You have to be brave to bet against Neil Warnock, it is very much betting against the house when they hold a blackjack. Warnock beat all the odds last season to retain Town’s Championship status. Yet, it seems that for the vast majority of pundits and opposing fans alike, they have Town finishing either in the relegation zone or scraping survival and it’s hard to make the case against it.

Beyond Neil Warnock, who to reiterate performed a minor miracle last season when Town looked dead and buried before his appointment, the signs are worrisome. I shall not delve too deep into Town’s inept display against Norwich, as much for my sake as it is for yours.

Instead, I shall discuss where Town stand and the messages we’ve received from specifically Kevin Nagle. I’m not sure how long the social media experiment will last, however for the time being – we get an insight into the thinking at the very top.

In response to Town’s heavy defeat, Kevin Nagle was adamant that this squad were capable of better performances and better results. It’s a brave argument to make for a side that’s spent 9/10th of last season and this in the relegation drop zone. The only time that Town climbed to the dizzy heights of 18th was actually when it mattered the most - under the tutelage of that man, Neil Warnock.

The concern and heightening anxiety is not about the ability of Warnock, but more so around Town’s squad which is looking very similar to last season – albeit no longer bloated. It had been coming for quite some time, a clear out of deadwood and perennial coattail riders who were signed in a panic and then left to wither away.

Sorry Connor, Someone had to be an example

The question is can Neil Warnock get a squad of players to play above and beyond themselves as they did in the last 15 games of the season, for enough of the season to survive again – it’s quite the ask.

Considering how hotly contested and competitive the Championship appears this season, it could almost be defined as a necessity. Newly promoted Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle (as Town have found out already) look more than capable of competing and their ambitions go beyond sitting idly by. The recently relegated sides whom many expected to be asset-stripped and be in the midst of major rebuilds haven’t, and the opportunity is not there to capitalise on sides in disarray – apart from Sheffield Wednesday (God bless Dejphon Chansiri).

The problem with the Championship is that you can’t afford to stand still. Standing still is going backwards and Town’s recruitment, some would call careful and considered, others would say is nowhere near enough – whatever the descriptor, the end result feels like exactly that, standing still.

When it comes to Kevin Nagle, it’s quite clear that there’s much longer-term thinking in place, thinking that includes instilling a winning mentality and looking forward to building for the future, some might think it’s blue sky thinking and fantastical, but I do believe there’s a lot of credence to this visionary planning.

The thing is you can’t forget about the present.

My personal concerns began as soon as I heard about the transitional year. It feels like the attention is on next season already and next season is when the statements of intent will be made to insert Town into the promotion conversation, but you’ve got to stay up first.

Clearly, Nagle and co felt the appointment of Warnock offered Town the most priceless commodity of all, time. Time to put further plans in place and think about the mid to long-term projection for the club. But, from the very small sample size of the season so far, it is set to be an uphill struggle. My fear is Town are at risk of overlooking the short term whilst they have their long-distance glasses on.

The case could’ve been made that Town were the most in-form side at the end of last season and upon that crest of optimism and momentum, real strides could’ve been made this season also – a line of thinking that aligns closely with the words echoed by Nagle. However, this leads back to the notion that this squad is capable of maintaining those performance levels. I just don’t think that’s the case. A perfect storm of purple patches, point deductions and a man management masterclass kept Town in the division last season.

Taking away what could be described as a freakishly set of results to curtail last season, Town have been at the wrong end of the table and perceptions at the top seem somewhat skewed. Football is a results business and for the large swathes of the past twelve months, the results are a true representation of where this squad currently sits – at the wrong end of the table.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that the positions that are in need of strengthening are the ones that come at an absolute premium, look at the reported seven-figure fee paid for Ben Wiles and the suggestions that Everton are looking for over a million as a loan fee for Tom Cannon – quality certainly doesn’t come cheap, particularly those that have proven it in the Championship.

Nevertheless, the signing of Wiles was a very strong step in the right direction, Town need more of that, signings that can immediately come into the side and improve it – in doing so, it will strengthen the fringes of the squad and gift Warnock more options than B Team players being asked to step up prematurely.

There’s still time before the window slams shut, so we as fans will watch and wait with bated breath.

Up the town – sign a striker and another midfielder please.

Thank you.

The Danger of Standing Still

And He Takes That Chance

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