Where Crawley Town need to improve and these are players they should be targeting - a fan's view

I thought I would put some thoughts together on my opinions on what's next for the Red Devils and turn the page to the next chapter which has to be a better read than the current one!

Owners

Unfortunately the innovative and very visual social media presence has not gone down well with the majority of the fanbase which has built up alot of agression towards WAGMI. As we move into the summer break firstly the owners need to have a long hard think about whether they want to continue at the club. IF they decide to stay and remain fully committed to this project of theirs I think it is important that they review these radical decisions with the people of Crawley to ensure they get the support of the fanbase, rather than dropping these iniatives without warning which has been very insulting to the loyal supporters. To do this I think a senior CEO who is not afraid to stand up to the owners is required to push back on the ridiculous and present these new initiatives to the supporters.

It is also VERY important that us fans meet them halfway as all they are trying to do is raise captial and tap into a source of income which will benefit the club and allow us to grow. Next season if they remain we need to pause the abuse and give them a chance to redeem themselves

Club

Whilst this is not the biggest club in the EFL we have always had a big heart. I have only been a fan since 2017 but Crawley has given me a home on a Saturday and I am proud to wear the badge through the good and the bad times. It is time now to bring in a central figure (CEO) to keep us all together and make us united going forward. I think we should also thank all of those who work at the club the workforce on the ground especially have remained professional throughout this torrid season and they deserve the plaudits for keeping it all intact. With a senior figure coming in to help them in strategy and operations we can take huge strides forward, although we are all reliant on the teams performance which will bring punters through the turnstiles.

SEE ALSO 26 key questions Crawley Town fans want answered by owners WAGMI United for including update on CEO search, what lessons they have learnt and will the manager have a say on summer transfers | Crawley Town Supporter's Alliance demand answers about ownership of club in open letter to WAGMI United - read it in full here

Community

With our owners heavily focussed on tapping into a more global stream of revenue, I do feel that there has been a level of neglect to our local sponsors who have supported the club through thick and thin. Whilst I support the chase for revenue outside of the town we need to always remember our heritage and live by the 'Town Team Together' motto. The club does still work closely with the community but I think the owners need to remember this and recognise the importance of this as it will always remain and be the heartbeat of the club

Fans

One of the very few highlights of this season has to be the fanbase. It is really pleasing to see a younger generation of supporters turning up home and away making sure the team feels the support it deserves. This is the first season I have been able to hear a noise from the terrace at home games from my West Stand seat and against Walsall on Saturday it was truly outstanding! Away games also have a growing following and giving the players that 12th man and a reason to try harder is a strength much greater than most teams in L2. This needs to continue and the owners should look at ways of thanking the fans for their support (although what we truly want is a squad capable of pushing for promotion).

Squad

We have an interesting summer ahead and it is fair to say that there is a desperate need to strenghten the squad which has been trimmed down in January.

Expiring Contracts: If I am correct we have eight players whose contracts expire this summer so this is the first decision on which of these will be released. Both Nick Tsaroulla and Ludwig Francillette have one year options, we also have Harry Ransom and Rafiq Khaleel who both need to be tied down on longer term deals as they have shown they deserve it. We also have a few returning players (Kwesi Appiah, Tony Craig, Jake Hessenthaler and Davide Rodari) a decision is needed on these four on whether to release or integrate back in the first team.

Transfer Approach: After last season's data approach to transfers was clearly not as successful as the owners wanted. Whatever the owners plans it is imperitive that Scott Lindsey has control of a budget and he builds up a squad that can push for promotion. This does not mean that the budget needs to be huge and I feel a strategy of bringing in the right players in the areas we were evidently weak we can become a strong unit in L2

What we need?: As we all observed in recent weeks the squad is threadbare and we need the following to make us more competitive.

GK - Corey Addai has been fantastic in recent months but is he really good enough to be first choice? We need a steady experienced keeper to help develop Corey and start the season as first choice

Left Back - Whilst we all love Nick Tsaroulla he is injury prone, and I wonder if he will want to stay after the past season... It is important we bring in good cover for him and someone who can play behind Nick if we are short higher up the pitch

Centre Back - At Swindon we were down to one fit CB in Harry Ransom, whilst we have Ludwig, Tobi Omole, and Joel Lynch all returning further investment in another centre back is a must, however maybe Tony Craig could return to be that addition??

Central Midfield - We ended the season with alot of Midfielders but I still feel we haven't replaced Jack Payne who left last summer. Anthony Grant maybe the option for this although we maybe able to find someone slightly younger to ensure we have a box to box option for the full 90 minutes.

Wingers - Width is essential in this league and with Fellows leaving us (and the fact we never replaced James Balagizi) a couple of wide players is essential. potentially these can be young loanees from higher up the leagues but key is terrifying pace and an eye for goal.

Striker - How many times this season have we seen the long ball from Corey only for Dom Telford to be outjumped by a 6ft plus centre back? (Yes I know about the goal at Hartlepool!) we need someone who can compete in the air and physical to hold the ball up. This is what Telford has been crying out for all season and this kind of player can help feed his goal tally and return to the player we saw at Newport.

Recommended Targets - We should be looking to raid the free transfer market first as there will be some interesting options available. Firstly I would grab Abraham Odoh and Liam Kelly from Rochdale as they would be really good around this squad. Regarding a centre forward Macauley Bonne, Charlie Austin, Andy Cook, ex Red Jamie Procter, Omar Bugiel or Matt Smith are all potential options to play alongside Telford.