At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to the shambolic recruitment

I have been trying to think about this since Saturday and although it has often been said that our recruitment has been appalling and therefore I'm not stating anything new, I think Neil's issues wouldn't be so perilous if he'd succeeded more in the transfer market.

He has basically failed to build a team from the players he has signed. The team is still predominantly made up of players who were here when he arrived.

That the backbone of the team has mostly been signed by other managers, going as far back as Roeder and including three Lambert buys, cannot be helping him. I've seen it mentioned several times on here that the squad needs an overhaul, and until it gets one it won't have an identity that can be called Neil's own.

Neil has had nearly two years, spent over £50million and bought sixteen players (I think) but only four of these started Saturday's game. This is nothing short of a disaster. Not one of the summer signings has (other than McGovern) held down a place in the side. This for me is his greatest failure and in my mind has a lot to do with his problem asserting himself and getting through to the players. He is having to motivate other managers' signings while his expensive arrivals are either in the treament room or on the bench, on loan elsewhere or not even in the squad. If they were in the side he might be able to get them to do what he wants a little easier.

This goes back further of course. In under two and a half years since the start of the 2014/15 season, we have made 24 permanent signings. In addition to Neil's signings, Adams brought in five players who are no longer at the club, Thompson who has never really featured, Lafferty and finally Jerome, who is the only one who can really be calleed a success.

Looking at our last 30 permanent signings, the number of games they've played for the club just doesn't compare to the money that's been spunked away on them.

To what extent the failure to regenerate the squad and the team is all down to the manager and not the recruitment function (if there is one) is up for debate but having two inexperienced managers on the trot cannot have helped in bringing the players we need to the club.

For me, Neil's time is up already. He has had enough time to prove he can motivate the players who were here when he arrived (and he did so initially) or build a side of his own and he is doing neither right now.

The next managerial appointment won't itself rectify all of the recruitment issues we have but it does in my opinion need to be somebody with a great deal of expeirence. Someone who besides reorganising what's already here, can shift out the dead wood, bring recruitment (and coaching) staff with him if he wants and persuade the players he wants to come here.

Posted By: Chalk Hill Bitter on November 1st 2016 at 13:05:47

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