Where do we go from here then?

[redandwhitemike]

As outlined in my earlier post, the news that Gary Whild has been confirmed as Harriers manager for the foreseeable future - should not really come as any great surprise - it was always going to happen IMO - whether the fans actually like the appointment is another matter, but given the 'rumoured' budget cut and the issues concerning stability on and off the pitch GW deserves a crack at next season and although I'm with the majority (on here) in being underwhelmed, by the news, I'm also realistic enough to realise it might be all poor ol Kiddy can afford

The proof is in the eating so to speak, so I guess we all wait to see just how GW tries to reshape the squad in the coming months.
But it goes without saying that re-signing some of the players perceived as 'Not Good Enough' is not going to endear our leader to the masses for next season.

My hope is that GW will wipe the slate and start a fresh, (bar the back four/five) but based on what's been served up so far - I have my doubts.

Still happy to be proved wrong in the summer.

[Tamworth Harrier]

Like you Mike I will give GW the benefit of the doubt and hope he proves me wrong. However if he signs the likes of Wright and Blissett all my faith will be lost. On crowds of 2000 plus the money left over from Lolly/Fa Cup run he must be able to put together a competitive side next season.

[Aobt]

The difference between the AT appointment and the GW re-appointment today, is that GW has history here and we all know he is a good bloke with a heart in the fight for Kiddy. However things need to improve on the pitch in terms of ideas.

Many know the back 4 or 5 unit is fine and if can be kept together we will have a strong basis. But we now need to realise that where we have lacked is one or two enforcer types that Mansfield, Luton, Fleetwood and Stevenage have had in the past. Not saying we need bruisers but at least one middle man who will bully opponents and allow Storer, Gittings and another to play beautiful passing.

Its been said that we play nice football, but I haven't seen much this season. We need to be pragmatic if we want to get promoted. If we are happy (and I have never seen anyone say they would be happy to be a top half table side) then we need to fight fire with fire.

[Pie in the Sky]

Keeping GW is positive if it means our better players stay, which I suspect it does.

[Jonkers]

Ok so GW is our manager on a 12 month rolling contract. I have doubts if he is up to the job good number twos rarely make good managers ( Brendon Rogers is a exception ) I doubted GWs selections his substitutions particularly on Monday which was billed as " a must win game " we ended up with 3 holding midfield players O'K - Burn - Strorer with our most creative payer Gittings gone. At least he didn't bring on Wright. I have though hard about renewing my season ticket and will probably leave it to the last minute in case he re - signs Wright god forbid.

[redandwhitemike]

Like you Mike I will give GW the benefit of the doubt and hope he proves me wrong. However if he signs the likes of Wright and Blissett all my faith will be lost. On crowds of 2000 plus the money left over from Lolly/Fa Cup run he must be able to put together a competitive side next season.

I would endorse the comments regarding the names mentioned - as I overheard at the Nuneaton game after the final whistle - "we have a side of good Conference standard players, but most are not good enough to get this club promoted" - I think this is an accurate analysis of why perhaps Harriers have been found wanting in the final phase of the season - not enough quality, especially in midfield.

And therefore IF the likes of Wright, O'Keefe, Byrne, Blissett, AMS, and others are considered good enough by GW as back up squad players I see a very similar picture for next season - where Kiddy will huff and puff, but maybe struggle at the final hurdle.

I'm sure GW has his eyes on some prospects from lower down, but I think he needs to somehow entice a couple of established better class players maybe from the League maybe the Conference to just improve the overall standard - the aforementioned ain't going to do it - IMO

We wait and see.

[Tamworth Harrier]

Mike I think your right we lack that bit of quality when it matters. Defensively I think we are ok and have that bit of quality but it is badly lacking in midfield and we desperately need a good striker to play along side Gash. What I have really noticed about this squad is the lack of pace we have. Take Cheesy out and we have none. He came on against HYde and changed the game. We need a good midfielder next season who is good on the ball. We also need a goalscorer with pace to play alongside Gash. I know these type of players cost money but hopefully these are the key areas GW will be looking at.

[Hartleburyharrier]

Like many I read this daily and only post every now and again.

We go to nearly every match home and away and have seen some real dross this season, under each of the 3 managers. Woking away (under Burr) was soul destroying, Cambridge away (under Thorne) was a real shame as the first 45 minutes were one of the last times we played well (before the suicide missions of Dunkley and Lewis gifted 3 goals) - Hyde away last week and then Saturday's game just showed tactical ineptitude that I am really fed up now with the appointment of GW. Thankfully I was on holiday for Luton away!

I have no doubt he is a good guy, but this appointment does not feel me with any enthusiasm, just a sense of dread. God help us if the Nick Wright loan becomes permanent.

Also, I have felt that there doesn't seem to be much of a sense of cohesion among the 3 in charge on match days when you watch them (as the matches became less interesting) so I wait to hear how the management team is going to pan out now.

Personally I feel disappointed there hasn't been a promotion for Steve Guinan - so perhaps that will be a surprise and he will be brought back into the fold after his Universities duties have been completed as he is an asset and I think has the skills to help with some of these tactical "blips".

However, I will be renewing our 3 season tickets as I have supported the team for nearly 30 years but I will be doing so with a heavy heart and not really looking forward to what we are going to see as it stands.

I really hope that I can be proved wrong and I can eat humble pie in 12 months time after being proved wrong and that the Redditch connection has been successful (and as I live in Redditch...who knows!)

[tonythescout]

Not surprised with the appointment, given the redditch utd connection between gw and kr.
Have to say it has a Ian Britton feel to it. Easy option. Yes whild steadied the ship but still tactically questionable, signings poor, letting marv go and failing to replace him with a winger. Only time I can say I was left energised during the whild spell was second halves show v a Cambridge side who's season had temporarily ended (just seeing games out waiting for playoff games to come)

Main things for us though is one, chairman appointed, two manager appointed, now three we can hopefully see players kept on (l Vaughan to name one) and build.

Regarding the comments on us not having a cm comfortable on the ball, we missed danny jackman big time IMO. And storer. Byrne is ok for a squad player IMO, not the player he was. Gutting a has been decent but he hadn't completed 90mins for a while and was used on the right, o Keefe isn't good enough.

With the budget, gates have averaged 2000, fa cup run, Lolley money, surely we haven't spend all of that on sacking burr and the bald fella with the so called contact book?

Regarding being better defensively, something to do with creighton maybe?

Looking at last season the formation changed, from a 4 3 1 2 with the one roaming from one wing to another to a 4 3 3 with two wide men fixed out wide leaving gash isolated, he is better with a partner. In Malbon we have missed a 20goal a season striker. I hope he gets fit and gets back on it, terrific player.

[pershoreharrier]

What a change in fortunes since this time last year - if it was a game of Snakes & Ladders I would feel that I got to square 95 and instead of rolling a 5 rolled a 3 and went down the Snake on square 98 back to square 10.

The analogy therefore is we are back roughly where we started in April 2011 with a few relative differences.

Don't bother asking about the Matt money - play-off money - Lolley money or FA Cup money - it has effectively gone and no matter how much it is talked about will have no effect on the future.

On the basis that we wish to proceed 'sustainably' I would suggest that our playing budget will fall from around £700K in the 2013 -2014 season to £350K in the 2014 -2015 season and whilst playing budgets do not on there own guarrantee success or even promotion it is a key element in what we can expect.

In the last two seasons our management team have managed to unearth a playing gem that has given us true entertainment on the field followed by a substantial boost to our funds.To pull off the same trick a third time would be truly astonishing and would seem unlikely but hoped for all the same.

On average we seem to have to wait around 5 seasons to get a good Cup run together and having just had that opportunity I do not think it is likely to happen in the 2014 - 2015 season.

Are we likely to see an improvement in season tickets or match gates? On the face of it this is not likely - look at this season's last home game where a win would have taken us to within a whisker of the play-offs compared to last seasons last game and the chance to achieve automatic promotion.

So the final source lies in the Boardroom with the Directors and the Benefactors. The Benefactors have committed heavily to the Club in the last few seasons and I understand that they were not too happy to see the sales of Matt or Lolley but whether they would be prepared to give it one more go might be asking too much. That leaves the Board of Directors and in this era of openess and willingness whereby you can ask questions and get answers ask them if they are going to put cash in to enhance the budget and if so what sort of figures are they talking about?

It looks to me though as though it will be a tough season next year with the core of contracted players backed up with some of the current squad and the balance will be from the lower leagues or acadamy. It isn't doom and gloom and we are not starting from the bottom but we are in a process of climbing those ladders again.

[Tamworth Harrier]

Surely a playing budget of 350k would be amongst the lowest in the division? 20 players on an average of 17.5k per annum.

[pershoreharrier]

Surely a playing budget of 350k would be amongst the lowest in the division? 20 players on an average of 17.5k per annum.

Indeed it probably would be and during the Norgrove era I am aware that the playing budget was set at around £200K more than what we could actually commit to in July which then required a combination of player sale, cup run, benefactor or directors putting in additional cash.

It is a Board decision at the end of the day - go with a figure that you know from the outset is sustainable or commit to a higher figure and then if things do not pan out be prepared to put your hand in your pocket to make up the difference.

[redandwhitemike]

In the last two seasons our management team have managed to unearth a playing gem that has given us true entertainment on the field followed by a substantial boost to our funds

Pershore, Not sure I would agree with this, unless you class Steve Guinan as part of the management, which I don't think he is, as he is credited with the Joe Lolley discovery.

I do think however that Burr/Whild have wasted a lot of the budget early on last season in signing average to useless squad 'wannabees' who ultimately were of little use - maybe that was SB's fault?

I think GW gets the credit for Jamma.

GW just needs to be a little more circumspect and make sure he doesn't waste any of the funds..........................................

Nick Wright, any one

[pershoreharrier]

In the last two seasons our management team have managed to unearth a playing gem that has given us true entertainment on the field followed by a substantial boost to our funds

Pershore, Not sure I would agree with this, unless you class Steve Guinan as part of the management, which I don't think he is, as he is credited with the Joe Lolley discovery.

I do think however that Burr/Whild have wasted a lot of the budget early on last season in signing average to useless squad 'wannabees' who ultimately were of little use - maybe that was SB's fault?

I think GW gets the credit for Jamma.

GW just needs to be a little more circumspect and make sure he doesn't waste any of the funds..........................................

Nick Wright, any one

I was under the impression that Steve Guinan was part of the management team at the time and did discover Joe Lolley - I understand our new management team is Whild, Flowers and Creighton so the responsibility passes to them.

I agree that in hindsight the management team have wasted money on players that failed to live up to expectations but their collective knowledge and skill brought about successful signings whether it be Blair, Matt, Lolley and many more. It would be unreasonable to expect all signings to be rip roaring successes - if they were then the Premiership would beckon our Managers.

I would however, suggest that with foresight, hindsight all the sight in between a recent previous management team wasted money by the bucketful and I cannot find even a glimmer of success or benefit in anything that was done under that brief and destructive reign.

[Red Bear]

If, as assumed, we are to have a substantially reduced playing budget then I think GW is by far the most sensible managerial option - not because he may be a relatively cheap appointment himself but because we can't afford to tear everything apart and start again (the last thing we need is a new manager coming in and bring new players in just to be seen to be doing something different). GW is best placed to bring in local players from lower leagues, who I would prefer us to look to (alongside more experienced players) regardless of the financial position.

My interest is the make-up of the rest of the management team - surely we can't financially justify and don't need two assistants/coaches. I'm not sure what TF and MC currently bring to the party - we seemed to have improved defensively before MC came in and I worry that TF adds an unduly negative influence on tactics and style of play. Like others, I would very much like to see Steve Guinan brought in from the Academy to be number 2 as I like his apparent energy, positivity and open-ness; however, I not sure how likely this is or even what his relationship with GW is like.

I think the next month will set the tone for the rest of the year...