Is this the best we can do??

[Blue Walter]

Have we learnt nothing from George Hirst because going by some comments on here we shouldn't have touched him with a barge pole. He'd never scored a senior goal before coming here. Yet we all want him back now & some.
There's a lesson there imo.

But the thing is he didn't score loads of goals to start with did he? Half of his time with us he was no more than a passenger and then gradually got better. So much so that you are right and we want him back.

In fairness you make a good point though and even if some of the players mentioned don't seem that appealing they could turn out to be brilliant. The thing is though is that you generally have to go through a period of waiting for them to get up to speed before they start producing the goods. And if they are loan players that means producing the goods for another clubs benefit.

"Passenger" really??
You must've seen different games to me. The point is that some are getting sniffy over a linked player with similar credentials to Hirst. Hirst went on to score 15 goals for us!!So what if he didn't score @ 1st, 15 goals over a season is a decent return. Some imo need to give their heads a wobble.

You are quite right, 15 goals over half a season is very good and I would also like to see him return. I think I quite possibly saw the same games as you did but I saw a young player struggling for the first, probably, 10 games before he started to be a very able player. Maybe you saw a super star hitting the ground running but it is all about opinions I suppose. I think, with all due respect, you are missing my point though. I am not saying that these players should be an overnight success and in all fairness it shouldn't be expected. The point is that if we are supposedly going for promotion we cannot afford to have players occupying positions that are critical for half a season. Promotion is won over the whole season so the beginning is every much as important as the end.

No point being missed @ all BW. Just pointing to those that are saying is this the best we can do. Just pointing out that Hirst had scored exactly zero senior goals before coming to us.

OK, Fair enough and as I have said you have made a fair point. I was really making the point that while I agree with you concerning Hirst that he he was far from the finished article when he first started playing for us and, as you have said, other players coming in could be just as effective and shouldn't be dismissed. I also make the point that players coming in without pedigree will need time to add to the team in effectiveness, just as Hirst did in my opinion, and I saw the same games as you to draw that conclusion. If we are to be genuine promotion contenders then we won't be able to carry players while they come up to scratch. I am not so sure that promotion is the aim for next season though.

[streetrifle]

"I am not sure that promotion is the aim for next season though"

Hang on a minute! If that statement from the last poster is true, then that is shocking. If true how many fans wouid be happy to buy/renew a season ticket at this time? We desperately need to get out of this division and if we start accepting that our ambitions for the future lie no further than League One then that is a damning indictment of our ambitions and pride in our club.
Certainly the owners' apparent disinclination to invest adequately in the team is a real worry . This next few weeks will give us a very good idea of their ambitions in that direction.

[New Forester]

I’ll be happy if we all get through next season fit and well. Players and fans included.

[Portchesterblue2]

"I am not sure that promotion is the aim for next season though"

Hang on a minute! If that statement from the last poster is true, then that is shocking. If true how many fans wouid be happy to buy/renew a season ticket at this time? We desperately need to get out of this division and if we start accepting that our ambitions for the future lie no further than League One then that is a damning indictment of our ambitions and pride in our club.
Certainly the owners' apparent disinclination to invest adequately in the team is a real worry . This next few weeks will give us a very good idea of their ambitions in that direction.

here we go again
club arent spending any money on players, we will replace everyone with nonleague teenage assets, be lucky to field a side unless we buy 50 players in the next 2 days

[Blue Walter]

"I am not sure that promotion is the aim for next season though"

Hang on a minute! If that statement from the last poster is true, then that is shocking. If true how many fans wouid be happy to buy/renew a season ticket at this time? We desperately need to get out of this division and if we start accepting that our ambitions for the future lie no further than League One then that is a damning indictment of our ambitions and pride in our club.
Certainly the owners' apparent disinclination to invest adequately in the team is a real worry . This next few weeks will give us a very good idea of their ambitions in that direction.

here we go again
club arent spending any money on players, we will replace everyone with nonleague teenage assets, be lucky to field a side unless we buy 50 players in the next 2 days

No, you are being preemptive of my post again. Nowhere have I said that we are not going for promotion because we are not spending big fees. I said that "I am not sure" that we are looking for promotion next season. I did not say we are NOT going for promotion. My veiw is that I think the owners and, quite possibly, the management would prefer to gain promotion when they think the club is ready for it off field. Remember the owners have said several times that they want to see improvement in the playing side but would prefer promotion when the club is ready and they don't want to be a 'yo yo' club. That's rather different to the owners saying we want promotion now and next season we will go all out for it. Try and ridicule my posts if you like but play fair and don't quote things I never said, as you have done before.

[Portchesterblue2]

"I am not sure that promotion is the aim for next season though"

Hang on a minute! If that statement from the last poster is true, then that is shocking. If true how many fans wouid be happy to buy/renew a season ticket at this time? We desperately need to get out of this division and if we start accepting that our ambitions for the future lie no further than League One then that is a damning indictment of our ambitions and pride in our club.
Certainly the owners' apparent disinclination to invest adequately in the team is a real worry . This next few weeks will give us a very good idea of their ambitions in that direction.

here we go again
club arent spending any money on players, we will replace everyone with nonleague teenage assets, be lucky to field a side unless we buy 50 players in the next 2 days

No, you are being preemptive of my post again. Nowhere have I said that we are not going for promotion because we are not spending big fees. I said that "I am not sure" that we are looking for promotion next season. I did not say we are NOT going for promotion. My veiw is that I think the owners and, quite possibly, the management would prefer to gain promotion when they think the club is ready for it off field. Remember the owners have said several times that they want to see improvement in the playing side but would prefer promotion when the club is ready and they don't want to be a 'yo yo' club. That's rather different to the owners saying we want promotion now and next season we will go all out for it. Try and ridicule my posts if you like but play fair and don't quote things I never said, as you have done before.

apologies Walter, the sarcasm didnt quite work, hence winky face.
i get your point, i think they would take promotion if they can get it, but arent going to do an ipswich of last season where they spend a fortune and then fail anyway

[jam tomorrow]

It’s still early days in the transfer window, but to be critical there is every indication that we are not bringing in any good quality players. Most of the players we have been linked with are cheap unproven ones. I do not get the impression we are going for it and so far it looks like another mediocre spell in mid table. Which for a club with our following is totally unacceptable.

[Portchesterblue2]

It’s still early days in the transfer window, but to be critical there is every indication that we are not bringing in any good quality players. Most of the players we have been linked with are cheap unproven ones. I do not get the impression we are going for it and so far it looks like another mediocre spell in mid table. Which for a club with our following is totally unacceptable.

and how many of those cheap unproven players have been actually linked to us, or just paper speculation. the club seems to keep a tight lid on players coming in until they absolutely have to. I would imagine that there is an awful lot going on in the background that we are not, and may never be aware of.
Until the window shuts and no players have been signed I will trust the club

[Sam_Brown]

It’s still early days in the transfer window, but to be critical there is every indication that we are not bringing in any good quality players. Most of the players we have been linked with are cheap unproven ones. I do not get the impression we are going for it and so far it looks like another mediocre spell in mid table. Which for a club with our following is totally unacceptable.

and how many of those cheap unproven players have been actually linked to us, or just paper speculation. the club seems to keep a tight lid on players coming in until they absolutely have to. I would imagine that there is an awful lot going on in the background that we are not, and may never be aware of.
Until the window shuts and no players have been signed I will trust the club

QFT. Keep the faith.

[Pompey55]

Until the window shuts and no players have been signed I will trust the club
[/quote]

Surely waiting until the window shuts on 1 September is leaving it a bit late to see some reasonable recruitment I would have thought we need most of the new squad in situ by the home friendly on 23 July as otherwise we would be half a dozen or so matches into the season

[jam tomorrow]

Until the window shuts and no players have been signed I will trust the club

In the meantime we are at a disadvantage by not having any new players training with the team the later we leave it the harder it will be to start the season well.

[StMonkton]

It’s the same thing that usually sees January as a virtual write off. Exits happen early, recruits come late, results in between suffer.

I do understand the financial responsibility argument and I acknowledge it is still early days but the pattern feels familiar.

We run the risk of 10 or a dozen games a season with sub optimal squads. Three extra wins in that scenario could be crucial.

If it is a problem for all teams in this league then maybe we will not lose too much ground. Sadly it hasn’t felt like that for the last couple of seasons.

Let’s hope the pessimism is misplaced.

PUP

[Pompey55]

It’s interesting that Cowley has admitted he would be interested in Cauley Woodrow who is out of contract at Barnsley but it not an option as we can’t compete with the likes of Ipswich and Wednesday
That indicates to me the budget is pretty low and any signings of contracted players are going to be bargain basement players and we will rely on unproven loanees unless of course we offload Harness and Curtis to the detriment of the squad

[NSRailings]

I think the Cowley's have until Christmas, at the max, to prove themselves. And if they go, the next manager will have some money to use.

[pompeygunner]

I think the Cowley's have until Christmas, at the max, to prove themselves. And if they go, the next manager will have some money to use.

Why would Tornante suddenly release the purse strings for a new manager?? Firstly they'd have to sack & pay up the Cowleys contracts, then negotiate with a new manager financially. Then give him money to spend??
Seems very fanciful to me.