Doug King needs to bring in a high calibre Sporting Director / Director of Football as soon as possible and remove Dean Austin from his role as Head of Recruitment.
Austin must be accountable for the mess that the club is in and Lampard is unlikely to have confidence in him as it is clear that this is not a top 6 squad, it is unbalanced and money has been wasted during the previous 3 transfer windows.
Prior to joining the club he was Technical Director at St Albans in the 6th Tier of English football.
Aled Williams is another member of the backroom staff who should be replaced as soon as possible.
Prior to joining the club he was the goalkeeping coach at Telford Utd in the 6th Tier of English Football.
Hopefully, Lampard will be able to bring in a competent goalkeeper coach such as Shay Given who he worked with at Derby.
The Defence
As there is no almost no chance of making the playoffs, this season must be used to rebuild and to develop players.
Dovin will only improve by playing games and he must be the number 1 keeper for the rest of the season so that he can get the necessary experience to develop and fulfill his enormous potential.
Collins needs to be moved on as soon as possible as it is clear to everyone that he is not good enough at this level.
Wilson`s contract expires at the end of the season and his joker personality should not be sufficient to earn him and new contract. As with Collins, he just is not good enough or consistent enough to be a keeper for a Championship club who`s owner expects to be in the top 6.
Dasilva was a good player at Under 21 level but his significant physical limitations such as his lack of height, lack of pace and lack of strength make him the weakest link in the team and he has been at fault for so many goals.
In addition to his physical limitations, his positioning and anticipation are not good enough and I doubt that any coach in the country could improve Dasilva so that he becomes a good defender.
The opposition target his weaknesses and the left back position must be addressed in January and the club should do whatever they can to get Dasilva off the wage bill.
Bidwell is good defensively but he lacks pace, is not good enough on the ball and lacks the attacking threat to be an effective fullback for a team that has aspirations of getting promoted to the Premier League. Getting him off the wage bill could help to bring in someone like Harvey Vale.
Latibeaudiere is the best of the centre backs on the ball and is a leader but his lack of height and pace is often exploited by the opposition.
He needs a run of games alongside the same partner so that Lampard can determine whether or not he is good enough to be a regular starter.
If he does play, he should be Captain instead of Sheaf.
The lack of competition/cover for Van Ewijk is must be addressed in January. Maybe Jack Burroughs should be recalled from his loan at Kilmarnock?
Binks`s poor positioning and lack of aggression are significant weaknesses in his game. It is time for Kitching to be given a run in the team.
The Midfield
Sheaf and Torp have the making of a good partnership but there is a lack of strength in depth in the central midfield positions.
Eccles is a decent player who will continue to improve but the squad needs a midfield player that will provide some much needed experience, leadership and competition for places.
It seems that the responsibility of the Captaincy has been detrimental to Sheaf and he often appears to be frustrated with the lack of ability of some of his team mates.
Allen is not good enough at this level and should be moved on in January so that his wages can be put to better use before his contract ends in June.
He lacks the physical attributes to be a holding midfield player and the lacks the creativity and ball carrying ability to be an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
There is no competition or cover for Rudoni in the number 10 role and this must be addressed in January.
The Attack
There is no competition or cover for Sakamoto as an inverted right winger and this must be addressed in January
There are too many left sided inside forwards / left wingers (Wright, EMC and BTA) and the signing of BTA was not necessary.
The money spent on BTA should have been used to recruit players to provide competition for Van Ewijk, Sakamoto and Rudoni.
Simms is unlikely to improve much and considering that he is one of the highest earners, it would probably best to try to sell him so that Wright and Bassette can compete to be the striker.
What needs to change?
Team Selection
The rebuild must start now. Collins and Dasilva should not be in the team again and every effort should be made to sell them or loan them out in January or the summer.
Lampard needs to determine the best centre back partnership and stick with them for a sustained run of games along with having Dovin as the first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season.
The Coaching Staff
With the appointments of Frank Lampard, Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, the club now has elite level coaching staff who have coached in the Premier League and Champions League.
However, the weakest links are Aled Williams and John Dempster who must be replaced by better quality coaches.
The Squad
In the January transfer window the club should recruit players for the following positions:
1. Left back
2. Right back (Competition for Van Ewijk)
3. Centre midfield (Ideally an experienced Championship midfielder)
4. Attacking midfield (Competition for Rudoni)
5. Right wing (Competition for Sakamoto)
Sell, release or loan out:
1. Collins
2. Dasilva
3. Bidwell
4. Allen
5. Tavares
*If the club can offload both Dasilva and Bidwell 2 new left backs would be required
*Keep Wilson until the end of the season as backup to Dovin
*If Wright is going to be played as a striker, the club should try to sell Simms
Lampard`s options and ability to improve the team are currently limited due to the poor recruitment by Austin and Robins during the last 2 years which has resulted in an unbalanced squad and several players that are not good enough for a club that has aspirations of promotion to the Premier League.
King must realise that Dean Austin has failed to make the best use of the resources that have been given to him as the squad is unbalanced, does not have 2 players for every position, and money has been wasted on the likes of Collins, Dasilva, Kitching, BTA and Rodrigues.
Hopefully, King will bring in Steve Round as Sporting Director / Director of Football and remove Austin from his role as Head of Recruitment.
Austin must be accountable for the mess that the club is in and Lampard is unlikely to have confidence in him as it is clear that this is not a top 6 squad, it is unbalanced and money has been wasted during the previous 3 transfer windows.
Prior to joining the club he was Technical Director at St Albans in the 6th Tier of English football.
Aled Williams is another member of the backroom staff who should be replaced as soon as possible.
Prior to joining the club he was the goalkeeping coach at Telford Utd in the 6th Tier of English Football.
Hopefully, Lampard will be able to bring in a competent goalkeeper coach such as Shay Given who he worked with at Derby.
The Defence
As there is no almost no chance of making the playoffs, this season must be used to rebuild and to develop players.
Dovin will only improve by playing games and he must be the number 1 keeper for the rest of the season so that he can get the necessary experience to develop and fulfill his enormous potential.
Collins needs to be moved on as soon as possible as it is clear to everyone that he is not good enough at this level.
Wilson`s contract expires at the end of the season and his joker personality should not be sufficient to earn him and new contract. As with Collins, he just is not good enough or consistent enough to be a keeper for a Championship club who`s owner expects to be in the top 6.
Dasilva was a good player at Under 21 level but his significant physical limitations such as his lack of height, lack of pace and lack of strength make him the weakest link in the team and he has been at fault for so many goals.
In addition to his physical limitations, his positioning and anticipation are not good enough and I doubt that any coach in the country could improve Dasilva so that he becomes a good defender.
The opposition target his weaknesses and the left back position must be addressed in January and the club should do whatever they can to get Dasilva off the wage bill.
Bidwell is good defensively but he lacks pace, is not good enough on the ball and lacks the attacking threat to be an effective fullback for a team that has aspirations of getting promoted to the Premier League. Getting him off the wage bill could help to bring in someone like Harvey Vale.
Latibeaudiere is the best of the centre backs on the ball and is a leader but his lack of height and pace is often exploited by the opposition.
He needs a run of games alongside the same partner so that Lampard can determine whether or not he is good enough to be a regular starter.
If he does play, he should be Captain instead of Sheaf.
The lack of competition/cover for Van Ewijk is must be addressed in January. Maybe Jack Burroughs should be recalled from his loan at Kilmarnock?
Binks`s poor positioning and lack of aggression are significant weaknesses in his game. It is time for Kitching to be given a run in the team.
The Midfield
Sheaf and Torp have the making of a good partnership but there is a lack of strength in depth in the central midfield positions.
Eccles is a decent player who will continue to improve but the squad needs a midfield player that will provide some much needed experience, leadership and competition for places.
It seems that the responsibility of the Captaincy has been detrimental to Sheaf and he often appears to be frustrated with the lack of ability of some of his team mates.
Allen is not good enough at this level and should be moved on in January so that his wages can be put to better use before his contract ends in June.
He lacks the physical attributes to be a holding midfield player and the lacks the creativity and ball carrying ability to be an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
There is no competition or cover for Rudoni in the number 10 role and this must be addressed in January.
The Attack
There is no competition or cover for Sakamoto as an inverted right winger and this must be addressed in January
There are too many left sided inside forwards / left wingers (Wright, EMC and BTA) and the signing of BTA was not necessary.
The money spent on BTA should have been used to recruit players to provide competition for Van Ewijk, Sakamoto and Rudoni.
Simms is unlikely to improve much and considering that he is one of the highest earners, it would probably best to try to sell him so that Wright and Bassette can compete to be the striker.
What needs to change?
Team Selection
The rebuild must start now. Collins and Dasilva should not be in the team again and every effort should be made to sell them or loan them out in January or the summer.
Lampard needs to determine the best centre back partnership and stick with them for a sustained run of games along with having Dovin as the first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season.
The Coaching Staff
With the appointments of Frank Lampard, Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, the club now has elite level coaching staff who have coached in the Premier League and Champions League.
However, the weakest links are Aled Williams and John Dempster who must be replaced by better quality coaches.
The Squad
In the January transfer window the club should recruit players for the following positions:
1. Left back
2. Right back (Competition for Van Ewijk)
3. Centre midfield (Ideally an experienced Championship midfielder)
4. Attacking midfield (Competition for Rudoni)
5. Right wing (Competition for Sakamoto)
Sell, release or loan out:
1. Collins
2. Dasilva
3. Bidwell
4. Allen
5. Tavares
*If the club can offload both Dasilva and Bidwell 2 new left backs would be required
*Keep Wilson until the end of the season as backup to Dovin
*If Wright is going to be played as a striker, the club should try to sell Simms
Lampard`s options and ability to improve the team are currently limited due to the poor recruitment by Austin and Robins during the last 2 years which has resulted in an unbalanced squad and several players that are not good enough for a club that has aspirations of promotion to the Premier League.
King must realise that Dean Austin has failed to make the best use of the resources that have been given to him as the squad is unbalanced, does not have 2 players for every position, and money has been wasted on the likes of Collins, Dasilva, Kitching, BTA and Rodrigues.
Hopefully, King will bring in Steve Round as Sporting Director / Director of Football and remove Austin from his role as Head of Recruitment.
