🚨 Exciting announcement! 🚨. I’ve managed to secure an internship as an analyst with an EFL club for next season!. Another step in the right direction. 📈. Thank you all for giving me a platform to show my work, make connections, learn and improve. 👊. The hard work starts now…

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What do you want to know?.

A thread on Ben Goodliffe and his suitability to Southend United’s central centre-back role. 🧵👇.

Happy with this one!. What he lacks in outstanding ball-playing ability, Goodliffe more than makes up for with his leadership qualities, ability to command the defensive line, and presence in both penalty areas. An invaluable profile to a defensive unit and team as a whole.

I’ve covered the @NL_Enterprise in great detail over the past year, from tactical analysis & match breakdowns to player scout reports, and would massively appreciate any nominations for myself in @The_FCAs, under ‘Best in Non-League’. 👊. Nominate by using the attached post! 🗳️👇.

I’m intrigued to see what the future holds for Robbie Savage’s Forest Green Rovers. Will he be able to implement a style that can get them competing with York City for the title? Time will tell. If not, it seems like a ‘roll of the dice’ to me. 🎲.

However my point is that it’s a HUGE risk. With Cotterill, there was stability and certainty; Savage’s appointment adds jeopardy.

That doesn’t mean Savage can’t succeed at Forest Green. After all, he inherits a squad who just reached the play-offs, he’ll have one of the division’s biggest budgets to work with, and his (heavily backed) Macclesfield side just won the Northern Premier League with 109 points!.

Replacing an experienced manager in Steve Cotterill with one who’s had just one season in management is a risk, to say at the least. Let’s be honest, appointing Robbie Savage has nothing to do with style or philosophy. Fundamentally, it’s because he’s a ‘name’.

I have no doubt that, had Cotterill remained in charge, Forest Green would have reached the play-offs again next season; and if they recruited well in attack, they *could* have gone one step further.

These are all things that made Forest Green a real threat when it came to the play-offs. After all, they were just a few minutes and better game management away from reaching the play-off final. They weren’t far away at all.

In addition, they were a well-coached side led by an experienced manager who’s won FOUR promotions in an illustrious career, and had some serious financial backing to recruit good attacking players who could increase their chances in one-off matches.

However what Cotterill’s Forest Green *did* have was an incredibly well-organised defence, physicality in the midfield, ability in both penalty areas from set-pieces, and quality in key areas of the pitch.

Not when you’re competing with sides who average over 60% possession AND have devastating quality in attack, and especially not when there’s only ONE automatic promotion spot. The margins are so, so fine. To be the very best, you have to dominate matches week in, week out.

They spent too much time without the ball which, simply put, gave the opposition more opportunities to attack and limited the number of their own attacks. In one-off matches, that’s not so much of an issue; but across a whole season? Not good enough.

Steve Cotterill’s Forest Green Rovers didn’t exert enough control to be in title contention. That’s why they ultimately couldn’t maintain the pace set by Dean Brennan’s Barnet and Adam Hinshelwood’s York City last season.

A thread on Forest Green Rovers, Steve Cotterill and Robbie Savage. 🧵👇

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Ryan Hill is leaving Dagenham & Redbridge. A player who I’ve always been impressed by when watching him. Would be a good pickup for any side at this level.

Cashman is a ‘pockets’ player who excels in tight spaces with clever movement, but he needs quality around him to get the very best out of him. If he can begin to dictate attacks, his profile will become even more valuable. He already has the mentality and quality for it. ⭐️

However, Cashman is still a reliable outlet in transition as he can use his incredible ball-carrying ability to get his side up the pitch, because he’s so difficult to dispossess. Then, between the lines, he has the quality to combine with teammates and excel in tight spaces.