The Difference between the top and bottom in League One

[Sammy Chung was King]

The difference between top and bottom in this league,isn't a hell of a lot,the top teams climb up the table by using the loan system well,and also signing the odd player that hasn't quite made it higher,each team seems to have at least one top striker,and two in some cases,that make the difference,the rest of the teams are made up of average steady players,for me that is what we are at the moment,average,but the difference is we haven't added at least one top striker to make the difference,our strength seems to be in having a strong compact midfield,with a well functioning defence,as we are going at the minute i see us averaging just over a goal a game,which will get us a equal amounts of wins/draws/losses,not because we aren't a good team,but because we haven't got the striker that's going to get us two in a game here and their,and at least one every week.
On the other hand if Hume is got match fit,he could maybe the answer,then if he starts scoring what will the fee be to sign him?,Brown for me if kept fit all season will score ten to fifteen,i just don't see him not having any niggles,Paynter is more of a team player,hold up type of striker  i don't see him getting ten this season,for me we badly need to get a striker in on loan,who has something to prove,just to give us that edge,unfortunately Robbie Blake still isn't fit,i'm beginning to think maybe it isn't going to work his move to us,we've been going a fair few month's and he still isn't ready,which is worrying,we could have someone fit and raring to go,when we first signed him,i was pretty happy,but if Dean doesn't feel comfortable playing him yet,when will he?,going off that a positive is that we aren't reliant on one player for goals,Cotterill has chipped in a few,i see him getting maybe eight over the season,Syers maybe five to eight,Wood's doesn't seem a goal threat,i don't see him getting many,Bennett should,with his ability be getting eight to ten goals,but he has been more miss than hit so far,a positive is that Rob Jones especially from the defence could weigh in with a few.
For me we badly need someone to control the game and score goals from midfield,and the striker already mentioned,there isn't a lot between us and the very top teams,the ship's been steadied,it's now time to add a bit more class to a very solid team,even Oldham have got that class player in Matt Derbyshire up front,nobody will find us easy to beat,we just need that little bit of class to push us further up the table,what do you think?

[Mr1Croft]

we haven't got the striker that's going to get us two in a game here and their,and at least one every week.

I agree with the majority of what you are saying but every week? Not every game I know but the football calendar runs through 38 weeks and in league one you tend to play the majority of weeks (unless with a cup run). When was the last time someone scored over 30 goals for us in a season averaging one every week? That doesn't include the two here and there...

[FuzzyDuck]

Probably Barnesy in the conference.

30-goal strikers are a rare breed these days.  I think our problem over the last 3 games has been Paynter being out.  Him out, Hume not yet 100% has left Chris Brown on his own up front.  That could work too if he got support from midfield through Benno and Cotts.  But sadly, Benno's been a no show and Cotts hasn't been able to support enough.

I think when Paynter and Hume are both fit, we'll have enough fire-power.  To have gone unbeaten if not impressive, has been OK.  But when you see how Stevenage are able to rest their top-scorer and still come close to getting an away win at our place, you see how the lack of any strength in depth is letting us down.

Sadly, I think promotion for is will require another 3-4 players over the whole park capable of challenging for a place.  Unfortunately I don't see us getting them

[wilts rover]

,but the difference is we haven't added at least one top striker to make the difference,

I disagree, Brown, Hume and Paynter have all proved in the past that they were top strikers, Paynter in particular was the top scorer in this league.

The difference between the top and the bottom of any league is the team at the top are getting the best out of their players - and the ones at the bottom aren't. Does that mean the players aren't good enough, the tactics aren't good enough, the grass is too long/short, pitch too hard/soft, halftime pies rubbish, dunno, if you find out the answer you can be Alex Ferguson - but to keep saying, 'we need to buy better players/a striker' thats what every manager says when they are not doing well. down that road lies madness......and Portsmouth.

[DRNaith]

This league has always been a very tight league. Nearly always any team finishing in the top half has, by points, been close to the play-off places.

The same situation seems to occur in the bottom half also, with most clubs in the bottom half gasping a huge sigh of relief for avoiding relegation - other than those relegated of course!

[RobTheRover]

Hume seems to be overlooked in this debate.  He's the kind of player who can make something out of absolutely nothing, a bit like Andy Robinson seems to be doing at Tranmere at the moment, and dragging the whole team with him by its bootstraps.  I cant wait until he is fully fit and starting games.  Playing with him and Brown up top could be a fantastic partnership.

[The Loan Arranger]

I assume that Iain Hume will not be available for the game against Preston?

[RobTheRover]

Correct, Mr Arranger.

[wing commander]

  I've always been a fan of Hulme,but i know i am old fashioned when it comes to what i like in a  player,i guess that comes from spending most of my time watching Rovers in the bottom divisions for twenty years.Skill is something until recentley (last few years) that we have never been able to afford and our best players have tended to be average footballers who put a good shift in every week...I think Hulme fits that bracket he has always worked hard in a game wether he is playing well or not, werever he has been and it's easy on the eye....unlike say Bennett who looked like quite frankly like he didnt want to be on the pitch on Saturday..
   Now i know that's not the case and i'm sure he worked every bit as hard as Hulme but just in different ways that go more unoticed...oh for the real wing commander Peter Heritage...lol

[Chris Black come back]

This is very true. Even the Penney sides rarely featured players of great individual skill - Paterson and McIndoe are probably the exceptions. Rest of the lads were hard working, put a shift in and had a bit better skill than most players in the leagues we were playing in. The skill bit came in the SOD years and looking back now it was skill we couldn't afford either because our best players buggered off when the big boys came knocking or we ran a multi million pound loss each season trying to pay for players that our income didn't support.

[Rupee92]

You're are forgetting the most talented of the lot there CBcb... The one and only Jamie Coppinger!

[Chris Black come back]

I always felt though that he only really blossomed under SOD. Those two years under Penney were a bit hit and miss. I should have thrown Sean Thornton into the mix as well but his performances were so wildly variable it was hard to tell whether he was Pele or Peter Heritage.

[Sticky-Rover]

Browny to be the next Ricky Lambert?