January Window

[VALAIRIAN]

King Coley

[Lost in Cornwall]

Interesting that Bolton said they wanted to loan him to a bigger club. I don't think he's a big loss to us.

[AccyMad]

Defender in from Burnley on a one & a half year contract, welcome aboard Benn Ward

[Crown Grounder]

Originally Posted by Lost in Cornwall

Interesting that Bolton said they wanted to loan him to a bigger club. I don't think he's a big loss to us.

Just about player development I think......the lad had ability but little league experience....wasn't popular on this forum because he made mistakes, drifted in and out of games and made poor choices. He'll improve with more coaching and game time. I quite liked him but he was just raw-talent that needed work. What I didn't like was he kept Ben Woods and Henderson out of the team.

[Exile on Spencer St]

Originally Posted by AccyMad

Defender in from Burnley on a one & a half year contract, welcome aboard Benn Ward

Hope the lad can settle in quickly and help shore up our defence.

[Exile on Spencer St]

Pity about Costello leaving early. I thought he was one of the better centre forwards we’ve recently loaned but, clearly Burnley are also in need of goal scorers.
Stanley will have to rely on its own players so let’s hope they can get some service up front.

[VALAIRIAN]

Agree it is a pity, played well for us I thought - good luck for the future Elvis

Two in and two out, so might not be all that bad

[VALAIRIAN]

Aaron Pickles back out on loan to Southport...


https://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/...hport-on-loan/

[Greger]

Windows has been close to disastrous.

We have made one good signing. Benn Ward to replace Awe. He may not be a better player than Awe, but it still appears to be a good signing. If you only want to read positive, cheering posts, stop reading now!

We have lost our best forward, Costelloe, and replaced him with two players who have struggled to reach the subs bench so far.

We have los Khumbeni and replaced him with no one at all. I was/am not a Khumbeni fan but so bad that we should not replace him, he was not. After all, a more prominent role for los Seamus is hardly what I call progress.

Midfield is were we are at our most mediocre. We play Love, Coyle, Batty and towards the end of the game Conneelly, in midfield/wing back positions, most of them players with at least one wooden leg, incapable of a creative forward pass. Coyle is an energetic tackler but his heat map is so small that it looks as if someone has forgotten a kitchen glove on the grass.

To me, this looks very similar to the last season we were relegated. We can pick up points here or there with battling performances, but we cannot create anything at all against the poorer teams in the division, even at home. And as that last time, we play our only creative player, the admirable Shaun Whalley, in a role where he is somehow expected to play a through ball to himself to finish.

Finally we show our lack of interest in forward play by bringing on Conneelly, thus dropping so deep that our normal defensive minded 5-3-2 or 5-3-1-1 becomes a mix between 7-0-3 and 9-0-1.

I did not expect us to sign a World Class midfielder, but the need for a midfielder with some sort of creative mindset should have been obvious.

[Exile on Spencer St]

I agree with your main point, Greger, that Stanley lack creativity in attacking midfield, and have done for some time.
Last night’s display revealed what happens when both Liam Coyle and Ben Woods occupy the middle, and the impact on Shaun Whaley’s performance. Thank heavens for a good defensive performance.
Hunter made a few good cross field attacking passes but Stanley seemed happy to join with their opponents in “crowding” one side of the pitch at a time and made it even more difficult to play an open passing game. Maybe they figured Cheltenham would out pass them otherwise?
I hoped Dan Martin might have pushed on by now but he can’t get consistent game time and seems out of favour.
The good news is the “window” remains open until Monday but the bad news is that Morecambe have joined the other 23 League Two clubs able to outbid Stanley.

[Crown Grounder]

According to Andy Holt on "X" we are still expecting a couple of players in before the window closes. I understand the frustration from Posters. However, for clubs like Stanley creative midfielders (play-makers) are more expensive and more difficult to attract/sign/loan than ANYOTHER position in a football team, including 20 goal a season strikers.

Maybe that's the problem?

In my opinion, Ben Woods and maybe Dan Martin, both players who "look-up" before making a pass and could become potential playmakers. However, they would have to be coached to achieve that role. Dan isn't getting on the pitch and is out of favour and Ben Woods is often played out of position as a wing-back (to which he is totally unsuited and looks vulnerable when he has to defend anywhere near our box).

Just my thoughts.....

[AccyMad]

New improved contract signed by Ben Woods today, great news! Also a defender signed up from Curzon Ashton, 25 yr old Devon Matthews

[VALAIRIAN]

Great news about Ben Woods - deserves the pay rise

[Greger]

Originally Posted by Crown Grounder

According to Andy Holt on "X" we are still expecting a couple of players in before the window closes….

Any sign of them? Not much time left.

[Crown Grounder]

Originally Posted by Greger

Any sign of them? Not much time left.

You're like "a kid on christmas eve Gregor".

Maybe they've gone elsewhere?

No guarantees in the football world........I'm hoping for a couple of talented loans......a striker and a proper winger........but then I'm often disappointed, so we'll just have to be patient you and I.