SENTINELCELTS

I cant help but think that.
So you have the money and the never before done ten is almost within grasp and you,
you know,
get two out and buy a couple punts.
Like I say, very smart or stupid and Im scratching my head here trying to get off the fence.

First of all no matter what the lads heading away on loan are a good thing and its a system that can work well for us for example big Kris Ajer and Calmac seem to have benefitted a ton.
O’ Connor, Afolabi, Hazard, will aim to be the mainstay of the team once this side who are going for nine now break up. Get them playing is the right attitude.

Our outs,,,
One first team fringe player sold for a fee and one high earner off the books six months early. I would like to see Bayo go somewhere to see if he has anything worth keeping hold of but if we are going with two up front then 4 strikers seems sensible. Young Dembele has had loan proposals rejected and its either because he is going to get some game time at home or we dont want to take the chance of his head being turned. I hope its the former.
Craig Gordon is just going to have to accept we arent in a position to let him go, or offer first choice. A rock and hard place for a man that probably just wants to play before its all over but a contract is a contract and its just plain and simple business to say sorry youre not going anywhere for the moment.

Our buys.
The are in the positions the gaffer and all of us wanted to see us fill with our own player so we could develop short, medium and long term. However our buys dont have the requested miles on the clock and at 21 and from lesser or second tier leagues they are essentially punts. This time last year Bayo was the new Klimala and we know how that turned out, plus we got Shved to sign on full time and ditto. Brendan wanted to stop the punts and get quality only, and it looked like Neil was of that mind but here we are.
Our goals have stepped up since going with an inhouse partnership meaning Klimala isnt needed much right now. Soro though may well find himself getting a bit of time as our middle is often the cause of complaints. Like myself I dont think Neil fancies Tam, so theres a slot.

Was there a plan?
There could be an argument made that we have the 5 point lead plus the strength in depth to see off any challengers. The players who didnt start against the Saints would make a very formidable opponent for all teams in the league. Transfermarket has us with a 32 man squad to dip into. The last team was lacking a few that may be considered first choice yet still at the summit.
Meanwhile our rivals have two loans and a big injury. Plus the other striker has domestic issues to boot.
There have already been reports they need 8 figures to keep the lights on this season alone but then again take anything regarding them with a pinch of salt as normal rules just dont apply.
They did have the momentum heading into the break but a defeat and Defoe getting crocked have erased that.
All the above allied with our managers experience in closing out the league, plus our core players having been there, seen it, got the tshirt may seem like a very persuasive argument why we know what we are doing and will ultimately come out on top once again.

These type of decisions can make or break people and legacies. High stakes with a massive sting in the tail if things go awry. Many would see a decent spend on quality to be completely worth it, considering the momentous achievement those buys would more or less cement. Im sure most of us would go out and reinforce the spine by dipping into the savings thinking thats the way to do it.
The merchandise sales for the ten alone could pay a chunk back.
We know those at the helm just dont see things our way much at all though.
Whats done is done and theres only one way to tell if this window was a success and enough to get over the line.
We wait and judge at the end when all is said and done.
History, jobs, and reputations are on the line.
Oh, and the ninth title.

The above is by Mahe. As usual feel free to mail any future articles to sentinelcelts@gmail.com for publication and dissection. The more viewpoints we receive the better.