BBM: No regrets over size of the squad

Brian Barry-Murphy:

"Always I want there to be a sense of opportunity for all the players at the club and they can feel as if there's a start around the corner.

We've had weeks where Mafico and Robertson have been left out of the squad. And then Alex comes back in, we had seven outfield players on the bench on Saturday.

If all these players are fit then someone's going to miss out because I wouldn't regularly have no goalkeeper on the bench, that was a one off.

I don't really like having players who can't be in the matchday squad, it's not something I'm keen on. So I'm very pleased with the size of the squad."

This worries me ,we need new recruits in january ,I hope murphy does not shout this out aloud otherwise it will be sweet music to Tans Ears.

This worries me ,we need new recruits in january ,I hope murphy does not shout this out aloud otherwise it will be sweet music to Tans Ears.

I agree with him, pretty much what I've been saying for a while.

This worries me ,we need new recruits in january ,I hope murphy does not shout this out aloud otherwise it will be sweet music to Tans Ears.

Our squad is small and I fear it could be our downfall.

This worries me ,we need new recruits in january ,I hope murphy does not shout this out aloud otherwise it will be sweet music to Tans Ears.

Our squad is small and I fear it could be our downfall.

I understand nobody wants to be sat on the bench but Robinson has this season, but with us pushing for promotion particulary this season, I would rather us have a bigger and some quality on the bench to call on,rather than struggling with a threadbare squad .
We need to get out of this division this season at all costs.

This is the main concern for me - the size of the squad . To this point we have to be happy with the start and results .
For me we need to take a good look at the January window with the amount of games going forward and injuries .
Also always name a back up keeper in the match day squad .

A bloated squad is probably more detrimental than having the amount we currently have , simply because it cuts out cliques and dressing room divides.

NG has alluded to this in his recent article and there is no coincidence that he is as happy as he has ever been at the club , despite the fact he’s playing in L1.

Most L1 squads are smaller than ours and there appears to be two or three academy players ready to join the first team if needed.

It's quite simple for me, add 3-4 quality players in January and we'll go up, stay as we are and the squad will be burnt out by February having to use under 19 players to cover injuries/suspensions and we'll finish 8th - 10th. Over to you Mr Tan.

Who out of the current team to people feel needs dropping out of the match day squad completely?

I think the core players are obvious
Trott
Began/Ng
Fish
Lawlor
Kpakio/Ng
Wintle/Robertson
Rubin
Joel/Turnbull
Willock/Ashford
Kellyman/Davies
Salech/Robinson

We then have promising youngsters who can and will play a part
Mafico
Nhayakwa (spelling*)
Giles

And who should we be bringing in? We aren’t in a very attractive division at the moment, we have some players of quality that are probably above this division on their day. Tanner will also fall back in towards Jan/Feb

A left back should be priority in January.

If Bagan gets injured, I don't like the alternatives.

A left back should be priority in January.

If Bagan gets injured, I don't like the alternatives.

I do agree with that. Was happy with our squad at the end of the summer window but my only slight concern was not bringing in a backup LB.

Bagan has been brilliant and can hopefully get through until January, but we do need a backup option there when the window opens.

We desperately need another commanding centre back to partner Lawler, another left back to cover Bagan and another winger with pace to beat his man and create. Tanner getting injured was a massive blow, as a fully fit Tanner down the left and Kellyman down the right would be by far our best options. My current line up with everyone fully fit would be:

Trott

Bagan
Lawlor
Fish (but would like a new commanding centre back to partner Lawlor)
Kpakio

Wintle
Robertson
R.Colwill

Tanner
Salech
Kellyman

Subs: Turner, NG, Chambers, J.Colwill, Ashford, Davies, Robinson

Senior players missing are Osho and Turnbull, who have disappointed this season and Willock, who will always be a luxury player who we can't rely on in a battle. I would be happy to offload all 3 and get replacements in.

Giles, Mafico and Nyakuhwa should be sent out on loan for valuable experience.

With Tanner out, I would choose Ashford to start in his place ahead of Davies and Willock, but I think we need an upgrade in January and offload Willock.

We can offload Osho and bring a commanding centre back in to partner Lawlor, to help us deal with direct teams like Port Vale earlier this season.

An upgrade on Turnbull would be good, as he's on decent wages and his lack of mobility makes us struggle when he's in the team, especially away from home.

A backup left back to Bagan is needed but who can we get who will be happy being a back up? It's a tough one and I don't think Giles is ready yet.

So in summary, I'm happy enough with the 18 man squad I've posted, but everyone outside can either be replaced or loaned out for experience. Our squad is way too small and lacks the sufficient depth of quality to get us through the whole season. Injuries and suspensions will cost us unless we add a minimum of 3 players in January.

This is the main concern for me - the size of the squad . To this point we have to be happy with the start and results .
For me we need to take a good look at the January window with the amount of games going forward and injuries .
Also always name a back up keeper in the match day squad .

Agreed TC especially as so many are Internationals, we've already lost Lawlor and Kpacio to injuries, and with so many of the others in the younger Welsh squads, we need more cover than a lot of lower league teams.

We desperately need another commanding centre back to partner Lawler, another left back to cover Bagan and another winger with pace to beat his man and create. Tanner getting injured was a massive blow, as a fully fit Tanner down the left and Kellyman down the right would be by far our best options. My current line up with everyone fully fit would be:

Trott

Bagan
Lawlor
Fish (but would like a new commanding centre back to partner Lawlor)
Kpakio

Wintle
Robertson
R.Colwill

Tanner
Salech
Kellyman

Subs: Turner, NG, Chambers, J.Colwill, Ashford, Davies, Robinson

Senior players missing are Osho and Turnbull, who have disappointed this season and Willock, who will always be a luxury player who we can't rely on in a battle. I would be happy to offload all 3 and get replacements in.

Giles, Mafico and Nyakuhwa should be sent out on loan for valuable experience.

With Tanner out, I would choose Ashford to start in his place ahead of Davies and Willock, but I think we need an upgrade in January and offload Willock.

We can offload Osho and bring a commanding centre back in to partner Lawlor, to help us deal with direct teams like Port Vale earlier this season.

An upgrade on Turnbull would be good, as he's on decent wages and his lack of mobility makes us struggle when he's in the team, especially away from home.

A backup left back to Bagan is needed but who can we get who will be happy being a back up? It's a tough one and I don't think Giles is ready yet.

So in summary, I'm happy enough with the 18 man squad I've posted, but everyone outside can either be replaced or loaned out for experience. Our squad is way too small and lacks the sufficient depth of quality to get us through the whole season. Injuries and suspensions will cost us unless we add a minimum of 3 players in January.

Decent team that to be fair