A crisis in London: Leyton Orient's sorry descent

It's April, and we've now reached the tail end of the football season. There is still much to play for at the summit of leagues (although the Premier League may well be a full gone conclusion) and teams are fighting for survival with relegation dogfights likely to go down to the wire. However, I digress - this season has also been a year for crisis clubs; Blackpool, Blackburn, Charlton, Coventry and Morecambe all falling foul of chaos both on the pitch and behind the scenes, with shoddy ownership playing a major factor in the downfall of their seasons.

The turmoil at the aforementioned clubs is nothing when you compare it to the Italian spearheaded meltdown which is ongoing in the heart of London at Leyton Orient. A club destined for relegation for non-league football, not through a lack of passion or footballing misjudgement, but purely down to a poisonous owner.

The team which lined up against Wycombe Wanderers last weekend was a comparative shell of the squad which lined up at Wembley two seasons ago on the brink of securing the O's promotion to the Championship. Despite their squad's relative inexperience, from my perspective in the away end, the passion was still there both on the pitch, and even from the long-suffering supporters present in the stands, however, a swift straight red card for a high challenge and two quickfire goals from Matt Bloomfield and Myles Weston saw the Chairboys enter cruise control less than half an hour into the afternoon, soon after the life was predictably sucked out of the game and what buzz that existed around Brisbane Road was quickly distinguished. Much like most of the dismal home performances this season, the action on the pitch mirrored the situation that waste-management magnate Francesco Becchetti has created during his two-and-a-half year reign at the club off the pitch.

Since Becchetti's arrival, the O's have been relegated to the fourth tier despite extensive investment most notably in striker Jay Simpson and winger Jobi McAnuff, whom both earnt hefty paychecks for that level, seen a conveyor belt of failing managers - with eleven swiftly coming and going, and a most dramatically of all, a winding up order for unpaid debts in excess of £1 million. Whilst the toxic owner himself has been investigated for money laundering, banned for six matches for kicking Orient's then assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler, and operating at best a blasé ownership model - at worst suicidal. 

The culmination of all of this is Orient's worst home record in their league history (17 defeats from 21 outings) and their probable relegation from the football league - a membership that has spanned 112 years. The bedlum behind the scenes at the club was aptly summed up by a protest staged by supporters in the Brisbane Road director boxes during Saturday's fixture, with fans unveiling a banner sneaked in which simply read 'BOLLOCKS'.

Leyton Orient fans express their frustrations this weekend

For myself and other Wycombe supporters the game was more than gaining somewhat of a 'gimmie' of a victory and taking the three points back to Buckinghamshire, it was also about showing solidarity towards fellow football supporters and their club. Chants of 'Becchetti Out' and some less savoury chants rang around the group during the second half, after all what is occurring at the London club is disgraceful and I wouldn't wish it upon any football club, people's livelihoods are at stake after all - especially at this level.

Although the club survived a recent winding up order and given more time to pay outstanding the significant overdue debts, players and staff continue to see little or no pay, whilst Becchetti hasn't been seen on a matchday for months on end. Supporters are doing all they can to create a sustainable future for the club, with fan ownership become a more viable option for smaller clubs. However, as it stands, without footballing authorities acting against an owner clearly unfit to operate at the helm of a football club, Orient don't just need an action plan to stay in the division - they need a miracle.

Definitely puts things into perspective, doesn't it Arsenal fans?

Twitter @DLster

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

If you ask any supporter of English football the vast majority will agree that the FA Cup is a special competition, steeped with history, prestige and of course lower league opposition facing Goliaths of the game for a chance of a fabled 'cupset'.

As a supporter of Wycombe Wanderers, one thinks back to 2001 in which the FA Cup journey was cut short a game shy of the final following a famous 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, with the likes of Heskey, Fowler and Gerrard finally seeing off a spirited Chairboys team. Since then, the cup hasn't been too kind to the mighty Blues. With defeats to non-league Hereford and Fleetwood - albeit spearheaded by one Jamie Vardy, the closest the Wanderers had come to cup glory was last season as they succumbed to a somewhat dishevelled Aston Villa team in a third round replay.

With such a poor start to the season this year, a trip to Portsmouth in the first round definitely wasn't the type of draw supporters of the Chairboys were jumping for joy over, especially following a 4-2 drubbing earlier in the season. However, a 2-1 victory against Pompey, a 5-0 away thrashing of League One strugglers Chesterfield, and a less than convincing 2-1 home victory against plucky FA Cup underdogs Stourbridge gave the reinvigorated Wanderers team a fourth round berth for the first time since 2001.

So after one of the most nerve-racking experiences on the terraces during the third round tie with Stourbridge, when Tottenham Hotspur appeared alongside Wycombe Wanderers on the night of the fourth round draw, both supporters and the squad itself (a video of the Wycombe squad learning the news of their opposition went viral) were ecstatic, and FA Cup fever took a hold of the town.

So on the morning of January 28th 2017, myself and the rest of the sold out allocation of 4,035 fans sporting the famous light and dark blue quarters journeyed to White Hart Lane, with no one really expecting anything more than a straight forward Tottenham victory, despite the wholly impressive 16-game unbeaten wave the Chairboys found themselves riding. What followed was truly unforgettable.

Over 4,000 Chairboys fans flocked to the Lane for a piece of the action

Paul Hayes, a man who has somewhat been slated by supporters this season and for his inconsistancy, appeared on the team sheet. And just a mere 40 seconds into the game saw his free header crash against the crossbar. Was today a fairtale in the making?

Despite the growing Wycombe pressure, and a back line struggling to deal with 'The Beast' Adebayo Akinfenwa, alongside the carnival atmosphere coming from the wall of blue positioned in one corner of White Hart Lane, Tottenham had the first opportunity, with Son missing a sitter.

Then 'it' happened. The sweetest volley he'll ever strike. Paul Hayes of all people. Limbs everywhere behind the goal. I couldn't believe we'd gone ahead, nor could the rest of White Hart Lane for that matter. Never had a goal been celebrated quite like that one.

12 minutes later. Dreamland. Hayes from the spot this time. Spurs silenced. Wycombe rampant. Tears of joy from some in the stand. Gobsmacked. We were beating Tottenham 2-0 in their own back yard. Only the FA Cup.

Yet, we were far from confident. And low and behold following the introduction of Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele, Spurs found themselves level midway through the second half, fully expecting a battering to ensue.

Instead, with seven minutes to play, the truly unthinkable happened. Myles Weston stormed down the wing, delivered a delightful cross for Garry Thompson another of the old guard to head home. I've run out of superlatives, an amazing feeling. An eerie silence came over three quarters of the ground.

Garry Thompson puts the Light-Dark Blue army ahead

With one minute to play, still celebrating what we thought was the winner - the cries of 'Que Sera Sera' were shortlived. A poor goal kick from a nervous Blackman let Alli dance through the deep Wycombe back line to slot past the on loan Chelsea keeper in net.

A replay it was then. Surely?

But alas. into the 97th minute of the game, hearts were broken. Son drilled past Blackman. The final whistle blew just too late.

Full time. Tottenham 4, Wycombe 3.

Football can be cruel. Distraught was an understatement. The life had been sucked out of the men in Blue.

The Wanderers had nothing left to give, and were rightfully clapped off by both sets of fans, in a game that they undoubtedly deserved something from, despite the late Spurs onslaught. After all the League Two outfit were the first team in some two-and-a half years to dispatch three goals here.

Walking back towards the train station, the bittersweet feeling kicked in. The way in which the defeat came was sickening. But what I witnessed on that hallowed turf on a winters afternoon was a team high in spirit, character and talent. Days like that make me proud to be Wycombe Wanderers supporter.

Who says the cup doesn't matter anymore?




Follow me on Twitter @DLster



 

The magic of the trophy...

Well, it's been a while. But here we go again. Here's to some consistency.

Back in June the FA announced a revamp of the English League Trophy (formerly the Johnstone's Paint Trophy), or the 'Tinpot Trophy' to many football league team supporters. Academy teams were to feature for the first time, expanding the competition from 48 to 64 clubs a gateway to higher attendances, increased prize money, opportunities for young talent to shine through, and a platform to restructure the Football League in the future.

The FA thought they were on to a winner.

Well, the reception was somewhat muted from clubs, with many big academy sides (Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea) declining to take part. League clubs cited issues such as extra travel expenses as the competition is no longer regionalised, the inclusion of academy sides and the 'make the rules up as you go along' attitude to the new competition format.

As for fans, these plans went down like a lead balloon. Nobody wants to watch West Ham's kids take on a League 2 side on a wintry Tuesday night, in a cup that doesn't really matter, not even West Ham fans. Just imagine the final between Stoke Academy and Swansea Academy in front of a few thousand at Wembley. Embarrassing. Fans were also wary of the fact the restructuring of the EFL Trophy was the first step towards League 3 - the inclusion of B Teams in the official English League system - something the vast majority of fans are against. Triggering plans for blanket boycotts of these matches, despite the FA expecting attendances to rise.

Six months on and we've reached the Quarter Final stages. And low and behold the concept has failed miserably. One academy team remains, illustrating that the 'promising talent' that the FA suggested hasn't materialised, highlighted massively by League 2 relegation candidate Cheltenham's 5-1 thrashing of Premier League champions Leicester City's academy side.

Even less surprisingly following the mass coverage of the #BTeamBoycott on Twitter and the general acknowledgement from football league fans that this new concept has been horrifically executed has led to record low attendances for competitive matches at grounds around the country, with over two-thirds of fixtures being witnessed by less than a thousand spectators, with just 392 lucky souls seeing Fleetwood take on Blackburn Rovers academy - a one-goal thriller.

Portsmouth take on Reading Academy at an eerily quiet Fratton Park

When even football league teams are taking the proverbial by breaking FA rules and fielding under strength teams, and in Bradford's case playing a full strength team and then substituting their first team goalkeeper Colin Doyle after he had a 'poor 45 seconds' the FA have to ultimately admit defeat.

Don't get me wrong, as a Wycombe fan I definitely wouldn't sniff at another day at Wembley and some silverware to boot. But the dire performance of the EFL Trophy deserves a wry smile and a little 'we told you so' from League One and Two supporters.

Twitter @DLster

Not making any 'Rash' decisions

It is almost a year to the day since a complete unknown took to Rochdale's Spotland pitch under the floodlights for a fleeting 20 minute cameo appearance for Manchester United in the Lancashire Senior Cup. For most youth players at Manchester United they will be embarking on a journey along a conveyor belt on their way to obscurity - just another youngster who was never going to make the cut into the prestigious senior squad. The man in question, however, was Marcus Rashford. The same man who scored an impressive hat-trick in this week's 6-1 thumping of Norway's U21s,

This emphatic scoreline comes only days after England's senior squad yet again struggled to break down a relatively poor Slovakian side, despite a man advantage, purely down to a severe lack of attacking threat and creative impetus - two ingredients that clearly Rashford has in abundance. Which makes you question why the young man has been omitted from both Jose Mourinho's and Sam Allardyce's respective set-ups.

Rashford completes his hat-trick vs Norway, and has now scored on both England and England U21 debuts

Roy Hodgson took a chance on him during Euro 2016, and if anything he looked our most substantial attacking threat - but I suppose that isn't saying much. Now, regardless of his success in the early stages of his career and being an exciting prospect with clear goalscoring prowess and attacking threat I firmly believe his feet should be firmly held on the ground for the time being.

The man who has the most significant effect on which path Rashford finds himself on in the coming years, and who could to some extent make or break his whole career is Jose Mourinho. Clearly, stocks in Rashford have spiralled even higher in the aftermath of Tuesday's superb hat-trick, and gives Mourinho (and Allardyce for that matter) even more to think about - if he wasn't in their minds he's certainly at the forefront of it now. However, without consistent minutes at Manchester United surely a position in England squads are untenable for Rashford especially with the likes of players on the cusp of England call ups such as Jermaine Defoe making a strong start to the domestic season. This is where Mourinho has a decision to make.
Despite an illustrious managerial career one potential downfall the media have identified is his lack of youth development, the complete opposite of Sir Alex Ferguson who guided the 'Class of '92' to cement themselves as legends at Old Trafford, even Louis Van Gaal offered many, Rashford included, the opportunity to break into the senior team.

Despite an extraordinary record, Mourinho has never relished youth development

As one of the most celebrated managers of all time, even if he is a controversial character, Mourinho must surely recognise he has a player on his hands, but as we've seen at Chelsea in the past the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku have simply been discarded by him in the past, and since gone on to do bigger and better things. In addition, only fourteen of the youth players Mourinho has claimed to developed have made more the five appearances under him.
Clearly Rashford should be handled with care if his potential is to shine through, he needs game time at the highest level for sure, however, as good as he is for an 18 year old opportunities are going to be few and far between with Rooney - club captain, and Ibrahimovic a major marquee signing this transfer window aren't going to be easy to overtake in the pecking order. However, what they do offer Rashford is the opportunity to learn vital lessons from the duo current leading the line for the red half of Manchester.
Regardless of whether he gives Rashford consistent minutes or not, Mourinho is in a win-win situation, because Rashford has so much time to mature as a player, and already oozes talent. The responsibility is on the older players to justify their inclusion ahead of him. When the opportunities do come around as a youngster under no pressure, he makes the most of them, illustrated by his injury time winner against Hull.
The same can be said about Sam Allardyce on the international scene. Yes, Gareth Southgate may be under scrutiny for not thrusting Rashford upon Allardyce - of course Southgate has identified Rashford's incredible ability in front of goal - it's what he's done tirelessly for the past few years with the likes Sterling, Kane, and Alli to name a couple that have moved on to bigger and better things after sensible nurturing. Even Allardyce himself has been under fire for not taking a risk with Rashford and freshening the national team up, but this surely would have been to much of a risk for his first game in charge. Regardless of if Rashford is in Allardyce's current plans or not, no harm has been done omitting him from the squad, clearly his game is developing nicely at U21 level, and making Rashford a regular fixture in the senior squad too early could see him lose momentum in his development as a world class player - see Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as examples of this. After all Rashford will still only be 20 years old when Russia 2018 comes around.
Above everything though, no matter what the future holds for this talented young man, perspective is the best way of concluding this piece. He's made something of his career - from an insignificant 20 minutes against Rochdale a year ago, he now has Guardiola's Manchester City in his sights. Not bad for an 18 year old I suppose!


Follow me on Twitter: @DLster

Farcical Fridays

Last Saturday the most anticipated Premier League season for years (although that's what we say every year) made an overdue return, and to be quite honest, what an anti-climax it was, with reigning champions Leicester City going down two goals to one against an extremely depleted Hull City team. Gary Lineker presenting Match of the Day in his pants was probably the only true highlight of Saturday, with the fixtures only being able to be described as dour. But I digress.
The purpose of this piece is to discuss the arrival of Sky Sports' new addition to their footballing broadcasts; 'Friday Night Football', and it's possible impacts.

Friday Night Football: A good idea?

Now, as a League 2 fan who dabbles into the depths of non-league on a regular basis too, the fact that the Sky Sports corporate steamroller have ventured into a Friday night prime time slot as part of their £8bn TV deals means very little to me, and quite honestly I was unaware of it happening until very recently. It has no bearing whatsoever on my attendances at Wycombe Wanderers games, and its introduction will purely give me the option of watching a Premier League game at home or in the pub on a Friday night if I wish to do so. However, for many, the introduction of  'Friday Night Football' will have consequences - some positive, and some negative.
The clear winners here, are without a doubt the broadcasters, another box has well and truly been ticked, they have managed to secure Premier League football on a Friday, meaning effectively it could mean that we could see the stars of the Premier League, and the likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher grace our screens every day between Friday and Monday, another nail in the coffin away from the old school tradition of purely having games on a Saturday at 3pm and the odd few on a Tuesday night. But like I've alluded to before, the giants of the corporate sports world (Sky and BT) care very little about fans, rather customers and viewing figures, and alongside this - lining their pockets with hard cash. If Friday Night Football is a success, which I'm predicting it will be - with the likes of Rachel Riley and Jeff Stelling involved, it could prove to be an extremely profitable venture. Obviously the arrival of Friday Night Football will also go down well with those who are Sky viewers, another opportunity to savour the delight of one of the most elite leagues on the planet - and with the prospect of more televised football it will likely mean more Sky Sports subscription purchases - another profitable tributary in the ever flowing monetary stream that is Sky Sports.
Another benefactor of the new Friday fixtures are pubs, as someone who has worked many a Friday night behind the bar I know that Friday is more often than not the busiest night of the week, the added incentive of football being televised is only going to see an influx in the amount of people visiting their local. Although, if you're like me and were unaware of these Friday games, I doubt it is likely to make too much of a difference to some establishments... regardless Sky Sports win in terms of exposure and pubs buying the rights to show these extra games.
Now, I fully appreciate the likes of BT Sport and Sky Sports and their ease of use, the users ability to discover new sports and their ever growing influence on sporting culture, however, the introduction of Friday Night Football could prove to be extremely detrimental to both football fans who regularly attend matches, and smaller league and non-league clubs who already live in the shadows of the superstar teams of the Premier League.
Although the Premier League have recognised the extortionate ticket prices and have therefore capped away tickets to a maximum of £30, the concern is logistic nightmares these Friday night matches could bring to away and home fans alike. Take tonight for example, as Southampton travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, an 8pm kick off. A fan driving from Southampton would take on average three and half hours to arrive at the home of Manchester United, meaning your Average Joe working a 9-5 weekday job hasn't got a hope in hell of attending the match, whereas if the fixture was played on a Saturday they would more than likely be able to take the trip. In addition to this public transport is far from trustworthy, or frequent for that matter, with trains available after evening matches, especially on a Friday, at a premium. It would be a different story if television money acquired by clubs from the broadcaster was used to help out their fans that evidently care for the club, but obviously this feeling isn't a mutual one. This means fans could become alienated from their club, and attendances could prove to suffer because of this - Sky Sports win again.
Away from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League in the ever so different world of the football league and more so non-league there are concerns that the introduction of football on a Friday could see attendances continue to fall. Already faced by Tuesday night televised Champions League matches, some non-league clubs, such as Wealdstone and Oxford City who play in the National League South have begun moving fixtures from a Tuesday to a Monday night, as attendances have plummeted as the obsession with the biggest club competition in Europe continues to grow. It could indeed prove to be beneficial with football fans looking for another local club to support on a Saturday, however, time will very much tell.

Non-League teams have changed fixture dates to retain attendances

By no means has this piece been a tirade against Sky Sports, merely a way of analysing the effects of the introduction of Friday Night Football. However, what is clear to me is that we've enter into a new realm of televised football, in which money well and truly talks with sports channels getting preference over football fans. Evidently, not everybody is happy about its introduction, however what is clear is that it has arrived, and it's here to stay.

Money talks, absurdity rules.

It is almost three weeks since the European Championships in France came to a climax, a tournament to forget for England and one to savour for the likes of Wales, Iceland and the eventual victors Portugal.
Since the completion of the European tournament I must say I have been struggling for inspiration to compose a meaningful post. I refuse to post generic rubbish about the transfer window using the 'insert player, club and price tag' framework, as let's be honest a good nine times out of ten nothing at all comes of posts like, as after all they are purely rumours, and away from the transfer window, no pre-season campaigns or any other footballing happenings for that matter have really struck a cord with me.
That was until a few days ago when it was revealed Juventus had shelled out a cool £75.3 million for Gonzalo Higuain, making him the third most expensive transfer in history.

Gonzalo Higuain unveiled to the media as a Juventus player

Now, this post may sound like a contradiction of myself - 'I refuse to post about the transfer window', but in this case this transfer is about much more than that, it is the astronomical, absurd figures that are becoming more and more ridiculous, but also more frequent in football, which makes me question whether owners of these 'mega clubs' are putting business first and almost amassing their own 'fantasy teams' to illustrate their riches and prestige before what should really matter - football itself.
In a world which has recently seen major volatility in the global economy following the UK's surprising exit from the European Union, football's own economy has not been effected one jot, instead fees for players and their along with contracted future wages have visibly sky rocketed.
Don't get me wrong a player such as Higuain comes with an impressive goal scoring record (36 goals in Serie A last season, a record) and will definitely bolster the Juventus front line. However, he by no means is the first name to pop into your head when you're thinking of a consistently world class performer, a few individual honours to his name, but nothing ground breaker, he didn't even feature in last season's Ballon D'Or squad. Yet still worth upwards of £75 million. On a side note, a deal likely to be around £100 million for Pogba?
Ten years ago that would be unheard of. The mind boggles. However, it just shows just how much money now talks at an elite European domestic level, if teams don't have the financial backing behind them they will get left behind at the highest level (in the most part - Leicester winning the Premier League will never happen again).
Market inflation is clear to see, to put things into perspective, in 2003 Manchester United acquired Cristiano Ronaldo for £15 million (after add-ons), in 2016, Jordon Ibe signed for Bournemouth for the same price. Now, no disrespect to Ibe, as a player who came through the ranks as a youngster at my club Wycombe before moving to Liverpool, I respect his talent, however, if you compare the two players abilities at this stage in their career, and their possible potential, there is no comparison.
But who is to blame for this baffling level of inflation we now see in the footballing market place? Well, clearly there are multiple factors that have a bearing.
A transfer has three main 'actors' - the clubs, the player himself and the player's agent, all of which have different requirements that should be adhered to in order to complete a deal. It seems to me that clubs are charging more for players to pay for their insane wage bills, as well the shear amount of money at clubs disposal the market level is being pushed ever more skywards. You could argue introducing wage caps would solve this problem, but players will just go elsewhere. In order to attract world class players you need to offer competitive wages, and with clubs becoming richer and China starting to entice players away e.g. Hulk, Ramires and Pelle to name a few, wages and player prices will continue to rapidly grow, it is a vicious cycle of greed from a player's perspective. Let's be honest no player dreams of playing in China.
Greed isn't a trait that used to really exist in football, players wanted to play football because they loved the sport, they wanted to play for their home team and they wanted to win for themselves and the fans. Back in 1996 Alan Shearer signed for Newcastle, at £15 million it was a lot at the time, a record fee, but the rest as they say is history - an enigma, a cult hero, he cared for the club and the club cared for him. However, these days things are different, players come and go, with many players (and their agents) always looking for that next big pay-day, a reason why China is such a coup for many players these days - who wouldn't say no to over £200,000 a week to kick the ball about a bit, without having to show any passion or care for the club you've signed for. It has become merely a power game - sign a player for obscene money - gain from commercialisation. This is business, not football.

Much has changed financially in football since Alan Shearer signed for Newcastle back in 1996

Unfortunately, the ever increasing popularity of football isn't benefiting football supporters, who dedicate their time and money to supporting a club, but instead football 'consumers', those who go to big game once in a lifetime, or sit in front of their Sky TVs week in, week out, those are the people these clubs at the top of the footballing pyramid are catering for - with clubs being obliged to sign big players by these so called fans, only ever seen on YouTube highlight reels, just to keep the peace. With the hardened supporters then having to pick up the pieces in terms of increased ticket prices, and watching eleven players on an ego trip kick a ball about for a six figure sum.
With broadcasters now shelling out £5.14 billion for broadcasting rights - a 71% increase from three years prior - and with Premier League teams seeing between £65 million and £100 million of this figure, you can understand why player prices are rapidly inflating - and why valuations that used to be outlandish now don't even raise a solitary eyebrow.
Regretfully this is the world of football we now live in, and it is very unlikely to change anytime soon, if anything the 21st century footballing mantra of money buying success and riches will only escalate. Give it 20 years and £75 million for a 28 year old will be a comparative steal.

Wycombe Wanderers - back to winning ways?

Without a shadow of a doubt, Wycombe Wanderers have been on a whirlwind journey over the past few seasons, surviving relegation to the conference by the skin of their teeth on the last day of the season, followed by Wembley heartbreak with the club being only seconds away from what would have been a well deserved promotion to League One. However, last season was somewhat of an anti-climax, high expectations going into the season, a chance to push on from the disappointment of a sickening play-off defeat. Ultimately, a lack of consistency was evident and any opportunity of promotion slowly ebbed away at the turn of the year.

The lack of consistency that was clearly visible was down to a number of factors. Not as the Chairboys manager Gareth Ainsworth suggested because Wycombe Wanderers is a small club, with a small squad and a lack of material and immaterial resources, this simply isn’t an argument, as after all Accrington Stanley, possibly the smallest club in the English professional leagues had an exceptionally strong season. Rather, poor results were down to loan signings not really paying off (they were pivotal in the previous season), a lack of tactical awareness at times, injuries to key players and probably the most significant of all – a distinct lack of goals (45 all season, only Yeovil and Newport scored less) – defensively the squad was sound, but if you don’t score goals, you don’t win matches, it is as simple as that.

The rationale behind a recognisable lack of goals was most probably the lack of an attacking mindset the team seem to have, it was as if the team knew to an extent how to go about scoring a goal, with brief spells of brilliant high tempo passing football on offer in nearly every fixture, which would nearly always lead to a goal or a significant chance, however, on the most part, aimless balls forward to strikers was the order of the day at Adams Park. Clearly, this wasn’t the right way to go about scoring goals, especially with the Chairboys’ regular strike partnership of Paul Hayes and Garry Thompson somewhat past their prime, yes, they work hard and when build-up is done in the right way they picked up goals, but more often than not they were out-paced by younger sprightlier opposition defences. Other younger attacking options such as Gozie Ugwu (Yeovil’s top scorer in 2014/15) and Rowan Liburd (11 goals for Reading U21s), who looked to offer a lot more panache up front had little or no impact when it came to scoring goals, mustering only two between them all season.

Paul Hayes celebrates his goal against Plymouth Argyle in the 2014/15 Playoff Semi Final

Reflecting on a dismal goalscoring season it is clear that Gareth Ainsworth has identified these concerns and has already opened up his black book of contacts in order to rectify this situation as he looks to construct a side capable of reaching the heights of League One which had slipped further and further from their grasps last season.

Prior to today, three signings had been made by Ainsworth, all of which looked to reignite the dwindling flame that the Wanderers strike force had become. The first signing – to whom I wrote about previously was Dayle Southwell from Boston United. Clearly, from Liburd’s performances and other self proclaimed academy wonder-kids in the past that have graced the hallow turf at Adams Park in the light and dark blue, Premier League academy players aren’t always the players to go for at League Two level, for the primary reason that most academy players won’t be able to adapt to a more aggressive game played by more seasoned and experienced professionals. Instead, bringing in a player like Southwell who was prolific at Boston (54 goals in two seasons), who has experience at playing at the uglier end of the footballing spectrum, and who also evidently has an eye for goal could well be much more beneficial when making the step up to League Two.

The second and third signings were both wingers, and both of which are likely to add an extra dimension to the attack. Paris Cowan-Hall – who returns to the Chairboys from disappointing spell at Millwall where ultimately a broken ankle saw any chance of becoming a seasoned player at The New Den impossible. Prior to leaving Wycombe for Millwall, Cowan-Hall impressed management and fans, with his footballing mind, blistering pace and flair, seeing him find the net on ten occasions, and also racked up multiple assists whilst at Wycombe. He is joined by Myles Weston. Weston, whom has played at a higher level at the likes of Brentford, Southend and Gillingham, as well as having 4 international caps for Antigua and Barbuda is another dangerous attacking player who in Ainsworth’s mind is a player who without a doubt will ‘bring pace, creativity and a goal threat’ to proceedings. Hopefully, once the season begins the link up play will improve and more crossing opportunities will emerge to assist the newest Wycombe Wanderers signing, iconic cult hero – Adebayo Akinfenwa.

Akinfenwa with manager Gareth Ainsworth

The question is, is the man known as ‘The Beast’ all he’s hyped up to be? Or have Wycombe Wanderers purely signed him to become the new face of the club’s main sponsors Beechdean Ice Cream?

Personally, as a fan, for the club it is a great coup, especially knowing that many other clubs, with much greater financial backing were pursuing his signature. Despite the fact Akinfenwa is coming to the end of his career aged 34, the stats don’t lie, 71 goals for Northampton, 21 at Gillingham and 19 goals at AFC Wimbledon. The fact he was released by AFC Wimbledon following their promotion to League One should be overlooked, regardless, it is clear that the strength of an ox and the eye for goal that he possesses has been a reason why he has been so successful wherever he has played – especially at League Two level, where most defences, including when he’s played against the Wanderers in the past just don’t have the capacity to deal with player built like Akinfenwa is. Combine this with the new impetus that the Chairboys will soon have on the wings in Cowan-Hall and Weston, there could be great scope for many more goal scoring opportunities than in the previous domestic campaign.

Even if Akinfenwa doesn’t slot into the Ainsworth’s starting XI, he could prove to be a great option if the team was searching for a goal, and also to give relative old-timers Hayes and Thompson some respite if fixtures got too congested.

Off the field, I feel as if ‘The Beast’ will also be beneficial to the rest of the squad and the whole club. In the dressing room, a big character such as Akinfenwa, along with all of his playing experience could really be beneficial to younger players coming through the ranks, and his leadership qualities and enthusiasm could see the team really pushing for promotion again. From a business point of view, Akinfenwa is also a very clever signing, following his unveiling as a Wycombe player earlier today, fans and social media went into relative meltdown, purely based on this, I’d expect ticket and merchandise sales to definitely increase, which can only be a good thing for a small team, with big aspirations.

Time will tell, Akinfenwa is expected to make his Wycombe Wanderers debut in a pre-season friendly against Le Havre on Tuesday 12th July.

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