by Vision »
15 Aug 2022 00:13
Sutekh Shame Nicky Hammond’s not still here, he’d have persuaded Puscas to move by now and probably also have persuaded another club to take Liam Moore, injury and all.
An injured Liam Moore on his money might be stretching it but it’s a very interesting point about the fact that recruiting players the manager/Head Coach ( that differential is a whole other thread ) isn’t the only role of a DOF , but moving on players in order to create the “group” a manager/ head coach wants us equally as important.
It’s why I have reservations about Bowen . I’m encouraged by what he said at the fans forum about recruitment being driven by the manager/head coach’s wants but that wasn’t what happened last time he had this role.
Gomes wanted a tight young squad ( with Nelson Oliveira as his main transfer target ) with the likes of Gunter , McLeary and Baldock moved on. Pretty much the first two signings made were Morrison and Charlie Adam and none of the above mentioned 3 went anywhere which meant we couldn’t afford Oliveira who ended up leaving Norwich on a free to Greece .
May just be coincidence but the fact that all 3 of Baldock , Gunter and McLeary were instantly restored to the team when Bowen took over suggests he never wanted them to leave .
None of this is to suggest I believe Gomes was ever going to be good enough to deliver the promotion or even close to it that the owners craved but the recruitment under Bowen’s previous DOF period clearly wasn’t based on that manager/head coaches wishes.
Thankfully Ince ( and Rae ) seem to be on the same wavelength as Bowen so fingers crossed this will be a more symbiotic working relationship .
Fact still remains though that shifting Puscas should’ve been a major priority for Bowen all summer .