To have to integrate an entirely new team, and then for those players to be regularly disrupted by injury is incredibly difficult.
Agreed, it was a big ask. By moving away from the loan market for our core team, we have largely removed one of those factors. If we want Bill next year, it's an easy signing, O'Brien is probably the only other we would consider and he will probably be a fairly easy signing. too, should we decide to. There should be greater continuity next season, not just in the first XI but also in the squad. That should help us hit the ground running this time.
We've been notoriously slow starters in recent seasons:
23/24 - 1 point in first 6 games
22/23 - 6 points
21/22 - 6 points
20/21 - 9 points
19/21 - 6 points
18/19 - 14 points
17/18 - 10 points
15/16 - 11 points
14/15 - 9 points
13/14 - 6 points
12/13 - 9 points
11/12 - 13 points
10/11 - 7 points
09/10 - 13 points
In the last 14 seasons in the champo, we've failed to get better than 1 point per game 5 times!!!!
We've got 1.5 points per game or less (below top ten position) NINE times out of 14. This is a repeating issue. Two third of the time, we are playing catch up one month into the season. We must turn that around this season. I'm fine with new signings largely being on the bench for the first month, just make sure we get everyone fit and healthy. I guess the first XI if everyone is fit is competitive, even if we don't get any signings.
..........................Dieng
Smith......Rav..........Clarke.......Engel
.........Howson.........Hackney
Forss.........Azaz..........McGree
.....................Lath
I suppose Smith might not be fit, so RB is the one we have to get sorted first this summer. Ayling would mean we could start next season with a setteld side.