Fan Letters: “A new head coach and a reliable centre forward are needed quickly!”

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Dear Roker Report,

I personally think that unless we hire a head coach and sign a centre forward that can score goals pretty quickly, I can see us fighting against relegation next season.

We also have to keep hold of our big players.

Kevin Cooper

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Kevin. Thank you for your letter.

At the moment, every time I respond to a letter such as yours, in which the need for a swift head coaching appointment is highlighted, I seem to be replying with variations of ‘Let’s hope something happens soon’ or ‘Hopefully there’ll be an announcement next week’.

It’s repetitive and frustrating, admittedly, but everyone’s in a state of limbo right now as we await to discover the identity of the new head coach. Clarity is needed, and the sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned.

Regarding our goalscoring issues, we certainly need to shore up our forward line this summer, because our eventual points gap to the relegation zone was too close for comfort, and we can’t risk being involved in a similar situation next season.

Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I don’t think going down the ‘young and unproven’ route is the way forward during this summer’s transfer window.

Instead, there are several names I’d target in order to see if it’s possible to stabilise us as a Championship side:

• Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield)
• Wesley Hoedt (Watford)
• Siriki Dembele (Birmingham)
• Junior Firpo (Leeds United)
• George Hirst (Ipswich Town)
• Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers)
• Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth Argyle)
• Jordan Storey (Preston North End)
• Connor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle)

Some may raise eyebrows, but I believe they’re achievable and will improve our squad immediately, as well as being proven at this level and affordable.

That statistics don’t lie, and these players provide goals and assists.

I don’t want to buy unproven talent who may or may not do a job because they’re cheap and available. Instead, we need proven players who are hungry to drive the talent along.

I hope we can make some of this happen.

Stuart Scott

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Stuart. Thank you for getting in touch.

Of the players you’ve highlighted, the ones that catch my eye and that I’d class as realistic targets are George Hirst, who was excellent for Ipswich Town during 2023/2024, and Morgan Whittaker, whose numbers for Plymouth Argyle were superb.

That said, it’s probably a safe bet that Kieran McKenna would be keen to give Hirst a chance in the Premier League, so perhaps we’d face a battle to persuade him to drop straight back down to the Championship.

Elsewhere, I think the fee that Blackburn would demand for someone like Sammie Szmodics would be beyond what we’d be prepared to pay (without selling one or two key players first, that is), so we’re definitely going to have to strike a balance when it comes to recruitment.

I fully agree with your main point, however. We need at least five proven Championship players this summer, in order to bolster a squad that’s high on talent but with glaring weaknesses in key areas.

Those weaknesses simply can’t go unaddressed this summer- not if we want to avoid another season of struggle during 2024/2025.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

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Dear Roker Report,

I wholeheartedly agree with Keith’s comments about the so-called pundits and experts who report nothing but rumours and hearsay.

The only people that know what’s going on are the people in the top jobs at the club and they’re not about to divulge their choices or preferred candidates for the head coach’s position to anyone purporting to be ‘in the know’ and who’ll release statements to the press and social media bloggers.

Fans were informed that an in-depth search would be conducted in order to appoint the right person for the job and that we’d be notified as soon as this process was concluded.

Patience is a virtue, so be patient and wait and see.

Malcolm Donnison

Ed’s Note [Phil]: Hi, Malcolm. Thank you for your letter.

I think the issue when it comes to the ongoing search for our new head coach is that we’ve now been looking for Michael Beale’s replacement for three months. By any standard, that’s a lengthy search and I’m struggling to see why it’s taken this long.

Surely the club hierarchy were working behind the scenes to identify targets as Mike Dodds steered the team through the final games of the season? The process needed to start as soon as Beale left, and the fact that we seem to be no closer to making an appointment is concerning.

Optics matter, after all, and after six months of poor decision-making and self-inflicted errors, it’s difficult to blame the fans for growing increasingly restless as the search continues.

Let’s hope there’s some positive news soon.

Photo by John Early/Getty Images

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