Jack the Lad could be our hero
20/07/05 | by Elliott Stanley

Being an eternal optimist I am counting the days until we commence our assault on the Coca-Cola League One promotion places. On paper, and more specifically on most bookies' walls, we are the team to beat – a quality manager, fantastic support and what looks like a good playing squad. It’s the latter that worries me. I wasn’t in Denmark to see our first two pre-season friendlies and like many others I know nothing more than the scores and teams that went out. But still I am worried. Allow me to elaborate.

Last season we were one of the favourites to get promoted. By all accounts we had finished what looked like being a disastrous season in 2003/2004 on fire and as the form team in the division, beating most of the top six into the bargain. Another six games and we’d have been near a play off place - who’d have argued with anyone who had Nottingham Forest down as promotion or even championship candidates for 2004/2005. Sadly this is where our friends at Ladbrokes make their cash. Unless of course you, for some unknown reason, had a punt on our chances of relegation which I understand were available at around 100/1 at the start of the campaign (although this was by a sheep loving friend and I am doubtful they understand exactly how betting works, let alone the maths behind it). 

It’s exactly this scenario which worries me. We are favourites again, many would say rightly so. Yet the squad and more worrying still our management team are in Denmark when there is work still to be done in the transfer market. We need a striker. The strikers we have struggled last season and yes, they are now a division lower, but I should remind everyone that the goals are the same size in this division as in all the others and that’s where our main problem came last term, especially in the middle third of the season. How often did we ‘murder’ teams but end up on the end of a miserable 1-0 defeat? Although I don’t like the bloke, I have to admire Sam Allardyce’s decision to send his Bolton team off to Thailand with the assistant boss at the helm whilst he continues the hunt for new players without the distractions of daily training and press conferences, etc, to get in the way.

So why is there work still to be done? I am confident that the defence we have will be pretty watertight and providing Gerrard can stay injury free they are backed up by the best goalkeeper in the division by a very long way. In midfield we could still do with another signing. Bopp is unproven, for so long he has promised so much yet never delivered. Friio is a better bet but again is yet to show us what was promised. Evans and Holt should do well as the battling midfielders and of course Kris Commons’ remains our ‘starlet’ – whilst we are in a division where grinding out results is imperative it is that creative flair that will overwhelm many of our rivals and set us apart.

The two Nicky’s are good additions to the team and at last a bit of real quality depth to the midfield squad seems to be emerging. Its a midfielder playmaker where we are lacking, someone similar to our old friend Lars Bohinen would fit the bill perfectly, direct, skilful and a goalscorer – we need to compliment solid performers with creativity which brings me on to the final link in the chain.........

We need a striker, it’s vital to our season. Super Gaz will be the first name on the team sheet and he’s earned that, but he’s not a thirty-goal-a-season striker. He needs someone to feed off him. With all due respect to Scott Dobie and Neil Harris, they are not the answer. Quality defenders and a workhorse midfielder through the gates of the City Ground will have been welcomed by all supporters, but we want a hero; another Collymore, Sheringham or Campbell to idolise. Moreover we want promotion and such a hero will almost certainly give us a damn good chance of this. 

I can’t see Megson signing anyone of this ilk, namely because strikers like that are hard to come by and, if we are interested, chances are clubs further up the food chain will be too. This leads me on to my final point. We need a hero to emerge, someone who works himself into the ground for the red shirt, someone who would near on die for the cause and above all someone who will stick the ball in the back of the net.

Step forward, Jack Lester. It may sound a little far fetched but he is the man to make our season. If you look back over Jack’s last spell at the club he is a very good finisher and a damn hard worker. What he would have given to have just 25% of the chances Johnno spooned into the stands last season god only knows. He is not another Collymore or Sheringham and he won’t go on to be a big money signing for Liverpool, Chelsea or Man United, but for the job we need doing Jack fits the bill.

I’m infinitely happier to see him walk out, fitness allowing, on August 6th than Dobie or Harris. My only worry is that Dobie is Megson’s ‘big money’ signing and to that end both he and Megson have something to prove. The squad returns from Denmark for a weekend game at Boston and I for one hope to see a solid first choice eleven emerging by the time they play Exeter City. We need to hit the ground running and get off to a flier. If we can pull between 12-15 points out of our first five games teams will be scared to death of us both home and away – that could make our season, similarly if we stumble into the first few games it could be another very long campaign. 

Above all, let us not forget, there is only one decent Lester!