One Supporters View of the Bulls

In a preview of the Irons game last Saturday the Scunthorpe Telegraph questioned Hereford United supporter Jason James, a Meadow End regular for over 30 years.

LIFE IN LEAGUE ONE HAS BEEN TOUGH FOR THE BULLS. WHY HAVE THEY STRUGGLED SO MUCH?

The bottom line is we never had enough League One standard players going into the new season. To be honest, I think our management misjudged the standard of football at this level, which for a manager, of Graham Turner’s experience I find unbelievable.

I consider myself to be somewhat of a football expert (don’t we all) and to me, in pre-season it was blatantly obvious we were going to struggle with the squad we had. The gulf between League Two and League One is bigger than the gulf between the Conference and League Two.

We have looked fairly solid this season but the price we have paid for that is we have been awful in attack.

CAN THEY GET OUT OF TROUBLE, OR IS THE WRITING ON THE WALL?

We are in the month when our future in this league will be decided. It’s transfer time and I’m sure Turner will be looking to bring in five or six good League One standard players.

If we don’t then we are doomed as, looking at the fixtures, I just can’t see where our wins and points are going to come from. If we were to sign the right standard of player then I would be extremely confident of getting out of the bottom four – especially with teams like Cheltenham, Crewe, Yeovil and Orient around.

Cheltenham are by far the worst team I have seen this season, they were truly awful.

ARE FANS HAPPY WITH GRAHAM TURNER? COULD HE HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY TO HELP THEIR CURRENT POSITION?

The majority of fans have been brainwashed by Turner over the years due to our terrible financial situation that resulted in us being relegated to the Conference in 1997. He is regarded as a God by these people and he can do no wrong in their eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe off the pitch he has done a good job as a chairman with regards the financial situation. He has balanced the books and we have made a profit for the last five seasons. But personally, I’m not particularly happy with Turner and I don’t believe the job he has done with the team is as great as some claim it is.

He took nine years to get us out of the Conference and we did it via the play-offs. If that makes him a great manager then what does that say about someone like John Coleman at Accrington? He built a team that walked the Conference on a much smaller budget than Turner.

With regards to what he could have done differently to help our current position, all I am going to say is super Gary Hooper! I believe, as many fans do, he was ours for the taking in May and Turner wasn’t decisive enough in the action he took to sign him. He was an absolute class act for us and he would have been a great signing up front as he has the ability to play at a much higher level.

WHERE, IF AT ALL, SHOULD THE BULLS BE LOOKING TO STRENGTHEN DURING JANUARY?

Every Hereford fan will tell you the one area where we really need to strengthen is up front. We have got Steve Guinan and Andy Williams but while Guinan works very hard, and is a good link player, he really needs a goalscorer alongside him. Williams has been rather frustrating since joining us on loan from Bristol Rovers. He has got ability but is yet to really find his feet at this level which, given our position, is a luxury we cannot afford. There has been a rumour of Adam Boyd joining us and he would be an excellent signing in my opinion.

We have just signed Sam Hewson, a young midfielder, on loan from Man United, who is apparently a box to box player capable of getting goals.

Attack is the crucial area for us though, without doubt, and the signings we make will determine if we stay up.

HOW MANY POINTS DO YOU FEEL IT WILL TAKE TO SECURE SAFETY?

Hopefully it will be equal to the number of points we will have! In all seriousness, I think we’ll have to be looking at 47/48 points, which means we have to get 30/31 points in the second half of the season. Nine wins, four draws and 10 defeats will do it, but looking at our record in the first half of the season, that makes rather daunting reading. It emphasises how crucial the transfer window will be.

WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF SCUNTHORPE AS A SIDE WHEN THE TWO TEAMS CLASHED EARLIER IN THE
SEASON?

I was very impressed, particularly with that lad up front – Mr Hooper. After watching most of the other teams in this division, they definitely have enough to get promoted in the top two. In fact, at the start of the season, Scunthorpe and Leicester were my two choices to go up in the top two and I still believe that will be the case.

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