How Many Players

[SkyBlueGull]

Whilst I understand the need for a loan market I really feel it has got out of hand - both at TUFC and other clubs.

I am sure that there are stattos ( sad anoraks ) out there who can tell me how many players Martin Ling used in the season we got to the play offs - it seemed to be the same 11 most weeks - and how many were loan players.

How many players have we used this season - how many were loan players and how did we rate them?

I thought Buckle used the loan market too much but I bet his figures pale into comparison with this season.

I just think it gets ridiculous - there is no continuity and no allegiance to the club

For starters without looking back over the match reports I can think of

McCourt - where is he now
Ball
Marquis
McAllum
Azeez
Showumni
O Conner
Cargill
Goodwin
Mozika - where is he now
Ladabie - was he a loan made permanent
Stockley
O Brien ? The lad from Bolton
? The lad from Man utd

That's 13 - have I missed anyone?

[hector]

O'Brien was from Millwall and Mudge was the Man Utd player. Wilkinson, I think was the name of the Bolton player.

Like you, I think the loan system has become a farce. There was a time when you could only have 5 loanees over a season and perhaps only one, maximum two, play at one time.

Now it seems there is no limit over a season and most of your team could be loanees.

Ling tended to sign central defenders - Tom Aldred and Angus MacDonald, come to mind - on loan.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I think it is an excellent resource for lower league clubs to be able to add to their meagre squads by bringing in players on loan for short periods. It also can help the players themselves so long as they don't arrive with an attitude problem thinking they are too good to play in the lower leagues which can and has happened.

The problem arises when managers like Knill become obsessed with it and begin shipping in players left right and centre, most turning out to be no better than we already have. This has a major disruptive influence on the team especially when loanees are seemingly randomly brought in and then given starting berths over established professionals. Again Mr Knill was the master, dropping Pearce for O'Connor, sending Lathrope to Hereford and bringing in McCourt, playing Callum Ball every week for months at the expense of contracted players when in actual fact he was even worse than a bag of mint humbugs.

For Knill there was no excuse, he was just using loanees to try and cover up the immense gaffes he had made in the transfer market whilst in Hargreaves' case he is trying desperately to add something that we may be missing in order to keep us up. Two entirely different scenarios. Admittedly each and every one of the players CH has brought in have been absolutely appalling and I include Goodwin in that although he is the one who emerges with most credit, however, given this I find it difficult to get excited over Shaquille and Bailey.

So I think loanees can help us as a club immeasurably but ultimately it is managerial acumen that pinpoints them and fits them in to the set up relatively successfully. Other than Paul McCallum and perhaps John Marquis, of all of them we've had only these two have done ok IMO but like I say, it's down to the manager to identify the players who can come in and do a job and this season so far this acumen has been sadly absent.