Swindon Town vs Bury: Match Day Thread

[Tails]

Reading back through this and regarding communication etc you can't argue with it,Power is awful but i had a bit of a think last night and think in terms of the footballing side he is getting a bit of unfair stick.

It's never a excuse but injuries this season has crippled us i do not care what people say. Last night was only the 5th game this season that L Thompson,Kasim Ajose and Obika have managed to start a game together all season.

We had to return Kevin Stewart and Williams to Liverpool we had to send Wes Thomas back due to injuries. Nathan Thompson this season has only played 21 games. People are quick to say that power hasn't recruited well but that's based on the likes of Boo barry(5th highest amount of assists in the division tbf) and Brophy .

If you look at the players we have actually bought in with the likes of the following has he actually recruited badly this year

L Thompson
Doughty
El Habd
Ajose
K Stewart
Traore
Barry
Wes Thomas
Turnball
Boo
Brophy
J williams
Vigaroux

What i am saying is we have had the basis for a good team this year but i honestly can't remember a season as bad as this injury wise and as above shows to say Power hasn't bought players in of a decent standard isn't strictly true is it.

The poor recruitment line goes with the fact that we received £xM in fees and proceeded to not spend anything. In Swindon fans logic that = poor recruitment. I don't fully agree personally, I think we've been unlucky with injuries and the Cooper / Williams fall out obviously had an impact but in general I don't think it was a particularly good season recruitment wise. There were some cheap options in there though you can't deny that.. the likes of Balmy, Bangoura or whatever he was called. I am thinking (and it's pretty optimistic I'll admit) that next season will bear the fruit of this seasons recruitment with the likes of BOO, Brophy and probably Barry's development coming on.

If Power is serious about promotion he simply cannot sell Ajose or Obika. He needs to add more depth in that area (not sure Hylton is up to it) and also a bit more quality depth elsewhere.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

But what quality striker will want to be a bench player just waiting for Obika and Ajose to get injured/suspended to get a game?

[Private Fraser]

The number one priority has to be to address our obvious (and well-documented) defensive frailties.  You can't be successful by shipping goals at the rate we have been over the past couple of seasons.  And you can't continually go into games knowing that you are going to need to score 2 or 3 to stand a chance of getting a win.

[ferret]

But what quality striker will want to be a bench player just waiting for Obika and Ajose to get injured/suspended to get a game?

I would say though that Hylton is a long way short of what I'd expect from a bench warming striker, which I guess is why he never gets off the bench unless we are really desperate for a body.

There's a massive middle ground between his level and that of NA / JO, and, in the absence of a reserve team here, he should be out on loan somewhere. The current arrangement is doing nobody any favours.

I see no reason why we couldn't recruit someone within that middle ground to give us a regular 20/30 mins off the bench, and who could credibly start a game when needed.

[Private Fraser]

I would say though that Hylton is a long way short of what I'd expect from a bench warming striker, which I guess is why he never gets off the bench unless we are really desperate for a body.

There's a massive middle ground between his level and that of NA / JO, and, in the absence of a reserve team here, he should be out on loan somewhere. The current arrangement is doing nobody any favours.

I see no reason why we couldn't recruit someone within that middle ground to give us a regular 20/30 mins off the bench, and who could credibly start a game when needed.

If/when we offload Smith and Storey, it should be possible to do just that.

[Reg Smeeton]

The number one priority has to be to address our obvious (and well-documented) defensive frailties.  You can't be successful by shipping goals at the rate we have been over the past couple of seasons.  And you can't continually go into games knowing that you are going to need to score 2 or 3 to stand a chance of getting a win.

Spot on, there's the conundrum, which might be summed up as Barca v Atletico, Barca are always dodgy defensively, but don't concede many as the belief is possession does your defending, Atleti rock solid at the back, terriers in midfield and nick lots of goals from set plays.

The Swindon way, is Barca style, the problem being of course the players have to be top drawer to make it work properly....ours aren't.

Nevertheless, it's more likely playing expansively can put players in the shop window, and that's where Power wants them to be. In Div 3 an outfit like Burton are more Simeone style....rugged in defence, terriers in midfield, lots of goals from set plays....nobody can name any of their players.

I don't think there's any chance of a change of style....but we do need to get better at the basics.

[ferret]

If/when we offload Smith and Storey, it should be possible to do just that.

Absolutely. It's just frustrating that we've had to face the whole season with 2 strikers (and no wingers) who are really up to task. Obika has always been injury prone, and it does make us vulnerable to almost having to forfeit games, with Oldham and Bradford being recent examples.

Get the main men back out there and, whether certain people on here wish to accept it or not, we're actually quite good. We're just never likely to achieve much over a season when the absence of 2 or 3 players together can set us on a terrible run of form.