There’s decisions to be made this week, Danny Cowley will decide the fate of a handful of Imps’ trialists, including Lee Shaw (pictured top courtesy of Graham Burrell).
Speaking to Lincolnshire Live, Danny stated he needs to bring in four or five players, but will be ‘brave’ in recruitment; “They’ve (the trialists) acquitted themselves well and they can be proud of their efforts,” he told Mark Whiley. “You have a decision to make as a manager. You can sign players in June who are a six out of ten. You can have the whole of pre-season with them and maybe make them a seven-and-a-half out of ten. Or you can stay brave, stick to your beliefs and wait for what you really want and hopefully pick up an eight out of ten near the end of pre-season. Then you have the challenge of trying to bring him into the group and align them with your way of thinking.”
Is this an indication as to which way Danny is planning to go with the likes of Lee Shaw from Grantham Town? Just to recap, Shaw has scored 50 goals in two seasons for the Gingerbreads and has options across the National League at present. I’ll come to him in a minute.
Danny is, in my interpretation of the interview, saying he’s leaning towards holding out for the end of pre-season, waiting for the players he wants, not the ones he can take now. Maybe that isn’t the case, but those words do sound to me as if that is his plan. He’s a brave manager, he always has been, its why he went 4-4-2 away at the Emirates, why he switched from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 mid-season and why he kept belief in Matt Green during last year’s drought. Danny won’t bend to popular opinion, he does what he believes is best and then lives or dies by that. In fairness, there’s not a lot of criticism that can be levied at him for it, not really.
Maybe that bravery cost us a striker in the last window, that holding out for someone else meant we went into the final months with three up front and not four. However, a potential lack of bravery meant he brought in Ollie Palmer in June and perhaps made him a seven-and-a-half from a six, rather than hanging on. On the flip side, we still needed another striker, the eight out of ten and we didn’t get him in August either. Whatever the gaffer does, he’ll be adjudged to have made an error by some. Whilst I make some points here I do trust in his decision making because two trophies, a play-off semi final, FA Cup quarter final and a Wembley appearance suggest he knows what he is doing, in the main.
We still need another striker, not necessarily a starter, but a player who provides cover up front and in my opinion, one with the legs to pull defences apart in the last twenty minutes of games. Akinde and Green will start for us, but I believe Andrade has to start as well, somewhere, meaning our Plan B in the latter stages of games in Rheady. I love Rheady, but that Plan B on its own isn’t enough, it doesn’t take into account tired legs. A fully fresh Rheady is perhaps as energetic as a defender who has played 89 minutes, but his threat isn’t pace and movement, it’s power and precision.
The signing isn’t as critical as it was last season, in January nor August, but we do need one more. Lee Shaw has done well, he hasn’t scored but he’s certainly shown he has a lot to offer with his running and endeavour. Is he the potential fourth striker? It sounds to me as if perhaps not, but even if not there’s another option I think we could take.
If it didn’t work out what would we have lost? If it did work out we could have the next Mo Eisa.
For instance, lets say Boston United are interested and willing to pay him £350 per week. That’s conjecture of course, but why would we not offer him a one-year deal on that money then loan him out to Boston for six months on 100% wages? I’ve simplified things there, I appreciate it isn’t that easy to pull together, but he would be an investment, a bet if you like. With a chairman who was a hedge fund manager, surely that would appeal to him? I may misunderstand hedge funds, but I’ve always ben told they’re essentially like a bet, just with massive stakes and relatively low risks. This would be the same, just with low stakes and low risks.
Lee Shaw has something about him, that much is clear and if Boston or Gainsborough or whoever wanted him then we could surely do a deal. They could have him for match days and their training, then he’s with us for the rest of the week and in January, we make a decision. If it didn’t work out what would we have lost? If it did work out we could have the next Mo Eisa, a player I know I’ve banged on about but with good reason. Greenwich Borough, Mo Eisa’s side, were the same level as Grantham Town, Eisa scored the same amount of goals as Shaw and is a similar age. Eisa wasn’t signed as a starter either, the comparisons are there. They’re different styles of centre forward, but their records are similar.
Wish he would hutch , just cant see it
I totally agree with your sentiments. A one year contract on a relatively modest wage is low risk and the potential rewards are great. Difficult to judge him on the 2 friendly appearances but I think he’s worth a punt.
Given the kings ransom we’ve had to pay to get Akinde we might get a jewel for next to nothing!
Gary but who works for £350 a week. He would want £500 as minimum
I love reading your blogs Gary, it makes me feel closer to the ‘happeniings’ of what’s going on and the thoughts of someone who I tend to agree with on most observations. Keep up the good work, you obviously know what you are talking about and you make sense on matter’s concerning the club without rocking the boat.