenue we make from being at a higher level can be diverted elsewhere rather than the playing squad.
As mentioned before I think with the current squad we'd be upper mid-table in the current Southern League Premier. If we actually decided we wanted to aim higher than that then I think we need 4 players across various positions, not necessarily starters, for example we have no genuine cover in the wide areas. That's assuming nobody key moves on, but maybe we can have this discussion in the summer when we're bored and football-less!
