Padraig Amond SIGNED!!

Quoted from rancido

Of course it's promotion or bust for PH this season but I would hardly call being in the play-offs three seasons in a row culminating in a play-off final as " floundering ".

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter how you describe it we are still here going into our 6th season, where we finished in the past is of no consequence now in relation to where we are.

Quoted from StaffsMariner

Ok. Hands up who turned this great new signing thread in to this drivel. some opinions should be kept to yourselves rather than adding ....but i hope im wrong or similar to the end it.

It's called discussions of opinions on a forum, keep logging in you might get the hang of it.

If anybody still remains pessimistic after the signings we have made,I give in.However i can never be accused of belonging to the rose tinted spectacle brigade and believe we have the right team in place.P.H has got to develop a less cautious approach especially at home and meaningless possession never won matches. .

Quoted from friskneymariner

The thing is we may have lost the play off final,but we were not outplayed or beaten by a better team,we were  beaten in the lottery of a penalty shoot out.

Yes, but...we were 7 points off automatic promotion, and lost 7 home games throughout the season. The only side who outplayed us at BP were Lincoln ( I hate to say). A lot of the squandered home points were due IMO to Hurst's overly defensive approach. Remains to be seen how he handles the current squad this season. My solution to visiting sides "parking the bus" would be to send Toto forward to win headers, and tell Bogle/Arnold/Pittman/whoever to stay in his general vicinity! Not rocket science admittedly - but LJL didn't win a header all match when we played Southport at home the season before (with Toto marking him).

I can see the case for signing a big target man for away matches, but the advantage BP gives us is that we can play a proper passing game on it...and start forwards who want the ball to feet (Bogle/Arnold/Pittman fit the bill). That should be Plan A. Toto up front is Plan B.
Plan C could be bring on Marshall and/or Mackreth for the last 20 minutes and hope their pace will deliver us something.

PH has done well, but only promotion is good enough. Now the squad looks good enough - one classy midfielder is all we need, I think - so PH has to show he can manage them to success. I believe he will, but I'm wrong about football matters at least as often as I'm right.

Toto up front? Heard it all now.

Why not just have a player up front to win headers who is say......................a target man striker for instance?

Quoted from ginnywings

Toto up front? Heard it all now.

Why not just have a player up front to win headers who is say......................a target man striker for instance?

Because then we play too much 'hoof-it' all match. Good target men who can finish are a rarity in our league. Sides 'parking the bus' give us a surplus defender. We have one we can use to win headers in the opposition box. So I'd do that.

Your solution to sides parking the bus at BB?

Play three proper strikers? Why put a square peg in a round hole?

I'm not suggesting playing Toto as a striker....but moving him forward (for 10-15 minutes) to see if his strength in the air can be used in the opposition box to get us a goal against sides with a massed defence. That's all.

Quoted from 137

I'm not suggesting playing Toto as a striker....but moving him forward (for 10-15 minutes) to see if his strength in the air can be used in the opposition box to get us a goal against sides with a massed defence. That's all.

Pearson has often taken that roll in the last few minutes of the match when we are fighting to get a late goal

Quoted from arryarryarry

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter how you describe it we are still here going into our 6th season, where we finished in the past is of no consequence now in relation to where we are.

Apart from that time seven years ago when we finished in the relegation zone of course