Speigel closing in?

With April upon us, Marc Spiegel's deadline to get his takeover deal across the line must be imminent. Apart from him breaking cover to reassure us that his backers were all still in place after gossip that one of them had pulled out, we have heard refreshingly little from Spiegel. From experience, this is a good thing and I hope he gets his deal done. At very least it will spell the end of disinterested Thomas Sandgaard, under whom our fall would only continue. 

Rumour from fairly well-placed sources, (fan and club partner Steve Wisdom and Rick Everitt) suggests that Spiegel's game plan does not revolve around splashing the cash. Apparently he would rather focus on using youth players, loanees and making the most of what we have. On the face of it that would be a disappointing strategy given our current squad is missing five better players who possess the personal drive and determination to be at the core of a winning side that could challenge for promotion. It's also the same path Sandgaard has been treading unsuccessfully for the last 18 months at least.

However, these things are relative and we need to see just how this plays out. It doesn't say he wouldn't spend any money or be prepared to pay fees for players, something Sandgaard gave up on. I believe most of us would support moderate spending that keeps us in the hunt longer than perhaps splashing the cash that could be an all-or-nothing play. What we can't do is cash in on a couple of players and simply use that money - it's robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

Like it or not, loans are probably the most effective way to get the sort of players you couldn't afford to buy playing in League One. It's also a bit of a lottery so we need to get lucky on the majority rather than one or two a year as in the past few seasons. 

In terms of youth, we can compete with the best in this division, so again, a route we need to keep open. We have to get the balance right because an over-reliance on youngsters risks a promotion push and can also affect their development if they are seen to have bad games or be playing in a losing side. Our priority and what I believe has to change, is that we need to shake the current squad up. If we retain much more than 50% of them we will struggle to change the culture which I think has been our biggest problem for the last couple of seasons. We have to be serious about promotion and ensure we have a core who want it and who can lead on the pitch. We have struggled under Sandgaard to even recognise who the captain is when watching games. 

In short, I think we have to be looking at four buckets of six. Six established players (eg Maynard-Brewer, Ness, Dobson, Leaburn), six decent loanees, six new players aimed at leading a cultural and mentality change as well as six youngsters to provide more competition and back-up. 

In short, I remain hopeful that Marc Spiegel has not under-estimated what his ownership might involve and that he is prepared and able (with his backers) to do what is necessary to take this club forward. Dean Holden may prove to be a trump card this close season in that he appears to have been given a bigger say in who we recruit than his immediate predecessors and I have more trust in him to instinctively identify natural battlers. Hopefully a deal with Spiegel will also spell the end of the owner's son who appears to have done little more than meddle and potentially more harm than good. 

At the same time, what Spiegel can't rely upon is three seasons of marginal gains hoping to culminate in a promotion. We really have to do a Plymouth and find a side with some heart and playing depth that will have us competing at the right end of the table come January. Time is becoming a bigger issue. Come August we will be playing our seventh season in League One in the last eight seasons. Everything about the club (bar Charlton TV) appears to have shrunk. Season ticket numbers will surely drop again this year - the latest pricing doesn't really help that - and unless we make a fist of it early on, overall gates will fall even further.