Hope this weeks is better for you
DOES your shopping list for January reflect Ken Davy’s ‘ambitious plans’ for promotion? Have you pushed hard and is there any chance we can keep both Jevons and Wallwork permanently?
Martin, Manchester; Dave, Holme Valley
AT the moment we are actively trying to pursue both Phil and Ronnie with a view to making them Town players. The objective is that, come February 1, they are either here on long-term loan or have signed for us permanently.
They are two quality players and are the focus of what the board and myself are trying to do right now. I’ve said before that we’ve got a budget to work to and I can’t go breaking that budget by stupid amounts.
To be fair, I’ve already exceeded it, but the board have been fantastic with me on that and are not putting me under pressure to move people on or anything like that. With regard to January, I want to get Phil Jevons and Ronnie Wallwork sorted out first of all , because that will give us two excellent, quality players to add to a squad that we are still progressing with.
The remit is to get up in two seasons and it would be fantastic for the coaching staff, the players and the board if we could do that this season. The points situation is still very, very tight and I would say that the play-offs are still very much within our grasp, especially if we make the sort of progress we are looking to make over this holiday period.
If we go on a really, really good run and everything falls into place with the consistency we are after, then maybe the automatics are not out of the question – but we know it would take an excellent sequence of wins to make that a possibility.
For the season so far I would say our exam mark would be B minus.
The report would say ‘could do better, stop talking in class and concentrate more'. But we’ve done some very, very good things and everyone is buying into my ethos of how I want us to play – attractive, quick-passing football.
We are still one or two players away from what I would like – but that might not happen until the end of the season, because there are always targets you would like who you can’t get until the season is over.
Overall, I’m very, very pleased with how things are going, but we all know we can do better.
ARE you aware we have scored 19 goals in the 12 games Andy Booth has started this season but just seven in the 12 games he’s not started?
Chris, Huddersfield
YES, I’m fully aware of what Boothy brings to the team. He is a legend here anyway but he is a man who links the play for us and his height is an advantage, because we are not a massive team. He gives us extra help at free-kick and corner situations and he also wins his fair share of flick-ons, which is vital to the team.
Some people may think it’s a trivial point, but it’s not.
If we are under the cosh a little bit and Boothy flicks one on which goes beyond the opposition defence, even if we don’t pick it up it gives us an extra five, six or seven seconds just to regroup and get ourselves set defensively.
A lot of people might not realise that fact, but if the ball is coming straight back at you all the time it can be difficult to get yourselves in the right positions and you get caught out.
If Boothy had the legs he had when he was 24, not 34, then he would still be a top player and that’s why he went for almost £3m at one time.
His presence for us on the pitch is fantastic and I don’t think people realise that he is not the tallest player in the world.
He is probably only 6ft 1in at most, but his timing is brilliant, so you see much bigger defenders who just can’t beat him in the air. That’s a genuine talent and, in terms of timing and the way you jump at the ball, you could compare Boothy with Kenny Dalglish who, for a much smaller man, won an incredible amount of headers. It’s a technique and, when you become very good at it, it’s very difficult for defenders to overcome.
WHAT have you heard of Lucas Akins’ loan spell at Northwich Victoria?
Simeon T, Denby Dale
I’M told Lucas has been doing very, very well.
Gerry Murphy went to see him in their last home game and was very impressed with his performance and I’m hoping to go over and watch him myself when they’ve got a midweek match in the fixtures.
They were very keen to keep him on loan and we were happy to oblige, because it’s a chance for Lucas to play some matches that really matter. He is playing in games now that really mean something to the people he is alongside and the people he is playing against, because it is their livelihood, it’s promotion and relegation and it’s about getting a bonus or not getting a bonus. It’s everything that’s entailed in proper football, if you like. That will make him a man more quickly than playing reserve football, when there’s nothing really riding on it apart from your own development.
I think, at some stage, your players need to play in games which have something big at stake, because it brings out the best in them.
If you want to compete against people who are really hungry, you have to up your performance levels, and that’s what Lucas will get out of the loan. He’ll learn a lot.
