We don’t need a squad Evans only uses 14 players | Vital Football

We don’t need a squad Evans only uses 14 players

Cookiejar

Vital Reserves Team
It’s obvious from last season and this Evans likes a small squad and rarely rotates players so not quite sure why he bangs on about having a small squad and budget?

other than last nights 11 he only uses MacDonald, Akinde and McKenzie to fill in gaps and that’s about it. I appreciate the others may make an occasionally 30 second cameo but that’s it. I’m sure he did the same last season in the end.

willock, Johnson, the keeper and Maghoma and to a lesser extent Woods just sit there to make up the numbers

samuelwould probably make 15 if he was fit.
 
It’s obvious from last season and this Evans likes a small squad and rarely rotates players so not quite sure why he bangs on about having a small squad and budget?

other than last nights 11 he only uses MacDonald, Akinde and McKenzie to fill in gaps and that’s about it. I appreciate the others may make an occasionally 30 second cameo but that’s it. I’m sure he did the same last season in the end.

willock, Johnson, the keeper and Maghoma and to a lesser extent Woods just sit there to make up the numbers

samuelwould probably make 15 if he was fit.
That is a fair point. If the wages of some of them are high it does seem a waste.
 
But how many of the players are actually ours? That is where the crux of the matter lays. We have players that he brought in on a contract who are getting next to no game time which raises the question(s) why bring them in in the first place and if they are not going to get a game, why keep them on the books. I realise that if they are sold on and a couple of the loanee players get crocked then the faeces really would hit the fan. If what @Cookiejar says is correct (and looking back, it is) then surely it's counterproductive having our own players nonactive while mercenaries get all the glory. I have no idea what it does for their confidence but it cannot be good, that's for sure.
 
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I don’t understand why we don’t get 16 decent players in, signed to us with the odd loan and use promising youth options to bulk the squad out

Farrell s left peg is also right out of those 14 four are on loan and no doubt 4or 5 out of contract.
 
I’m sure Evans would prefer a bigger squad. But that would come at a cost of quality.

Squad members are always needed in case of injuries/form etc. If players (like the new keeper) are always on standby - it doesn’t mean it is a ‘waste’. We should always have a back-up keeper on the bench.

If BFSE were to rotate the squad every week, I’m sure people would comment that he doesn’t know his best 11; or we need a settler squad.
 
I’m sure Evans would prefer a bigger squad. But that would come at a cost of quality.

Squad members are always needed in case of injuries/form etc. If players (like the new keeper) are always on standby - it doesn’t mean it is a ‘waste’. We should always have a back-up keeper on the bench.

If BFSE were to rotate the squad every week, I’m sure people would comment that he doesn’t know his best 11; or we need a settler squad.
That’s exactly what the Spotters fans are complaining about. Constantly changing the team to keep everyone involved.
 
If BFSE were to rotate the squad every week, I’m sure people would comment that he doesn’t know his best 11; or we need a settler squad.

At the beginning of the season he regularly rotated Tucker, Ogilvie, Medley, Maghoma and occasional cameo by Drysdale at centerback which was assumed to be the result of the short pre-season meant resting players so not to risk injury while they got up to speed. The negative part was some quite indifferent league form, especially during October as the players looked as if they had not played together before.
 
I think we should have stuck with Medley.
Ogilvie in the middle and Medley at left back.
I personally am underwhelmed by Cundy.
 
To be fair to Evans, I think the lack of squad rotation is that he's not convinced by the bench warmers. If we spent more and had a deeper squad, I think it would be different. We've also got two players out injured who'd definitely be in the mix (Samuel and Slattery). In any case, I see the low rotation as a positive - it means not too many injuries or suspensions.
 
I don’t understand why we don’t get 16 decent players in, signed to us with the odd loan and use promising youth options to bulk the squad out

Farrell s left peg is also right out of those 14 four are on loan and no doubt 4or 5 out of contract.


I believe that is exactly what Evans said he was going to do this season, more quality but a smaller squad.

I guess the long term injuries to Samuel and O'Keefe forced more loans along with the fact that the likes of Mellis and Maghoma didn't cut it.
 
It’s obvious from last season and this Evans likes a small squad and rarely rotates players so not quite sure why he bangs on about having a small squad and budget?

other than last nights 11 he only uses MacDonald, Akinde and McKenzie to fill in gaps and that’s about it. I appreciate the others may make an occasionally 30 second cameo but that’s it. I’m sure he did the same last season in the end.

willock, Johnson, the keeper and Maghoma and to a lesser extent Woods just sit there to make up the numbers

samuelwould probably make 15 if he was fit.

So, Cookie, do you think we should be regularly using 17 or 18?

SE has recently used probably the same 14 or 15. That to me sounds excellent, not a negative.

He spent half a season trying to get the back 4 sorted, although it’s still not as good as last year, we do now seem settled.

Barring injuries the midfield seems more or less settled now. Although he has occasionally changed shape and personnel for the famed “plan b” and if we’re playing 442, 433, 4231 whatever.

Up forward we are fairly settled but with Oliver and Akinde in/out depending on form and fitness.

That all seems pretty fair to me. Not sure what the criticism is. When anyone gets injured we’ve needed players 16, 17 and 18.
 
I don’t understand why we don’t get 16 decent players in, signed to us with the odd loan and use promising youth options to bulk the squad out

This is the ideal plan and one I am sure Evans himself would want.

The problem is that even with due diligence in identifying and signing players, there is no guarantee that the player will hit the ground running, quickly form understanding and chemistry with team mates and everything comes together.

Sometimes players with assumed pedigree will struggle and others like Eaves will flourish. In terms of Eaves I think everyone was more excited by the Wilkinson signing as he came from a Championship side than Eaves who was indifferent in league two. While I suspect the manager was confident of Eaves doing a job for us, I doubt they expected him to be as prolific as what he turned out to be. Sometimes signings click and excel and sometimes they don't for a magnitude of reasons.
 
The manager's comments on Kent Online today confirm exactly what I said earlier in this thread. The fringe players aren't doing enough to make the first team...
 
Sirkeefy I didn’t say it was a criticism I was just pointing out he spends most the season complaining of having one of the smallest squads and budgets in the league yet rarely uses the full squad he does have.

i personally wouldn’t mind seeing going back to 5 on the bench and no transfer window for leagues one or 2 but I can’t see it happening. 5 allows a spare defender, midfielder a striker, keeper and a game changer like a winger job done!