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Monday Comment
This is the first of an occasional feature by Huw Williams.
The Future's Bright, the Future's White
Looking forward to a new season has usually been a case of optimism that things are going to be different, followed by a sinking feeling round about mid-October that it's the same old mediocre stuff again. This time it really is different. Graham Turner gave us a team to be proud of, and came close, so bloody close, to getting us back into the league, and this time there's every chance we can go all the way.
The excitement is building already. Season ticket sales are up (credit to Parkabull for his tireless campaign on the forum!), most of the players we wanted to re-sign have done so, and GT has already added a couple of promising players to the squad.
OK, so some players have gone. The only one I think will be really missed is Guinan, who was the best all round footballer in the squad. A lot of people have said that all he did was put away the chances others created for him. What a load of rubbish! You could have said the same about Dixie McNeil or Steve White, or even Gary Lineker for that matter. Scoring goals is not simple. It's about making good runs, reading the game, being in the right place, and then putting it away coolly, not blasting it over the bar and wasting someone else's good work. His support play, holding the ball and bringing others into the game, and passing were all good too.
I think we can have confidence in Turner's abilities in the transfer market. Over the years there have been a few duffers, but his successes outnumber the failures by a long way. The profile of the club is raised now, and he can point to Parry's rapid rise as an enticement to young players, and to Guinan and Smith as examples of former league players resurrecting their careers. All these factors wil help him in getting the right sort of player to the club.
He has a clear idea of what he wants, and won't get just any old bloke who happens to be available. He had a radical change of approach two seasons ago, and started to bring in promising young, skilful players who had something to prove, rather than old journeyman pros looking for a final payday. This paid off, and the quality of the play at times has been outstanding. The only drawback to this style of play is that it needs everyone to be on form, if not passes start to go astray and the whole team loses its rhythm and shape. Teams that play the long ball, percentage football can carry a couple of players having an off day much more easily.
We all await the announcement of ROK's replacement eagerly. I met O'Kelly once, briefly, and his enthusiasm for the game was remarkable, plus he came across as a genuinely nice bloke. It's a great shame that he's gone, but it was a good opportunity for him to progress, and I'm sure we all wish him well. I hope his replacement has the same beliefs and carries on with the same style of play.
The drawn out 'will he, won't he? Matt Baker saga is infuriating a lot of people. To be fair, he's only trying to get the best deal he can for himself. I'm sure that many of the people who are moaning about a perceived lack of loyalty on Baker's part are some of the ones who gave him all the abuse when he had a bad patch in the middle of last season. It's a short career in football, and there's never more than a two year deal on offer, so I don't blame him for trying. However there comes a point at which he will have to make a choice. If he pushes his luck too far I'm sure Turner will tell him to take a hike.
So there we are. The core of a decent squad is in place. We need another striker, I think someone with a bit more height. I don't want us to become a long ball team, but we need some options when playing teams with 6 ft 4 in centre halves. I'd like to see a genuine left footer in the team, either in midfield or left back. Travis would be far better employed on the right side where he can get a decent cross in. We could even shuffle the back line across, put Smith at left back, move Green into a central position (he did a great job there when Tretton was sent off) and play Travis at right back. And we really need someone who can deliver a decent ball in from set pieces, which to be honest has been a gap in our armoury for a while (don't mention Rose, how he got his reputation as a dead ball specialist baffles me!)
We'll be good enough to be challenging all the way next season. We need to get off to a good start. We all know the cliché about a championship being a marathon not a sprint, but even in a marathon you need to get into your stride early. Also the team need our sustained support, we don't want all the whingers and moaners sounding off at the first setback.
Believe me, the future's bright.
Any comments on this article are welcome on the Independent Hereford United Forum.